Calendar of Events

    Past Events

  • U.S. servicemembers raise a flag

    What Will Keep a U.S. Defense Secretary Up at Night Through the Next Decade?

    May 6, 2013

    Former U.S. Secretary of Defense and RAND trustee emeritus Harold Brown will discuss his book, Star Spangled Security: Applying Lessons Learned Over Six Decades Safeguarding America, and how his experience applies to current challenges facing the United States.

  • Australian cigarette packaging

    Plain Tobacco Packaging: Implications for Health, Law, and Policy

    Apr 12, 2013

    Tobacco raises vital current issues of global concern regarding the interaction among international trade and investment laws, public policy, and public health objectives. Professors Mitchell and Voon reflect on the implications of Australia's experience with mandatory standardized tobacco packaging legislation for international health law and policy.

  • RAND Trustee Harold Brown speaks at Politics Aside 2012

    A Conversation with Former Defense Secretary Harold Brown

    Apr 9, 2013

    At an event on April 9, 2013, former Defense Secretary Harold Brown will discuss how to align America's interests, values, and defense budget to meet the nation's current challenges.

  • Chinese container shipping port

    David Roland-Holst Discusses China's Agrifood Demand in a Global Context

    Apr 5, 2013

    Rising Chinese incomes are increasing domestic agricultural consumption. Because China is severely constrained in these resources, the implications of this demand acceleration will be global. In this talk, Professor Roland-Holst sets out the drivers of China's changing agrifood economy and maps out its implications for global food markets and sustainability.

  • Egyptians voting at the 2012 presidential elections in Cairo

    Mapping Egyptian Politics

    Mar 22, 2013

    Despite widespread unrest, Egypt is scheduled to hold parliamentary elections in the coming months. Three Egypt watchers will discuss what past electoral performance and the current political context say about the Islamists' strength in Egypt and what it means for the U.S.

  • gas pipeline

    An Energy-Independent United States

    Mar 20, 2013

    Declines in energy consumption because of substantial improvements in efficiency and surging production of natural gas, oil, and renewable energy have brought the United States to the brink of energy independence. Join RAND to learn more about shifts in U.S. energy markets.

  • Cambodian garment factory workers travel home from work in Kampong Chhnang province, north of Phnom Penh

    Overcoming Obstacles to Peace

    Mar 18, 2013

    In their new book, Overcoming Obstacles to Peace, RAND experts James Dobbins and Laurel Miller present evidence that international interventions can in fact build more peaceful nations. Join the discussion on March 18, 2013, 10-11:30 a.m., at the U.S. Institute of Peace Headquarters.

  • Farm laborers in Brazil

    Incentives, Labor Markets, and the Challenge of Universal Social Protection in Latin America

    Mar 15, 2013

    PRGS alum David Robalino returns to RAND on March 15 to discuss his World Bank research on social security, labor markets, and fiscal policy in Latin America and the Caribbean, as part of the International Development Speaker Series.

  • U.S. Marines in Iraq

    RAND and Foreign Policy Host Forum on Iraq War

    Mar 15, 2013

    RAND and Foreign Policy brought together a group of high-level Department of Defense and executive branch officials, theater commanders, analysts, and journalists to reflect on the Iraq War on the tenth anniversary of the invasion. The goal of the discussions was to identify lessons not yet learned from the conflict.

  • Woman helping man off bed, walker in front of him

    Palliative Care: Improving Quality of Life for the Seriously Ill

    Feb 26, 2013

    Health care professionals are always looking for more effective ways to relieve and prevent suffering among their patients and to enhance the quality of care. Join us for a discussion on what we know—and what we need to know—about the delivery of palliative care services.

  • Indian doctor's office

    Dilemmas of Decentralization and Development

    Feb 26, 2013

    Pranab Bardhan, a graduate professor of economics at UC Berkeley, has conducted theoretical and field studies research on rural institutions in poor countries and the political economy of development policies. He presented his research at the February 26 International Development Speaker Series.

  • Zocalo Square, Mexico City

    Too Big to Democratize? An IDSS Presentation by Denise Dresser

    Feb 21, 2013

    In Mexico, government gridlock can be attributed to traditional elites using their power to block reforms that affect their interests or assure those initiatives that protect their privileged status. Denise Dresser will be discussing Mexico's political and socioeconomic challenges as part of the International Development Speaker Series on February 21.

  • Conference and Webcast on Public Health Regulations for Marijuana

    Feb 11, 2013

    Initiatives to legalize and regulate marijuana leave local, state, and federal policymakers facing new questions. To help leaders better understand the possible consequences, DPRC researchers moderated a forum in Washington, D.C., on February 11, 2013, about developing public health regulations for marijuana.

