Population and Aging

RAND research on population and aging analyzes demographic and immigration trends and explores a range of concerns, from family planning to religion to discrimination. RAND also addresses vulnerable populations—such as the elderly and the poor—analyzing retirement and other aspects of financial decisionmaking, welfare, and end-of-life issues.

Research conducted by: RAND Labor and Population; RAND Europe; RAND Health; RAND Justice, Infrastructure, and Environment; RAND Child Policy; RAND Gulf States Policy Institute; Center for the Study of Aging; Population Research Center; Center for Population Health and Health Disparities

Featured at RAND

More Americans Will Delay Retirement – Implications for Social Security and Medicare

An unprecedented upturn in the number of older Americans who delay retirement is likely to continue and even accelerate over the next two decades, a trend that should help ease the financial challenges facing both Social Security and Medicare.

Commentary (86)

What Bangladesh — and US Retailers — Must Do to Prevent Man-Made Tragedies — May 16, 2013

Garments factory in Bangladesh

Perhaps most tragic of all are the disasters that are wholly preventable: the deaths, maimings, and crushed livelihoods that result from human callousness or indifference, writes Jonah Blank.

The Value of Uncertainty: Assessing Global Societal Trends — May 9, 2013

Vasco de Gama Bridge, Lisbon

When planning for the future, we should understand that the capacity to predict the future is rather limited and poor. Rather, an ability to anticipate plausible trends and their potential consequences is more realistic, writes Stijn Hoorens.

Searching for Clues on the Brothers Tsarnaev — May 5, 2013

police officers gathered after the Boston Marathon bombings

One doesn't need a clear link to a global terror group to carry out an attack; one needs only the resources, the means and an Internet connection. But the global nature of these communities and their online links also create openings police can exploit.

The Cost of Dementia: Who Will Pay? — Apr 30, 2013

Couple reviewing finances with an advisor

It is time for the government in partnership with industry to return to the drawing board to craft a plan that will provide protection for the more than 9 million people who will need care for dementia by 2040, writes Michael D. Hurd.

Dementia's Growing Cost to Caregivers — Apr 29, 2013

Young woman and grandfather sitting hand in hand at table

At the rate that the U.S. population is aging, the total cost of dementia could reach half a trillion dollars a year by 2040. Those who care for impaired relatives and friends are acutely aware of the effects of dementia, and unfortunately they are all too familiar with its costs, writes Kathleen J. Mullen.

Can Catholic Colleges Block Free Condom Distribution? — Apr 22, 2013

College students pass out free condoms at a health fair

If this issue were to be decided on the basis of public health benefits, the outcome would be clear: Condoms indisputably prevent both unintended pregnancies and the spread of sexually transmitted infections, writes Chloe Bird.

Planning for Superstorms, Wildfires, and Deep Uncertainty — Apr 18, 2013

61747

The path to climate change preparedness should start at the intersection of resilience and robustness — that is, building resilient communities with the individuals and organizations within those communities making robust decisions, ones designed to work well over a wide range of ever-changing conditions.

Iran's Forgotten Ethnic Minorities — Apr 3, 2013

Iranians campaigning for reformist candidate Mostafa Moeen in 2005

Non-Persian ethnic minorities make up roughly 40 to 50 percent of Iran's population. Marginalized from society, they may choose a path of political apathy. On the other hand, Tehran's refusal to acknowledge minority rights may lead to future ethnic insurgencies and uprisings.

Tax the Nonprofits: A Modest Proposal — Mar 11, 2013

Charles Wolf asks: Can the NPO sector contribute to easing the U.S. fiscal imbalance, while helping rather than hindering the dynamic free enterprise system, and retaining societal benefits provided by nonprofits?

The SSDI Program's Impact on Human Capital — Mar 8, 2013

The combined effects of having potentially employable individuals receive SSDI benefits, and the loss of skills among those who are denied benefits, are significant, write Nicole Maestas and Kathleen Mullen.

Is Asia's Forgotten Revolt About to Explode? — Feb 25, 2013

This is why teachers are so often the targets of attack. In the rebels’ view, schools aren’t neutral places for children to receive an education. They are seen as government-run indoctrination centers, propagating an exclusionary history and an alien language, writes Jonah Blank.

The President's Early Childhood Expansion Should Take a 'Portfolio' Approach — Feb 21, 2013

colorful crayons

An optimal approach to strategically expanding access to early childhood programs is one that helps states and communities identify evidence-based approaches that address their particular needs, within the context of their characteristics, writes M. Rebecca Kilburn.

Is Enforcement Key to Fixing America's Immigration System? — Feb 15, 2013

The current debate regarding comprehensive immigration reform offers an opportunity to redesign the worksite immigration enforcement system to achieve more efficient enforcement with better intelligence on where undocumented workers are employed, say Andrew Morral and Peter Brownell.

Legalization and Border Security: Are We There Yet? — Feb 7, 2013

The White House and a bipartisan group of senators recently unveiled proposals for comprehensive immigration reform. The proposal raises a number of questions, says Peter Brownell: How would success in securing the border actually be determined? Would it mean absolutely zero unauthorized immigration across U.S. borders?

The Winners and Losers from the Syria Conflict — Jan 31, 2013

Although outside efforts to arm the rebels would help level the playing field in Syria, such a strategy would not ensure victory, and the weapons could fall into the hands of extremists for use against Israel, Jordan and other neighboring countries, writes William Young.

Shifting the Burden of Mental Health Care: Helping Families — Dec 21, 2012

In our national conversation on mental health, we should remember the role of families when thinking about treatment and ensure that our policies open up opportunities to support parents, siblings and relatives, and enhance their capacity for care, writes Ramya Chari.

In Connecticut, Recovery and Healing Will Take Time — Dec 20, 2012

With an event like this, "recovery" doesn't mean a return to normal, because lives have been permanently altered. Recovery can only mean finding a new normal, a new path forward. And schools, those places of safety and healthy development, can help with that process, by providing a structure and community to support healing, writes Lisa Jaycox.

More Secure or Less Free? — Dec 17, 2012

It is thus not surprising that people report a willingness to trade convenience, money, and liberty for security. Legal precedent reinforces that decreased civil liberties may be accepted when confronting existential threats with demonstrably effective security—to a point, writes Henry H. Willis.

Generations of Terrorism — Dec 12, 2012

Whatever its eventual outcome, Syria's civil war has already produced thousands of experienced jihadists who will continue to threaten the region for years to come, writes Brian Michael Jenkins.

Economy Needs 'Unretired' — Dec 11, 2012

Though work at older ages can benefit both the economy and retirees themselves, public policy does not always facilitate it. The retirement earning test in the early years of Social Security eligibility, for example, is perceived as a disincentive to work, writes Nicole Maestas.

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