The RAND Blog

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Most Americans Consider Themselves Middle-Class. But Are They?

There are different ways of determining who should be considered middle-class. But there is one thing they have in common: All reveal that the middle class in the United States is shrinking.

Jeffrey B. Wenger, Melanie A. Zaber @MelanieZaber

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Pandemic Education, Working Mothers, Predicting Cyber Threats: RAND Weekly Recap

This weekly recap focuses on the urban-rural divide in pandemic education, supporting working moms, what makes a good COVID-19 reopening plan, and more.

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Inequality in Opportunity to Work from Home an Underlying Condition Likely Aggravated by the Pandemic

Building a safe, healthy workforce where success, productivity, and financial security are available to all segments of American society could provide resilience against inevitable future shockwaves. Since working from home is a key part of such resilience, policymakers could focus on supporting the advantages, remediating the downsides, and expanding access to this form of work.

Kathryn E. Bouskill @kebouskill, Scott W. Harold

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How Truth Decay Is Fueling Vaccine Hesitancy

A recent poll found that more than a quarter of Americans will not try to get vaccinated. The spread of misinformation and disinformation, which is rampant over social media, is one of the factors fueling vaccine hesitancy. And in turn, it's threatening our ability to end the pandemic for good.

Jennifer Kavanagh

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The Pivotal Role of Remote Working in the Journey to Jab the Nation

Pulling the UK COVID-19 vaccination program together was an immense logistical and technical effort. Had it not been for the working practices mandated by the lockdown, it would have been even more difficult. What changed over the pandemic to allow this to happen?

Michael Whitmore

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Building an Evidence Base for High School Improvement Will Require Concerted Effort Among Policymakers, School Systems, Researchers, and Funders

The ultimate goal of every education intervention is to help enable students to achieve their fullest potential. Relatively few interventions suited for high schools are supported by evidence of positive effects. Research that is able to provide sound evidence about effectiveness is more important than ever.

Jonathan Schweig, Elizabeth D. Steiner @ED_Steiner, et al.

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Supply Chains and National Security—the Lessons of the COVID-19 Pandemic

The many pandemic-related shortages that occurred in the United States and elsewhere provide a clear warning. Serious supply-chain vulnerabilities exist. We need to learn much more about this potential threat to national security.

Bradley Martin

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U.S. Military Power Comes from More Than Just the Defense Budget

With U.S. domestic challenges ranging from the ongoing pandemic to long-delayed infrastructure investments, now is a good time to consider spending that provides both domestic and national security benefits. Infrastructure spending offers one such example.

Miranda Priebe @MirandaPriebe, Bryan Rooney, et al.

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What the United States Wants from Japan in Taiwan

If a Taiwan conflict breaks out, what might the United States request of Japan? For the U.S.-Japan alliance, the answer is critical if the countries want to translate expressions of support into actual planning and preparation.

Jeffrey W. Hornung

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Should Mothers Work? We've Been Asking the Wrong Question

As schools and day cares closed due to the pandemic, millions of women were driven from the labor market. What is it worth to the United States to have mothers in the workforce?

Kathryn A. Edwards

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Mothers Need a Continuous System of Care Even After Babies Are Born

In the United States, babies are born into a system of well-child care—a series of planned health care visits designed to protect their health from day one through age six. But no such system exists for their mothers. How do we create a system of health care for mothers that mirrors well-child care?

Lois McCloskey, Ann Celi, et al.

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The Uyghurs, Getting the World Vaccinated, Policing in America: RAND Weekly Recap

This weekly recap focuses on China's disappeared Uyghurs, how the United States can help get the rest of the world vaccinated, what's next for policing in America, and more.

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Biden's North Korea Policy Review Is Sparse on Details. Here's One Interpretation

The Biden administration recently completed its North Korea policy review. Details have been sparse, but based on prior U.S. dealings with the Kims, some informed guesses about Washington's approach towards Pyongyang under the new administration can be had. Here's one.

Soo Kim

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China Has Lost the Philippines Despite Duterte's Best Efforts

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has time and again underscored his anti-U.S. and pro-Chinese orientation. Duterte now recognizes, in spite of his continued rhetoric to the contrary, that China is no friend.

Derek Grossman @DerekJGrossman

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Australian and U.S. Military Health Professionals Can Help Address Pacific Island Needs

Australia and the United States can combine their military health capabilities to help improve the long-term health security of Pacific island countries. These partnerships should be carefully planned and focus on enduring engagement.

David Brewster, Jennifer D. P. Moroney @jdpmoroney, et al.