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  • Project

    Countering Truth Decay

    “Truth Decay,” the diminishing role of facts in public life, poses a threat to evidence-based policymaking and to American democracy. RAND is studying this phenomenon to learn more about its causes, consequences, and potential solutions.

    Jan 16, 2018

  • Report

    The Benefits and Costs of Decarbonizing Costa Rica's Economy

    Costa Rica set the ambitious goal of becoming carbon-neutral by 2050. An evaluation of the benefits and costs of its National Decarbonization Plan finds that under most plausible assumptions about the future, the plan would achieve or nearly achieve its goals and do so at a net economic benefit.

    Nov 24, 2020

Explore Americas

  • Damaged buildings are pictured during the fighting with Islamic State's fighters in the old city of Raqqa, Syria, August 19, 2017, photo by Zohra Bensemra/Reuters

    Report

    U.S.-China Rivalry in a Neomedieval World

    The neomedieval era, which began around 2000, is characterized by weakening states, fragmenting societies, imbalanced economies, and informalized warfare. What do these conditions mean for competition—and potential conflict—between the United States and China?

    Jun 6, 2023

  • Journal Article

    Journal Article

    An Unwinnable War: Washington Needs an Endgame in Ukraine

    While the Western response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine was clear from the start, the objective has been nebulous. After over a year of fighting, the likely direction of this war is coming into focus.

    Jun 6, 2023

  • A member of Team Red, White and Blue runs through a cooling shower of water at the Marine Corps Marathon in Washington, D.C., October 30, 2016, photo. by Lance Cpl. Timothy Smithers/U.S. Marines

    Commentary

    Amid an Epidemic of Loneliness, Nonprofits Are Helping Keep Veterans Connected

    Many nonprofit organizations in the United States seek to support veterans and foster social connection. The connections and sense of community these programs are building can help to combat the loneliness epidemic that is affecting veterans and non-veterans alike.

    Jun 5, 2023

  • U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken signs the Defense Cooperation Agreement with Papua New Guinea Defense Minister Win Daki at the APEC House in Papua New Guinea, May 22, 2023, photo by Chuck Kennedy/U.S. State Department

    Commentary

    America Is Winning Against China in Oceania

    The United States retains enormous advantages in Oceania and should not be alarmed by China's security activities in the region. Washington should nevertheless keep a close eye on Beijing's moves, particularly against small and weak nations that will struggle to counter Chinese coercive activities on their own.

    Jun 4, 2023

  • RAND Weekly Recap

    Blog

    Arming Teachers, F-16s in Ukraine, Commercial Spaceflight: RAND Weekly Recap

    This weekly recap focuses on how teachers feel about arming teachers, what F-16s will (and won't) do for Ukraine, the need to regulate commercial spaceflight, and more.

    Jun 2, 2023

  • Soldiers from Battery B, 3rd Battalion, 320th Field Artillery Regiment, 101st Airborne Division, pause at the end of a patrol near Wynot, Iraq, October 6, 2005, photo by U.S. Army

    Commentary

    An Autistic Soldier Wants You to Read This

    Despite the recruitment challenges it is currently facing, the Army continues to make personnel decisions based on last century's understanding of neurodivergent diagnoses. The loosening of stigma associated with these diagnoses could improve recruitment, and the Army might reap the benefits of neurodiversity.

    Jun 1, 2023

  • An elementary school teacher helping a student on a tablet, photo by LumiNola/Getty Images

    Report

    Which Working Conditions Could Restore Teacher Well-Being?

    Teachers' self-reported well-being and access to a variety of working conditions varied across five states. Relational factors—positive relationships with other teachers and administrators—were more strongly linked to well-being than organizational factors. And a schoolwide focus on social and emotional learning was linked to positive well-being.

    Jun 1, 2023

  • Report

    Report

    Great-Power Competition and Conflict in the Middle East

    This report explores the potential for competition among the United States, China, and Russia in the Middle East; where and why competition might turn into conflict; what form that conflict might take; and the implications for the United States.

    Jun 1, 2023

  • Ecuador's President Guillermo Lasso addresses the nation next to members of government, after he dissolved the National Assembly by decree, in Quito, Ecuador May 17, 2023, photo by Bolivar Parra/Ecuador Presidency/Handout via Reuters

    Commentary

    Is Ecuador in the Middle of a Self-Coup?

    On May 17, the president of Ecuador, Guillermo Lasso, dissolved the country's legislature in the midst of impeachment proceedings against him. Did Ecuador just have a self-coup? The answer matters greatly for the country's democratic trajectory and for the international community's response.

