Discriminatory Practices

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Discrimination still occurs in the very places where training to prevent racial profiling is now commonplace, such as the workplace, classrooms, airport security lines, and police departments. RAND researchers have examined a broad spectrum of discrimination-related issues such as gender discrimination in the military, the relationship between perceived discrimination and patient experiences with health care, the stigma of mental illness, age management policies, corrupt hiring processes, gender equality, and educational equity.

Q&A
The Compounding Effects of Racism: Q&A with James Anderson, Rachel Perera, and Heather Gomez-Bendaña
RAND's James Anderson, Rachel Perera, and Heather Gomez-Bendaña are working to create an interactive tool that illustrates how the effects of bias compound over time. Their aim is to improve understanding of how seemingly small disparities can add up to create significant inequality.
Sep 10, 2021
Commentary
'Replacement Theory' Is a Danger to Us All
“Replacement theory” is woven into the very fabric of American society—and made all the more visible by the precipitous rise in hate crimes today. What can be done to reject this zero-sum thinking?
Jul 8, 2022

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News Release
Survey Estimates More Than 1 in 4 FEMA Workers Experienced Civil Rights Violations
About 29% of employees at the Federal Emergency Management Agency experienced a sex- or race/ethnicity-based civil rights violation in the past year, according to research undertaken by the Homeland Security Operational Analysis Center (HSOAC), a federally funded research and development center operated by the RAND Corporation under contract with the Department of Homeland Security.
Dec 2, 2020
Research Brief
Harassment and Discrimination in the FEMA Workplace
A survey of FEMA personnel found that 29 percent of employees experienced a sex- or race/ethnicity–based civil rights violation in the past year. The survey results reveal areas in need of improvement and will help guide FEMA leadership decisions about programming and policy responses.
Dec 2, 2020
Report
Harassment and Discrimination on the Basis of Gender and Race/Ethnicity in the FEMA Workforce
Researchers assessed the prevalence and characteristics of sexual harassment, gender discrimination, racial/ethnic harassment, and racial/ethnic discrimination at FEMA. This report documents the survey results.
Dec 2, 2020
Journal Article
Inpatient Patient Safety Events in Vulnerable Populations: A Retrospective Cohort Study
In this retrospective study we found that a commonly used method for monitoring patient safety problems, namely voluntary incident reporting, may underdetect patent safety events in hospitalized vulnerable populations.
Nov 3, 2020
Multimedia
RAND Remote Series: Advancing Racial Equity Policy
In this video conversation, RAND's Anita Chandra and Benjamin Preston discuss RAND's efforts to address the challenges of racial equity from a variety of angles—and options for converting research into action.
Oct 6, 2020
Commentary
Unemployment's History with Black Workers
There's a long-standing accusation leveled at the U.S. unemployment insurance system: that it's structurally racist, deliberately discriminatory from the outset, and remains so today. That claim has been met with doubt. But why doesn't unemployment insurance treat all workers and all earnings the same?
Oct 5, 2020
Journal Article
Locking Up My Generation: Cohort Differences in Prison Spells Over the Life Course
Our study highlights that the crime-punishment wave in the 1980s and 1990s created cohort differences in incarceration over the life course that changed the level of incarceration even decades after the wave.
Oct 1, 2020
Commentary
Laid Off More, Hired Less: Black Workers in the COVID-19 Recession
As the U.S. economy tries to rebound from the COVID-19 pandemic, companies are adding workers to their teams, yet one group is being picked last: Black workers. Getting back into a job later could do lasting harm to millions of Black Americans' incomes and wealth accumulation for years.
Sep 29, 2020
Content
RAND Center to Advance Racial Equity Policy
RAND's Center to Advance Racial Equity Policy supports a portfolio of innovative, high-impact racial equity research and analysis, creates a clearinghouse to help coordinate related efforts, and collaborates with organizations dedicated to advancing racial equity.
Aug 25, 2020
Commentary
The Link Between Workplace Diversity and the Gender Pay Gap
Many factors explain the gender earnings gap, including workplace biases, differences in how credit is attributed, and differences in how men and women negotiate. But another factor could influence the pay women receive: the number of men in their workplace.
Aug 15, 2020
Multimedia
Expert Insights: Using Binding Pay Transparency Measures to Encourage Equal Pay for Equal Work
RAND Europe experts Joanna Hofman and Michaela Bruckmayer discuss their study on binding pay transparency measures as a tool for encouraging equal pay for equal work. They consider key concepts in the debate and potential challenges in implementing the measures across the EU.
Aug 14, 2020
Announcement
RAND Launches Center to Advance Racial Equity Policy
Against the backdrop of a pandemic inflicting disproportionate physical and economic pain on communities of color, and an overdue reckoning with America's long history of systemic inequity and structural racism, the RAND Corporation is launching the RAND Center to Advance Racial Equity Policy.
Aug 12, 2020
Commentary
Elevating Equity in Los Angeles Juvenile and Criminal Justice Reform
At age 13, Black children are placed in juvenile detention at nearly 3.5 times the rate of white children. By age 17, that ratio increases to 4.5 to 1. And the trend continues into adulthood. Without ongoing attention and deliberate policies and programs, injustices are likely to persist.
Aug 12, 2020
Blog
Reopenining Schools, Affordable Housing, Unemployment: RAND Weekly Recap
This weekly recap focuses on the debate about reopening schools, how a decline in commercial real estate demand could help address the housing crisis, challenges facing the U.S. unemployment system, and more.
Jul 24, 2020
Blog
COVID Learning Loss, Russian Trolls, Artificial Intelligence: RAND Weekly Recap
This weekly recap focuses on helping students recover learning losses, fighting Russian trolls, racial disparity in unemployment benefits, the race for AI leadership, and more.
Jul 17, 2020
Commentary
Confederate Statues Symbolize the Role of Racism in America
Monuments are public art and symbols important to those who hold power. The renewed debate about monuments to historical figures associated with the Confederacy is part of the larger debate about the role of racism in the United States and the treatment of African Americans by institutions.
Jul 16, 2020
Commentary
The Racial Disparity in Unemployment Benefits
Economic racial inequality in America cannot be solved through unemployment insurance, but it certainly shouldn't be exacerbated by it. And yet, Black workers are less financially supported during unemployment, simply by virtue of where they live.
Jul 15, 2020
Blog
Protests and Police Reform, Facial Recognition, Gun Policies: RAND Weekly Recap
This weekly recap focuses on protests and police reform after the killing of George Floyd, facial recognition bans, gun policies that likely reduce deaths, and more.
Jun 19, 2020
Q&A
Protests and Police Reform: Q&A with RAND Experts
After the killing of George Floyd by police in Minneapolis and subsequent nationwide protests, the United States is seeing urgent action to reform policing. Here are insights from four RAND researchers who work on policing and community safety issues.
Jun 18, 2020
Report
Strategies for Countering Online Abuse
Digital platforms that let users interact virtually and often anonymously have given rise to harassment and other criminal behaviors. Tech-facilitated abuse—such as nonconsensual pornography, doxing, and swatting—compromises privacy and safety. How can law enforcement respond?
Jun 18, 2020