Civil Law

commentary

Upcoming Summit an Opportunity for Japan to Reconsider Whether to Join Rest of G-7 in Sanctioning China Over Genocide

Japan has been lukewarm in its response to global condemnation of China's crimes against humanity against the Uyghurs and other Muslim minority groups in Xinjiang. What options might President Biden have to encourage Japan to reconsider its position as he hosts his first in-person summit meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga?

Scott W. Harold

commentary

The Compensation System for Potential Side Effects Is an Important Part of a COVID-19 Vaccine Campaign

Concern about potential COVID-19 vaccine side effects and their consequences may be contributing to Americans' reluctance to get vaccinated. Policymakers and the public should carefully consider what types and levels of compensation for any adverse effects of vaccination are truly fair and appropriate.

Nicholas M. Pace, Lloyd Dixon, et al.

commentary

Bans on Facial Recognition Are Naive. Hold Law Enforcement Accountable for Its Abuse

Broader police reform may be difficult to achieve. But in the long run, it will be more effective than any specific technology ban.

Osonde A. Osoba @OsondeOsoba, Douglas Yeung @DouglasCYeung

commentary

State Police Powers: A Less Than Optimal Remedy for the COVID-19 Disease

How can the United States face what may be a growing threat of pandemics without having to exercise powers so extraordinary that they not only restrict fundamental rights and liberties, but also damage or jeopardize the economic livelihood of so many?

Douglas C. Ligor @DougLigor

commentary

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

commentary

How Washington Could Make Beijing Listen on Xinjiang

In autonomous Xinjiang, at least one million ethnic Uighurs, Kazakhs, and other Muslim minorities have been incarcerated by the Chinese government. What can the United States and its allies do to help defuse this humanitarian crisis?

Mollie Saltskog, Colin P. Clarke

commentary

Celebrating Children's Rights Is Important, but More Progress Is Needed

The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, which set a legal framework and put children's rights firmly on the international policy agenda, was adopted 30 years ago. While there are a number of initiatives in place, more work could be done to maximize children's involvement in policy and decisionmaking on issues that affect their lives.

Eleftheria Iakovidou, Barbara Janta

commentary

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.

Michael D. Rich @michaeldrich

blog

When Driverless Cars Were a Remote Idea

Researchers at RAND have been working on the technology behind driverless vehicles for over 50 years. From 1968 to the present, studies have involved remote-controlled drones, military land vehicles, autonomous submarines, and the safety and liability issues of self-driving cars.

commentary

Saving Farmworkers from Slavery-Like Conditions, Field by Field

Those at the bottom of the European agricultural supply chain are vulnerable to abuse. The same was true in the tomato fields of Florida until recently. The solution developed there may offer a roadmap for doing right by workers in Europe.

Susan L. Marquis

commentary

The Christchurch Massacre Was Another Internet-Enabled Atrocity

Terrorism has become an internet-enabled abuse—incited, propagated, and sometimes organized and concealed by online activity. Who should be held accountable for abusive content, the author or the publisher? And what role should the government play in regulating it?

James Dobbins @Jim_Dobbins

commentary

Freedom of the Internet 'Press'

The First Amendment protects the rights of companies such as Facebook and YouTube to publish what they choose. Arguing against this right could lead to government regulation over digital media. It could also further degrade the reliability of online information.

James Dobbins @Jim_Dobbins

commentary

From Florida's Farm Fields, Lessons for #MeToo and Other Movements

Organizers who want to bring about social change would do well to look to Florida farmworkers. They took on the low wages, physical abuse, and vulnerability that have long characterized agricultural labor in the United States—and won, changing the culture for the better.

Susan L. Marquis

commentary

The Immigration Debate: Building a Bridge Across the Deportation-Amnesty Divide

Discussions of U.S. immigration are dominated by arguments that pit “rule of law” proponents — focused on apprehension, detention, and deportation — against “humanitarian” supporters seeking a pardon or amnesty that will allow immigrants to stay in the country. Minor changes to the statute known as “Cancellation of Removal” could offer a compromise.

Douglas C. Ligor @DougLigor

commentary

Book Review: 'Eye Corps: Coming of Age at the DMZ'

In reviewing Jack Walker's book about his coming of age in Vietnam, Dan Grunfeld says the story is “powerful, thoughtful and engaging. ... The hard and expensive lessons of Walker's youth led to a big-hearted life, full of wisdom and generosity that touched so many.”

Dan Grunfeld