December 2012

announcement

RAND Corporation Accepting Applications for Stanton Nuclear Security Fellowships

The RAND Corporation is accepting applications for up to three Stanton Nuclear Security Fellows. The application deadline is February 11, 2013.

commentary

Creating More Savvy Consumers Through Public Reporting

Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS) surveys are designed to capture patients' experiences in a systematic way that facilitates reporting the results publicly to help other consumers make more savvy care decisions. Consumer choices may influence providers to improve the care they offer so that they can effectively compete in the market.

Mary E. Vaiana

commentary

Responding to Newtown

Art Kellermann reviews what is known from broad outlines of the Newtown attack and past research on gun violence to offer some preliminary thoughts to the Obama Administration's task force and the public.

Arthur L. Kellermann

commentary

Shifting the Burden of Mental Health Care: Helping Families

In our national conversation on mental health, we should remember the role of families when thinking about treatment and ensure that our policies open up opportunities to support parents, siblings and relatives, and enhance their capacity for care, writes Ramya Chari.

Ramya Chari

commentary

Wanted: Balance in Defense Cuts

Budget reductions must be applied in ways that pose the least risk to national security. We need to shrink force structure carefully, reduce or delay procurement of some weapons systems, streamline management and cut personnel costs, writes Harold Brown.

Harold Brown

commentary

Egypt's Constitutional Referendum Was an Opportunity Lost

The Egyptian process left no room for broad deliberation of the constitutional issues, or even for educating citizens about the text of the document on which they were asked to vote, writes Laurel Miller.

Laurel E. Miller

commentary

Silencing the Science on Gun Research

The United States has long relied on public health science to improve the safety, health, and lives of its citizens. Perhaps the same straightforward, problem-solving approach that worked well in other circumstances can help the nation meet the challenge of firearm violence, writes Arthur Kellermann.

Arthur L. Kellermann, Frederick P. Rivara

commentary

North Korean 'Satellite' May Fall from Sky, but That Won't Deter Kim Jong-Un

Kim Jong-Un's regime has placed outsized import on its missile launches—despite the risk of alienating the international community—to offset the lack of success across a wide range of topics, writes Bruce Bennett.

Bruce W. Bennett @bwbennett

commentary

In Connecticut, Recovery and Healing Will Take Time

With an event like this, With an event like this, 'recovery' doesn't mean a return to normal, because lives have been permanently altered. Recovery can only mean finding a new normal, a new path forward. And schools, those places of safety and healthy development, can help with that process, by providing a structure and community to support healing, writes Lisa Jaycox.

Lisa H. Jaycox

announcement

Art Kellermann Elected to Institute of Medicine's Council of Governors

RAND congratulates Art Kellermann, M.D., Paul O'Neill–Alcoa Chair in Policy Analysis, on being named by his peers to serve on the Institute of Medicine's (IOM) Council of Governors.

commentary

Cyber Operations Can Supplement a War, but They Cannot Be the War

The U.S. military, with its high-tech systems, must protect itself from cyber threats with much the same careful management that protects it against vulnerabilities associated with, say, explosives. But there can be no choice between boots on the ground and fingers on a keyboard, writes Martin Libicki.

Martin C. Libicki

q&a

ACOs: Making Organizations 'Accountable' for Care

The Affordable Care Act focuses primarily on extending coverage to uninsured Americans, but it is also intended to help curb cost growth. M. Susan Ridgely explains one of the key tools for doing that—the “accountable care organization,” an alternative delivery model intended to lower costs while also improving quality of care.

commentary

New Colorado River Basin Study Examines Tremendous Challenges of the Coming 50 Years

Growing water needs combined with uncertain but possibly deteriorating future hydrologic conditions could stress the Colorado River system in the coming 50 years.

David G. Groves, Jordan R. Fischbach, et al.

commentary

Teen Employment May Not Always Be a Boon for At-Risk Youth

For all teens, and especially those who have already experienced problems related to alcohol and drug use, it is essential to monitor the quality of work experiences and keep in mind that some work environments might increase risk for substance use.

Karen Chan Osilla, Sarah B. Hunter, et al.

commentary

More Secure or Less Free?

It is thus not surprising that people report a willingness to trade convenience, money, and liberty for security. Legal precedent reinforces that decreased civil liberties may be accepted when confronting existential threats with demonstrably effective security—to a point, writes Henry H. Willis.

Henry H. Willis @HenryHWillis