RAND Social and Economic Well-Being Commentary

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

Civic Education
The RAND Institute for Civil Justice: 40th Anniversary Reflections
Nov 6, 2019
Michael D. Rich @michaeldrich
The RAND Institute for Civil Justice (ICJ) has supplied government and private decisionmakers and the public with the results of objective, empirically based, analytic research. In this era of Truth Decay, the diminishing role of facts and analysis in public life, the ICJ's mission and research have never been more important.
Suicide
More Can Be Done to Save Veterans from Suicide
Nov 4, 2019
A decade of research at RAND has sought to focus the national conversation about suicide in general, and veteran suicide in particular, around solutions that work. The overwhelming message: We could do more to save the lives of veterans like Daniel Somers. Here is his story.
Prisoner Reentry
A Novel Approach to Helping People Returning from Prison
Oct 30, 2019
Many services try to address the needs of individuals returning from prison, but they're often designed without much input from the very people who need the services. A group of county agencies, service providers, and former prisoners together identified ways to improve reentry services in Los Angeles County.
Wildfires
Turning Off Power to Combat Wildfires Could Harm the Very People Who Need Protection
Oct 28, 2019
Joie D. Acosta, Regina A. Shih @ReginaShih
Intentionally shutting off power may be a practical way to prevent power lines from sparking wildfires. But is it worth the risks? Until more thoughtful and comprehensive decisions are made, planned power outages need to be planned better.
Wildfires
Uncovering the Links Between Fires and Public Health in Equatorial Asia
Oct 25, 2019
Miriam Elizabeth Marlier
Fires in Indonesia, if left unchecked, could cause an average of 36,000 premature deaths annually across Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore. Researchers built a tool that models the effect of the fires on regional public health.
Environmental Science and Technology
The Science of Climate Policy: Q&A with Benjamin Preston
Oct 22, 2019
Benjamin Preston, a senior policy researcher and director of RAND's Community Health and Environmental Policy Program, specializes in climate risk and adaptation, disaster recovery, and resilience. In this Q&A, he discusses common misperceptions about climate change and how to decarbonize the U.S. economy.
Opioids
Synthetic Opioid Crisis Still Growing, Often Among Unwitting Users
Oct 14, 2019
Bryce Pardo @brycepardo, Beau Kilmer @BeauKilmer
Although opioid prescriptions in the U.S. have fallen, opioid overdose deaths remain at historic levels. The continued spread of fentanyl and other illicitly manufactured synthetic opioids suggests the problem could still get worse.
Veterans Health Care
How High-Quality Mental Health Care Improves Veterans' Lives
Sep 25, 2019
A growing body of RAND research shows that veterans who receive high-quality care have the best chance of improving their mental health outcomes.
Social Determinants of Health
New Data on How We're Measuring a Culture of Health
Sep 13, 2019
Alonzo L. Plough, Anita Chandra
We are seeing small but positive changes in the appreciation of the social determinants of health and the need for broader community health investments. People are expanding their views of what influences health and there have been some targeted improvements in health care and public health access. Yet, the critical systemic changes needed for more transformative health improvements have been slower to follow.
Crime and Violence Prevention
'Stand Your Ground' Laws May Be Causing More Harm Than Good
Sep 12, 2019
Andrew R. Morral @AndrewMorral, Rosanna Smart @RosannaSmart
Americans have debated whether “stand your ground” laws or gun-free zones make us safer or less safe for decades. These are debates about factual matters that are, in principle, knowable. Without research on these and other topics, bad laws will inadvertently be passed or retained.
Environmental Pollution
We Built an App to Detect Areas Most Vulnerable to Life-Threatening Haze
Sep 10, 2019
Tianjia Liu, Miriam Elizabeth Marlier, et al.
Forest and land-use fires are ravaging Indonesia's Sumatra and Kalimantan islands. Haze from these fires is life-threatening; inhaling smoke can cause heart and respiratory diseases, leading to premature deaths. We developed a new tool to provide decisionmakers with information to protect people who live downwind.
Disaster Recovery Operations
Hurricane Recovery in the Bahamas: Turning Good Intentions into Good Decisions
Sep 6, 2019
Melissa L. Finucane @MelissaFinucane, Joie D. Acosta
Recovery in the Bahamas will have to be a balancing act. Plans will need to allow for transition toward long-term strategic goals for the nation, but also be mindful of not perpetuating inequities.
Autonomous Vehicles
Bargain-Hunting Robocars Could Spell the End for Downtown Parking: Cities Need to Plan Ahead Now
Aug 29, 2019
Corey Harper, Constantine Samaras
Imagine a scene from the near-future: You get dropped off downtown by a driverless car. You slam the door and head into your office or appointment. But then where does the autonomous vehicle go? It's a question that cities would be wise to consider now. Self-driving cars may be on the roads within the next decade or two.
Environmental Science and Technology
How Citizen Scientists Are Protecting Their Communities
Aug 29, 2019
After Superstorm Sandy, residents of Brooklyn's Sunset Park neighborhood cleaned up debris, pumped out basements, and teamed up with researchers to find out what was in the floodwater. They established safety protocols to help local businesses prevent their chemicals from escaping and wrote a guide to help other communities.
Crime and Violence Prevention
No Need to Wait for Congress to Address Mass Shootings
Aug 23, 2019
John S. Hollywood, Jordan R. Reimer
After three mass shootings in the span of a week left 53 wounded and 34 dead, pressure is mounting on Congress to respond with legislation to restrict access to guns and ammunition. But there is no need to wait for new laws. There are steps that can be taken immediately that evidence suggests could help prevent attacks or reduce the death toll from them.
Sleep
I'm a Sleep Specialist. Here's How I Prepare My Two Teenagers for the First Day of School
Aug 15, 2019
Wendy M. Troxel @wendytroxel
Sleep deprivation has measurable negative effects on teens' behavior and health. Early school start times make it difficult for teens to get sufficient sleep. A RAND sleep expert shares how she helps her teens transition from summer back to waking up early for school.
Catastrophic Liability Risk Management
Allocating Costs for California Wildfires
Jul 24, 2019
Lloyd Dixon
Wildfires in California have caused and will likely continue to cause substantial losses for residents, businesses, and government agencies. It is important to distribute these losses in a manner that provides incentives to reduce their magnitude over time.

