The RAND Blog

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Improving Media Literacy in Middle School

Middle schoolers can be savvy users of news and information—when they know where to look. But they're also easy marks for misinformation, disinformation, and trolls. Helping them find their way in today's media landscape is important both for their futures and for the future of democracy.

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Back to School, Vaccinating Kids, Space Security: RAND Weekly Recap

This weekly recap focuses on the well-being of America's educators, the effort to vaccinate kids and teens, security in outer space, and more.

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Sleep Retreats: A Pricey Trend That Doesn't Have to Be

The growing trend toward sleep vacations reflects the increasing awareness that Americans live in a sleep-starved society. Whether embarking on a sleep vacation or creating one in your own home, making intentional steps to prioritize sleep is one of the best investments you can make in your own health and well-being.

Wendy M. Troxel @wendytroxel

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Reducing Police Violence: Q&A with Melissa Labriola

A succession of high-profile police killings has prompted some departments and communities to seek change. But data is sparse, and research is thin. Melissa Labriola helped lead a study of police violence and developed a road map for future research that could move the field forward.

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Will Robotized Fire Power Replace Manned Air Power?

Russia's war in Ukraine entered the summer of 2022 with no clear military victor in sight. Although it is important to exercise caution in drawing any major conclusions, some powerful signs about the future of warfare can be derived from this conflict.

Peter A. Wilson

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Middle East Peace: The Biden Administration's Approach

The primary goal of President Biden's July trip to the Middle East was clearly to reassert U.S. leadership with traditional allies in the Arab world. There are a few points worth highlighting from the Israel/Palestine portion that may be important to keep an eye on.

Jonathan B. Lincoln

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How to Prevent, Prepare for, and Respond to Mass Attacks

A new step-by-step guide can help communities prevent shootings and other mass attacks before they happen, and save lives when they do. It's written for a variety of public- and private-sector audiences--everyone from emergency responders and school officials to security personnel and community leaders.

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Removing Barriers to Diversity and Inclusion in the Military

Efforts to improve representation and remove barriers for personnel with protected characteristics are seen as essential steps for modern militaries, but have not gone without controversy. The UK Armed Forces could take a more-strategic approach to leveraging diversity to elevate it as a strategic enabler of military fighting power in the contemporary threat environment.

Linda Slapakova

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Vaccinating All Kids for COVID-19 May Demand a Block-by-Block Effort

Community-based organizations know how to register voters and increase census participation. Reaching out block by block, even door to door, they can be just as effective in boosting vaccination rates.

Laura J. Faherty @LauraFahertyMD, Jeanne S. Ringel @JeanneRingel

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Reduce Friction in Space by Amending the 1967 Outer Space Treaty

Space has the potential to be a domain in which current great-power competitions and frictions can be mediated. The international community might consider updating the existing space legal regime to ensure it meets current political, economic, social, and technical challenges.

Douglas C. Ligor @DougLigor

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Diversity in the Military, Telemedicine Abortion, China and Taiwan: RAND Weekly Recap

This weekly recap focuses on the benefits of increasing and maintaining diversity in the armed forces, the challenges of telemedicine abortion, whether Indo-Pacific countries are backing China or Taiwan, and more.

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Improving How Medicines R&D Is Financed Could Support Innovation and Benefits for Patients

Tackling chronic and infectious diseases depends to a large extent on the ability to develop innovative and affordable medicines that are available to patients in need. Policymakers will need to tackle challenges from multiple angles to avoid reducing barriers in one area at the expense of exacerbating challenges in another.

Sarah Parkinson, Sonja Marjanovic @SonjaCambs

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How Educators Are Faring in the COVID Era

Teachers and principals are twice as likely as other workers to experience frequent job-related stress. They report higher rates of depression and burnout, and much lower rates of resilience. What can school districts do to better support them?

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Facebook Misinformation Is Bad Enough. The Metaverse Will Be Worse

Virtual reality environments such as the metaverse will enable psychological and emotional manipulation of users at a level unimaginable in today's media. We must not wait until these technologies are fully realized to consider appropriate guardrails for them. We can reap the benefits of the metaverse while minimizing its potential for great harm.

Rand Waltzman

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The Indo-Pacific Mostly Backs 'One China,' but Taiwan Gets Some Love, Too

Almost the entire Indo-Pacific region backs China over Taiwan. But U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi's August trip to Taiwan made it clear that key U.S. allies strongly support Taiwan's cause, particularly in the face of a potential war over the island. This suggests that Beijing's assertive behavior is steadily alienating nations that otherwise may have minded their own business.

Derek Grossman @DerekJGrossman