Children, Families, and Communities Research

Pardee RAND students and faculty help provide solutions to the social welfare and economic challenges faced by children and families, vulnerable populations, and historically marginalized communities. RAND’s work in this area, including the Center to Advance Racial Equity Policy and the Center on Housing and Homelessness, aims to understand why people make the decisions they do and how individuals and communities can increase their resilience.

Student-Faculty Research Collaborations

Through project-based research and other experiential learning opportunities, students work with faculty mentors to obtain professional skills and tacit knowledge that courses alone cannot convey. Here are a few recent projects and their resulting research.

Advancing Global Citizenship in America
Concerted international action is required to address climate change and sustainability, pandemics, global security, and economic growth. But such action requires a sense of common destiny and shared responsibility among people across nations. What are Americans' attitudes toward global issues, and what could encourage them to become citizens of the world?
Evaluating WhyWeRise 2020 and 2021
WhyWeRise is a social marketing campaign focused on prevention of, and early intervention for, mental health challenges among Los Angeles County residents. Surveys by Ingrid Estrada-Darley (cohort '19) and Profs. Rebecca Collins and Nicole Eberhart suggest that this campaign reached a racially, culturally, and economically diverse group of county residents, fostered a feeling of support among those exposed to the campaign, and boosted residents' awareness of local resources.