RAND Europe Commentary

Political Manifestos Should Do Better Than “Legalise It”

After years of political deadlock, a new era for drug policy in the Netherlands seems to be on the horizon. At least two factors are increasing politicians' appetite for change: increased awareness of the problems of drug-related organized crime in the Netherlands, and Dutch drug policy no longer being ahead of the curve.

Stijn Hoorens @StijnHoorens

What the REF 2021 Impact Case Studies Can Reveal About UK Research

A new study on the Research Excellence Framework 2021 impact case studies demonstrates the rich and varied impacts of UK research, and the extensive contribution of UK institutions and the academic community both nationally and globally.

Cagla Stevenson, Salil Gunashekar, et al.

Fixing the Problem of Innovation in the Health and Care System

The National Health System has an innovation problem. The problem is not that the system lacks an appetite for innovation; rather, it is that successive efforts to create an enabling environment for innovation have been met with only limited success. But why?

Tom Ling, Robert J. Romanelli

Isn't It Obvious? Why Making the Case for Big Research Infrastructure Is Important

Large-scale research infrastructure is enormously expensive. Is the real impact and value of major investment in research facilities worth the cost?

Tamara Strabel, Billy Bryan

Educating Academics Will Ease UK Universities' Foreign Influence Crisis

Tackling China's quest for foreign technologies is tough. China exploits the very principles—openness, freedom, collaboration—that have fostered scientific breakthroughs to acquire foreign technologies. This makes it difficult to intervene without damaging these values in the process.

Fiona Quimbre @FQuimbre

Early Years Education Reform: Could Life Chances for Children in England Be Significantly Improved?

To ensure equal access to high-quality early years provision in England, it is crucial to learn from successful systems worldwide and implement key recommendations. Prioritizing highly qualified staff, maintaining appropriate staff-to-child ratios, and removing barriers for disadvantaged families are essential steps toward achieving this goal.

Elena Rosa Speciani

Avoiding Common Pitfalls Before Thinking About 'What Good Looks Like' in Digital Transformation of Adult Social Care

When implementing the What Good Looks Like framework to guide digital transformation in adult social care, it will be important not to ignore common problems that often frustrate the introduction and implementation of new technology.

Sarah Parkinson

A Good Night's Sleep, What's It Worth to You?

Most people in the developed world would fork over serious bucks—14 percent of their paycheck—to avoid the health-threatening, productivity-sapping effects of insomnia. When it comes to sleep, quality and quantity should be parallel goals. And the benefit of achieving them could be priceless.

Wendy M. Troxel @wendytroxel, Robert J. Romanelli

Finland Joins NATO, Sweden's Accession Remains Uncertain

Finland is at long last joining NATO, having applied together with Sweden last year in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Finland's accession represents a boon to NATO, a radical change in Finnish foreign and security policy, and another unplanned setback for Russia.

Charlotte Kleberg, James Black

Deciding Whether to Send Fighter Jets to Ukraine

Supplying military equipment to another country's forces can be far from straightforward. The logistical, operational, and technical considerations are immensely complex, and any offer made by NATO allies to Ukraine might best come with a credible plan for deployment and effect—not just a cheque that cannot be cashed.

James Black, Ben Caves

Brain and Machine Confluence Requires Multi-Sectoral Regulation to Maximize Gains

As the commercialization of brain-computer interface technology expands, it would be prudent for international policymakers to consider how this technology should be regulated, in order to reap its benefits and minimize its risks.

Sana Zakaria @drsana_zak, Joana Gomes Beirao, et al.

How the Dutch Approached Brexit

The impact of Brexit on the Netherlands is significant. The Dutch government would have preferred the UK to stay in the EU. But despite all this, the Netherlands approached Brexit with relative clarity of purpose and the administration of the program brought a satisfactory outcome.

Stijn Hoorens @StijnHoorens, Fook Nederveen

Gender Biases in Health Care: Listen to Women About Their Own Health

More and more information, evidence, and personal stories are emerging suggesting women are not being listened to or believed by health care professionals about their symptoms of physical illness. There is ongoing work in the United Kingdom to improve and integrate women's health services, which creates hope for improvements.

