May 2020

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Civilians Returning from War Zones Need More Support

Deployed civilians often work alongside the military in combat zones or other high-stress, high-risk areas. But when they return, their experience is much different. They come home to support that is often incomplete and insufficient, and sometimes entirely nonexistent.

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Global Challenges to Maintaining a Healthy Workforce During a Pandemic: Views from RAND Experts

As nations across the globe remain in lockdown to curb the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, questions about the future of employment and workforce productivity emerge. During a recent webinar, RAND experts discussed how to get people back to work and improve productivity post COVID-19.

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Public Health Lessons on Intimate Partner Violence Tucked into Tiger King

Substantial work has been done to figure out how best to address intimate partner violence, but with limited attention regarding how best to meet the unique needs of gay, lesbian, and bisexual victims. The popularity of Netflix's Tiger King, and its depiction of intimate partner violence between Joe Exotic and his two husbands, could help to focus attention on a very real, and often hidden, problem.

Sarah MacCarthy

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Preparing for a Post-Vaccine World, Domestic Abuse, the Future of War: RAND Weekly Recap

This weekly recap focuses on why we need a blueprint for a post-vaccine world, helping domestic abuse victims during COVID-19, the pandemic's historic economic effects, and more.

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COVID-19 Highlights the Shortcomings of America's Digital Infrastructure

Much like America's aging physical infrastructure, America's digital infrastructure needs updating. To fix these urgent problems, local, state, and federal governments could turn to best practices used in the private sector to develop more reliable software.

James Ryseff

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Should Communities Be Concerned About Digital Technologies to Fight COVID-19?

Personal smart devices offer an unprecedented opportunity to identify, track, map, and communicate about COVID-19. But apps could pose privacy and security concerns.

Abbie Tingstad, Shira H. Fischer @ShiraFischer, et al.

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Civilians and Military Collaborate to Address Climate Change

The Hampton Roads area in Virginia is home to more than 1.7 million people, a major port, and more military installations than anywhere else in the United States. Its rising sea levels and floods brought together civilian and military officials on a project to mitigate damage and foster resiliency.

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Equal Pay for Equal Work: How Binding Pay Transparency Measures May Help

More than 60 years ago, the EU introduced the principle of equal pay for equal work for men and women. But a gender pay gap persists in most countries. In 2014, a European Commission Recommendation encouraged measures to aid pay transparency, but implementation has been limited.

Michaela Bruckmayer

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The Future of Research Outputs

The changing nature of research outputs has the potential to affect a wide range of organizations and people. A proactive stance could help drive research towards better practices in information storage, sharing and communication, but requires early action and shared goals at a sector level.

Susan Guthrie, Maja Maricevic, et al.

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Want to Stem the Rising Mental Health Crisis? Look Beyond the Usual Suspects for Help

As the COVID-19 pandemic and its economic effects spread, concerns about mental health impacts continue to grow. Many communities and policymakers are desperate to stem the tide of unaddressed mental health needs, and with the right investments in training, task-shifting models have enormous potential to bolster available, accessible mental health services.

Lynsay Ayer, Clare Stevens

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Measures to Help Domestic Abuse Victims During COVID-19 Are Welcome but Not Enough

One of the most worrying and consistent trends during the COVID-19 lockdown is an increase in domestic violence. Governments are taking different approaches in how they act to stop the violence and help victims to be heard during the lockdown. Securing adequate resources for support services is vital.

Madeline Nightingale, Joanna Hofman @JoannaBHofman, et al.

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Biosecurity Is the Lesson We Need to Learn from the Coronavirus Pandemic

Biological outbreaks have been a fear among experts for decades and human activities present windows of vulnerability. To address this, America needs to have a new approach to biosafety and biosecurity that addresses the full range of biological threats that humankind and the global environment will face in the future.

Daniel M. Gerstein @Daniel_Gerstein, James Giordano

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Economic Recovery in Egypt Should Include Women

Despite tremendous strides in educational attainment, women's engagement in the labor force in Egypt remains limited. Will Egypt's post-pandemic recovery further exacerbate structural barriers and inequities? Or could the current economic crisis be an opportunity to develop new opportunities to employ women and foster conditions for a more inclusive and diversified labor force?

Louay Constant

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Exposing Russian Information Operations Does Not Violate the First Amendment

Russia's hostile information operations are continuous and extend to a broad range of domestic issues. First Amendment concerns are important, but they do not protect hostile information campaigns by foreign actors, nor are they a legal excuse for inaction by the United States.

Brian Michael Jenkins @BrianMJenkins

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Needed: A Blueprint for a Post-Vaccine World

When a COVID-19 vaccine is developed, many in rich countries may be able to afford it while the poor and uninsured may not. The time to plan for equitable access, financing, intellectual property rights, and global production is now.

Krishna B. Kumar @kbkumar_, Mahshid Abir, et al.