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Researcher Spotlight

Jordan R. Fischbach

Codirector, RAND Climate Resilience Center

Jordan R. Fischbach is a senior policy researcher at the RAND Corporation, codirector of RAND's Climate Resilience Center, quality assurance manager for the Homeland Security Operational Analysis Center (HSOAC), and an affiliate faculty member at the Pardee RAND Graduate School. Fischbach leads…

Deborah A. Cohen

Senior Physician Policy Researcher

Deborah Cohen is a senior physician policy researcher at the RAND Corporation and member of the Pardee RAND Graduate School faculty. She is the author of A Big Fat Crisis: The Hidden Influences Behind the Obesity Epidemic—and How We Can End It.

Laura Fraade-Blanar

Associate Policy Researcher

Laura Fraade-Blanar’s work sits at the intersection of health, technology, and transportation. She focuses on safety and risk, applying her background in public health and injury epidemiology to questions around measuring the safety of emerging and traditional transportation modes. Around…

Robert J. Lempert

Director, Frederick S. Pardee Center for Longer Range Global Policy and the Future Human Condition

Robert Lempert is a principal researcher at the RAND Corporation and Director of the Frederick S. Pardee Center for Longer Range Global Policy and the Future Human Condition. His research focuses on risk management and decision-making under conditions of deep uncertainty, with an emphasis on…

How to Measure the Effectiveness of Special Operations

What's Being Done to Fight Disinformation Online

Veterans, Autonomous Vehicles, Digital Protests: RAND Weekly Recap

The RAND Institute for Civil Justice: 40th Anniversary Reflections

Preparing for the Future of Fentanyl

The Policy Currents Podcast

Helping Children Cope with Trauma: A School-Based Intervention

Planning for the Rising Costs of Dementia

Addressing the Invisible Wounds of War

Helping Coastal Communities Plan for Climate Change

RAND Social and Economic Well-Being Commentary

The RAND Institute for Civil Justice: 40th Anniversary Reflections

More Can Be Done to Save Veterans from Suicide

A Novel Approach to Helping People Returning from Prison

Turning Off Power to Combat Wildfires Could Harm the Very People Who Need Protection

Uncovering the Links Between Fires and Public Health in Equatorial Asia

The Science of Climate Policy: Q&A with Benjamin Preston

Synthetic Opioid Crisis Still Growing, Often Among Unwitting Users

How High-Quality Mental Health Care Improves Veterans' Lives

New Data on How We're Measuring a Culture of Health

'Stand Your Ground' Laws May Be Causing More Harm Than Good

We Built an App to Detect Areas Most Vulnerable to Life-Threatening Haze

Hurricane Recovery in the Bahamas: Turning Good Intentions into Good Decisions

Bargain-Hunting Robocars Could Spell the End for Downtown Parking: Cities Need to Plan Ahead Now

How Citizen Scientists Are Protecting Their Communities

No Need to Wait for Congress to Address Mass Shootings

I'm a Sleep Specialist. Here's How I Prepare My Two Teenagers for the First Day of School

Allocating Costs for California Wildfires

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