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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Teacher Effectiveness
blog
The Challenges of Measuring Effective Teaching
Nov 16, 2016
While educators, policymakers, and parents may agree on the need for more effective teachers, they often use different criteria to judge whether schools are doing their job. Parents have varied priorities for what they want in teachers and in schools.
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Nuclear Deterrence
blog
The Return of a Cold War Threat
Nov 15, 2016
The danger of blundering into a nuclear war through miscalculation or human error has returned, said former Secretary of Defense William J. Perry at RAND's Politics Aside event. No leader is seeking nuclear war, but there are new dangers that didn't exist during the Cold War that could lead to one.
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Data Analysis
blog
The Art of Data in Baseball
Nov 15, 2016
The traditional baseball scout's keen eye is no longer deemed sufficient to rate talent, said Jeff Luhnow, general manager of the Houston Astros, at RAND's Politics Aside event. Analysts check curveball spin rates, computer-modeled swing mechanics, and even sleep habits.
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National Security Organizations
blog
Making National Security Decisions
Nov 15, 2016
In a crisis, there's a tendency in government to add more people to address the problem, but doing so often slows decisionmaking. It's easier to invent something new rather than require the agency to fix problems in the existing structure.
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Security Cooperation
commentary
Is the U.S. Abandoning the World Order It Created?
James Dobbins @Jim_Dobbins
Nov 14, 2016
Newsweek
In the 20th century the United States created and expanded a world order that has provided security and prosperity, and it has borne much of the cost for sustaining it. Can that liberal global order be updated rather than jettisoned?
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Counterinsurgency
commentary
What the Battles of Mosul and Aleppo Tell Us About Their Countries' Futures
Brian Michael Jenkins @BrianMJenkins
Nov 14, 2016
The Hill
The battle of Mosul is not just about defeating ISIS. It is about restoring Mosul to the multi-ethnic city it once was. The Syrian government's style of warfare in Aleppo, however, accepts that Syria will remain a divided country.
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Survey Research Methodology
commentary
Why the Polls Were Wrong
Michael S. Pollard @MichaelSPollard
Nov 14, 2016
U.S. News & World Report
RAND's Presidential Election Panel Survey, like other polls, overpredicted the popular vote. But since it focused on the decisionmaking process and how that translated into behaviors, the data could provide deep insights into what happened and how it took pollsters by surprise.
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Infrastructure Finance
commentary
The Road Ahead: Rebuilding the Country's Infrastructure in the Trump Administration Era
Liisa Ecola
Nov 14, 2016
The RAND Blog
Policymakers generally agree on the need to rebuild America's infrastructure. But the country is far behind in this area. Why? Transportation projects take time and money. And it's hard to predict how a project will affect its surroundings.
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Globalization
blog
Who Wins Globalization?
Nov 14, 2016
While more needs to be done for those who once worked in industries such as furniture manufacturing, where essentially all activity has moved to lower-cost nations, the U.S. is starting to see an increase in manufacturing activity because of new types of technological advances.
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Autonomous Vehicles
q&a
Autonomous Vehicles: Imagining the Day-to-Day of the Future
Nov 14, 2016
At RAND's 2016 Politics Aside event, Nidhi Kalra and Timothy Bonds discuss what daily life might be like once autonomous vehicles populate the roads.
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Emerging Technologies
blog
The Price of Personalized Health Care
Nov 13, 2016
Medical care in the United States is entering an era where technology can give patients more control over their care and let them take control of their health data.
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International Diplomacy
blog
Pulling Up the Drawbridge 'Is Fundamentally Flawed'
Nov 13, 2016
Turning inward in response to rapid global change overstates the costs of doing so and downplays the benefits of facing outward.
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The Internet
blog
Social Media's Role in the Erosion of Truth
Nov 12, 2016
The firehose of information on social media makes it hard for people to distinguish between sources that are credible and those that aren't.
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Data Science
blog
Getting the Most Out of Data Science
Nov 12, 2016
Policymakers should pursue efforts to assure that the array of data collected by the federal government benefits all Americans by improving the availability, reliability, and transparency of the information, said DJ Patil, the United States' chief data scientist, at RAND's 2016 Politics Aside event.
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blog
'Truth Decay' Makes Facts Subjective and Polarization More Extreme
Nov 12, 2016
"When everyone has their own facts, then nobody really has any facts at all," said President and CEO Michael Rich at RAND's Politics Aside event. Truth Decay pushes political polarization to even greater extremes and prevents policymakers from reaching consensus on solutions to the nation's biggest challenges.
