RAND Social and Economic Well-Being Commentary

Commentary from RAND researchers on topics related to social and economic well-being.

Residential Housing
Renters' Last Chance for Pandemic Aid Before Evictions Resume
Sep 24, 2021
George Zuo

The pandemic has battered Los Angeles renters, and a new wave of pain is coming with the moratorium on evictions ending September 30. But this housing crisis doesn't have to turn into a new homelessness crisis. Californians with incomes below 80 percent of their area's median are eligible to receive funds from the COVID-19 Rent Relief program.
Emergency Preparedness
Hurricane Ida Is Part of a Cycle of Disasters—Mitigating Their Impact Means Building Back Better
Sep 13, 2021
Jay Balagna, Aaron Clark-Ginsberg @aclarkginsberg

Building back better means focusing on recovery that not only restores damage from a disaster but also reduces future risk. To meet that goal today, we need to look at the ways our disaster preparedness and response systems actually create risk themselves, by reinforcing things like wealth inequality, systemic discrimination, or access to crucial services.
Environmental Regulation
Achieving Decarbonization and Energy Equity Through Reconciliation
Sep 9, 2021
Liam Regan, Benjamin Lee Preston @bl_preston

The past two years have witnessed increasingly vocal calls for rapid decarbonization of the global economy through a clean energy transition. How can Congress ensure that new costs associated with a clean energy transition do not fall disproportionately on lower-income ratepayers?
Violent Extremism
Violent Extremism in America: Pathways to Deradicalization
Sep 8, 2021

Ideologically inspired violence is a serious threat to U.S. national security. Research on effective strategies to fight it has often failed to engage the people who might know best: those who have lived that life and left it behind. Researchers partnered with antiextremism support groups to change that.
Criminal Justice
Criminal Justice in the Pandemic Era and Beyond
Sep 7, 2021

The pandemic forced the entire criminal justice system to adapt and innovate in ways it never had before. How can the lessons of COVID-19 improve the future of criminal justice?
Alternative and Renewable Energy
Costa Rica Leads the Way in Cutting Carbon Emissions
Aug 30, 2021

Almost every country has pledged to slash carbon emissions to slow the gears of global warming. Costa Rica's plan provides a glimpse of what a carbon-neutral future will look like. It shows how nations can take action and make investments that hold up, regardless of what future comes to pass.
Wildfires
Climate Change Is Only One Driver of Explosive Wildfire Season—Don't Forget Land Management
Aug 16, 2021
Jim Whittington, Aaron Clark-Ginsberg @aclarkginsberg, et al.

The fire seasons that have been scorching huge areas and wiping entire towns from the map appear to be the future. Accepting that wildland fires are a part of our environment and working to live with fires rather than continuously fighting against them may be the most responsible path forward.
Public Health Preparedness
How Have Communities Been Faring During COVID-19? And How Will Lessons Learned Inform Future Response and Planning?
Aug 11, 2021
Anita Chandra, Linnea Warren May @LinneaKWMay, et al.

As the United States emerges from the devastation of the pandemic, it may be time to examine the choices communities made during the last year to see how these approaches shape continued COVID-19 response and recovery and help build resilience for future pandemic response.
Prison Reform
Defund Prisons, Not Police
Aug 9, 2021
Shawn D. Bushway, Nidhi Kalra

The United States spends billions on prisons, jails, and juvenile detention facilities. New lows in incarceration rates present a chance to shift resources away from costly correctional facilities and toward education, job training, transportation, and other community services.
Violent Extremism
Help, Not Just Hunt, Violent Extremists in the Military
Aug 5, 2021
Todd C. Helmus @Helmus, Ryan Andrew Brown, et al.

The Pentagon is working to rid itself of violent extremist members. In addition to strengthening the chain of command to detect and remove extremist members from its ranks, the military could also empower military family members to intervene.
Data Analysis
Equitable Data Analysis: Lessons from a COVID-19 Research Collaborative
Jul 27, 2021
Linnea Warren May @LinneaKWMay, Jason Beery, et al.