  • Aerial views of Hurricane Sandy damage to homes on Long Beach

    Adapting to Climate Change on the Coast: Lessons from Louisiana for Federal Policy

    Jan 23, 2013

    What can be done to reduce the chances of widespread disaster when the next "Sandy" hits? Jordan Fischbach will discuss how climate change and other long-term challenges can affect coasts and the tools federal or state policymakers will need to address them.

  • James Q. Wilson

    The Intellectual Life and Legacy of James Q. Wilson

    Jan 17, 2013

    A RAND policy forum focused on the work and life of James Q. Wilson, a longtime board member of the RAND Corporation and its Pardee RAND Graduate School who was known, among other things, for his analyses of the nature of bureaucracy.

  • James Dobbins at Politics Aside 2012

    Dobbins to Debate Whether Israel Can Live with a Nuclear Iran

    Jan 16, 2013

    Amb. James Dobbins, director of the RAND International Security and Defense Policy Center, argues that "Israel Can Live with a Nuclear Iran" Wednesday, Jan. 16, 2013, in a live debate at 6:45 p.m. EST at Merkin Concert Hall in New York City.

  • Bangladesh village meeting

    Building State Capability for Implementation: An IDSS Seminar Featuring Michael Woolcock

    Jan 10, 2013

    How can developing countries escape "capability traps," in which they pretend to reform by changing how organizations look rather than what they do? Michael Woolcock, professor of public policy at the Harvard Kennedy School, will discuss his research on January 10 as part of the 2012-13 International Development Speaker Series.

  • Children drink from well in Shant Abak, Djibouti, Africa

    International Development and Model-based Analysis and Policy Design

    Jan 8, 2013

    Generating foresight and designing policies with regard to international development issues greatly benefits from explicitly taking deep uncertainty, temporal dynamics, and adaptivity into account. Speaker Dr. Erik Pruyt is a methodological advisor to the Dutch government regarding National Safety and Security.

  • rising health care costs chart

    Skin in the Game: How Consumer-Directed Health Plans Can Affect the Cost and Use of Health Care

    Dec 10, 2012

    If half of Americans with employer-sponsored insurance enrolled in consumer-directed plans, annual health care costs would fall by an estimated $57 billion. Is this the answer to growing health care costs?

  • The Macroeconomics of Microfinance: An IDSS Seminar Featuring Francisco Buera

    Nov 13, 2012

    Although there are different winners and losers when microfinance programs target small businesses, the vast majority of the population will be positively affected through the increase in equilibrium wages. Paco Buera, associate professor of economics at UCLA, will discuss his research on November 13 as part of the 2012-13 International Development Speaker Series.

  • North Korean postage stamp

    Deterrence and North Korea

    Oct 30, 2012

    Although the United States has, in recent years, successfully deterred a North Korean invasion of South Korea, it has not deterred many North Korean provocations. Senior defense analyst Bruce Bennett discusses why North Korea is such a uniquely difficult challenge and suggests new and creative approaches to deterrence.

  • protesters in Tahrir Square, 3/25/11

    What Are the Prospects for Democratization in the Arab World?

    Oct 10, 2012

    Revolutionary protests in 2011 upended long-standing authoritarian regimes in the Arab world. What lies ahead for Egypt, Tunisia, and other countries undergoing political change? How can the challenges of moving from regime change to democratic governance be overcome?

  • hands painted with world map

    A Banquet of Consequences: Interactive Simulations to Support Climate Negotiations

    Sep 27, 2012

    The world so slow to address the risks posed by climate change because of a failure of systems thinking throughout society. John Sterman, director of the system dynamics group at the MIT Sloan School of Management, will discuss his research on September 27 as part of the 2012-13 International Development Speaker Series.

  • Event

    A Conversation with Joel Szabat, Interim Executive Director of the Maritime Administration

    Sep 11, 2012

    Joel Szabat will discuss the status of a new U.S. Department of Transportation study that assesses the true impact of the Panama Canal expansion on the United States, and what the Maritime Administration is doing to ensure U.S. competitiveness in global trade.

  • two girls looking at a laptop in a classroom

    Lessons from the Science of Learning for 21st-Century Schools

    Sep 5, 2012

    To succeed in the 21st century, students need to be able to communicate, collaborate, and problem-solve with people beyond national boundaries. Director of RAND Education Darleen Opfer describes how teachers can teach 21st century skills, using nine lessons from the science of learning.