RAND Experts Available to Discuss Biden's 100-Day Agenda

January 20, 2021

RAND has experts available to answer media questions about priorities for the Biden Administration's first 100 days. Specific topics for RAND expertise include education, immigration, the environment, criminal justice, and economic stimulus, as well as various topics related to the COVID-19 pandemic and vaccine. RAND experts can also comment on the potential impact of Biden's policies on international policy and national security.

To arrange an interview, contact the RAND Office of Media Relations via email at media@rand.org or by phone at +1-(703) 414-4795 or +1-(310) 451-6913.

Economic Stimulus/Pandemic Relief

Regarding Biden's proposed $1.9 trillion relief package, RAND experts can discuss elements including reducing child poverty, stimulus checks, and raising the minimum wage:

Kathryn Edwards

Edwards is a labor economist who studies the labor force participation and outcomes of vulnerable populations. She can speak to employment and unemployment policy, wages, and many large federal programs.

Recent media: Business Insider, Reuters, The New York Times

Recent video: Was Unemployment Insurance Designed to Exclude Black Workers?

Lynn Karoly

Karoly is a senior economist at RAND focused on social welfare policy, child and family well-being, and labor markets. She can speak to early childhood policy and child poverty issues.

COVID-19 Vaccine

The proposed relief package includes $20 billion for a national vaccination program, and Biden has promised to vaccinate 100 million Americans in his first 100 days.

Dr. Courtney Gidengil

Dr. Gidengil can comment on these plans. She is a senior physician policy researcher and board-certified physician. Her research is focused on COVID-19, immunizations/vaccinations, infectious diseases, and patient safety.

Recent media: ABC News and ABC News Online

Marco Hafner

Hafner is a senior economist and research leader at RAND Europe who can speak to the economic effects of vaccine nationalism and its global costs.

Recent media: Business Insider, Al Arabiya, Wall Street Journal

Recent video: Schweizer Radio und Fernsehen (SRF) (In German)

To arrange an interview with Marco Hafner, contact europeanmedia@randeurope.org

Education

Reopening schools by the end of his first 100 days and eliminating the digital divide are key areas of focus for Biden's immediate education policy. RAND experts can discuss these topics as well as ongoing online learning issues related to the pandemic:

Darleen Opfer

Opfer is vice president and director of RAND Education and Labor and the author of numerous books, reports, and journal articles on education policy.

Recent media: The74 and Chalkbeat

Heather Schwartz

Schwartz is director of the Pre–K to 12 educational systems program and a senior policy researcher at RAND.

Recent media: eSchool News and MarketWatch

Recent report: Remote Learning Is Here to Stay

Julia Kaufman

Kaufman is a senior policy researcher focused on education policy and curriculum as well as academic achievement and teacher effectiveness.

Recent media: C-SPAN and Washington Journal; USA Today

Recent video: COVID-19 and the Digital Divide: Inequities in Online Learning

Environment

Biden has promised to rejoin the Paris Climate Accord on his first day, which could help put the United States back on the same page with most other countries in terms of emissions reductions. Available RAND experts on environmental/energy issues are:

Ben Preston

Preston is the director of the Community Health and Environmental Policy program at RAND and an expert on climate risk management.

Recent media: Forbes

Rob Lempert

Lempert is a principal researcher and director of the RAND Frederick S. Pardee Center for Longer Range Global Policy and the Future Human Condition. He also is a convening lead author for Working Group II of the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Sixth Assessment Report.

Recent media: The New York Times

Recent video: How Has the Coronavirus Shutdown Affected the Environment?

Criminal Justice

Biden has committed to creating a national police oversight commission during his first 100 days.

Meagan Cahill

Cahill is a senior policy researcher who leads RAND's policing work and focuses on crime prevention and improving police-community relations.

Recent media: NBC News

Recent video: Crime and the Coronavirus

John Hollywood

Hollywood is a senior operations researcher and head of the RAND Center for Quality Policing.

Recent media: Los Angeles Times

Recent video: Homicide Process Mapping: A Guide for Solving More Crimes

Foreign Policy and National Security

RAND has a number of experts who can speak to Biden's potential plans regarding China, Russia, and beyond.

Ambassador William Courtney

Ambassador Courtney is an adjunct senior fellow at RAND, retired U.S. ambassador, and former State Department official with deep expertise in international affairs and Russia.

Recent media: Sky News Australia

Recent commentary: The Hill

Ambassador James Dobbins

Ambassador Dobbins is a senior fellow at RAND and distinguished chair in diplomacy and security. He is a former assistant secretary of state for Europe and an expert in foreign service and the State Department.

Recent commentary: The Hill

Derek Grossman

Grossman is a senior defense analyst at RAND and an expert on Indo-Pacific security issues and China.

Recent commentary: Nikkei Asia

Jeffrey Martini

Martini is a senior Middle East researcher at RAND focused on political and security issues in the Arab world, including Arab Gulf reconciliation.

Jack Riley

Riley is vice president and director of the RAND National Security Research Division and an expert on national and homeland security topics.

Recent media: Bloomberg TV

Linda Robinson

Robinson is director of the RAND Center for Middle East Public Policy and a senior international/defense researcher focused on the future of warfare, national security, and international affairs.

Recent media: WUSA-DC, The Hill

Recent video: How Might the U.S. Respond to Russia?

Heather Williams

Williams is a senior policy researcher at RAND and former national intelligence officer with a focus on homeland security, Iran, and ideological extremism.

Recent media: SpyCast