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RAND research addresses the challenges of developing, managing, and protecting energy, transportation, water, communications, and other critical infrastructure throughout the world.

Commentary
Ohio's Train Derailment—Not Spy Balloons—Is the Real National Security Threat
The slow degradation of infrastructure and disaster response is less a spectacle than an overflying balloon, but the train derailment and chemical spill in Ohio highlights just how bizarre such a focus on perceived external national security threats has become. The far greater threat may be from within.
Feb 20, 2023
Commentary
Grounded: The FAA Alert System Failure Could Be a Wake-Up Call
It turned out to be a system failure that grounded thousands of flights on January 11, but U.S. critical infrastructure faces a range of threats—from Russian hackers, to weather events, to angry individuals with guns. The government and organizations responsible for critical infrastructure can take steps to actively manage these risks.
Jan 13, 2023

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Report
Forecasting Public Recovery Expenditures' Effect on Construction Prices and the Demand for Construction Labor
Researchers developed cost-estimating tools and estimated future construction costs for Puerto Rico's recovery from Hurricane María. This report documents their approach, data, findings, and recommendations.
Jun 17, 2022
Commentary
Unblocking the Black Sea for Ukrainian Grain
As Russia has been blockading ports around Odesa, Ukrainian grain exports in May were more than 60 percent lower than a year ago. Global hunger has hit a new high while 22 million tons of grain in Ukraine could rot if not exported soon.
Jun 15, 2022
Blog
RAND's New President, the U.S. Foreign Service, Transportation Equity: RAND Weekly Recap
This weekly recap focuses on RAND's next president and CEO, Jason Matheny, insights into Americans' views on diplomacy and diplomats, solutions for transportation equity, and more.
Jun 10, 2022
Multimedia
Climate Change and Implications for Disasters in the United States
Climate change is contributing to more frequent and more severe disasters. In this video, three RAND researchers discuss climate change and risks for disasters in the United States, drawing on examples from the Arctic, the Caribbean, the Northeast, and the Gulf states.
Jun 10, 2022
Report
Developing a Community-Led Certification Process for Facility Power Outage Resilience: Findings from a Massachusetts Pilot Study
A research team articulated power outage resilience metrics via stakeholder interviews and a literature review, piloted a certification program, and used focus groups to assess the Massachusetts Clean Energy and Resiliency program's effectiveness.
Jun 8, 2022
Commentary
How Can Commercial Buildings Become Needed Housing?
Adaptive reuse has tremendous promise for making a dent in Southern California's housing shortage, but realizing its full potential will require thoughtful and timely policymaking.
Jun 6, 2022
Report
Transportation Equity for Older Adults
As individual mobility challenges increase and driving ability declines, travel for older adults can be inconvenient, costly, slow, uncomfortable, burdensome, or even impossible. A new framework can help communities understand older adults' transportation needs and whether they are being met.
Jun 3, 2022
Report
America's 5G Era: Balancing Big Data and Privacy
In this report, researchers discuss how the United States should seek to balance the potential gains of the era of fifth-generation wireless networks with the potential loss of privacy and of control of personal data.
Jun 2, 2022
Report
Disclosure of Software Supply Chain Risks
This Perspective presents a set of proposed disclosure rules that the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission could implement to help address software supply chain risks and improve security.
May 26, 2022
Dissertation
Responding to Urban Innovation: The Case of E-Scooters in Los Angeles County
Builds upon existing frameworks for how policymakers respond to innovations by considering the arrival and subsequent policy response to a recent iteration of the platform economy, shared electric scooters
May 18, 2022
Journal Article
Quality Framework for Remote Antenatal Care: Qualitative Study with Women, Healthcare Professionals and System-Level Stakeholders
This study offers a provisional framework that can help in structuring thinking, policy and practice. By outlining the range of domains relevant to remote antenatal care, this framework is likely to be of value in guiding policy, practice and research.
May 17, 2022
Commentary
California Needs 1.2 Million New Homes. How Will It Get There?
Voluntary incentives foster increased production of affordable housing, while mandates alone increase the cost of producing housing, dampening both market-rate and affordable housing production. It is well past time to acknowledge the evidence and focus on the adoption of voluntary programs that incentivize the rapid creation of dense, infill housing available at both affordable and market rents.
May 13, 2022
Journal Article
Appropriateness of Telemedicine Versus In-Person Care: A Qualitative Exploration of Psychiatrists' Decision Making
Psychiatrists perceived that most patients are good candidates for telemedicine visits in the context of hybrid care models.
May 13, 2022
Report
Managing Response to Significant Cyber Incidents: Comparing Event Life Cycles and Incident Response Across Cyber and Non-Cyber Events
This report examines U.S. structures and processes for non-cyber emergency management and whether U.S. officials can learn from these other incidents to help public and private sector stakeholders improve preparations for response to cyber incidents.
May 12, 2022
Commentary
An Alternative Way to Think About Space Regulation
There are currently no international binding rules that would address growing threats in space. Without more-defined and enforceable rules of war regarding space and space assets, the danger of a destructive conflict in space grows significantly.
May 9, 2022
Report
Securing 5G: A Way Forward in the U.S. and China Security Competition
Across the United States and globally, 5G networks are being deployed and will one day replace many older cellular networks. But there are security concerns about 5G networks built using Chinese equipment and 5G phones made by some Chinese companies.
Apr 29, 2022
Report
Response Options to Cyberattacks on U.S. Government Networks
The United States has proved vulnerable to cyber incidents, and a lack of response has emboldened Russia and China to expand their cyber espionage activities. Have U.S. responses changed over time or affected adversary behavior? What lessons do these cases offer for future policymaking?
Apr 29, 2022
Report
A Risk Assessment of National Critical Functions During COVID-19: Challenges and Opportunities
This report presents a framework for assessing risk that the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) poses to the National Critical Functions, describes challenges in implementing the framework, and provides recommendations for improving it.
Apr 26, 2022
Commentary
U.S. Decision on ASAT Testing a Positive Step Towards Space Sustainability
The United States recently committed not to conduct destructive, direct-ascent anti-satellite missile testing. This sets an important example others might follow and takes an important first step towards a binding, international ban.
Apr 21, 2022
Commentary
Preparing for a Cyberattack Starts at the Local Level
The ongoing Russian war in Ukraine has highlighted the need for federal, state, and local level emergency managers to prepare to respond to a cyberattack with widespread impacts that significantly disrupt critical infrastructure.
Apr 18, 2022

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Research conducted by

Researcher Spotlight

Nidhi Kalra

Senior Information Scientist

Nidhi Kalra (she/her) is a senior information scientist at the RAND Corporation. Her research focuses climate change mitigation, adaptation, and decarbonization planning, as well as tools and methods that help people and organizations make better decisions amid deep uncertainty. She is an…
Javier Rojas Aguilera

Ph.D. Student, Pardee RAND Graduate School, and Assistant Policy Researcher, RAND

Javier Rojas is an assistant policy researcher at RAND and a Ph.D. student in the Research, Analysis, and Design stream at the Pardee RAND Graduate School. He has an M.S. in computational analysis and public policy from the University of Chicago and a B.S. in economics from Universidad Nacional…

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