Putting America's Civic Infrastructure on the Biden-Harris Agenda
Much like our bridges and roads, America's civic infrastructure has been allowed to crumble. This has allowed Truth Decay to set in. The new administration can begin to repair the deep fissures in our society by explicitly and implicitly rehabilitating the nation's civic infrastructure.
Nov 19, 2020 Los Angeles Times
Think Tanks in the Era of Truth Decay
Truth Decay is the diminishing role of facts and analysis in American public life, and it cuts much deeper than any political party or demographic. It's why nonpartisan think tanks like RAND are as important now as they have ever been.
Oct 22, 2020
The RAND Institute for Civil Justice: 40th Anniversary Reflections
For 40 years, the RAND Institute for Civil Justice (ICJ) has supplied government and private decisionmakers and the public with the results of objective, empirically based, analytic research. In this era of the diminishing role of facts and analysis in public life, or Truth Decay, the mission and research of the ICJ have never been more important.
Nov 6, 2019 The RAND Blog
Truth Decay, America's Latest Pastime
Detailed data and complex analysis are the foundation of decisionmaking in baseball and many other professions and occupations. But facts are out of favor in current U.S. political and civil discourse, and the public policymaking that accompanies it.
Jul 12, 2018 Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
In Reckoning with Today's Truth Wars, Look to America's Past
The declining regard for factual evidence may be a defining characteristic of our current age. Previous eras suggest it is within society's power to restore respect for objective facts. Humankind just needs to put it on the agenda.
Jun 19, 2018 CNN
The Perils of Truth Decay: Q&A with Three RAND Leaders
Truth Decay is defined by disagreement about facts, the blurred line between opinion and fact, increased volume of opinion and personal experience over fact, and declining trust in formerly respected sources of facts. RAND president and CEO Michael D. Rich, journalist Soledad O'Brien, and political scientist Francis Fukuyama discuss the phenomenon and the search for solutions to it.
Feb 27, 2018
The Diminishing Role of Facts in American Public Life
Without agreement about objective facts and a common understanding of and respect for data and analytical interpretations of those data, it becomes nearly impossible to have the types of meaningful policy debates that form the foundation of democracy.
Jan 17, 2018 USA Today
How RAND Is Responding to Truth Decay: Q&A with Michael Rich and Jennifer Kavanagh
RAND's Michael Rich and Jennifer Kavanagh explain what "Truth Decay" is and discuss how ongoing RAND research could help counter it.
May 5, 2017
'Truth Decay' Makes Facts Subjective and Polarization More Extreme
"When everyone has their own facts, then nobody really has any facts at all," said President and CEO Michael Rich at RAND's Politics Aside event. Truth Decay pushes political polarization to even greater extremes and prevents policymakers from reaching consensus on solutions to the nation's biggest challenges.
Nov 12, 2016
At 40, a Pioneering Health Care Experiment Remains Relevant
The impact of RAND's Health Insurance Experiment has been wide-reaching. The study's conclusions encouraged the restructuring of private insurance and helped increase the stature of managed care in the United States.
Apr 18, 2016 The RAND Blog
China at Home: Marrying Prosperity and Well-Being
As China strives to sustain its upward economic trajectory, it must also address its domestic problems—such as its air pollution and the challenges presented by its aging population—if its people are to share fully in the rewards of economic development and expansion.
Aug 21, 2015 The RAND Blog
Tunisia in the Crosshairs
The open-ended nature of the Islamic State group's threat against Tunisair suggests that it intends to target Tunisia for the long haul. The United States should counter the threats with steadfast and sustained cooperation and assistance.
Jun 22, 2015 U.S. News & World Report
As Ebola Declines, Lessons Emerge
Lessons learned through the analysis of this most recent Ebola outbreak as well as other disease outbreaks can have far-reaching consequences, helping authorities to both improve the continuing, ongoing response and plan for the best possible response to future threats.
May 7, 2015 The RAND Blog
Caring for Our Nation's Hidden Heroes?
