Humanities and the Arts

The arts—from visual arts and literature to performing arts such as music, drama, and dance—provide benefits that extend beyond individual enjoyment and personal enrichment, to include exposure to new perspectives, sharpened learning skills among young people, expanded capacity for empathy, and stronger social bonds in communities. RAND studies have shown that the many benefits of arts education and involvement can be sustained and enhanced by strengthening public appreciation of humanities and the arts.

Periodical
RAND Review: May-June 2016
This issue highlights integrative medicine and the future of health care; the RAND American Life Panel; a commentary on how to expedite the process of resolving open cases at Guantánamo Bay; women soldiers on the special ops battlefield; and more.
May 2, 2016
Announcement
Kevin McCarthy, Longtime Santa Monica Resident and RAND Researcher, Developed Tools to Predict Family Mobility
Kevin Farley McCarthy, a RAND researcher who worked on projects ranging from immigration to the arts, died March 17, 2015. His work helped cities, states, judiciaries, and museums address some of their most difficult issues.
Mar 20, 2015
Commercial Book
Cultural Security: Evaluating the Power of Culture in International Affairs
This book will take readers through the concepts and issues surrounding cultural property, cultural currency and cultural power, leaving readers with invaluable insights on the political economy of cultural property.
Dec 31, 2014
Announcement
Donald B. and Susan F. Rice Support Pardee RAND's 'Be the Answer' Campaign with $1 Million Gift
Longtime RAND supporters Donald B. and Susan F. Rice, for the third time, have established an endowed scholarship at the Pardee RAND Graduate School. Their most recent gift of $1 million was generously donated as part of Pardee RAND's Be the Answer campaign, which Don Rice chairs and which has thus far raised in excess of $19 million.
Dec 19, 2014
Announcement
Pardee RAND Graduate School Receives $1 Million Gift, Establishes Lynda and Stewart Resnick Endowed Scholarship
A $1 million gift from philanthropists Lynda and Stewart Resnick will help Ph.D. candidates at the Pardee RAND Graduate School receive exceptional training today to embark on careers in public service.
Oct 22, 2014
Report
Findings From the School-Based Theatrical Performance Walk in Our Shoes
California's Prevention and Early Intervention initiative, aimed at stigma and discrimination reduction, developed and presented theatre performances to educate students about mental illness. Researchers evaluated the effectiveness of one of these performances, Walk in Our Shoes.
May 27, 2014
Announcement
Erik Nemeth Appears on History Channel's 'America's Book of Secrets: Lost Treasures'
In an episode of the History Channel's “America's Book of Secrets,” Erik Nemeth discusses the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum heist of 1990 and the broader implications of art crime for national security.
Jul 15, 2013
Commentary
Putting the Spring in the Arab Spring
Qatar has a salsa scene. Dubai hosted the big international Fujairah Latin Festival. The Oman Salsa Festival took place in March. Jordan and Cairo both have a salsa scene. What makes this so conversation-worthy is that it is indicative of a growing cultural openness in parts of the Middle East.
Jun 17, 2013
Report
Artists and the Arab Uprisings
Artists can play a positive role in shaping public debate and supporting democratic transition in the Middle East. This report explores challenges to artists after the Arab uprisings and how governments and nongovernmental actors can support them.
May 28, 2013
Commentary
A Gap in Cultural Intelligence
High-end collectors and cultural-heritage abusers alike would benefit from a boost in cultural intelligence, or “CQ,” to grasp the interrelation of art, culture, economic development, and human rights, writes Erik Nemeth.
Feb 26, 2013
Journal Article
Alternative Power: Political Economy of Cultural Property
the politics of cultural property and economics of the art market indicate a complement to hard and soft power in foreign relations.
Feb 1, 2013
Blog
How Hollywood Affects Global Policy
A panel of Hollywood heavyweights at RAND's Politics Aside event discusses the international influence of American entertainment programming and delves into how popular films can shape the public perception of historic events.
Nov 27, 2012
Commentary
The Diplomatic Power of Art
Museum directors and owners of private collections can wait to be challenged on the provenance of artifacts of foreign cultural heritage—or realize an opportunity for strengthening relations with the source nation, writes Erik Nemeth.
Nov 16, 2012
Journal Article
The Diplomatic Power of Art
Even as cultural property faces immediate peril today in conflict zones like Syria and Mali, there is anecdotal evidence that some nations are awakening to the diplomatic and foreign policy benefits that can flow from the repatriation of cultural patrimony.
Nov 1, 2012
Commentary
Repatriating Part of Saddam Statue Could Promote Democracy
Proactive protection and repatriation of artworks and artifacts can demonstrate our respect for another nation's heritage when the chaos of conflict obscures the value of cultural identity, writes Erik Nemeth.
Jun 7, 2012
Journal Article
Repatriating Part of Saddam Statue Could Promote Democracy: U.S. Should Consider Strategic Protection of Cultural Artifacts
Proactive protection and repatriation of artworks and artifacts can demonstrate our respect for another nation's heritage when the chaos of conflict obscures the value of cultural identity.
Jun 1, 2012
Blog
Join RAND at the LA Times Festival of Books This Weekend
For the 16th consecutive year, RAND will be a featured participant at this weekend's Los Angeles Times Festival of Books (April 21-22) held at USC. Our booth will have RAND books and reports for sale at discounted festival pricing, activities for kids, and fun giveaways with purchases.
Apr 20, 2012
Journal Article
Strategic Value of African Tribal Art: Auction Sales Trends as Cultural Intelligence
This paper explores the potential of the art market for open-source intelligence assessments of cultural security.
Apr 1, 2012
Journal Article
Security of Cultural Property: U.S. Engagement and Potential for Improvement
This paper assesses the role of historic sites and antiquities in foreign engagement. Over the past century, U.S. foreign policy has had successes and shortcomings in leveraging protection of cultural patrimony to strategic advantage.
Jan 1, 2012
Multimedia
Nurturing the Arab Spring: What Can Be Done to Remove Existing Barriers to Freedom of Expression in the Arab World?
In this June 2011 Congressional Briefing, RAND researchers discuss the growing body of creative works produced by Arab authors and artists that counter the intellectual and ideological underpinnings of violent extremism, factors that thwart the distribution of such works, and policy recommendations for overcoming those barriers.
Jun 13, 2011