The health inequities exposed by COVID-19 underscored the importance of collecting race-stratified data to inform local policymakers. For the public health researchers trying to provide that, the pandemic also revealed some major pitfalls, especially about relying on open-source data.
Workplace Well-Being
As Fire Season Heats Up, Burnout Looms
Jul 21, 2021
Grace Hindmarch, Aaron Clark-Ginsberg @aclarkginsberg, et al.

Increasingly intense fire seasons are taking a physical and mental toll on wildland firefighters. Without more direct attention paid to firefighters' mental health, burnout could decimate the ranks of those who protect lives and property across the West.
Prison Reform
Investing in Social Change: Lessons Learned from Foundation-Funded Criminal Justice Research
Jul 20, 2021
Stephanie Brooks Holliday

Investing in policy-focused research can be among the ways foundations catalyze change. Impactful work may involve strong collaborations across funders, researchers, and community partners. And it may require flexibility in design and execution as well as a commitment to getting the findings into the hands of decisionmakers who can use the findings to create change.
Disaster Recovery Operations
Four Strategies to Reduce Disaster Risk in Fragile and Conflict-Affected Contexts
Jul 9, 2021
Aaron Clark-Ginsberg @aclarkginsberg, Ronak B. Patel, et al.

Addressing the circumstances for the more than two billion people living in fragile and conflict-affected contexts is crucial for delivering on the United Nations commitment for disaster risk reduction. Four strategies can help reduce risk and improve resilience for these communities.
Health Interventions
Reducing Disparities in Infant Mortality: Using Big Data to Help Babies at Risk
Jul 1, 2021

Black babies in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania—and across America—face much higher mortality rates than white babies. Researchers pulled together thousands of data points on more than 150,000 births to better predict who is at risk and how to help them.
Police-Community Relations
Stop, Start, or Continue? A National Survey of the Police About Traffic Stops
Jun 30, 2021
Bob Harrison

As research continues to show widespread racial disparities of those stopped by police, it is increasingly seen as a practice that, if ended, would serve the cause of social justice. Should the police continue to conduct traffic stops? Police1 conducted a survey of officers to find out what they think.
Black Populations
A Black Brother Needs Love, Too
Jun 17, 2021
Jhacova Williams @jhacova

Elected and appointed to important roles, Black women may have the clout needed to play a significant role in shaping policy. How will they use it? Will they make more and stronger calls to protect Black women? Or will they use their influence to extend these calls to protect Black men and highlight the similar yet unique barriers Black men face?

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Improving Psychological Wellbeing and Work Outcomes in the UK

Helping Coastal Communities Plan for Climate Change

Getting to Know Military Caregivers and Their Needs

RAND Social and Economic Well-Being Commentary

Renters' Last Chance for Pandemic Aid Before Evictions Resume

Hurricane Ida Is Part of a Cycle of Disasters—Mitigating Their Impact Means Building Back Better

Achieving Decarbonization and Energy Equity Through Reconciliation

Violent Extremism in America: Pathways to Deradicalization

Criminal Justice in the Pandemic Era and Beyond

Costa Rica Leads the Way in Cutting Carbon Emissions

Climate Change Is Only One Driver of Explosive Wildfire Season—Don't Forget Land Management

How Have Communities Been Faring During COVID-19? And How Will Lessons Learned Inform Future Response and Planning?

Defund Prisons, Not Police

Help, Not Just Hunt, Violent Extremists in the Military

Equitable Data Analysis: Lessons from a COVID-19 Research Collaborative

As Fire Season Heats Up, Burnout Looms

Investing in Social Change: Lessons Learned from Foundation-Funded Criminal Justice Research

Four Strategies to Reduce Disaster Risk in Fragile and Conflict-Affected Contexts

Reducing Disparities in Infant Mortality: Using Big Data to Help Babies at Risk

Stop, Start, or Continue? A National Survey of the Police About Traffic Stops

A Black Brother Needs Love, Too

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