North America

  • RAND Weekly Recap

    Blog

    20 Years After the Iraq War, China-Russia Ties, Correctional Education: RAND Weekly Recap

    This weekly recap focuses on reflecting on the Iraq War, the pandemic and prison education, North Korea’s latest threats, and more.

    Mar 24, 2023

  • Journal Article

    Journal Article

    Changes in Poison Center Calls for Intentional Exposure During Public Health Emergencies: COVID-19 and Winter Storm Uri in Dallas County, Texas

    This study explored changes in the volume of calls to poison control centers for intentional exposures in Dallas County, Texas. Changes in call volume varied by gender and age and increased during the local COVID-19 surge.

    Mar 23, 2023

  • U.S. Marines take cover from Iraqi fire as British artillery rounds explode behind them during the early stage of the push into southern Iraq, March 21, 2003, photo by Desmond Boylan/Reuters

    Commentary

    The Ripples of War Are Only Beginning to Spread. Is America Ready?

    There are now more than 1.9 million U.S. veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. More than 50,000 were physically injured and around 15 percent have experienced PTSD. Perhaps all were exposed to burn pits and other toxins. What are the long-term impacts of the wars on those who fought them?

    Mar 23, 2023

  • Periodical

    Periodical

    RAND Review: March-April 2023

    The cover story describes how K-12 schools can build trust with students to increase threat reporting and strengthen school safety. The Q&A with Ashley Woo explores how restrictions on race- and gender-related topics are affecting teachers.

    Mar 22, 2023

  • Police officers escort five people detained in the kidnapping of four Americans in the city of Matamoros, in Ciudad Victoria, Mexico, March 10, 2023, photo by Attorney General of the State of Tamaulipas (FGJ)/Handout via Reuters

    Commentary

    Should Mexico's Drug Cartels Be Designated Foreign Terrorist Organizations?

    While the outcry over the kidnapping and murder of U.S. citizens by members of the Gulf Cartel in Mexico is understandable, stridency should not preclude strategic assessment. America's problem with drug trafficking is not the lack of statutes, but the magnitude of the problem.

    Mar 22, 2023

  • Opioids Uncharted

    Project

    Opioids Uncharted: Mapping America's Opioid Crisis

    A RAND initiative to map the underexplored consequences of America's opioid crisis—and discover big-picture solutions.

    Mar 21, 2023

  • Report

    Report

    Supporting Equitable Math Instruction in California: Findings from the 2022 Learn Together Survey and the 2022 American Instructional Resources Survey

    In 2023, California will implement a new statewide math framework that will drive curriculum decisions for years to come. Researchers leveraged data collected from California math teachers to paint a picture of math instruction throughout the state.

    Mar 21, 2023

  • A statue of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein remains in front of a destroyed communication center in Baghdad, Iraq, March 28, 2003, photo by Reuters Photographer/Reuters

    Q&A

    Twenty Years After the Iraq War, a Q&A with RAND Experts

    On the 20th anniversary of the war in Iraq, RAND experts discussed what the war means for the people of Iraq and the veterans who fought there, what lessons the U.S. military learned (or did not learn), and what effect it has had on the balance of power in the Middle East and the global reputation of the United States.

    Mar 21, 2023

  • Jars containing rare earth minerals produced by Australia's Lynas Corp from its Mount Weld operations near Laverton, Australia, August 23, 2019, photo by Melanie Burton/Reuters

    Essay

    The Time to Prevent Shortfalls in Critical Materials Is Now

    China's domination of the rare earth market is a matter of economic and national security concern. Existing plans to diversify the market and help the United States break its reliance on China likely don't go far enough or fast enough, and the clock is running.

    Mar 20, 2023

  • Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and India's Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar shake hands before the start of G20 foreign ministers' meeting in New Delhi, India, March 2, 2023, photo by Russian Foreign Ministry/Handout via Reuters

    Commentary

    India Can Bridge the U.S.-Russia Divide over Ukraine

    No country is as well positioned as India to mediate between Russia and the United States, and bring the Ukraine conflict to an end. Even limited success in ending the war will bolster India's credentials as an emerging great power, capable of accomplishing remarkable things that others cannot.