    May 31, 2023

  • Three U.S. Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcons fly over the Pacific Ocean, February 10, 2022, photo by Tech. Sgt. Matthew Lotz/U.S. Air Force

    Commentary

    What F-16s Will (and Won't) Do for Ukraine

    After months of publicly lobbying to acquire U.S.-made F-16 fighter jets, it appears that Ukraine may receive them later this year. However, there remains a long road ahead before the F-16s would see service in Ukraine—and it is an open question how much they would affect the outcome of the war.

    May 31, 2023

  • News Release

    News Release

    1 in 5 Teachers Feel Carrying Gun to Class Would Make Schools Safer; More Than Half Think Armed Teachers Would Make ...

    U.S. teachers are divided on whether arming themselves would make schools safer, with one in five saying they would be interested in carrying a gun to school.

    May 31, 2023

  • Mother holding her baby and kissing the top of his head, photo by Goodboy Picture Company/Getty Images

    Report

    Birth-Centered Outcomes Research Engagement (B-CORE) in Medi-Cal: Community-Generated Recommendations to Decrease Maternal Mortality and Severe Maternal Morbidity

    The B-CORE project, described in this report, applied the deliberative democracy method to engage affected community members in problem-solving focused on maternal health inequities in California.

    May 31, 2023

  • United States Marine Corps, photo by mariusz_prusaczyk/Getty Images

    Commentary

    Who Should We Honor on Memorial Day?

    The cost of war is not borne solely by soldiers on the field of battle, and for too many, the field of battle is unavoidable. Widening notions of whom we honor, and how, are signs of progress—but they are just a start.

    May 30, 2023

  • Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Billy Tate guides a weapons loader operator carrying a harpoon missile during a hot loading validation event at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan, March 25, 2023, photo. by Cpl. Tyler Harmon/U.S. Marine Corps

    Commentary

    Rising to the Challenge: A Methodological Approach to Prioritizing Defense Investments

    Meeting the Pentagon's goals to invest efficiently in military capabilities calls for a methodological process hinging on five key elements: aligning strategies with tasks, understanding what drives military innovation, embracing specificity in problem-solving, preparing for an unknown future, and assessing technology investments for prioritization.

    May 30, 2023

  • Cadets from across the country competed at the Army JROTC National Drill and Ceremony competition in Louisville, Kentucky, April 9, 2016, U.S. Army photo

    Commentary

    Making the Most of JROTC

    Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps (JROTC) units in U.S. schools have drawn intensive scrutiny of late, and some districts might consider dropping JROTC. But they should take stock of what they'll lose. Students who choose to enroll in JROTC and stick with it do better in school than their peers.

    May 26, 2023

  • Icons and lights coming out of a cell phone on a flat surface, photo by David Peperkamp/Getty Images

    Commentary

    How Can Platforms Deal with Toxic Content? Look to Wall Street

    The Supreme Court recently opted to keep in place a law that shields tech platforms from liability for hosting toxic content. Congress can and should regulate the industry. And there's already a regulatory framework for doing so that accounts for freedom of speech concerns.

    May 26, 2023

  • An F-16 Fighting Falcon fighter aircraft has its landing gear extended to land at the U.S. military airfield at Spangdahlem, Germany, May 17, 2023, photo by Harald Tittel/dpa via Reuters Connect

    Commentary

    Military Assistance to Ukraine Is a Rare Success

    Recently, the United States reversed its long-standing opposition to sending Ukraine F-16 advanced aircraft to aid its fight against Russia. The policy reversal is a smart call. Once the aircraft are delivered and training is complete the jets will help Ukraine defend its territory more efficiently, and might even help end the war.

    May 26, 2023

  • RAND Weekly Recap

    Blog

    Immigration Policy, the Black-White Wealth Gap, ChatGPT: RAND Weekly Recap

    This weekly recap focuses on the challenges facing U.S. immigration policy, what it would take to close America's Black-white wealth gap, risks and opportunities associated with artificial intelligence, more.

    May 26, 2023

  • Close up of a doctor filling out a prescription, photo by francisblack/Getty Images

    News Release

    State Policies Requiring Education for Buprenorphine Prescribers Boosts Use of Opioid Use Disorder Treatment

    States that want to increase access to buprenorphine, a lifesaving medication used to treat opioid use disorder, should consider efforts to enhance professional education and clinician knowledge.

    May 26, 2023

  • Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev at the military parade to mark Victory Day in Red Square in Moscow, Russia, May 9, 2023, photo by EyePress News/Reuters

    Commentary

    A Unique Opportunity Not To Be Squandered: Advancing Our Relationships in Central Asia

    Concerned about Putin's imperialist actions in Ukraine, five nations in Central Asia are looking to the West to offset the political, economic, and security-related pressures they feel from Russia and, increasingly, China. It would be a mistake for the United States not to seize this moment.

    May 25, 2023