The RAND Blog

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How the Global Community Can Cooperate to Defeat COVID-19 and Recover

The G20 met in an extraordinary virtual summit March 26 to discuss the shared global challenge of COVID-19. G20 countries could show the way for the rest of the world to cooperate on present challenges and prepare for public policy challenges moving forward.

Charles P. Ries @charles_ries

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Why We Really Don't Know What Happens If Kim Jong Un Dies

The potential changes in the North Korean regime pose more questions than they answer. How prepared are observers and keen watchers from the “outside world” for a North Korean contingency? Should there be a power vacuum in Pyongyang, will U.S. policy toward the DPRK remain largely as-is?

Soo Kim

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U.S. Gun Policy, Reopening Schools, Prepping for a Hurricane: RAND Weekly Recap

This weekly recap focuses on what scientific evidence says about the effects of U.S. gun laws, how schools may have to change when they reopen, preparing for a COVID-19 hurricane, and more.

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The Second Wave of COVID Consequences

Economists closely watch measures of consumer confidence because they are highly predictive economic indicators. New consumer data reveals likely long-term and prolonged economic fallout.

Kathryn A. Edwards, Jeffrey B. Wenger

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Protecting Household Employers and Workers During the COVID-19 Pandemic

As the federal government extends aid to people put out of work by the COVID-19 pandemic, it could do more to help one group of employers and the vital American workers they employ: hundreds of thousands of nannies, housekeepers, and others employed in private homes.

Shanthi Nataraj, Krishna B. Kumar @kbkumar_

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New Insights on Gun Policy in America

RAND's Gun Policy in America initiative aims to establish a shared set of facts about gun policies. Recently, researchers completed an update and expansion of their synthesis of all available scientific evidence on the effects of 18 classes of gun laws.

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Reactivating Retirees for Police Service in Times of Crisis

As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, an increasing number of police officers and deputies have been exposed to or tested positive for the coronavirus. Gaps in personnel coverage could be filled by easing restrictions on the hiring of retired police officers rather than relying on existing resources.

Bob Harrison

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The Great Reset: Policing in 2030

Scenarios of possible futures can help planners envision what the future could be, and plan ways to optimize opportunities or mitigate damage. Trends regarding retail operations, hotels, tax revenues, fines and forfeitures, and autonomous vehicles are all happening today. We've imagined how they might extend into the future.

Bob Harrison

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Inventions Birthed by Necessity of Coronavirus

If necessity is the mother of invention, the new coronavirus is quickly birthing a lot of innovations. Parts of U.S. society may be forever changed by this pandemic. The national emergency will eventually end, but the longer it lasts, the less likely that the pre-pandemic business-as-usual ways will return.

Daniel M. Gerstein @Daniel_Gerstein

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The Justice System and the COVID-19 Pandemic: Resources for Policymakers

From closed courts to increased risk for first responders, the COVID-19 pandemic has introduced new challenges for the justice system. RAND research provides insights that may be helpful as decisionmakers try and address some of these issues.

Bethany Saunders-Medina

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Medical Supply Shortfalls, Parenting Through the Pandemic, North Korea: RAND Weekly Recap

This weekly recap focuses on reducing medical supply shortfalls, understanding who's in charge during a pandemic, North Korea's nuclear blackmail, and more.

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How Norway's Allies View Its Defense Challenges and Opportunities

Norway's Ministry of Defence will shortly publish its next Long Term Plan, which outlines how the Armed Forces, in tandem with other elements of government and society, can best address the threats to Norway. Other countries can learn from how Norway chooses to tackle emerging challenges, and can benefit from its lessons learned.

Stephen J. Flanagan, James Black

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Is It Time to Rethink the Separation Between the High School and Postsecondary Systems?

We do not yet know how long or deep this economic downturn will be, or how the pandemic will affect the way we work and learn. But just as the post-coronavirus workplace is surely being re-envisioned, this crisis should motivate us to reconsider the structure of our educational system. Early college is a model that can help inform these discussions.

Julie Edmunds, Fatih Unlu, et al.

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Can We Emerge from COVID-19 with a Healthier Work Culture?

American families want greater choices in determining how their work and their families fit together. Post-pandemic, can we create a system that fits workers? If so, we have the opportunity to emerge from this crisis with both healthier employees and better performing organizations.

Bobbi Thomason, Heather J. Williams @HeatherJWill

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The Important Role of Faith-Based Organizations in the Context of COVID-19

Maintaining social and spiritual connections in the midst of COVID-19 are not the only challenges facing communities of faith. Congregations play critical roles in providing social services within communities. How can their services, such as food assistance, be delivered safely?

Kathryn Pitkin Derose, Michael Mata