2013

commentary

Four Questions on Canceled Insurance Policy Fix

David Mastio, Forum editor at USA TODAY, asked RAND's Christine Eibner four questions about President Obama's plan to fix the problem with people getting their insurance canceled.

Christine Eibner @Chrissyeibner

commentary

One Year Later: Hurricane Sandy's Lessons in Resilience and Recovery

The recovery from Sandy shows once again that how well communities bounce back from disasters depends not just on how they react after a crisis, but on how resilient they have made themselves beforehand. Building community resilience should be part and parcel of disaster preparedness.

Mahshid Abir

commentary

The Geneva Blame Game

Iran and the P5+1 (the U.S., Britain, France, China, and Russia plus Germany) came tantalizingly close to reaching a nuclear deal this past weekend in Geneva, but the talks ended without an agreement. Although both Iran and the United States expressed optimism that much was achieved, a blame game between the different players soon ensued.

Alireza Nader

commentary

Predictive Policing: An Effective Tool, but Not a Crystal Ball

Predictive policing is not an end-all solution, but rather a tool that must be used in concert with other policing resources as part of a broader anti-crime effort. Used properly, predictive policing can predict the risk of future events, but not the events themselves.

Walter L. Perry, John S. Hollywood @JohnS_Hollywood

commentary

After NSA Spying Revelations, US Must Reform Rules on Secrecy and Data

The U.S. should make two key reforms. First, the over-designation of material as classified makes it is harder to protect the few real secrets; this must be change. Second, the FISA court must become a gatekeeper for NSA access to communications data.

Gregory F. Treverton

blog

Bruce Bennett Discusses North Korea on Reddit.com

To shed some light on Kim Jong-un's possible motivations—and to discuss what might happen if the North Korean government suddenly collapsed the way East Germany's did—RAND's Bruce Bennett took part in a question and answer session on Reddit.com.

blog

Pardee RAND Graduate School Elects New Board Members

The RAND Board of Trustees elected two new members to the Pardee RAND Graduate School Board of Governors this week: John Seely Brown and Robert A. Eckert.

commentary

How Philippines Typhoon Aid Helps USA

In the wake of Haiyan there is no substitute for the capabilities of the U.S. military. At the level of national interest, however, does the case for tasking the U.S. military to international natural disasters hold up — particularly in a time when the Pentagon has seen its budget slashed?

Jonah Blank

commentary

A Different Israeli Take on Iran

An agreement did not come out of last week's talks. But when the participants resume negotiations later this month, they should keep one thing in mind: Not all Israelis are as alarmed about a potential deal as Netanyahu. Despite Netanyahu's hard line, many Israelis believe diplomacy can work.

Dalia Dassa Kaye

commentary

Responding in Typhoon Haiyan's Wake

Prior responses to other recent disasters offer important lessons. Improved preparedness and efficient coordination mechanisms can help ensure that, when time is of the essence, the United States provides the most effective response.

Jennifer D. P. Moroney @jdpmoroney, Stephanie Pezard @StephaniePezard

commentary

Post-9/11 GI Bill: A Good Investment in Our Veterans Can Be Better

To better tailor the benefits to the actual needs of veterans, it is important to determine how much the implementation has really improved, and if there are lessons that can be drawn to improve future initiatives. Of critical concern is whether veterans have the information they need to take the best advantage of their GI Bill benefits.

Jennifer L. Steele

commentary

Satellites for Rent

Reports earlier this year that the U.S. Department of Defense leased a Chinese satellite to support military operations in Africa sparked concern that the arrangement could compromise control over U.S. military communications, or, worse, allow Chinese intelligence gatherers access to privileged military data.

Timothy M. Bonds, Isaac R. Porche III

blog

The Future of the Health Care Workforce: RAND Researchers Well Represented in Health Affairs Special Issue

In 'Redesigning the Health Care Workforce,' a new special issue of the journal Health Affairs, RAND researchers contribute to several timely examinations of challenges, opportunities, and potential solutions relating to the future of health care staffing in the U.S. and abroad.

commentary

Want to Create Problems? Arm the TSA

With its current 47,000 screeners, an armed TSA would become the federal government's largest armed entity outside of the military. In the eyes of many, arming TSA screeners would change the image of the organization from a service aimed at guaranteeing safe air travel to an unwanted imposition of federal authority.

Brian Michael Jenkins @BrianMJenkins

q&a

Quick Takes: Health Literacy and ACA Enrollment

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) expands coverage to millions of Americans. But the newly eligible may face challenges enrolling if they lack understanding of how the health care system itself works. Laurie Martin explains the role of health literacy in determining how successful the ACA will be in providing coverage for America's uninsured.