Pardee RAND News & Events

Pardee RAND Graduate School students, alumni, and faculty are often in the news, writing blogs, publishing research, speaking at events, and more. Other pages (student blog posts, alumni news, faculty blog posts, featured research) provide filtered views of Pardee RAND news and announcements; here we present a complete compilation of ALL the news that's fit to share.

Are States Using Cyber Operations to Coerce Others?
Sep 17, 2019
Cyber operations have become another tool of statecraft. Have any cyber operations sponsored by Russia, China, Iran, or North Korea met the definition of cyber coercion? Krystyna Marcinek (cohort '17) and colleagues explore this question and consider what the United States should do to respond.
Findings Features Students' Summer Activities
Sep 10, 2019
In addition to highlighting Soledad O'Brien's generous gift in support of inclusion, diversity, and equity, our quarterly newsletter shines a spotlight on what our students did this past summer to Be the Answer at home and around the world.
Saving Farmworkers from Slavery-Like Conditions, Field by Field
Sep 5, 2019
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.
A Wargame at RAND Puts Teen Girls in Command
Aug 20, 2019
Student Ellie Bartels (cohort '15) worked with her fellow RAND "Dames of War Games" to develop and host an event for young women to learn firsthand about national security. The day offered a lesson in strategy, in the hard realities behind news headlines, and also in agility and resilience.
How Big Is the U.S. Market for Cannabis, Cocaine, Heroin, and Meth?
Aug 20, 2019
Americans spent about $150 billion on cannabis, cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamine in 2016, according to research by alum Greg Midgette (cohort '09), student Steve Davenport ('15), and professor Beau Kilmer. The cannabis market was roughly the size of the cocaine and meth markets combined.
Searching for Signs of Doi Moi in North Korea
Aug 12, 2019
President Trump's second summit with Kim Jong Un prompted voluminous commentary about whether Pyongyang might adopt the “Vietnam model” of economic reform and opening up, known as doi moi. Dung Huynh (cohort '16) and colleagues suggest that although some version of doi moi may be possible in North Korea, it will likely be more difficult than it was in Vietnam, especially because of Kim's reluctance to risk losing absolute control.
Students, Faculty Participate in IPCC Working Conference in Nepal
Jul 31, 2019
With Cazier Initiative support, students David Catt (cohort '16) and Karishma Patel ('17) traveled to Kathmandu, Nepal, this summer with professors Robert Lempert and Ben Preston to attend the Second Lead Author Meeting for the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Working Group II.
Assessing IRB Perspectives Before Implementation of the Revised Common Rule
Jul 26, 2019
Student Alexandra Mendoza-Graf (cohort '16) and colleagues surveyed institutional research board (IRB) chairs, administrators, and members, as well as principal investigators, to obtain baseline information on their demographics and attitudes about their IRB's efficacy and efficiency and the likely effects of proposed changes to the Revised Common Rule.
Identifying High-Performing Health Systems
Jul 24, 2019
When it comes to identifying high-performing health systems, alum Cheryl Damberg (cohort '89) finds, what you measure and how you measure it matters.
Evaluation Shows Pilot Study Helped Identify Needs and Recommendations to Improve Health and Reentry Services
Jul 24, 2019
Individuals returning to the community from jail often face difficulties accessing services that improve reentry and reduce recidivism. Gabriela Armenta (cohort '15) and RAND colleagues reviewed a pilot study in Los Angeles County, the Co-Design of Services for Health and Reentry (CO-SHARE), that encouraged returning individuals and service providers to collaborate on improving health and reentry services.
Pardee RAND Welcomes New Cohort of Faculty Leaders
Jul 22, 2019
Educators from 15 universities are on campus this week for Pardee RAND's seventh annual Faculty Leaders Program, a week-long policy analysis intensive that arms attendees with new tools to effect change in their communities and to inspire their students to consider careers and advanced study in public policy analysis.
Is Canada Prepared to Meet Demand for Alzheimer's Treatment?
