Humanities and the Arts

commentary

The City of Pittsburgh's a Movie Star
Pennsylvania lawmakers and other stakeholders should consider updates to the film tax credit law and economic development strategy to improve the state's competitiveness, enhance the stability of the industry, and fill gaps in the current workforce.
Oct 5, 2023

blog

What Sounds Do a Million Random Digits Make?
The title of RAND's 1955 classic, A Million Random Digits with 100,000 Normal Deviates, doesn't exactly dance off the page. But Paul Dunham, a sound artist in New Zealand, thought the work could make its own kind of music.
Jan 5, 2022
blog

Veteran Journeys: Where Mental Health Research Meets Opera
Kenneth Wells, a psychiatrist, librettist, and composer, has written a documentary disguised as an opera. He drew on Partners in Care, a 10-year RAND-UCLA study that was one of the first to use a multisite collaborative primary care approach to treat veterans and others experiencing depression.
Jul 6, 2021
commentary

Arts Policy During the Pandemic: What Are We Measuring, and What Can We Know?
Few data sources exist for the labor market for artists. Of the sources that do exist, each measures a different piece of a larger puzzle. Those studying the arts labor market will have to grapple with which data source to use and how “the arts” should be defined before undertaking any analysis.
Mar 8, 2021
commentary

Industry Mix in L.A. Area Helps Explain Recent Record Unemployment Rates
The Los Angeles Combined Statistical Area reported more than 270,000 job cuts between March and early August. Considering which industries have cut jobs may provide a window into the area's unique labor market and help explain how the area currently has among the highest unemployment in the nation.
Aug 25, 2020
commentary

The Pandemic Is a Disaster for Artists
The arts as we know them are likely to be shut down for the foreseeable future, and the vast majority of artists have likely lost some or all of their income. How many artists are out of work, and what could be done to help them?
Aug 4, 2020
commentary

Arts and Cultural Workers Are Especially Vulnerable to the Pandemic
Workers in the arts and cultural industries could be especially vulnerable to the economic shocks of COVID-19. As the United States reopens and decides its future, it should recognize these vulnerabilities, as well as the benefits that the arts and cultural industries offer.
Jul 23, 2020
commentary

We're Just Beginning to Grasp the Toll of the Islamic State's Archaeological Looting in Syria
During the Islamic State's rise, looted artifacts were said to be a significant source of income for the group. But no one had identified the value, using empirical data and systematic calculations, of the artifacts that were known to exist in Syria's archaeological sites. Until now.
May 15, 2019
blog

RAND's Got Talent
Two RAND singers, Allison Elder and Jennifer Prim, performed with the Angel City Chorale on America's Got Talent. The choir earned a standing ovation and a “golden buzzer” from the judges on its way to the semifinals.
Oct 26, 2018
blog

Why the Walls of RAND Are Filled with Contemporary Art
RAND's art collection is part of a culture that, not dissimilar to the art world, fosters creativity, inquisitiveness, and thinking outside the box.
Aug 3, 2017
announcement

Donald B. and Susan F. Rice Support Pardee RAND's 'Be the Answer' Campaign with $1 Million Gift
Longtime RAND supporters Donald B. and Susan F. Rice, for the third time, have established an endowed scholarship at the Pardee RAND Graduate School. Their most recent gift of $1 million was generously donated as part of Pardee RAND's Be the Answer campaign, which Don Rice chairs and which has thus far raised in excess of $19 million.
Dec 19, 2014
announcement

Pardee RAND Graduate School Receives $1 Million Gift, Establishes Lynda and Stewart Resnick Endowed Scholarship
A $1 million gift from philanthropists Lynda and Stewart Resnick will help Ph.D. candidates at the Pardee RAND Graduate School receive exceptional training today to embark on careers in public service.
Oct 22, 2014
announcement

Erik Nemeth Appears on History Channel's 'America's Book of Secrets: Lost Treasures'
In an episode of the History Channel's America's Book of Secrets, Erik Nemeth discusses the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum heist of 1990 and the broader implications of art crime for national security.
Jul 15, 2013
commentary

Putting the Spring in the Arab Spring
Qatar has a salsa scene. Dubai hosted the big international Fujairah Latin Festival. The Oman Salsa Festival took place in March. Jordan and Cairo both have a salsa scene. What makes this so conversation-worthy is that it is indicative of a growing cultural openness in parts of the Middle East.
Jun 17, 2013
commentary

A Gap in Cultural Intelligence
High-end collectors and cultural-heritage abusers alike would benefit from a boost in cultural intelligence, or “CQ,” to grasp the interrelation of art, culture, economic development, and human rights, writes Erik Nemeth.
Feb 26, 2013
commentary

The Diplomatic Power of Art
Museum directors and owners of private collections can wait to be challenged on the provenance of artifacts of foreign cultural heritage—or realize an opportunity for strengthening relations with the source nation, writes Erik Nemeth.
Nov 16, 2012
commentary

