October 2020

commentary

Learning from Existing Novel Approaches to Solving the Adult Social Care Crisis Is Better Than Reinventing the Wheel

The growing gap in the UK between the need for social care for older people and the provision of support arises not only from a crisis of funding, but also from a failure to learn from what is already being done well. Closing the gap might be achieved by learning from creative approaches already being tried and then implementing them.

Tom Ling, Jon Sussex, et al.

commentary

The Downside of a Lean Electric Grid

The electric grid is central to U.S. national security. Recent disasters provide an example of the downsides of leanness. It's more costly to be less lean, but given our dependence on the electric grid and the increasing prevalence of disasters, safety and resilience may be greater priorities.

Ismael Arciniegas Rueda, Aaron Clark-Ginsberg @aclarkginsberg

commentary

China's Friends Are Few and Unreliable

Amid escalating competition, China and the United States are actively shoring up their diplomatic relationships in the Indo-Pacific and beyond. Compared to the United States, China's friends are certainly not as numerous, nor are they as reliable. That is a major challenge for Beijing.

Derek Grossman @DerekJGrossman

commentary

College Students Need Mental Health Support

Rising mental health problems in the United States have long made health advocates and providers worried about the need for additional support for struggling college students. The pandemic has only exacerbated this concern.

Lisa Sontag-Padilla

commentary

The United States Can Achieve AI Dominance with Its Allies

Close collaborators in any AI alliance must be able to usefully contribute to the work and be trustworthy enough to share in cutting-edge technical advancements. While achieving this close collaboration with allies may be difficult, it will be essential if the United States hopes to achieve the data dominance needed to succeed in future combat.

James Ryseff

blog

Election Interference on Twitter, Insulin Prices, Remote Learning: RAND Weekly Recap

This weekly recap focuses on evidence of interference in the 2020 election on Twitter, U.S. insulin prices compared to those of other countries, how parents can help their kids' education stay on track during the pandemic, and more.

commentary

Two Vignettes: How Might Combat Operations Be Different Under the Information Joint Function?

RAND researcher Christopher Paul employs storytelling to illustrate two distinct approaches to Joint Combat Operations. While both vignettes result in the expulsion of adversary forces and the restoration of territorial integrity, they take different approaches to kinetic and informational power.

Christopher Paul

commentary

Grand Strategy Is Total: French Gen. Andre Beaufré on the Nuclear Age

Gen. André Beaufre, the father of contemporary French strategic thought, epitomizes better than anyone the traits that make modern French military theory unusually rich. He is also a key for accessing a rich and distinctly different way of thinking about war with direct applications for today, whether one is pondering Afghanistan or how to deal with China.

Michael Shurkin

commentary

HSOAC Hosts Seminar Series on Improving Equity in Disaster Policy

Natural and biological hazards, and critically the human response to these hazards, have the potential not only to exacerbate existing population inequities but also to create them. To better understand the equity implications of disaster policies, the Homeland Security Operational Analysis Center invited several experts to share their knowledge.

Max Izenberg

commentary

Domestic Terrorism and the U.S. Elections

The COVID-19 pandemic has roiled the elections. The United States is deeply divided and the political system is polarized. Under these fraught circumstances, even a minor event can have far-reaching repercussions. What are the prospects for domestic terrorism in the context of U.S. elections?

Brian Michael Jenkins @BrianMJenkins

commentary

A $2.5 Trillion Question: What If Incomes Grew Like GDP Did?

Income inequality is an aspect of economics that resonates with many Americans: It feels like the rich are getting richer, while the rest are having a hard time just getting by. What would income distribution look like today if incomes grew apace with the economy?

Kathryn A. Edwards, Carter C. Price @CarterCPrice

commentary

Before Redesigning the REF, a New Survey Could Help in Understanding What Is and Isn’t Working

September's call for more sustainable and agile research funding signaled a renewed push by research-intensive universities for a funding and assessment system with a lighter touch. Before embarking on a further round of changes, it is important to listen and learn from researchers and managers about what has and has not worked well.

Catriona Manville, James Wilsdon

commentary

Belarusian Mortgage on Russia's Future

In September, President Vladimir Putin signaled that Russia was throwing its weight behind embattled Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko. But any move to enforce Putin's will in Belarus could invite tougher Western sanctions and scare investors. This would exacerbate problems facing Russia's flagging economy.

William Courtney @courtneywmh, Howard J. Shatz @HowardJShatz

commentary

'Holes Just Big Enough': Unemployment's History with Black Workers

There's a long-standing accusation leveled at the U.S. unemployment insurance system: that it's structurally racist, deliberately discriminatory from the outset, and remains so today. That claim has been met with doubt. But why doesn't unemployment insurance treat all workers and all earnings the same?

Kathryn A. Edwards

commentary

How to Build Better Militaries in Africa: Lessons from Niger

To help counter the threat of terrorism and build the capacity of African militaries, the U.S. government spends over $1.5 billion a year on security assistance to the African continent. Does this support work?

Alexander Noyes @alexhnoyes, Ashley Bybee, et al.