2016

Prison Reform
commentary
The Pendulum Swings Back: Support for Postsecondary Education in Prison
Lois M. Davis @LoisMDavis
Dec 15, 2016
The RAND Blog
Correctional educational programs can reduce incarceration costs and recidivism. But it's critical that former inmates can connect with reentry services in the community to complete their education.
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Counterterrorism
commentary
Crime and Terror in Europe: Where the Nexus Is Alive and Well
Colin P. Clarke
Dec 15, 2016
International Centre for Counter-Terrorism
The idea of a crime-terror nexus does appear to be a major threat in Europe, where terrorists and criminals now recruit from the same milieu. Coperation between European law enforcement and intelligence agencies is critical.
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Labor Markets
commentary
Curbing Globalisation Won't Halt the Rise of Inequality
Stijn Hoorens @StijnHoorens
Dec 14, 2016
E!Sharp
Globalization may be one of many factors driving inequality. But ending trade agreements and throwing up trade barriers is unlikely to stop this trend.
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Charter Schools
commentary
Making American Education Great Will Require More Than Charter Schools
V. Darleen Opfer @VDarleenOpfer
Dec 13, 2016
Dallas Morning News
The nomination of Betsy DeVos for U.S. Secretary of Education has shone a spotlight on charter schools. While charters could become an important part of a great education system, this burst of attention poses a risk that other issues will be ignored.
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Russia
blog
Beyond the Headlines: RAND's Christopher Paul Discusses the Russian 'Firehose of Falsehood'
Dec 13, 2016
A massive, ingenious, and concerning campaign of propaganda has been pumping westward for years, supporting the Russian agenda in Ukraine and Syria and likely trying to influence the U.S. presidential election.
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International Diplomacy
commentary
The Risks of an Accelerating Rivalry Between China and Japan
Timothy R. Heath
Dec 12, 2016
World Politics Review
China and Japan have a long history of antagonism but their competition for influence in Asia has recently expanded in the economic, diplomatic, and security domains. The U.S., although a staunch ally of Japan, has served as a mediator. Weakening the U.S. role could aggravate Sino-Japanese tensions to a destabilizing degree.
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Principals
commentary
How States and Districts Can Leverage the Every Student Succeeds Act to Improve School Leadership
Rebecca Herman, Susan M. Gates
Dec 12, 2016
The RAND Blog
The Every Student Succeeds Act provides states and districts with new chances to invest in school leadership. A review of interventions can serve as a starting point to enact relevant solutions and build the evidence base for what works.
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Public Health
commentary
Putting Health into the Health Care Debate
Jeffrey Wasserman
Dec 10, 2016
U.S. News & World Report
How much return is the United States getting for spending over 17 percent of its gross domestic product on health care? Not nearly enough. The health care debate should focus on improving population health and ensuring the country is getting the biggest bang for its bucks.
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Health Care Delivery Approaches
commentary
Moving Outpatient Care into the Community
Celine Miani, Eleanor Winpenny
Dec 8, 2016
Nursing Times
A prominent feature of NHS England policy, “moving care into the community” means that care traditionally provided in hospitals is moved into primary care, such as general practice. This can benefit patients, but it is also important to look at the costs.
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Energy Distribution
commentary
Investing in Infrastructure? Don't Forget the Electric Grid
Aimee E. Curtright @ACurtright, Kathleen Loa
Dec 7, 2016
Inside Sources
Leaving the future of America's electricity grid to chance should not be an option. To maximize the potential benefits of a multibillion-dollar smart grid investment, a closer examination of technology and policy is needed.
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International Diplomacy
commentary
Can Trump Make a Deal with Putin?
Hans Binnendijk, William Courtney @courtneywmh
Dec 5, 2016
U.S. News & World Report
If executed properly, President-elect Trump's diplomacy could help reverse a destabilizing downward spiral in U.S.-Russian relations and create a vision of what normal relations might entail.
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National Security Organizations
commentary
Presidential Policy Directive 1: Forming the National Security Council
Daniel M. Gerstein @Daniel_Gerstein, Sarah M. Gerstein
Dec 5, 2016
The Hill
If precedent holds, the National Security Council will be defined in the first policy directive that President Trump signs in the early weeks of his administration. Several important questions should be considered.
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Marijuana
commentary
The Legal Marijuana Middle Ground
Beau Kilmer @BeauKilmer
Dec 1, 2016
USA Today
There are many ways to legalize marijuana supply besides the for-profit approach. But to learn what effects various models have, the federal government will have to make it easier for states to implement some middle-ground options.
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Sleep
commentary
Americans Don't Sleep Enough, and It's Costing Us $411 Billion
Marco Hafner, Wendy M. Troxel @wendytroxel
Nov 30, 2016
Washington Post PostEverything
Sleep and sleep loss are often considered to be among the most intimate of personal behaviors, but sleep matters to all aspects of society, from an individual's health to the success of the global economy.
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Teacher Effectiveness
commentary
Before We Measure Teaching Quality, We Should Know What It Is
Lucy Strang
Nov 29, 2016
Research Fortnight
The lack of an evidence base on teaching quality and its impact in higher education points to a need for more research, made more pressing by the imminent roll-out of the Teaching Excellence Framework, which intends to assess and monitor teaching quality at UK higher education institutions.
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