Lucy Hocking

Cannabis Legalization in Europe: Planning Ahead

Since 2012, multiple jurisdictions have changed their laws to legalize the production, possession, and use of cannabis for nonmedical purposes. While most of these changes took place in the Americas, there are signs that the European legal landscape might be changing, too.

Mafalda Pardal @PardalMafalda

Green Jobs and Skills Development for Disadvantaged Groups

Many countries have plans to increase green job opportunities. To make sure that everyone can benefit from this promised green transition, it is important to understand how people with low qualifications, and other marginalised groups, might be able to access green jobs.

Joanna Hofman @JoannaBHofman, Katrin Feyerabend, et al.

Removing Barriers to Diversity and Inclusion in the Military

Efforts to improve representation and remove barriers for personnel with protected characteristics are seen as essential steps for modern militaries, but have not gone without controversy. The UK Armed Forces could take a more-strategic approach to leveraging diversity to elevate it as a strategic enabler of military fighting power in the contemporary threat environment.

Linda Slapakova

Improving How Medicines R&D Is Financed Could Support Innovation and Benefits for Patients

Tackling chronic and infectious diseases depends to a large extent on the ability to develop innovative and affordable medicines that are available to patients in need. Policymakers will need to tackle challenges from multiple angles to avoid reducing barriers in one area at the expense of exacerbating challenges in another.

Sarah Parkinson, Sonja Marjanovic @SonjaCambs

New Legislation May Not Be Enough to Counter Chinese Interference in British Universities

There is alarming evidence of growing Chinese espionage and influence in UK universities that could threaten UK national security and academic freedoms. Three complementary initiatives could increase university researchers' awareness of the potential risks of collaborating with certain Chinese partners.

Fiona Quimbre @FQuimbre

The Economic Returns of Foreign Language Learning

If just 10 percent more students in the United Kingdom mastered Arabic, Mandarin, French, or Spanish, the economic returns could be measured in billions of British pounds. Removing the language barrier reduces trade costs.

Microbiome-Based Health and Wellness Innovation

Microbiome research and development may lead to an increasing number of therapeutic and well-being breakthroughs. But regulating microbiota-related products poses a challenge that could require innovative approaches.

Mark Cabling, Zuzanna Marciniak-Nuqui, et al.

Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion in Health Care Innovation

For health care innovations to have the fairest and broadest possible benefit to society, efforts could be made to attend to all stages of the innovation pathway to identify opportunities to mitigate biases through diversity, equality, and inclusion.

Robert J. Romanelli, Sonja Marjanovic @SonjaCambs

When IT Meets Medical Innovation: Regulatory and Policy Challenges for Software as a Medical Device

The demand for using software to improve health care, including software as a medical device (SaMD), is on the rise. Realizing the potential benefits of the growing demand for SaMD may require clearer and more-consistent regulation of patient safety and medical effectiveness.

Zuzanna Marciniak-Nuqui, Nick Fahy, et al.

Rethinking the EU's Role in European Collective Defence

Russia's invasion of Ukraine is forcing European nations to quickly re-evaluate how best to maintain their collective security. This makes the concept of European strategic autonomy—the EU's increased ability to operate independently and with partners of choice on defence and security matters—more relevant than ever.

Lucia Retter, Stephanie Pezard @StephaniePezard

'Truth Decay' in Europe Is Real, but Its Advance Can Be Slowed

Though present in Europe, the evidence suggests that trends of Truth Decay are not as widespread or as pronounced as they are in the United States. There is still time for policymakers to intervene and limit their growth.

Axelle Devaux, Stijn Hoorens @StijnHoorens

Tracking Migration Amid War and Disease

Researchers from RAND and RAND Europe have been working on a way to better track migrant numbers, country by country and state by state, in almost real time. They do it by tapping into one of the largest information-gathering operations on the planet, Facebook.