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Pennsylvania

Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)
blog
Pandemic-Era Parties, China's Global Influence, Reducing Infant Mortality: RAND Weekly Recap
Jul 2, 2021
This weekly recap focuses on assessing the risk of small gatherings during the pandemic, China's ability to exert influence around the world, using big data to reduce infant mortality, and more.
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Health Interventions
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Reducing Disparities in Infant Mortality: Using Big Data to Help Babies at Risk
Jul 1, 2021
Black babies in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania—and across America—face much higher mortality rates than white babies. Researchers pulled together thousands of data points on more than 150,000 births to better predict who is at risk and how to help.
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China
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China's Ambitions, Origins of the Coronavirus, Income Inequality: RAND Weekly Recap
Jun 11, 2021
This weekly recap focuses on China’s quest for global primacy, understanding the coronavirus origin story, how parents feel about sending their children back to school, and more.
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Impoverished Populations
commentary
Other Voices: Striking Rates of Food Insecurity in the Hill District and Homewood
Wendy M. Troxel @wendytroxel, Tamara Dubowitz @TamaraDubowitz
Feb 9, 2021
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
The number of Americans experiencing food insecurity has increased since the pandemic began. And rates are higher among African Americans, Hispanics, American Indians, and Alaska Natives. Proactive and aggressive policy actions could help reduce the inequities in places like Pittsburgh's Hill District and Homewood neighborhoods.
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Vaccination
commentary
Getting COVID-19 Vaccines to Pennsylvania Residents
Adam C. Resnick
Jan 19, 2021
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Pennsylvania state and county health departments have a number of options that could speed the delivery of COVID-19 vaccines to make sure Pennsylvania residents at high risk for severe COVID-19 outcomes are vaccinated as soon as possible.
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Marijuana
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Don't Entangle COVID-19 Relief with Cannabis Legalization
Beau Kilmer @BeauKilmer
Aug 28, 2020
Philadelphia Inquirer
Cannabis legalization is a multifaceted decision that has implications for health, safety, and social equity. Whether legalization could fund COVID-19 relief should not be a major focus of debates.
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Food Supply Security
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In Pittsburgh: Feeding the Needy, and Protecting Workers on the Front Lines of the Pandemic
Andrea Richardson @ASRichardson3, Tamara Dubowitz @TamaraDubowitz
Apr 30, 2020
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
Access to food could be critical to getting through the COVID-19 pandemic. Local leaders and policymakers may find themselves having to devote new resources to make sure all citizens have access to food and to protect those on the front lines.
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Domestic Terrorism
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White Supremacist Terrorism, Wildfires, the Dark Web: RAND Weekly Recap
Nov 1, 2019
This weekly recap focuses on violent white supremacy, power outages to prevent wildfires, how to catch criminals on the dark web, and more.
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Gun Violence
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One Year After Tree of Life, We Still Aren't Talking Enough About Violent White Supremacy
Colin P. Clarke
Oct 27, 2019
Los Angeles Times
In the year since a gunman killed 11 worshippers in a Pittsburgh synagogue, the conversation about white supremacy has grown louder. But the United States still has a long way to go in dealing with this threat.
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International Diplomacy
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DMZ Meeting, Students with Disabilities, Iran: RAND Weekly Recap
Jul 5, 2019
This weekly recap focuses on Trump's meeting with Kim Jong Un, supporting students with disabilities, the flawed logic of a proportional response in Iran, and more.
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Community Health and Well-Being
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How Pittsburgh Is Addressing Social and Economic Disparities
Jul 2, 2019
Pittsburgh has been taking a hard look at race, wealth, and opportunity. In partnership with RAND, the city has run and published its numbers on subjects ranging from police contacts to business ownership to graduation rates as part of a commitment to do better.
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North Atlantic Treaty Organization
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NATO's 70th Anniversary, Food Deserts, Teachers: RAND Weekly Recap
Apr 5, 2019
This weekly recap focuses on effective teachers, NATO's 70th anniversary, food deserts, and more.
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Neighborhood Influences on Health
commentary
Pittsburgh's Hill District Is Losing More Than a Supermarket
Tamara Dubowitz @TamaraDubowitz, La'Vette Wagner
Apr 1, 2019
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
When the Shop 'n Save in Pittsburgh's Hill District closed its doors for good, residents lost the ability to go to a supermarket near their homes. But they also lost something less tangible: a symbol of hope, opportunity, and change for their neighborhood.
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International Diplomacy
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Trump-Kim Summit, Climate Change, Zarif: RAND Weekly Recap
Mar 1, 2019
This weekly recap focuses on the Trump-Kim summit, how cities can prepare for climate change, Mohammad Javad Zarif's resignation, and more.
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Global Climate Change
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Resilience and Adaptation Strategies Can Address the Impacts of Climate Change
Feb 26, 2019
With climate change already generating storms, heat waves, and droughts beyond historical norms, local governments need to do more to prepare. A decisionmaking framework developed by RAND allows communities to stress-test ideas, weigh the trade-offs, and plan for a range of possible futures.
