Innovating for Answers

For nearly 60 years, the RAND Corporation has broken new ground in confronting some of society's most complex problems — all with the goals of improving public health, educational achievement, economic performance, environmental well-being, and public safety in the United States and around the world. RAND researchers have helped to find answers to problems that were once deemed intractable. From managing environmental issues to combating crime to closing the achievement gap, RAND researchers have helped to identify effective, evidence-based policy solutions. This publication highlights recent examples of RAND projects that have produced important new policies, framed issues in new ways (often thanks to new methods), balanced multiple priorities and difficult trade-offs, prompted meaningful change, and made decisionmaking easier. RAND social and economic policy research has helped cities retain good teachers without busting budgets, calculated the real costs of dementia — $511 billion per year, used big data to make cities safer, and protected consumers from bad financial advice.