Jul 18, 2019
If a treatment to slow the progression of Alzheimer's became available in 2021, hundreds of thousands of patients in Canada could progress to Alzheimer's dementia while on wait lists unless health care capacity is increased. Student Sangita Baxi (cohort '17) and alumni Jodi Liu ('12) and Jakub Hlavka ('14) explore challenges and suggest potential solutions.
Improving the Child Welfare System to Respond to the Needs of Substance-Exposed Infants
Jul 17, 2019
To realize the gains envisioned by recent legislation, alum Bradley Stein (cohort '97) says the Administration and Congress should prioritize additional funding to modernize our child welfare system to meet the unique needs of families affected by substance misuse.
When an Autonomous Vehicle Is Hacked, Who Is Liable?
Jul 12, 2019
Hacks on autonomous vehicles could lead to deaths, property destruction, ransomware attacks, or data theft. Maya Buenaventura and Pavan Katkar (both cohort '14) worked with RAND colleagues to explore several scenarios that illustrate the policy challenges facing the civil legal system, insurers, and others.
Addressing the Challenges of Algorithmic Equity
Jul 11, 2019
Social institutions increasingly use algorithms for decisionmaking purposes. Luke Irwin (cohort 16) and colleagues explored how different perspectives on equity or fairness inform the use of algorithms in the context of auto insurance pricing, job recruitment, and criminal justice.
Augmented Reality on the Playground
Jul 10, 2019
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?
Alum Arthur Brooks Tells Americans to Answer Hate with Love
Jul 8, 2019
Arthur Brooks (cohort '96) spoke at a RAND event to discuss his new book, Love Your Enemies: How Decent People Can Save America from the Culture of Contempt. He stressed that we don't have to disagree less, but we do have to disagree better.
Do Educators Have What They Need to Teach Students with Disabilities?
Jun 27, 2019
To serve students with high-incidence disabilities, teachers need a supportive school culture, collaboration and planning time, resources and training, access to data, and tools for using data. Rachel Perera (cohort '16) and colleagues analyzed survey data that sheds light on the extent to which these supports are available to general and special educators in U.S. schools.
Designing a Capability Development Framework for Australian Home Affairs
Jun 24, 2019
Australia's Department of Home Affairs is responsible for domestic security, law enforcement, migration, and the movement of goods across Australia’s borders. Alum Jon Wong (cohort '12) and colleagues analyzed which capability development lifecycle management framework best suits the department's needs for an enterprise-level approach to investment decisions.
Cyberspace as a Military Domain: Lessons for NATO
Jun 20, 2019
In 2016, NATO identified cyberspace as a new operational domain. Bilyana Lilly (cohort '16) and RAND colleagues asked what steps the alliance has taken since then to bolster its cyber capabilities and what are the greatest challenges that still lie ahead.
In Remembrance: Martin Feldstein, Pardee RAND Distinguished Visitor
Jun 19, 2019
Martin Feldstein passed away in June 2019 at the age of 79, and was a distinguished visitor and frequent Pardee RAND speaker.
Reviewing Funding Formulas for State Grants
Jun 19, 2019
Students Meg Chamberlin (cohort '14) and Nima Shahidinia ('16) worked with RAND researchers to analyze the formulas for distributing funds to states under three block grants for services related to mental health, substance abuse, and homelessness (unchanged since 1992), to determine whether they should be modified.
Secondary Educators Consider Discipline Reform a Priority
Jun 13, 2019
One quarter of principals and 31 percent of teachers surveyed identified discipline reform as one of the top three most important interventions needed in their secondary schools, according to research by Rachel Perera (cohort '16). Principals and teachers in high-poverty schools were more likely than those in low-poverty schools to do so.
Sexual Minority Disparities in Opioid Misuse
Jun 12, 2019
Lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) adults, particularly bisexual women, are at significantly higher risk than heterosexuals for prescription opioid misuse and heroin use, according to research by alum Bradley Stein (cohort '97). Disparities in rates of opioid misuse among LGB adults are concerning given elevated risks of overdose.
Federal Policy Might Encourage Innovation to Cut the Cost of College
Jun 5, 2019
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.