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.

Facts vs. Opinions: How the News Is Changing in the Digital Age
May 14, 2019
Technology has transformed how people get information. But it has also affected the way that information is produced, shared, and disseminated. Students Steven Davenport (cohort '15), Shawn Smith ('17), and Mahlet Tebeka ('17) worked with professors Jennifer Kavanagh and William Marcellino to investigate how much news reporting has actually changed over the last three decades.
Getting to Know the Competition
May 13, 2019
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.
Addressing the College Completion Problem
May 9, 2019
More than half of students who enter college end up dropping out without ever completing a degree or certificate. Time and money are wasted without the benefits of a degree. Alum Lindsey Daugherty argues that, while colleges are experimenting with novel techniques to boost completion rates, strategic support from the federal government could further these efforts.
Interactive Map Highlights Social and Economic Policy Research Around the World
Apr 25, 2019
Pardee RAND students and RAND researchers conduct extensive work and write about social and economic policy issues in nearly every country around the world. An interactive map lists and links to that research by country, making the content more accessible.
Blockchain: The Second Decade
Apr 16, 2019
Blockchain, which was invented in 2008, is now in its second decade. To help students and alumni understand the implications of this disruptive technology, Career Services welcomed four experts in a discussion of potential commercial and regulatory approaches.
Spending Estimates Under Medicare for All
Apr 10, 2019
Under a Medicare for All plan similar to some proposals being discussed in Congress, alum Jodi Liu (cohort '12) and Prof. Christine Eibner calculate that total health expenditures would be an estimated 1.8 percent higher in 2019, relative to the status quo. While this is a small change in national spending, the federal government's health spending would increase substantially, rising by an estimated 221 percent.
(Grey's) Anatomy of an Opioid Crisis
Apr 8, 2019
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.
Principal Pipelines Benefit Students and Reduce Principal Turnover
Apr 8, 2019
Six urban districts implemented principal pipelines, a strategic approach to the hiring, preparation, evaluation, and support of school leaders. Student Emilio R. Chavez-Herrerias (cohort '14) found that the efforts were feasible, affordable, and effective. The schools not only outperformed comparison schools in both math and reading, but they also improved principal retention.
Addressing Surprise Medical Bills Without Raising the Cost of Health Care
Apr 1, 2019
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.
Alum Examines Why Women Leave the Coast Guard, and What Could Encourage Them to Stay
Mar 29, 2019
Women leave the Coast Guard at higher rates than men. Through focus groups, alum David Schulker (cohort '07) uncovered concerns about work environment, career issues, and personal life matters. More inclusive personnel policies could help the Coast Guard address these concerns and retain more women.
Seismic Safety Upgrades May Cost California Hospitals Billions
Mar 28, 2019
David Catt (cohort '16) worked with alum Daniel Waxman ('10) and several professors to estimate the cost to California hospitals of seismic retrofitting. The upgrades could cost between $34 billion and $143 billion statewide, but a third of hospitals are already in some form of financial distress.
How to Ensure Quality Drinking Water Service for All? One Option Is Fewer Utilities.
Mar 26, 2019
California's Human Right to Water Bill declares that “every human being has the right to safe, clean, affordable, and accessible water adequate for human consumption, cooking, and sanitary purposes.” Student David Catt and professors Miriam Marlier and Michelle Miro say 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
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.
How Has the Israel-China Relationship Evolved?
Mar 21, 2019
Since the early 2000s, relations between China and Israel have expanded in areas like diplomacy, trade, investment, construction, educational partnerships, scientific cooperation, and tourism. Alum Shira Efron (cohort '11) and student Emily Haskel ('16) examine what challenges the relationship poses for Israel and the United States.
Increasing Groundwater Reliance in L.A. County Means Dealing with Extensive Contamination
Mar 12, 2019
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.
Building a Capacity Framework for U.S. City Diplomacy
Mar 11, 2019
As U.S. cities are home to two thirds of the population, the practice of city diplomacy has become essential for local communities to thrive in a globalized society. Sohaela Amiri (cohort '16) asks, What are the necessary skills, capabilities, and resources required to craft an effective global engagement strategy?
Pardee RAND Joins Network to Advance Public Interest Technology
Mar 11, 2019
Pardee RAND is proud to be a charter member of the Public Interest Technology University Network, a partnership of 21 colleges and universities dedicated to building the nascent field of public interest technology and growing a new generation of civic-minded technologists.
Decision Support Tool for the San Francisco Bay-Delta Levees Investment Strategy
Mar 7, 2019
The Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta faces complex and varied flood risks. Possible investments to mitigate these risks are numerous, and they will affect Delta risks differently. A decision support tool developed by alum David Groves (cohort '01) and student James Syme ('18) aided the Delta Stewardship Council in developing a Delta Levees Investment Strategy.
What the Speed of Life Means for Security and Society
Mar 6, 2019
Dozens of technologies with the power to transform human life, from 3D printing to cognitive implants, could become as ordinary as a cellphone by 2040. Prof. Casey Bouskill says society will have to adapt, on the fly, in ways it never has. The speed of life itself could pose a security challenge.
Rural Physicians Perspectives on the Medicare Quality Payment Program
Mar 5, 2019
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services recently launched its Quality Payment Program (QPP), which changes how physicians are paid under Medicare. Student Nabeel Qureshi (cohort '18) and colleagues interviewed rural physicians to determine if their practices could successfully participate and how the program could be modified to support small rural practices.
Findings Highlights Importance of Leadership
Mar 5, 2019
The winter issue of our quarterly newsletter features students and alumni holding lead roles in APPAM, the school taking the lead in reinventing the policy Ph.D., and a new leadership team in Pardee RAND's Development office. Also: a new course in engaging communities in research, and hands-on research exploring the benefits of local air quality data.
Course Examines How to Engage Communities in Research
Mar 4, 2019
In many research fields, involving community members not only improves the quality of the research but also can increase its ability to result in local change and policy action. A new course this winter helped students acquire the skills to conduct this research.
Can Hyperlocal Air Quality Data Improve Policy?
Mar 1, 2019
A Tech and Narrative Lab project funded by the Cazier Initiative has brought together a team of Pardee RAND students, faculty, and RAND staff to explore whether having access to easily intelligible localized air quality data promotes better policy and personal decisions.
Developments in Development: Meet Our Team
Feb 27, 2019
Pardee RAND has an exciting—and excited—new team in the Development Office. In anticipation of Pardee RAND’s 50th anniversary in 2020, the launch of a major fundraising campaign, and the official inauguration of the school’s redesigned curriculum, the team has been hard at work laying all the fundamental pieces in place.
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.

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