RAND Center to Advance Racial Equity Policy » Newsletter

The RAND Center to Advance Racial Equity Policy develops solutions to build racial equity in systems and policies for the future.

One such area is protecting our climate in ways that are equitable and equity-oriented. Ben Preston, director of RAND’s Community Health and Environmental Policy program, shares more.

Q: What are the most pressing issues in climate and equity today?

A: The big challenge we face today is what I call the climate policy paradox. Clearly, we need to act aggressively on climate change to protect our nation’s most vulnerable people and places. Yet, it’s increasingly clear that our responses to climate change, if not designed with inclusion and equity in mind, can harm the very people and systems we seek to protect. So our approach to climate policy needs to quickly broaden from a focus on achieving emissions reductions to a more holistic focus on the promotion of human and ecological well-being.

How is RAND contributing to this discussion?

I see RAND as contributing on two fronts. First, we are directing our research and analysis capabilities to improve understanding of the intersections between climate and equity. This includes, for example, leading the development of new metrics for evaluating environmental inequities as well as analysis of the legacy of racism on present day exposure to climate hazards. Second, we are using our positions on federal advisory boards, our research networks, and our relationships with communities around the country to highlight the critical importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion as the foundation for effective climate policy.

How do we move toward durable policy solutions that will have lasting impact?

While there’s no doubt that it’s important for us to tackle the issue of climate change head-on by identifying fair and effective solutions that transition society to a resilient, low-carbon future, we also need to see climate change within the bigger picture of social challenges. That means addressing more fundamental and structural inequities in society associated with education, housing, health, and employment. Hence, we are increasingly seeing climate action aligned with a larger social justice narrative, particularly at the local level. In those cities and states where we’ve seen lasting policy commitments on climate, we’ve seen steady, albeit incremental, steps forward toward sound climate policy.

Read more about RAND’s climate policy work, and the RAND Climate Resilience Center.

advancing equity in

Research + Policy

RAND’s work in racial equity extends across social and economic policy and national security. These snapshots show where RAND's work is having impact.

Current Projects

Envisioning a New Racial Grievance Reporting and Redress System for the U.S. Military

The Department of the Air Force (DAF) Inspector General Independent Racial Disparity Review, December 2020, indicated there have been competing priorities for Equal Opportunity (EO) funding and resources; consequently, the EO program has not been a high priority or received necessary senior leader focus from the DAF to the wing level. A RAND Project Air Force effort is exploring ways to develop a more robust, cohesive, comprehensive, and effective racial grievance reporting and response system.

Helping FEMA Address Discrimination

A RAND team has documented difficult findings on gender and racial harassment and discrimination, informing the foundation of a FEMA strategy to address the issues. This work found that 20% of FEMA employees faced gender or sexually based civil rights violations during the past year, just under 20% faced racially based violations, and 40% did not trust FEMA senior leaders to do the right thing with regard to these reports. Read the topline results »

Explore more racial equity projects »

advancing equity in

Our Communities

We're committed to connecting research to civic action and cultivating leaders who can advance equity in systems and policies.

Current Projects

Creating Spaces for Civil Discourse

One of the challenges confronting the policy field is the inability to have a commons in which a variety of stakeholders can not only debate contentious issues but bridge divides of language and values in order to investigate policy solutions. RAND is launching a civil discourse lab to invite a range of policy influencers into discussion of difficult policy topics and to test out new ways to have the discussion about a policy topic, within frameworks of systems and policy change.

advancing equity at

Our commitment to advance racial equity policy is not simply an external collaboration. We’re doing the work internally, too.

RAND Updates

RAND has developed a staff toolkit on diversity, equity, and inclusion that focuses on language, the RAND environment, issues of self-care, and other areas. We're applying equity considerations in all phases of research, including supporting staff to consider structural and historical context from study design to analysis and dissemination, and using innovative policy methods that more thoughtfully center equity. RAND is creating guidance on equity in research communications and imagery in order to have a more meaningful and authentic impact.

Stay in Touch

For more information about the Center to Advance Racial Equity Policy or any topics covered in this newsletter, visit our website or email racialequity@rand.org