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.
Leaving the work force early has become commonplace in developed countries. Understanding the financial incentives and other factors that induce individuals to retire early, can help policymakers design effective reforms to help guarantee the financial stability of pension systems.
Many households use commitment devices such as monthly mortgage payments, Social Security, and payroll 401(k) deductions to help them save. The Financial Literacy Center is trying to design a "new and improved" 401(k) that offers a better combination of liquidity and commitment than the current defined contribution pension.
Changing the Social Security Disability Insurance program rules could reduce caseload costs by encouraging a return to work, but it could also create unintended consequences by inducing more workers to apply for benefits.
When children with disabilities turn 18, most apply for SSI-disabled adult benefits without first looking for work. The Financial Literacy Center is developing a financial literacy tool for these young adults to teach the value of entering the labor market.
The application and appeals process for Social Security Dissability Insurance (SSDI) can take months if not years, during which time applicants are not allowed to work more than a limited amount. Understanding the true application costs of SSDI can help quantify the total wefare impact of the program.
The RAND Center for the Study of Aging has conducted objective, independent, interdisciplinary research on aging and the elderly for more than 20 years. It improves public policy through primary data collection as well as secondary data analysis.
Many displaced workers suffer near-permanent losses in earnings capacity, especially during economic downturns. Understanding the relationship between labor market shocks and the decision to claim disability or retirement benefits can help policymakers prepare for future recessions.
The RAND Center for Disability Research aims to better understand the social and economic causes and consequences of disability. Research themes include examining the roles of employers, health-care markets, knowledge networks, and social insurance programs.
To understand what policies and incentives influence the decisionmaking patterns of middle-aged and elderly Mexicans, RAND researchers used panel data from the Mexican Health and Aging Study to compare the retirement behavior of non-migrant Mexicans with those who had migration spells to the United States and later returned to Mexico.
Not enough is known about the economic effects of changing the legal status of undocumented immigrants in the United States. This project estimates the causal effects of legalization to inform future U.S. immigration reform proposals.
Through the Diversity Management Project, RAND Labor and Population will examine how best to achieve and harness workplace diversity, a growing priority for U.S. companies and government agencies who want their workforces to reflect the evolving racial, ethnic, socio-economic, and generational makeup of American society and meet the challenges of the global market place.
Chile, Colombia, and Mexico each have fully-funded, defined-contribution social security systems, yet there are significant differences in system design and incentive that may affect individuals' participation. The research team compared the differences of individual coverage in the three countries' systems.
RAND conducted an evaluation of California's implementation of welfare reform under the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunities Reconciliation Act (PRWORA) of 1996. The project was conducted under contract from the California Department of Social Services.
The Population Research Center is dedicated to the scientific advancement of population studies in a period when demographic changes are creating especially complex theoretical and public policy issues.
Many cash transfer programmes designate women and mothers as transfer recipients, on the assumption that doing so will lead to better outcomes. RAND Europe is undertaking a systematic review for the UK Department for International Development to assess whether transferring cash to women rather than men in low- and middle-income countries has a greater impact on household well-being.
The new Displaced New Orleans Residents Survey examines the current location, well-being, and plans of people who lived in the City of New Orleans when Hurricane Katrina struck in August 2005.
The Allegheny County Maternal Depression and Child Health Care Initiative will promote healthy lifestyles and positive health outcomes, reduce preventable disease and environmental health risks, eliminate health disparities, and ensure access to quality care for young children, mothers, and families.
The Q-DART project uses innovative approaches to highlight gaps in quality of care and health outcomes in diverse populations in order to help health plans, public health organizations, and others concerned about improving the care that people receive allocate scarce resources more wisely.
RAND Gulf States, created to assist in the long-term recovery efforts in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama following Hurricane Katrina, has launched an in-depth study due out in 2010. The Displaced New Orleans Residents Survey will examine the current location, well-being and plans of former residents of the city.
To inform the current debate on migrant selection, RAND analyzed the composition and migration flows of return migrants from the United States to Mexico from 1993 to 2004, based on data from the EMIF (Encuesta sobre Migración en la Frontera Norte de México).
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