November 2016

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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Wages and Compensation
commentary
Finding the 'Sweet Spot' in the UK Minimum Wage Debate
Marco Hafner
Nov 28, 2016
The RAND Blog
Increases in the UK national minimum wages have not had adverse effects on employment overall. But it's important that the new national living wage and minimum wage aren’t increased to a point that is unsustainable for businesses.
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Workplace Wellness Programs
commentary
Measuring What Works: Workplace Well-Being
Michael Whitmore, Christian Van Stolk
Nov 28, 2016
CIPD
The link between productivity and well-being is recognized and increasingly accepted as a prerequisite of strong employer and employee performance. HR professionals and CEOs believe that high employee well-being means high staff engagement and a real intention to do well for the workforce.
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Afghanistan
commentary
The Islamic State-Taliban Rivalry in Afghanistan
Seth G. Jones
Nov 28, 2016
Lawfare
The weakening of the Islamic State is a positive step. But Taliban successes against the group have strengthened the Taliban's power, bolstered its reputation, and complicated U.S. and Afghan government efforts to wind down the Afghan war.
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Global Climate Change
commentary
With Trump in the White House, States Could Step Up on Climate Change
Robert J. Lempert @RobertLempert, Debra Knopman
Nov 26, 2016
Fox News Channel
The new administration has expressed skepticism about climate change. But states may choose to pursue their own climate change initiatives.
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commentary
America's Shifting Labor Market in a Technology-Driven World
Daniel M. Gerstein @Daniel_Gerstein
Nov 25, 2016
U.S. News & World Report
Making America competitive in a transitioning market will require examining future labor market requirements. Workforce development programs that target building labor capacity for a new economy will be essential.
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Military Technology
commentary
DIUx: Capturing Technological Innovation
Cynthia R. Cook @CynthiaRCook
Nov 23, 2016
The Cipher Brief
The Defense Innovation Unit Experimental (DIUx) aims to find new sources of advanced technology to give America an edge over potential foes. DIUx is evidence of another form of innovation: organizing in new ways to capture new ideas.
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Prisoner Reentry
commentary
Counties Need to Help Parolees Access Health Care
Lois M. Davis @LoisMDavis, Susan Turner
Nov 23, 2016
San Francisco Chronicle
Health needs can be big challenges for former prisoners seeking to reenter communities. But recent policies in California promise to reduce that barrier.
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Security Cooperation
commentary
'If You Want Peace, Prepare for Resistance'
Jan Osburg, Stephen J. Flanagan, Marta Kepe @martakepe
Nov 22, 2016
The National Interest
Lithuania's government issued a guide on how its citizens can resist a potential Russian invasion and occupation. Resistance is a key element of the “Total Defense” strategy all three Baltic states have been pursuing, spurred on by Russian aggression.
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commentary
The Turkish-Russian Rapprochement: How Real? How Durable?
F. Stephen Larrabee
Nov 21, 2016
The National Interest
The recent strengthening of ties between Turkey and Russia may represent more of an economic marriage of convenience than a deeply rooted political alliance. On a number of important issues, particularly the Syrian conflict, the two nations have very different interests and priorities.
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International Diplomacy
commentary
Can Trump Really Do Deals with Vladimir Putin?
Colin P. Clarke, William Courtney @courtneywmh
Nov 21, 2016
Newsweek
Russia is a declining economic power whose foreign policy has led to isolation and criticism. But Putin may have an inflated sense of Russia's importance and expect one-sided U.S. concessions. If so, diplomacy could run into headwinds early in the Trump administration.
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The Islamic State (Terrorist Organization)
commentary
What ISIS Leaves Behind in Mosul Will Reveal a Lot
Brian Michael Jenkins @BrianMJenkins
Nov 18, 2016
The Hill
The capture of Mosul, Iraq, may produce a potential trove of information about how ISIS organized itself to run a large city. Collecting, analyzing, and disseminating this material will be a major effort, one of the most important as the city is liberated.
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Public Health
commentary
What If Being a Leader in Public Health Is About More Than Just Health?
Linnea Warren May @LinneaKWMay, Jennifer Sloan
Nov 17, 2016
The RAND Blog
Public health leaders should be able to articulate the business case for their work and should have the skills to work with others outside the health sector. Schools could help by preparing students to think beyond the traditional boundaries of public health.
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Primary Care
commentary
Need a Doctor Now? Solve the Acute Care Crisis
Mahshid Abir, Brendan G. Carr
Nov 17, 2016
The Hill
Many Americans struggle to receive acute care when they need it. The health care system is not focused on meeting unscheduled needs. Reforming acute care delivery will require making it a policy and research priority.
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Technical Professions
commentary
To Increase Diversity in Tech, We Need to Rethink What 'Tech' Is
Diana Gehlhaus
Nov 17, 2016
The Hill
Rethinking what defines today's tech jobs, along with greater investment in public-private partnerships, could go a long way toward bridging the diversity gap.
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