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Religion, Conflict, and Stability in the Former Soviet Union

Jan 15, 2018

Religion is a visible force in the sociopolitical life of post-Soviet countries. Understanding how religion has contributed to peace or tensions in the region could inform policymakers and others working to bring stability to the former Soviet republics.
Essay

Faith-Based Organizations Promote Well-Being in Underserved Communities

Jan 4, 2019

Kathryn Derose, a senior policy researcher at RAND and an Episcopal deacon, works with Latino and African-American churches to address health issues in their communities. Her research has shown the power of the pulpit to fight health disparities, counter stigma, and encourage healthy living.

Explore Religion

Journal Article

Journal Article

Oil Spill Disruption and Problem Drinking: Assessing the Impact of Religious Context Among Gulf Coast Residents

This study employs multilevel analysis to examine the impact of religious context on alcohol misuse among individuals impacted by the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill.

Sep 16, 2020
Journal Article

Journal Article

Women-centered Rituals and Levels of Domestic Violence: A Cross-Cultural Examination of Ritual as a Signaling and Solidarity-Building Strategy

Prior research suggests domestic violence against women to be more common in societies with patrilocality. Women-centered rituals build social solidarity to mitigate domestic violence. We find domestic violence is not particularly associated with patrilocality, but that women-centered rituals appear protective against domestic violence irrespective of post-marital residence pattern.

Aug 11, 2020
Journal Article

Journal Article

Eat, Pray, Move: A Pilot Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial of a Multilevel Church-Based Intervention to Address Obesity Among African Americans and Latinos

Implementing a multilevel intervention across diverse congregations resulted in small improvements in obesity outcomes. A longer time line is needed to fully implement and assess effects of community and congregation environmental strategies and to allow for potential larger impacts of the intervention.

Apr 28, 2020
Commentary

The Role of Faith-Based Organizations During the Pandemic

Maintaining social and spiritual connections in the midst of COVID-19 are not the only challenges facing communities of faith. Congregations play critical roles in providing social services within communities. How can their services, such as food assistance, be delivered safely?

Apr 16, 2020
Journal Article

Journal Article

A Systematic Review of Church-Based Health Interventions Among Latinos

This article reviews interventions that have been tested in congregations with majority Latino populations in the U.S.

Mar 10, 2020
Journal Article

Journal Article

Congregational Involvement in HIV: A Qualitative Comparative Analysis of Factors Influencing HIV Activity Among Diverse Urban Congregations

This paper utilizes comparative case methods and qualitative case data from a sample of urban congregations, and examines a range of factors to identify case scenarios associated with congregations involved in different levels of HIV activity.

Dec 13, 2019
Journal Article

Journal Article

Urban Religious Congregations' Responses to Community Substance Use: An Exploratory Study of Four Cases

This paper explores the characteristics of congregation-based substance abuse disorder treatment programs in a diverse sample of urban religious congregations.

Oct 22, 2019
Commentary

Counterproductive Counterinsurgency: Is Mozambique Creating the Next Boko Haram?

Despite recent claims of ties to the Islamic State, the threat in Mozambique from the Islamist insurgent group al-Sunnah wa Jamaah appears to be domestic, with scarce evidence of direct ties to international extremist groups. But if the Mozambique government continues to respond in a heavy-handed manner, the threat is likely to grow, with potentially devastating effects for the country and region.

Sep 3, 2019
Blog

Border Wall, Student Suspension, Syria: RAND Weekly Recap

This weekly recap focuses on what a border wall can accomplish, reducing student suspensions, confusion over the U.S. withdrawal from Syria, and more.

Jan 11, 2019
Report

Blaming Sunni-Shi'a Split for Middle East Unrest Is Too Simplistic

Policy decisions are being made based on the assumption that the Middle East is riven by a purely dualistic sectarian war between Sunni and Shi'a Muslims. While sectarianism is relevant, geopolitical competition, local disputes, and political rivalries are the core drivers of conflict in countries like Iraq and Syria.

Aug 30, 2018
Commentary

Politics in India—Not Business as Usual

India's ruling party, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), has suffered recent, self-inflicted electoral setbacks. But it is still the best-organized and richest political party in the country. Can opposing alliances defeat the BJP?

Jun 19, 2018
Journal Article

Journal Article

Promoting Health from the Pulpit: A Process Evaluation of HIV Sermons to Reduce HIV Stigma and Promote Testing in African American and Latino Churches

Clergy who embedded HIV messaging into sermons showed wide variation in their fidelity to communicating key messages.

Dec 7, 2017
Journal Article

U.S. Religious Congregations Offer Mental Health Support

Nearly a quarter of congregations in the United States provide mental health programming. Greater coordination between those congregations and mental health providers could foster more integrated and holistic care, which may lead to improved recovery outcomes.

Sep 20, 2017
Journal Article

Journal Article

Sources of Care for Alcohol and Other Drug Problems: The Role of the African American Church

Many Los Angeles-area African American churches provide recovery supports and services for alcohol and other drug (AOD) use and actively connect individuals to formal AOD treatment.

Jun 6, 2017
Journal Article

Journal Article

Retirement Planning Among Hispanics: In God's Hands?

This study explores the influences of retirement planning and saving behavior among urban, low-income, middle-aged and older Hispanics.

May 24, 2017
Report

The Future of Sectarian Relations in the Middle East

Sectarianism is shaping developments across the Middle East. But sectarianism is only one lens for understanding the region's conflicts, and some of its drivers are amenable to policy interventions.

May 22, 2017
Research Brief

The Role of Faith-Based Organizations in Addressing HIV

In a series of collaborative studies, RAND researchers sought to better understand urban congregations' capacity for HIV prevention and care, specifically in the areas of stigma reduction and HIV testing.

Apr 27, 2017
Journal Article

Journal Article

Church-Based HIV Screening in Racial/Ethnic Minority Communities of California, 2011–2012

By expanding the reach of HIV testing programs, church-based testing events could help achieve the goal of universal testing.

Mar 14, 2017

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