RAND experts have often been among the pioneers of key scientific research, including computer analysis, satellite development, military technology, and the foundations of the Internet. RAND's research has also resulted in the development of new methodologies and ways of analyzing policy issues, from the Delphi method to Robust Decision Making.
EVENT
A March 2012 RAND program features Tom LaTourette, a senior physical scientist who specializes in energy, public safety, and homeland security policy.
REPORT
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.
MULTIMEDIA
On May 14, 2009, Titus Galama discussed the reality of U.S. competitiveness in science and technology and whether gains by China, India, and other nations are affecting America's chances of remaining a scientific leader.
REPORT
It has become clear that Stuxnet-like worms pose a serious threat even to critical U.S. infrastructure and computer systems that are not connected to the Internet. However, defending against such attacks involves complex technological and legal issues.
TOOL
The Health and Retirement Study is a longitudinal survey of the elderly dating back to 1992. With the support of the National Institute on Aging and Social Security Administration, RAND has made five data sets available for researchers.
REPORT
Documents RAND's responses to proposed changes in the Common Rule, which regulates Institutional Review Board protection of human research participants.
REPORT
This report explores the impact of information and communication technologies in the Middle East and North Africa region. It provides a series of analyses and inputs to the World Bank that intended to help frame their thinking about ICT use in MENA.
REPORT
The Modified Kalman Filter approach for pooling information across time and outcomes is shown to improve accuracy in national estimates of health outcomes including cancer, diabetes, and hypertension especially in small racial/ethnic subgroups. The developed SAS macro models true health states in each subgroup assuming a linear time evolution and an autoregressive deviation around such trend. The macro provides multiple options for users.
RESEARCH BRIEF
Develops and tests an approach to program-level assessment of interactive multimedia instruction (IMI) courses that identifies strengths and deficiencies in technical, production quality, and pedagogical aspects of IMI courseware.
REPORT
Three essays that address some of the challenges associated with improving the flexibility of National Security Space capabilities.
REPORT
Congressional concern with cost overruns, or breaches, in several major defense acquisition programs led the authors, in a partnership with the Performance Assessments and Root Cause Analysis Office in the Office of the Secretary of Defense, Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics, to investigate root causes by examining program reviews, analyzing data, participating in contractor briefings, and holding meetings with diverse stakeholders.
REPORT
Geographic information system (GIS) mapping software is a promising tool for enhancing priority-setting and resource allocation in local health departments (LHDs) by displaying complex geospatial information in an integrated, visual way, enabling comparison of where health services are needed with where they are provided. The study describes options for accessing GIS data and suggests ways for LHDs to integrate GIS into their planning…
JOURNAL ARTICLE
In this interview, Willis Ware discusses his career in the context of the spread of digital computing since the 1940, including his work on the JOHNNIAC computer at RAND in the 1950s.
REPORT
There has been an overall downward trend in the use of National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) wind-tunnel test facilities, and fiscal pressures have increased incentives to cut costs and create additional sources of revenue. The authors explore six potential approaches to pricing the use of these facilities and evaluate each approach against three criteria — efficiency, fiscal impact, and fairness.
JOURNAL ARTICLE
To reduce air emission and oil dependency impacts from passenger vehicles, strategies to promote adoption of hybrid-electric vehicles (HEVs) and plug-in hybrid-electric vehicles with small battery packs offer more social benefits per dollar spent.
REPORT
This technical report describes the benefits of reallocating certain maintenance activities between mission-generation locations and a repair network, options to support the C-130, and consolidating repair network activities to centralized repair facilities. The report also provides an initial assessment of maintenance concepts that integrate wing-level and depot-level maintenance processes.
REPORT
This report considers how translational research and knowledge exchange can be enhanced throughout the food and agricultural value chain so that best use is made of public and private investment in research and knowledge generation.
REPORT
The EC Health and Consumer Protection Directorate-General commissioned RAND Europe to provide support in developing a comprehensive data strategy for DG SANCO that meets the needs of increasingly evidence-based policymaking in the future.
JOURNAL ARTICLE
Assesses the effect that missing data in student achievement records, and the assumption that such data are missing at random, have on value-added modeling approaches to using student achievement data to assess school and teacher performance.
PROJECT
How does policy support science and how does science in turn support policy? What works in terms of funding science and in maximizing academic, social and economic 'payback' from investment in science? RAND Europe is a leader in understanding the returns from different kinds of investment in science and research.
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