Repatriating Part of Saddam Statue Could Promote Democracy
Proactive protection and repatriation of artworks and artifacts can demonstrate our respect for another nation's heritage when the chaos of conflict obscures the value of cultural identity, writes Erik Nemeth.
Jun 7, 2012
blog

Join RAND at the LA Times Festival of Books This Weekend
For the 16th consecutive year, RAND will be a featured participant at this weekend's Los Angeles Times Festival of Books (April 21-22) held at USC. Our booth will have RAND books and reports for sale at discounted festival pricing, activities for kids, and fun giveaways with purchases.
Apr 20, 2012
commentary

Fighting Terror the Cold War Way
With much talk about how to “win hearts and minds” in the Muslim world, it's surprising that few are looking back to a global contest of ideas that the U.S. and its allies categorically won: the Cold War, write Todd C. Helmus and Dalia Dassa Kaye.
Oct 14, 2009
commentary

The Great Silencing: Intolerance and Censorship in the Arab World
There is no need to reach back 1,000 years to find Muslim advocates for tolerance and moderation. There is a need, however, to stop silencing the moderates alive today.
Oct 13, 2009
commentary

In Iraq, a Different Kind of Drama Stages a Message of Reconciliation
While female suicide bombers in Iraq have been getting all the headlines, a very different cadre of women has emerged on the scene with the opposite goal of forging peace and paving over the sectarian differences. Above all, these activists want to take back the streets and neighborhoods of their country, write Edward O'Connell and Cheryl Benard.
Dec 18, 2008
commentary

Danish Cartoons Doom Us All
Like two years ago, last week's rage in Pakistan over reprints of cartoons and a forthcoming Dutch film that insult Islam's holy book once again entangles Muslims and the West in a fury over freedom of speech, writes Farhana Ali.
Mar 21, 2008
commentary

Finding Common Ground in an Uncommon Nation
Cheryl Benard and Ed O'Connell write about their time in Syria discovering creative outlets in media, such as how a director in a country known for defending terrorism could produce "entertainment" that portrayed quite the opposite.
Mar 19, 2008

Quoted

The [Israel-Hamas] war has exacerbated a divide in American politics. Historically, Israel enjoyed wide bipartisan support. That's no longer the case with more progressives and younger voters questioning this core tenet of U.S. foreign policy. The Gaza war has certainly exacerbated this shift and it's going to continue to influence the politics of American support for years to come

Raphael S. Cohen

Director, Strategy and Doctrine Program, RAND Project AIR FORCE, and Director of the Pardee RAND Graduate School National Security Program

Source: rand.org

While there have sometimes been intense policy debates, American support for Israel was historically bipartisan. Judging by the reaction to the Gaza war at many of the leading college campuses—the crucible of future leaders—Western attitudes will only further harden against Israel. Israel has an American problem that it will struggle to effectively address.

Brian Michael Jenkins

Senior Adviser to the RAND President

Source: rand.org

Preparing the Workforce for AI: Insights for Civilian and Military Leaders

China's Use of Generative AI and Social Bots

A Year After the October 7 Start of the Israel-Hamas Conflict: Q&A with RAND Experts

October 7th and the Limits of Diplomacy

The Math Equity Equation

The Policy Currents Podcast

Getting to Know Military Caregivers and Their Needs

Managing Escalation in Crisis and War

Assessing and Articulating the Wider Benefits of Research

Improving Access to Early Childhood Education

Humanities and the Arts

The City of Pittsburgh's a Movie Star

What Sounds Do a Million Random Digits Make?

Veteran Journeys: Where Mental Health Research Meets Opera

Arts Policy During the Pandemic: What Are We Measuring, and What Can We Know?

Industry Mix in L.A. Area Helps Explain Recent Record Unemployment Rates

The Pandemic Is a Disaster for Artists

Arts and Cultural Workers Are Especially Vulnerable to the Pandemic

We're Just Beginning to Grasp the Toll of the Islamic State's Archaeological Looting in Syria

RAND's Got Talent

Why the Walls of RAND Are Filled with Contemporary Art

Donald B. and Susan F. Rice Support Pardee RAND's 'Be the Answer' Campaign with $1 Million Gift

Pardee RAND Graduate School Receives $1 Million Gift, Establishes Lynda and Stewart Resnick Endowed Scholarship

Erik Nemeth Appears on History Channel's 'America's Book of Secrets: Lost Treasures'

Putting the Spring in the Arab Spring

A Gap in Cultural Intelligence

The Diplomatic Power of Art

Repatriating Part of Saddam Statue Could Promote Democracy

Join RAND at the LA Times Festival of Books This Weekend

Fighting Terror the Cold War Way

The Great Silencing: Intolerance and Censorship in the Arab World

In Iraq, a Different Kind of Drama Stages a Message of Reconciliation

Danish Cartoons Doom Us All

Finding Common Ground in an Uncommon Nation

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