Blog Posts by Pardee RAND Faculty

Prof: During Coronavirus Pandemic, Can Congress Members Do Their Jobs by Teleworking?
Apr 6, 2020
Quentin E. Hodgson @QHodgson

The COVID-19 pandemic presents a new challenge to how Congress conducts business, writes Prof. Quentin Hodgson. How can the United States leverage existing technologies so lawmakers can continue to work safely and securely?
Prof: After the Crisis, Should the Federal Workforce Stay Remote?
Apr 3, 2020
Kathryn A. Edwards @keds_economist, Melanie A. Zaber, et al.

As physical distancing becomes the new norm, so too does telework. But Prof. Kathryn Edwards and RAND colleagues ask, should federal agencies maintain their remote operations for the long haul? As those involved with national security agencies, operations, and workforce issues know, this is not a decision to make lightly.
Prof: Incarceration Rates Provide Key Measure of Health in America
Apr 3, 2020
Carolyn E. Miller, Douglas Yeung @DouglasCYeung

There's widespread agreement that incarceration has adverse effects on health and health equity, not just for prisoners but also for families and communities, writes Prof. Douglas Yeung. That's one important reason why incarceration in the United States needs to be reduced.
Dean: Farmworkers Are Forgotten on the Frontlines of the Food Supply Chain
Apr 3, 2020
Susan L. Marquis @susanlmarquis

The working and living conditions of farmworkers make practicing social distancing, self-isolation, or quarantine impossible, writes Dean Susan Marquis. In the food supply, farmworkers are the first responders who keep the supply chains going. FEMA, the CDC, and state governments should include farmworkers and agricultural communities in their emergency response plans.
Prof: What If the Supreme Court Strikes Down the ACA During the COVID-19 Pandemic?
Apr 3, 2020
Christine Eibner @Chrissyeibner, Courtney A. Gidengil @c_gidengil

With COVID-19 spreading across the United States, the fate of the Affordable Care Act is once again up in the air, hanging on the outcome of a Supreme Court case. If the law is overturned, writes Prof. Christine Eibner, upwards of 20 million people could lose their health insurance during one of the deadliest pandemics in modern history.
Prof: For Instruction, Online Doesn't Have to Mean Impersonal
Apr 2, 2020
Laura S. Hamilton @HamiltonLauraS, John F. Pane @JohnFPane, et al.

Children's needs extend beyond the purely academic, write Prof. Elizabeth Steiner and RAND colleagues. It is important that their social and emotional well-being is supported as instruction moves online during the COVID-19 pandemic. A whole-child view of what students need could benefit them now more than ever.
Prof Considers Economic Consequences of COVID-19 in the Middle East, Implications for U.S. National Security
Apr 1, 2020
Daniel Egel, Charles P. Ries @charles_ries, et al.

The global COVID-19 pandemic will have a dramatic impact on economies across the globe, but the Middle East may be particularly affected given the simultaneous fall in oil prices, writes Prof. Howard Shatz. The economic consequences of this pandemic are also likely to affect U.S. interests in the region.
Prof: Implement Critical Care Surge Strategies Now to Save Lives
Apr 1, 2020
Mahshid Abir, Kaitlyn Entel, et al.

As COVID-19 continues to spread, hospitals are bracing for a surge of patients requiring critical care. To meet the demand, Prof. Christopher Nelson says U.S. health care facilities may need to fundamentally change the way they allocate space, staff, and equipment.
Prof: After COVID-19, America Needs to Reengage with the World, Not Retreat
Apr 1, 2020
Krishna B. Kumar @kbkumar_, James Dobbins @Jim_Dobbins

The COVID-19 pandemic should lead to a further strengthening of the national and international response capacity, writes Prof. Krishna Kumar. The alternative of erecting barriers and closing America off to the world would leave it more vulnerable to the next big shock.
Profs Examine Food Access Challenges and Solutions Brought on by COVID-19
Mar 31, 2020
Sameer M. Siddiqi @Sameer_Siddiqi, Jonathan Cantor, et al.

For the 14.3 million American households already experiencing food insecurity, COVID-19 shutdowns and restrictions have created new layers of hardship, write professors Tamara Dubowitz and Andrea Richardson. Tremendous efforts are already underway to make sure the food insecure aren't forgotten in the midst of so much other disruption. But the weeks to come will surely demand more creative solutions from the public and private sectors, particularly for the most vulnerable in our communities.
Coronavirus Forces Colleges Online. Profs Ask: Will Learning Ever Be the Same?
Mar 16, 2020
Charles A. Goldman, Rita Karam

Colleges and universities have turned to online courses to help slow the spread of COVID-19. But distance learning may also hold promise as a long-term strategy to help make higher education more accessible and affordable, write Professors Charles Goldman and Rita Karam.
Prof: COVID-19 Offers a Stress Test for a U.S. Health Care System Already Under Stress
Mar 12, 2020
Mahshid Abir, Christina Cutter, et al.

