August provides a welcome opportunity to catch up on some important policy reads. We’ve compiled a curated list of the latest RAND research you may have missed on topics likely to be at the top of the agenda when Congress returns this fall.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) has the potential to transform wide swaths of society, from the labor force to national security. How should lawmakers best manage this technology to maximize its potential benefits and minimize short- and long-term risks? RAND experts have examined a wide range of questions about the effects and uses of AI, from the types of jobs most likely to be impacted to use of AI tools in the classroom, addressing misinformation, governance issues, and much more.
Critical infrastructure systems provide communities with safe drinking water, reliable electricity, dependable internet access, and other important needs. Climate change increases the risk of disruption to many of these systems. This report examines the current and future risk that certain climate hazards pose to national critical functions.
The on-demand gene synthesis industry has democratized access to customized DNA and RNA products used in biological research, but the increasing availability and decreasing cost of custom synthetic nucleic acids presents a serious risk of misuse or accident. This RAND report provides recommendations—which could be used to fulfill several components of Executive Order 14110—aimed at securing the commercial nucleic acid synthesis industry.
The demographics of the veteran population are changing, with post-9/11 veterans more likely to be female and identify as a person of color than their older counterparts. Younger veterans are also more likely to be raising children, many of them without support from a partner. This report provides a comprehensive look at the financial, physical, and mental health of veteran single parents and includes recommendations on policies and programs that can better support veteran single parents and their children.
The military balance in the Indo-Pacific is of central importance to the United States. Over the past decade, the United States has witnessed the rise of a formidable challenger in China while at the same time, U.S. military power in the region has eroded dramatically relative to China’s. In this testimony, RAND’s Caitlin Lee explains why current U.S. posture, forces, and capabilities are ill-suited to deter China by sowing doubt in the minds of its leaders about their ability to prevail in a conflict.
In the fourth edition of this report—part of RAND’s Gun Policy in America initiative—researchers incorporated more recent research in their synthesis of the available objective scientific data regarding the effects of 18 state firearm policies on firearm injuries and deaths, violent crime, suicides, the gun industry, defensive gun use, and other outcomes. This contributes to a growing body of reliable research that can inform lawmakers' understanding of the potential effects of various gun polices.
Members of Congress and staff can receive free copies of RAND reports and engage with researchers. To request reports, briefings, or meetings, or to invite researchers to testify, please contact ocr@rand.org.
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