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International Diplomacy
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Tree of Life, Social Media, Korea: RAND Weekly Recap
Nov 2, 2018
This weekly recap focuses on the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting, countering Russian social media influence, how Korea could unify, and more.
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essay
Appalachia Partnership Helps Both Workers and Employers in a Changing Market
Aug 30, 2018
An innovative program in Appalachia is realigning the skills of the workforce with the needs of employers, getting people back on the job and providing a 21st-century model of workforce development.
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Workforce Development
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Keeping Americans on the Job in a Changing Economy
Gabriella C. Gonzalez, Shelly Culbertson @SC_Culbertson
Oct 20, 2017
U.S. News & World Report
Despite calls to bring back U.S. coal mines and factories, the real issue isn't a lack of family-sustaining jobs, it's a mismatch between workers and available jobs.
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Water Supply
commentary
Getting the Lead Out of Pittsburgh's Water
Jordan R. Fischbach, Linnea Warren May @LinneaKWMay
Jul 3, 2017
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Without an aggressive long-term strategy for replacing service lines, and collaboration among the water authority, public officials, and residents, lead in Pittsburgh's water will persist.
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Pittsburgh
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Pittsburgh's Annual Day of Giving
Susan M. Sohler Everingham
Sep 21, 2016
All funds that RAND raises on September 21 through Pittsburgh's Day of Giving will be devoted to RAND's work taking place in southwestern Pennsylvania.
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Educational Program Evaluation
commentary
Pittsburgh Schools Are Making Progress
John Engberg
Jul 11, 2016
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Pittsburgh Public Schools can reach new levels of excellence if its leadership boldly and wisely chooses initiatives that will serve all children and if it uses data to decide which initiatives should continue.
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Pittsburgh
commentary
Helping Pittsburgh Stay on the Cutting Edge of Education Innovation
John F. Pane @JohnFPane, Laura S. Hamilton
May 8, 2016
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Local organizations, educators, and leaders are creating remarkable learning experiences for Pittsburgh's young people, and other cities around the country are striving to replicate their innovations.
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Pittsburgh
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In Pittsburgh, a Day of Giving
Susan M. Sohler Everingham
Apr 27, 2016
All funds that RAND raises on May 3 through Pittsburgh's Day of Giving will be devoted to RAND's work taking place in southwestern Pennsylvania.
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Neighborhood Influences on Health
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The Surprising Ways That a Supermarket Changed a Food Desert
Feb 24, 2016
The arrival of a new grocery store in a 'food desert' neighborhood delivered some obvious health benefits. But the benefits had nothing to do with whether the residents shopped there.
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Medical Homes
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Nature and Nurture: What's Behind the Variation in Recent Medical Home Evaluations?
Mark W. Friedberg, Connie Sixta, Michael Bailit
Jun 19, 2015
Health Affairs Blog
As demonstrated in Pennsylvania, conveners of medical home pilots are drawing from their early experiences to refine their intervention designs and improve their effectiveness. Such a learning process is likely to be a critical part of successfully implementing any new model of payment and care delivery.
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Police-Community Relations
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Examining Police, Community Relations
May 8, 2015
The “Strengthening Police-Community Trust” panel held Wednesday at RAND's Pittsburgh offices felt ripped from the headlines, and from the outset the discussion was focused on what the moderator called “the intersection between the community and the police.”
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Pittsburgh
commentary
Building the Best Pittsburgh Possible
Susan M. Sohler Everingham
Apr 9, 2015
p4 Blog
Pittsburgh's journey toward its bright future has only just begun. To realize its potential, the city needs a vision as well as an innovative, inclusive, and data-driven approach to community development.
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Neighborhood Influences on Health
commentary
Location, Location, Location: Does the Food Desert Narrative Hold Up?
Bonnie Ghosh-Dastidar, Tamara Dubowitz @TamaraDubowitz
Oct 28, 2014
The RAND Blog
There's little rigorous evidence to support the notion that 'food deserts' are driving the U.S. obesity epidemic. But this narrative has nearly become conventional wisdom. In response, stakeholders have poured hundreds of millions of dollars into bringing supermarkets to these neighborhoods.
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Surface Transportation
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As U.S. Energy Booms, Don't Forget About Roadway Infrastructure
Constantine Samaras
Mar 11, 2014
The Energy Collective
Natural gas production is growing and many states and communities are reaping the economic benefits. One of the costs, however, will be damage to roads. One hydraulic fracturing operation requires about 600 to 1,100 one-way, heavy truck trips to bring equipment, materials, and sometimes water to and from a well site.
