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.
COMMENTARY
Reliable birth control contributed to economic development by reducing women's risk of dropping out of school associated with early childbearing and high fertility rates, contributing in turn to increases in women's labor force participation, the continuity of their careers, and the standard of living of women, children and families, writes Chloe Bird.
PERIODICAL
Stories discuss Iran's nuclear threat, social security for Mexico's aging population, programs to help veterans and their families, the costs of crime and the value of police officers, psychological operations in Afghanistan, the U.S. health insurance mandate, legal representation in murder cases, marijuana legalization, U.S. competitiveness in educational achievement, and Louisiana's plan for a sustainable coast.
PERIODICAL
Mexico is facing the demographic and epidemiological challenge of providing financial security and adequate health care to millions of elderly citizens.
PERIODICAL
An infographic portrays the demographic transition underway in Mexico, as its population ages rapidly over the next few decades.
REPORT
The fraction of American households that have no bank accounts has long been a concern for policymakers. Estimates from a nationally representative sample, RAND's American Life Panel, suggest that in 2011: 15.5 percent of the population is unbanked; socioeconomically disadvantaged individuals are more likely to be unbanked; unbanked respondents cite financial barriers and personal preference as reasons for not having a bank account.
PROJECT
What effect has the financial crisis had on households and health? RAND researchers seek to quantify the effects of the crisis on older U.S. households, and the adjustments made in response. With this information, they aim to determine whether downturns in economic status are associated with declines in health.
PROJECT
To understand what influences life satisfaction in different countries, it is important to correct for cultural differences in how people answer subjective questions. The RAND Center for the Study of Aging is attempting to increase the comparability of response scales across national boundaries.
PROJECT
By using newly available data from more than 15 countries, researchers are analyzing how the interaction between individual behavior, social context, institutions, and policies shapes health and well-being in old age.
COMMENTARY
"Why Nations Fail" is a sweeping attempt to explain the gut-wrenching poverty that leaves 1.29 billion people in the developing world struggling to live on less than $1.25 a day. You might expect it to be a bleak, numbing read. It's not. It's bracing, garrulous, wildly ambitious and ultimately hopeful, writes Warren Bass.
PROJECT
Health outcomes may be related to financial status, including home ownership. A comparative analysis of housing price risk during economic downturns in different countries can help researchers better understand this relationship.
RESEARCH BRIEF
This report describes the socioeconomic environment officers will encounter if they leave active-duty service and analyzes its potential impact on Army retention and how it can be effectively communicated to officers making stay/leave decisions.
REPORT
Addresses long-term care issues facing the elderly in China.
REPORT
Provides insights into the costs and challenges of providing health care to the elderly population.
REPORT
The 2007 expansion of the Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC) program increased employment among disabled veterans by 2 percentage points in 2007 and 2008, representing roughly 32,000 jobs each year.
REPORT
This binational reference for U.S. and Mexican policymakers presents the interrelated issues of Mexican immigration to the United States and Mexico's economic and social development. Differences in economic growth, wages, and the employment situation between two countries are critical determinants of immigration, and migration of labor out of Mexico, in addition to economic and social policies, affects Mexico's development.
RESEARCH BRIEF
Estimates the effects of the 2007 expansion of the Work Opportunity Tax Credit program, which offered tax credits to employers who hired certain groups of veterans, including those with service-connected disabilities.
COMMENTARY
For their part, a younger generation of female jihadists has come to believe that acts of violence can be just as liberating politically and spiritually for women as for men, writes Karla Cunningham.
REPORT
Though consistency in applying disability assessment criteria is intended, it is not easily achieved in practice. For many SSDI applicants, whether they are allowed or denied benefits depends upon the examiner to which their application is assigned.
PROJECT
Employment trajectories following the onset of disability are poorly understood. Employer-focused policy interventions may reduce uptake in public disability insurance and disability-induced early retirement.
REPORT
This report documents work to update the Application System of the Sydney Strategic Model (STM). The Application System implements models of frequency, mode and destination choice for each of the nine travel purposes in the STM.
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