Thanks to a growing list of more than 100 organizations that have pledged their commitment as members of the Elizabeth Dole Foundation's National Coalition for Military Caregivers, our nation is taking long overdue action to support both our wounded warriors and those who care for them.
May 7, 2015 Washington Times
What Research Says About Profiling
When police take action on the basis of race, creed, or ethnicity it is corrosive, unfair, ineffective, and can stoke the flames of police-community tension. But as we have found from a variety of assessments, law enforcement is best served when it bases its activities on risk, not on personal characteristics.
Dec 18, 2014 The RAND Blog
The Telescope and the Microscope: Public Policy Wisdom from Victor Hugo
The best policy analysis reveals both the hidden details of an issue and its broader context.
Aug 12, 2014 RAND Review
A Missile's Deadly Message
Putin's stubbornness on Ukraine has attracted international scorn, threatened Russia's already shaky economy, and focused NATO on countering potential Russian aggression. It's also sparked anti-Russian and pro-NATO sentiments in Central and Eastern Europe. The tragic loss of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 only intensifies these sentiments.
Jul 25, 2014 U.S. News & World Report
Parallel Caregiver Crises, Military and Civilian
Among American caregivers, there are two expanding populations: those caring for military servicemembers struggling with physical or emotional wounds of war and those looking after people with dementia. Both face incalculable financial stresses and threats to their own health as a result of their caregiving roles.
Jul 9, 2014 The Hill
How to Avert a Doctor Shortage
Within the next decade, the United States may face a shortage of 130,000 physicians due to a growing, aging population and the anticipated demands of those newly insured under the ACA. This shortage can be alleviated by early creative interventions.
Apr 2, 2014 RAND Review and The Health Care Blog
Military Caregivers Are Hidden Heroes
Right now there are 5.5 million wives, husbands, siblings, parents, children and friends devoted to the care of those injured fighting America's wars. Theirs is an all-consuming, emotionally draining task, one that has been driven for too long by loyalty and love, but little support.
Apr 2, 2014 USA Today
To Eliminate the 'Readiness Gap,' Preschool Is Just the Beginning
Preschool for four-year-olds should be as common as kindergarten is for five-year-olds. Ultimately, the goal should be the elimination of the readiness gap through expanded access to preschool, written materials in the home, and technology that could improve delivery of such materials.
Nov 26, 2013 RAND Review
The Value of Perspective, in Dollars and Cents
RAND's president and CEO discusses how rigorous and objective analysis can inform government organizations responsible for U.S. national security as they address today's budget realities.
Jul 15, 2013 RAND Review
RAND Extends Global Reach of Innovation
Stimulating innovation is important to the economic growth of all countries, regardless of their stages of development, writes Michael D. Rich. RAND is helping each country drive innovation in different ways.
Feb 5, 2013 RAND Review
Farsighted Leadership in a Shortsighted World: Looking Beyond the 2012 U.S. Election
As the U.S. presidential election draws close, there is increasing demand for simple answers to complex questions, immediate solutions to entrenched challenges, and ten-second sound bites to sum it all up. For nearly 65 years, RAND has focused on big, long-term, core public policy issues and has cultivated the farsighted perspectives required to address them.
Sep 21, 2012 RAND Review
A Flood of Innovation: Louisiana's Coastal Master Plan
RAND President and CEO Michael Rich writes about how RAND computer models and empirical analyses are helping protect and restore the Louisiana coast.
May 11, 2012 RAND Review
Passionate, Pragmatic, Prudent: A New RAND President and RAND at Its Best
Michael D. Rich, the new president and chief executive officer of the RAND Corporation, shares his thoughts about his new role and the future of RAND.
Jan 13, 2012 RAND Review
Vision for a Successful Palestine
To turn the dream of a Palestinian state into a reality, Palestinians need a practical vision of a successful state that is safe, secure, economically viable, and at peace with Israel and its other neighbors.
Dec 14, 2005 Washington Times