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Community Health and Well-Being
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Here's to Our Health
Tamara Dubowitz @TamaraDubowitz, Anita Chandra, Wendy M. Troxel @wendytroxel
Nov 25, 2013
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Atop the new mayor's agenda should be improving the health and well-being of Pittsburgh residents. With an unassailable electoral mandate in hand, Mr. Peduto is positioned to take bold steps. And the best way to do that is by applying scientific and medical evidence to shape an integrated, citywide, health-policy framework.
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Environmental Pollution
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The Environmental Costs of Emissions from Shale Gas Extraction
Aimee E. Curtright @ACurtright
Feb 14, 2013
The RAND Blog
Further study, including primary data collection in regions where extraction is occurring, will be important to track the magnitude of emissions and to insure that the DEP's permit requirements are adequate to protect human health and the environment, writes Aimee Curtright.
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blog
RAND's Pittsburgh Director Is Keynote Speaker at INVESTPennsylvania Conference
Nov 14, 2012
Susan Everingham, director of RAND's Pittsburgh office, will be the opening speaker at the inaugural INVESTPennsylvania Equity Conference in Pittsburgh, Pa. on Thursday, Dec. 6.
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Education Policy
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School Principals Respond to Performance-Based Evaluation System
Laura S. Hamilton, John Engberg
Aug 15, 2012
The RAND Blog
It's fair to say the program turned out to be an important step for the district in the context of its overall reform plan considering how important high-quality school leadership is for improving teaching and learning, write Laura Hamilton and John Engberg.
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Natural Gas
blog
Could Coal Mine Drainage Be Used for Marcellus Shale Natural Gas Extraction?
Apr 27, 2012
A recent RAND report examines the feasibility and challenges of using coal mine drainage for hydraulic fracturing in the Marcellus Shale.
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commentary
The Upside of Snowmageddon
Susan M. Sohler Everingham, Stuart S. Olmsted, Henry H. Willis @HenryHWillis
Mar 28, 2010
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
The city's lame response shows, yet again, why we need more cooperation among local governments.
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commentary
Getting to Know Pittsburgh: The City Has Embraced Me ... and Now the World?
Susan M. Sohler Everingham
Sep 19, 2009
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
In the year since I moved to Pittsburgh from Southern California, it's become clear that I unwittingly chose the perfect moment in history to come here, writes Susan Everingham.
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commentary
Public Libraries Are Needed Now More Than Ever
Susan M. Sohler Everingham, Sally Sleeper
May 29, 2009
Pittsburgh Business Times
What Pittsburgh attraction provides $3 of economic output for every public dollar invested? The Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh. If you find this factoid unlikely, it is because the research that discovered it received an astounding lack of attention, write Susan Everingham and Sally Sleeper.
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Educational Program Evaluation
commentary
The Limits of Average Test Scores
Laura S. Hamilton
May 11, 2007
Pittsburgh Business TImes
The Limits of Average Test Scores, in Pittsburgh Business Times on May 11, 2007.
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Academic Achievement
commentary
Think It Through on Tests
Laura S. Hamilton
Mar 27, 2007
Philadelphia Inquirer
Published commentary by RAND staff: Think It Through on Tests, in the Philadelphia Inquirer.
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commentary
Straight Talk About a Report on Achievement at City Schools
Brian Gill, Jolley Christman
Feb 11, 2007
Philadelphia Inquirer
Published commentary by RAND staff: Straight Talk About a Report on Achievement at City Schools, in the Philadelphia Inquirer.
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commentary
Preschool Pays Off
Dana Schultz
Sep 20, 2006
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Published commentary by RAND staff: Preschool Pays Off, in Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
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Pittsburgh
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RAND Finds Pittsburgh Grand; Research Nonprofit Marks 6 Years With New Offices and Commitment to Make the City and Region Better
James A. Thomson @thomson0145, Barry Balmat
Jun 20, 2006
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Published commentary by RAND staff: RAND Finds Pittsburgh Grand; Research Nonprofit Marks 6 Years With New Offices and Commitment to Make the City and Region Better, in Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
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commentary
Forum: Leaner Learning
Brian Gill
Dec 4, 2005
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Published commentary by RAND staff: Forum: Leaner Learning in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
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commentary
The Falling Dollar: A Silver Lining for Pittsburgh
Barry Balmat, Keith Crane
May 8, 2005
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Published commentary by RAND staff.
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commentary
Regional Cooperation Is Not Capitulation
Sally Sleeper
Oct 17, 2004
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Published commentary by RAND staff.
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commentary
Parents of Schoolchildren: Start Your Information Engines
Brian Gill, Laura S. Hamilton
Oct 10, 2004
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Published commentary by RAND staff.
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commentary
Downtown is a Pittsburgh Neighborhood
Rachel Rue
Oct 3, 2004
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Published commentary by RAND staff.
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commentary
Quality, Not Quantity
Henry H. Willis @HenryHWillis
Sep 26, 2004
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Published commentary by RAND staff.
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commentary
The Bright Lights in Pittsburgh's Future
Barry Balmat, Peter A. Morrison
Sep 19, 2004
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Published commentary by RAND staff.
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