The RAND Blog

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Think We Should Make Daylight Saving Time Permanent? Sleep Scientist Busts 5 Tired Myths

Permanent daylight saving time is widely favored by the public, and the House of Representatives may or may not follow the Senate in its recent approval of such a change in law. But that delicious extra hour of evening recreation in the spring and summer comes at a major cost to people's sleep, mood, alertness, and productivity for the remainder of the year.

Wendy M. Troxel @wendytroxel

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Effective Use of Nonlethal Weapons Could Require Combating Disinformation

The temporary and reversible effects of nonlethal weapons reduce the potential for collateral damage while mitigating the risk of inadvertent escalation in peacetime and gray-zone situations. But public perceptions can have powerful effects on how these systems are employed and the impact of their use.

Sydney Litterer, Krista Romita Grocholski

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Responding to Russian Cyberattacks, Rebuilding Ukraine, Climate Change: RAND Weekly Recap

This weekly recap focuses on how the U.S. could respond to Russian cyberattacks, what it will take to rebuild Ukraine after the war, why U.S. employers still have the power over workers, and more.

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U.S. Decision on ASAT Testing a Positive Step Towards Space Sustainability

The United States recently committed not to conduct destructive, direct-ascent anti-satellite missile testing. This sets an important example others might follow and takes an important first step towards a binding, international ban.

Bruce McClintock @BHMcClintock

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Iran: Challenges and Successes in COVID-19 Pandemic Response

Iran has faced an uphill battle since the first cases of COVID-19 were found in the country. Despite limited resources, Iran has also had its share of successes and innovations in combating the virus.

Nazia Wolters, Emily Hoch, et al.

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A Whole New, Same World

Workers in the United States have emerged from the pandemic with new preferences and demands, but they still lack the power to get what they want. By any meaningful measure, employers are still in charge.

Kathryn A. Edwards

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Preparing for a Cyberattack Starts at the Local Level

The ongoing Russian war in Ukraine has highlighted the need for federal, state, and local level emergency managers to prepare to respond to a cyberattack with widespread impacts that significantly disrupt critical infrastructure.

Clara Decerbo, Grace Hindmarch, et al.

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Rebuilding Ukraine

By leveraging better investment conditions and reforms and broad international support, Ukraine could carry out a well-executed reconstruction program once the fighting ends. It might repair much of the war damage and help Ukraine move into the ranks of faster-growing European economies.

William Courtney @courtneywmh, Khrystyna Holynska, et al.

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Climate Change Will Transform How We Live, but These Tech and Policy Experts See Reason for Optimism

To slow climate change and adapt to the damage already underway, the world will have to shift how it generates and uses energy, transports people and goods, designs buildings, and grows food. That starts with embracing innovation and change.

Robert J. Lempert @RobertLempert, Elisabeth Gilmore

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Reopening Old Wounds: Two Stories, One Lesson

The shocking events unfolding in Ukraine have reopened old wounds for two RAND researchers. Their personal stories stand as testaments that the traumas inflicted by Russia's war on Ukraine will echo for decades to come.

Alyssa Demus, Obaid Younossi

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Russian Mercenaries, Online Extremism, the Commercial Space Market: RAND Weekly Recap

This weekly recap focuses on Russia's use of mercenaries, understanding how extremist movements operate online, trends in the commercial space market, and more.

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Supporting the People of Ukraine Through Sister Cities

The Los Angeles City Council recently voted to adopt the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv as a Los Angeles sister city, which could speed the flow of goods and services to the war-torn Ukrainian capital.

Sohaela Amiri

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Russian Cyberattacks May Be Coming. What Might Be an Optimal Strategy for Responding?

Russia appears poised to make a first move against the United States and its allies in cyberspace. A savvy U.S. response that is deliberately measured and accompanied by the right message could end this fight after the first round.

Dmitri Alperovitch, Samuel Charap @scharap

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Book Review: 'Escalation and Deescalation of Crises, Armed Conflicts, and Wars'

The evolving crisis in Ukraine has generated much discussion about whether Moscow would escalate the conflict, whether in frustration at the slow progress of its military operations, or in response to actions of other states, even possibly resorting to nuclear weapons. But what do Russian sources suggest about escalation?

Clint Reach

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Russia Does Not Seem to Be After Ukraine's Gas Reserves

There seems to be very little reason to believe that the true stakes of the war in Ukraine are the country's natural gas reserves, as some have speculated. Ukrainian gas fields appear too small to justify the costs of the invasion, too hard to keep, and almost impossible for Russia to exploit.

Krystyna Marcinek @KMMarcinek