    Mar 20, 2023

  • An Air Force pararescue jump expert loads a simulated injured survivor into Kitty Hawk’s Heaviside vehicle at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio, May, 2021, photo courtesy of Kitty Hawk

    Commentary

    Venture Capital Gives America a Strategic Edge in the Age of Technology Wars

    U.S. early-stage hardware startups are seriously disadvantaged by a persistent lack of financing. Congress authorized the U.S. Department of Defense to spend $75 million to invest in dual-use hardware startups. But the Pentagon has proven reticent to embrace a venture capital–style approach, even though research has demonstrated it is optimal for driving innovation.

    Mar 20, 2023

  • Lawyer explained to the client about the law that must be brought against the court case, photo by wutzkoh/AdobeStock

    Testimony

    Evaluation of the California County Resentencing Pilot Program

    The California County Resentencing Pilot Program was established in 2021 and will run through September 1, 2024. In the program's first year, what were some of the implementation challenges participants faced? And what are some early results from the nine pilot counties' case reviews?

    Mar 17, 2023

  • Department of Veterans Affairs sign and motto, photo courtesy of Department of Veterans Affairs

    Commentary

    Improving Inclusion of Women Veterans

    The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is formally changing its official mission statement to be more inclusive. This is a meaningful step forward in symbolically affirming the VA's dedication to serving all who served.

    Mar 17, 2023

  • A medical worker crosses the street outside of the Emergency entrance to NYU Langone Health Tisch Hospital in New York City, December 4, 2020, photo by Anthony Behar/Sipa USA via Reuters Connect

    Commentary

    Healthy Nation, Safe Nation: Build Health Security into National Security

    The COVID-19 pandemic revealed a need for a more-robust health security paradigm within the broader national security context. But addressing preparedness and response shortfalls for national-level challenges might not be fully possible without first addressing the glaring seams and gaps between the various stakeholder communities.

    Mar 17, 2023

  • RAND Weekly Recap

    Blog

    Opioids in America, Silicon Valley Bank, Semiconductors: RAND Weekly Recap

    This weekly recap focuses on addressing America's illicit opioids problem, Silicon Valley Bank’s demise, Taiwan’s semiconductor dominance, and more.

    Mar 17, 2023

  • News Release

    News Release

    U.S. Opioid Crisis Best Viewed as Connected Ecosystem; Changing Policymakers' Approach Can Aid Solutions

    The nation's opioid crisis, which kills thousands of Americans annually, is best viewed as an ecosystem where all parts of the vexing problem are interconnected, underscoring the need for holistic solutions that address the broad needs of those with substance use disorders, their families, and the communities where they live.

    Mar 16, 2023

  • Closeup of six water drops surrounding a larger drop on a green leaf, photo by ThomasVogel/Getty Images

    Report

    America's Opioid Ecosystem

    Patterns and consequences of opioid use are changing dramatically. Researchers provide a nuanced assessment of America's opioid ecosystem, highlighting how leveraging system interactions can reduce addiction, overdose, suffering, and other harms.

    Mar 16, 2023

  • Visualization

    Visualization

    The Ecosystem Approach to Opioid Policy

    RAND researchers created a tool to help federal, state, and local policymakers better understand issues surrounding opioids as an ecosystem—and explore innovative policy ideas.

    Mar 16, 2023

  • A teacher using a tablet computer in an elementary school lesson, photo by monkeybusinessimages/Getty Images

    Q&A

    Amplifying Teachers' Voices: Q&A with Ashley Woo

    Ashley Woo, an assistant policy researcher at RAND and a Ph.D. candidate at the Pardee RAND Graduate School, aims to bring teachers' perspectives into policymaking. In this interview, she discusses her research on teachers' responses to state restrictions on how they can address topics related to race and gender in the classroom.

    Mar 16, 2023

  • Taiwanese domestically-built Indigenous Defense Fighters (IDF) take part in the live-fire, anti-landing Han Kuang military exercise, which simulates an enemy invasion, in Taichung, Taiwan, July 16, 2020, photo by Ann Wang/Reuters

    Report

    The View of the Taiwan Strait from the U.S.-Japan Alliance

    An October 2022 event gathered experts to examine the view of the Taiwan strait from the U.S.-Japan alliance. Presenters considered the Taiwan strait issue from the perspectives of the United States and Japan.

    Mar 15, 2023