RAND Research Topic: Globalization

RAND International Programs

Jan 23, 2010

Today's global challenges demand RAND's innovative analysis. Old patterns of state-to-state and bloc-to-bloc relations are now eclipsed by global concerns that cut across functional disciplines and regional boundaries. Complex issues such as international security, transnational trade and investment, education, health care, information technology, and energy and environment are all topics that benefit from the multidisciplinary, uncompromising analytic approach of researchers in International Programs at RAND.

Tracking Public Sentiment in Iran After the Contested 2009 Election with Twitter

Jan 17, 2012

Social media was used in the 2009 protests to organize and communicate under government censorship. An anaylsis of more than 2.5 million tweets discussing the Iran election holds promise for such policy uses as assessing public opinion and forecasting events such as large-scale protests.

Innovations in the Provision of Legal Services in the United States: An Overview for Policymakers

Oct 26, 2011

Globalization, consolidation, information technology, and litigation financing are changing the way legal services are provided in the United States. This paper offers a framework for examining recent and ongoing innovations in U.S. legal services to aid policymakers in understanding the likely effects of innovations and the role of policy in promoting or deterring innovation, and to provide criteria that policymakers might use to decide whether the advantages of an innovation justify loosening existing restrictions.

Alliances in the 21st Century: Implications for the US-European partnership

Jun 28, 2011

This paper presents a theory of natural alliances in which commonalities in political culture are a strategic asset for better coordination and greater predictability among partners. It applies this theory to the case of the US-European alliance.

Gays in the Military: Eventually, New Facts Conquer Old Taboos

Apr 29, 2011

This RAND Review cover story describes RAND's research and analysis of sexual orientation and U.S. military personnel policy relating to the likely repeal of 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell.'

The Facts About American 'Decline'

Apr 13, 2011

It's fashionable among academics and pundits to proclaim that the U.S. is in decline and no longer No. 1 in the world. The declinists say they are realists. In fact, their alarm is unrealistic, writes Charles Wolf, Jr.

China's Next Buying Spree: Foreign Companies

Jan 24, 2011

What is significant about China's acquisitions over the past few years is the change they represent from the negligible amounts in the past, writes Charles Wolf, Jr.

The Fall of the Wall: A World Restored?

Nov 9, 2009

When the Berlin Wall fell 20 years ago, those raised in the shadow of possible nuclear holocaust felt disbelief, followed by relief and hope that the end of the Cold War would bring lasting peace, and the end of conflict. And in Europe, at least, it mostly did – but not everywhere, writes Christopher S. Chivvis.

G-20 Growing Pains

Sep 24, 2009

The increasing importance of the G-20 summits is testimony to the growing role emerging states now play in managing the international economy. But integrating these newcomers into the global community is unlikely to be straightforward or simple, writes Lowell H. Schwartz.

Improving the Energy Performance of Buildings: Learning from the European Union and Australia

Sep 21, 2009

The United States can become more energy efficient and create more "green" jobs by adopting some of the strategies used by the European Union and Australia to rate and disclose the performance of commercial and government-owned buildings.

Capitalism Still Works: Our Economy Will Recover Because We Are Innovators and Entrepreneurs

Sep 17, 2009

The damage done by the financial crisis now seems to require not a refurbishing job but an extreme makeover. While soul-searching and even self-loathing are inevitable during a crisis, this is no time for America to shy away from a capitalist system that has produced decades of economic growth, writes Krishna Kumar.

World Economic Recession Unlikely to Have Lasting Geopolitical Consequences

Jul 30, 2009

Will the current global economic recession have long-term geopolitical implications? Assuming that economic recovery begins in the first half of 2010, lasting structural alterations in the international system — a substantial change in U.S.-China relations, for example — are unlikely. This is because economic performance is only one of many geopolitical elements that shape countries' strategic intent and core external policies.

Alabama's Challenge: Better Prepared Workforce

Jul 14, 2009

Alabama has made significant economic progress in recent decades, attracting car manufacturers and new industrial development. The state now has an opportunity to address some systemic challenges in education, health care, and workforce development to be competitive in a global economy, writes Melissa Flournoy.

The Cracks in Data Privacy

May 19, 2009

For almost 15 years, Europe has led the world in protecting personal data. At the EU level, it has done this through the data-protection directive adopted in 1995. But surveys such as one carried out by Eurobarometer last year illustrate that Europeans now feel insufficiently protected, write Lorenzo Valeri and Neil Robinson.

Organized Crime Is Increasingly Active in Film Piracy; Three Cases Link Terrorists to Piracy Profits

Mar 3, 2009

Organized crime increasingly is involved in the piracy of feature films, with syndicates active along the entire supply chain from manufacture to street sales. While crime syndicates have added piracy to their criminal portfolios, the profits from film piracy also have been used on occasion to support the activities of terrorist groups.

How China Can Strengthen Its Economy by Investing in High-Technology Applications

Feb 13, 2009

China's Tianjin Binhai New Area (TBNA) and Tianjin Economic-Technological Development Area (TEDA) can best spur regional development and economic growth by focusing on emerging high-technology applications, including molecular-scale drug development and green manufacturing.

The Secret Briefing Obama Needs on Day One

Jan 22, 2009

A select few Americans will ever see the president's daily brief -- a digest of the intelligence community's most closely guarded secrets. But trust me, Barack Obama is going to need much more useful information than he is getting now, writes Gregory F. Treverton.

A History of Chinese Corporate Governance Sheds Light on Economic Growth and Reform

Dec 3, 2008

As China has moved toward a stronger role for private enterprise and capitalism it has also sought to adopt more Western-style oversight mechanisms and legal standards for corporate governance - a history of which is found here with an examination of attendant problems and their policy implications.

U.S. Department of Defense Faces Obstacles in Meeting Small-Business Contract Goals

Nov 12, 2008

Many of the goods and services purchased by the U.S. Department of Defense are from industries that are often better suited to larger companies rather than smaller ones, complicating efforts to meet goals that about one-fourth of prime-contract dollars be awarded to small businesses.

Four Countries in the Middle East Face the Human Capital Challenges of the 21st Century

Oct 31, 2008

Education and labor market initiatives are under way in four Arab nations -- Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates -- to address the challenges of developing the human capital of their populations for the 21st century global economy, though better evaluation of the implemented reforms will be needed to determine their efficacy.