There are many things hospitals and health systems could be doing in the coming weeks to best prepare for the advancing novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. Prof. Christopher Nelson says evaluating their surge response plans will be critical.
Student-Prof Commentary: City Diplomacy Has Been on the Rise. Policies Are Finally Catching Up
Nov 22, 2019
Sohaela Amiri, Rafiq Dossani

Cities are not signing international treaties, nor do they have embassies around the world, write Sohaela Amiri (cohort '16) and Professor Rafiq Dossani. But cities can engage in all kinds of negotiations, reach agreements, and influence world politics. The State Department could tap into this power to further enhance U.S. diplomacy, global image, and influence.
Professor Ponders, Did No One Audit the Apple Card Algorithm?
Nov 21, 2019
Osonde A. Osoba @OsondeOsoba

Complex, opaque technologies like AI, machine learning and other algorithm systems provide significant benefits to society, writes Professor Osonde Osoba. They help speed up complex decisions, enable wider access to services, and in many cases make better decisions than humans. But those benefits do not obviate the need for accountability and transparency.
Saving Farmworkers from Slavery-Like Conditions, Field by Field
Sep 5, 2019
Susan L. Marquis @susanlmarquis

Those at the bottom of the European agricultural supply chain are vulnerable to horrible abuse. But Dean Susan Marquis explains that the same was true in the tomato fields of Florida in the United States until not too many years ago, and the solution developed there may offer a roadmap for doing right by those who put food on the market shelves.
Augmented Reality on the Playground
Jul 10, 2019
Deborah A. Cohen @DrDebCohen

As children's screen time increases, their time spent outdoors decreases. Prof. Deborah Cohen asks, how might new technologies merge with nature to help kids get outside and be more active?
Federal Policy Might Encourage Innovation to Cut the Cost of College
Jun 5, 2019
Charles A. Goldman

A big factor in the rise of college costs is the traditional seat-time model requiring undergraduate students to spend a specified amount of time in classrooms, frequently with doctorally qualified faculty. Prof. Charles Goldman argues that alternative models such as online education could enable colleges and universities to offer degrees more efficiently and affordably.
Getting to Know the Competition
May 13, 2019
Cortez A. Cooper III

Americans are facing a new reality in global great power relations that will define the trajectory of U.S. foreign policy for the foreseeable future. Prof. Cortez Cooper argues that understanding China's threat perceptions, while remaining clear-eyed regarding differences in objectives, is essential to developing strategies to deter conflict.
(Grey's) Anatomy of an Opioid Crisis
Apr 8, 2019
Sarah MacCarthy, Bradley D. Stein @BradleyDStein

More than 130 Americans die every day after overdosing on opioids. So when one of the most popular shows on network television made opioid misuse a major plotline, alum Bradley Stein (cohort '97) and Prof. Sarah MacCarthy paid especially rapt attention to how the show would present this public health crisis. How closely would it mirror reality? Pretty closely, for the narrow slice of the opioid crisis it addressed.
Addressing Surprise Medical Bills Without Raising the Cost of Health Care
Apr 1, 2019
Erin L. Duffy, Mark W. Friedberg, et al.

Patients who try to stay within their insurers' networks can be hit with surprise bills when they unknowingly receive care from out-of-network physicians. Erin Duffy (cohort '15) and Profs. Chapin White and Mark Friedberg ask how much a physician should be paid for providing a service that is critical but rendered without the patient's ready ability to choose an in-network provider.
How to Ensure Quality Drinking Water Service for All? One Option Is Fewer Utilities.
Mar 26, 2019
David Catt, Michelle E. Miro, et al.

California's Human Right to Water Bill declares that “every human being has the right to safe, clean, affordable, and accessible water.” One clear barrier to reaching this target is the sheer number of small water utilities that pose service sustainability and public health risks to their customers.
Lessening Leakages: How Water Systems Can Learn From Smart Electric Grids
Mar 22, 2019
Jalal Awan, Michelle E. Miro, et al.

As drought and population growth place increasing pressure on water supply, the need to save and efficiently manage Southern California's water resources becomes increasingly critical. Student Jalal Awan (cohort 17) and professors Miriam Marlier and Michelle Miro suggest that a single information and communication technology platform could go a long way toward moving water utilities from reactive to proactive maintenance practices.
Increasing Groundwater Reliance in L.A. County Means Dealing with Extensive Contamination
Mar 12, 2019
Alexandra Huttinger, Michelle E. Miro, et al.

Advances in the information available on groundwater quality and contamination could help community water systems avoid health hazards and better ensure a safe drinking water supply, write Alexandra Huttinger (cohort '17) and professors Michelle Miro and Miriam Marlier.
The Promise and Perils of AI: Q&A with Douglas Yeung
Feb 27, 2019

Prof. Douglas Yeung, a social psychologist at RAND, discusses how any technology reflects the values, norms, and biases of its creators. Bias in artificial intelligence could have unintended consequences. He also warns that cyber attackers could deliberately introduce bias into AI systems.
Biology, in the Language of the People
Feb 21, 2019
Timothy Marler, Dona Odell

As technology and the ability to gather ever-growing amounts of data move further into the realms of biology and human performance, Prof. Tim Marler writes, communication and transparency become increasingly important. Scientists should consider whether they are using the words, examples, and models that connect with a broad audience most effectively.