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The Islamic State (Terrorist Organization)
commentary
How Will Jihadist Strategy Evolve As the Islamic State Declines?
Colin P. Clarke, Daveed Gartenstein-Ross
Nov 10, 2016
War on the Rocks
As ISIL experiences ongoing battlefield losses it will have to rework its strategy to sustain itself as a preeminent jihadist brand. Meanwhile, the group will likely place greater emphasis on smaller scale strikes that require less central direction.
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Urban Parks and Recreational Facilities
commentary
The Neighborhood Park: An Underused Oasis
Deborah A. Cohen, Catherine J. Nagel
Nov 9, 2016
Parks & Rec Business
Most neighborhood parks are underutilized, especially in the mornings and on weekdays. But with a modest amount of redesign, investment, and marketing, parks could lead more people to engage in routine physical activity.
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Border and Port Security
commentary
A Changing Cuba May Create Risks for Maritime Border Security
Scott Savitz, Paul DeLuca
Nov 5, 2016
U.S. News and World Report
A changing Cuba may contribute to less secure maritime borders for the United States. The U.S. should plan accordingly to stop mass movements of both drugs and people.
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Artificial Intelligence
commentary
Killer Robots: Moral Concerns vs. Military Advantages
Colin Roberts
Nov 4, 2016
The National Interest
The U.S. military should balance Americans' ethical concerns over computers making life and death decisions with the need to maintain an edge in the face of rapid advances in artificial intelligence and machine learning across the globe.
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Nuclear Sciences
announcement
RAND Is Accepting Applications for Stanton Nuclear Security Fellowships
Nov 4, 2016
RAND is accepting applications for up to three Stanton Nuclear Security Fellows. The application deadline is January 9, 2017. The program was created to stimulate the development of the next generation of thought leaders on nuclear security.
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commentary
If Not Free Trade, Then What?
Charles Wolf, Jr.
Nov 4, 2016
The Weekly Standard
It may not be unrealistic to hope that the next U.S. president could define and implement a concept of fair trade that is not antitrade.
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Military Ships and Naval Vessels
commentary
South Korea Cracks Down on Illegal Chinese Fishing, with Violent Results
Lyle J. Morris @LyleJMorris
Nov 4, 2016
The Diplomat
In the Yellow Sea and elsewhere, Chinese fishermen have shown an increasing willingness to challenge attempts by coast guards to enforce fishing laws. Earlier this week, after repeated warnings, the Korea Coast Guard opened fire on a Chinese vessel fishing illegally in Korean waters.
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International Diplomacy
commentary
China's Actions Are Causing U.S. 'Militarization' of the Pacific
Derek Grossman @DerekJGrossman
Nov 3, 2016
The National Interest
Beijing's aggression in the Asia-Pacific is threatening key U.S. allies, causing America to respond. Any change in U.S. policy must be based on changes in Chinese behavior.
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Antimicrobial Resistance
commentary
Europe's Fight Against Antimicrobial Resistance
Elta Smith, Catherine A. Lichten
Nov 3, 2016
E!Sharp
The EC's AMR Action Plan included measures to ensure antimicrobials are used more appropriately in both humans and animals and measures to stimulate R&D of new antibiotics. One area that was not sufficiently covered was the environment.
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United States Department of Defense
commentary
The Pentagon's New Chief Innovation Officer Should Tread Lightly
Jonathan P. Wong @jonpwong
Nov 3, 2016
War on the Rocks
The innovation efforts taking place in the Department of Defense are exciting and have much potential. But installing a chief innovation officer with centralized authority who may become just another bureaucratic player among many could spoil those efforts.
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Police-Community Relations
commentary
How Police Body Cameras Can Improve Behavior, Ease Tension
Alex Sutherland, Barak Ariel
Nov 2, 2016
San Diego Union-Tribune
Body cameras alone can't solve America's problems with policing. But used properly, they can help address mistrust between communities and police.
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Syria
commentary
Al Nusra Is Stronger Than Ever
Colin P. Clarke
Nov 2, 2016
The Cipher Brief
While the West targets ISIS, Jabhat Fateh al Sham, formerly known as Jabhat al Nusra, is quietly laying the groundwork for al Qaeda's resurgence.
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