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Methodology

RAND researchers have pioneered several different methodologies, such as the Delphi method and robust decisionmaking, and continue to apply their methodological expertise in multidisciplinary projects that may require a range of capabilities, including modeling and simulation, survey research, economic or statistical analysis, or planning and forecasting.

Commentary

We Studied COVID-19 Cases After Birthdays. Family Gatherings Can Still Be Dangerous

The high toll of COVID-19 in the United States is likely partly due to informal social gatherings that have not been subject to state and local restrictions. They are often small, intimate, and involve people we trust. And that makes them dangerous.

Jun 28, 2021
Commentary

Collect Data on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity in Health Surveys

The Biden administration wants to promote programs and policies informed by science and to help lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender Americans. For researchers to confidently answer that call, the first step is for the government to consistently collect sexual orientation and gender identity data.

Jun 25, 2021
Multimedia

State-Level Opioid Policy Analyses: Moving Beyond the Classic Difference-in-Differences Model

This workshop provides an overview of key methodological challenges faced when evaluating the effectiveness of state-level policy using annual state-level data, as well as potential solutions and practice guidelines.

Jun 24, 2021
Multimedia

Game Theory: A Tool for the Vaccine Campaign

RAND operations researcher Luke Muggy discusses ways in which game theory could support the COVID-19 vaccination campaign.

Jun 14, 2021
Journal Article

The Relationship Between Quality of Housing and Quality of Life: Evidence from Permanent Supportive Housing

This study describes a PSH program administered by a Medicaid managed care plan, serving individuals experiencing homelessness with complex medical histories, and outlines participants' perceptions on the relationship between quality of housing and QOL.

Jun 9, 2021
Report

Countering Russian and Other State-Sponsored Propaganda

Since the Russian propaganda campaign that targeted the 2016 U.S. presidential election, researchers have penned a trove of reports that offer recommendations for countering such efforts. To help policymakers and others, RAND experts produced a compendium that divides these recommendations into various categories.

Jun 1, 2021
Journal Article

Opinion: Why Institutional Review Boards Should Have a Role in the Open Science Movement

Institutional review boards are not in sync with shifting research practices performed under the banner of open science.

May 27, 2021
Commentary

Culture, Performance, and Assessment in Research

The unwritten, and often unsaid, concern in the debate about research culture in the UK is an apparent trade-off between excellence in research and a healthy research culture. But the evidence shows that this is a false dichotomy.

May 25, 2021
Tool

Getting To Outcomes® Operations Guide for Air National Guard Community Action Teams

This Getting To Outcomes guide will help with the planning, implementation, evaluation, continuous quality improvement, and sustainability of Air National Guard Community Action Plans. It includes guidance, resources, and examples of completed tools.

May 24, 2021
Commentary

Will the United States Declare Freedom from COVID-19 Too Soon?

RAND analyzed what could happen with COVID-19 deaths in the United States if restrictions all go away on July 4. Fully reopening the economy before Biden's vaccination target was met doubled the average number of COVID-19 deaths between Independence Day and the end of the year.

May 21, 2021
Journal Article

Exploring Chinese Military Thinking on Social Media Manipulation Against Taiwan

This article addresses a gap in the current policy discussion, provides evidence of Chinese military planning for covert manipulation of Taiwanese social media, and explores how its interest in and tactics for social media manipulation have evolved over time.

May 19, 2021
Journal Article

Netizen Opinion and China's Foreign Policy: Interpreting Narratives About North Korea on Chinese Social Media

This article collects a novel dataset of thousands of Chinese-language social media posts on the leading microblog, Sina Weibo, in 2015. Analysis of this dataset reveals four multilayered popular Chinese narratives on North Korea.

May 18, 2021
Report

Weighing the Costs of GPS Disruption and Developing Backup Capabilities

The Global Positioning System (GPS) has a key role in national positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT), but it is far from the only source of capability for PNT. Would national investment in GPS backup capabilities be warranted, given the potential threats to its functioning?

May 17, 2021
Blog

Pandemic Education, Working Mothers, Predicting Cyber Threats: RAND Weekly Recap

This weekly recap focuses on the urban-rural divide in pandemic education, supporting working moms, what makes a good COVID-19 reopening plan, and more.

May 14, 2021
Commentary

How Truth Decay Is Fueling Vaccine Hesitancy

A recent poll found that more than a quarter of Americans will not try to get vaccinated. The spread of misinformation and disinformation, which is rampant over social media, is one of the factors fueling vaccine hesitancy. And in turn, it's threatening our ability to end the pandemic for good.

May 14, 2021
Journal Article

Where to Next? PLA Considerations for Overseas Base Site Selection

There has been much speculation about where China's next overseas military base will be, but what does the Chinese military itself think about selecting the locations for its overseas military bases?

May 14, 2021
Journal Article

Borrowing a Boat Out to Sea: The Chinese Military's Use of Social Media for Influence Operations

The Chinese military is positioning itself as one of the leading actors for hostile Chinese influence operations on social media. The PLA uses social media for covert hostile political interference operations targeting foreign countries.

May 14, 2021
Journal Article

Cognitive Domain Operations: The PLA's New Holistic Concept for Influence Operations

As information becomes ever more central for Chinese warfighting, the People's Liberation Army is developing a new concept for psychological warfare in the information era called "cognitive domain operations."

May 14, 2021
Report

Online Dispute Resolution: Perspectives to Support Successful Implementation and Outcomes in Court Proceedings

Online dispute resolution provides a forum for the resolution of court matters that was especially important during the COVID-19 pandemic. A panel of experts identified strategies to improve access to justice using these platforms.

May 14, 2021
Tool

Toolkit for Weighting and Analysis of Nonequivalent Groups: A Tutorial on the TWANG Shiny Application for Time-Varying Treatments

This tutorial demonstrates the use of the Toolkit for Weighting and Analysis of Nonequivalent Groups Shiny application for time-varying treatments -- for cases when the time-varying treatment or exposure is binary -- using an illustrative example.

May 14, 2021

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