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The Policy Currents Podcast

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Managing Escalation in Crisis and War

Measuring Wellbeing to Help Communities Thrive

Assessing and Articulating the Wider Benefits of Research

Humanities and the Arts

RAND Review: May-June 2016

Kevin McCarthy, Longtime Santa Monica Resident and RAND Researcher, Developed Tools to Predict Family Mobility

Cultural Security: Evaluating the Power of Culture in International Affairs

Donald B. and Susan F. Rice Support Pardee RAND's 'Be the Answer' Campaign with $1 Million Gift

Pardee RAND Graduate School Receives $1 Million Gift, Establishes Lynda and Stewart Resnick Endowed Scholarship

Findings From the School-Based Theatrical Performance Walk in Our Shoes

Erik Nemeth Appears on History Channel's 'America's Book of Secrets: Lost Treasures'

Putting the Spring in the Arab Spring

Artists and the Arab Uprisings

A Gap in Cultural Intelligence

Alternative Power: Political Economy of Cultural Property

How Hollywood Affects Global Policy

The Diplomatic Power of Art

The Diplomatic Power of Art

Repatriating Part of Saddam Statue Could Promote Democracy

Repatriating Part of Saddam Statue Could Promote Democracy: U.S. Should Consider Strategic Protection of Cultural Artifacts

Join RAND at the LA Times Festival of Books This Weekend

Strategic Value of African Tribal Art: Auction Sales Trends as Cultural Intelligence

Security of Cultural Property: U.S. Engagement and Potential for Improvement

Nurturing the Arab Spring: What Can Be Done to Remove Existing Barriers to Freedom of Expression in the Arab World?

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