Preparing for natural disasters is a long, multi-faceted process that requires years of planning, coordination, and direct action. RAND has developed a new approach for assessing hurricane flood risk in New Orleans under uncertainty and evaluating city-wide approaches for reducing this risk.
Established in December 2005 to support hurricane recovery and long-term economic development, the RAND Gulf States Policy Institute is dedicated to developing informed public policy in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama and a better future for the people who live there.
When making complex decisions, researchers and policymakers often seek the input of many stakeholders and individuals with varied perspectives. ExpertLens is an online application developed by research and programming experts at the RAND Corporation to help achieve these goals easily and cost effectively.
The RAND Center on Quality Policing provides research and analysis on contemporary police practice and policy. The Center's work helps law enforcement agencies across the U.S. make better operational decisions and consistently perform at their best.
Nearly 700 million people in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia rely on livestock for their livelihoods. RAND Europe is conducting an independent external evaluation of the impact, achievements and effectiveness of the first phase of GALVmed's Protecting Livestock, Saving Human Life programme.
Because cancer patients often receive poorly organised and fragmented care, University College Hospital Trust and Macmillan Cancer Support have established a new cancer centre. RAND Europe is evaluating the centre's efforts and developing a sustainable quality improvement environment across the partnership.
HIV/AIDS can rightly be called an epidemic in the Gulf States. RAND has examined attitudes and beliefs about HIV and AIDS, the roles of faith-based and community organizations, and issues regarding AIDS treatment; this research can help Congressional, state, and local policymakers understand how to approach the challenges posed by HIV/AIDS in the region.
If the pharmaceutical industry develops innovative and meaningful business models to offer services that improve access and adherence to prescription drugs for common chronic conditions, it can profit far more than by developing more "blockbuster" drugs.
Climate change presents decisionmakers with a fundamental quandary: how to address a potentially serious, long-term, and uncertain threat. A joint project of RAND Infrastructure, Safety, and Environment and the RAND Pardee Center sought to address this problem through basic research and computer modeling.
The RAND Center for Health and Safety in the Workplace conducts research and analysis that helps improve worker health and safety and reduce the economic costs of workplace accidents and illnesses.
The RAND Drug Policy Research Center (DPRC) helps community leaders and public officials develop more effective ways of dealing with drug problems. DPRC provides a firm, empirical foundation on which sound drug policies can be built.
FEMA's National Flood Insurance Program writes the vast majority of flood insurance on residential properties in the United States; current legislation includes a number of reforms that could strengthen the program. RAND has completed studies in four key areas that offer insight into the issues under consideration.
Conditional cash transfer programs (CCTs) are seen as particularly effective in low- and middle-income countries, but relatively little is known about the interface between the supply of services and program administration and specific human development outcomes. RAND Europe is assessing the effectiveness of CCTs, through a two-year grant from UK Economic Social Research Council and Department for International Development.
The performance of health systems is a key determinant of the inclusiveness of economic growth. With Kenya and Tanzania as case studies, RAND Europe is exploring whether potential synergies between industrial development and health systems can contribute to faster and more inclusive growth.
What effect has the financial crisis had on households and health? RAND researchers seek to quantify the effects of the crisis on older U.S. households, and the adjustments made in response. With this information, they aim to determine whether downturns in economic status are associated with declines in health.
To understand what influences life satisfaction in different countries, it is important to correct for cultural differences in how people answer subjective questions. The RAND Center for the Study of Aging is attempting to increase the comparability of response scales across national boundaries.
By using newly available data from more than 15 countries, researchers are analyzing how the interaction between individual behavior, social context, institutions, and policies shapes health and well-being in old age.
Research conducted within RAND Environment, Energy, and Economic Development focuses on environmental quality and regulation; energy resources and systems; water resources and systems; climate, natural hazards, and disasters; and innovation, entrepreneurship, and economic development.
Health outcomes may be related to financial status, including home ownership. A comparative analysis of housing price risk during economic downturns in different countries can help researchers better understand this relationship.
Efforts to improve human development outcomes in Southeast Asia are often hindered by problems with the governance of social assistance programs. The World Bank commissioned RAND Europe to develop a toolkit on how to improve governance in ASEAN countries.
The New Orleans Police Department launched a new crime-fighting plan in late January, with the title "SOS: Save Our Sons." The plan was developed using policing research similar to the findings of RAND's Center on Quality Policing.
An evaluation of 16 integrated care pilot programs in England revealed that greater integration of health and social care led to improved care processes and more satisfied staff, but some aspects of patient experience were less positive, and the intended reduction in emergency admissions was not seen.
Employment trajectories following the onset of disability are poorly understood. Employer-focused policy interventions may reduce uptake in public disability insurance and disability-induced early retirement.
As the Affordable Care Act expands health insurance coverage in the U.S., the "cost" of applying for SSDI will decline for many. Studying the effect of Massachusetts health care reform in 2006 may provide insights into the impact the ACA may have on SSDI applications and awards.
People with low levels of financial literacy are more easily influenced by the default settings of employee savings plans. The Financial Literacy Center is measuring differences in default effects for employees at companies with auto-enrollment retirement plans, focusing on differential behavior by income.
Cyberspace is increasingly important for economic growth, openness, and democracy, but poor cybersecurity can make governments, businesses, and individuals open to cyber attack and cyber crime. RAND Europe conducts a range of research on the topic to advise policymakers.
Energy plays a vital role in the success of the global economy, but obtaining and using energy can also impact the environment. RAND researchers in the Environment, Energy, and Economic Development Program help policymakers worldwide make informed decisions on meeting their nations' energy needs while mitigating long-term life cycle environmental risks.
Alabama's anti-illegal immigration law is regarded as the strictest in the United States and raises several enforcement challenges for police, schools, and other public service providers such as hospitals. RAND research on the costs and benefits of immigration may prove instructive.
RAND Europe is working to capture a broader view of malaria's impacts on the economy and to estimate the potential effects that reduced malaria could have over time on consumption inequality, poverty, and dynamic growth.
Immigrants are less likely than native-born individuals to use banking services or to participate in formal retirement savings programs. The Financial Literacy Center is identifying the main barriers to these services and developing and testing new products to help improve access.
Understanding how criminal gangs and other non-state actors compete with the state to provide public services, gain popular support, and jeopardize security can help policymakers counter these groups' activities.
RAND Europe is conducting an independent evaluation of the Department of Health's drug and alcohol recovery payment-by-results pilots to determine whether market forces can encourage the development of better recovery programmes.
The Forest Allowance Program (Programa Bolsa Floresta) is an avoided deforestation initiative in Brazil that pays the local population a monthly allowance for environmental services and increases deforestation monitoring and enforcement. RAND is studying this and similar initiatives to determine their success in reducing deforestation.
RAND Europe is expanding the original traffic model it developed for Copenhagen to include time-of-day choice for car drivers. Doing so will allow city planners to assess the effectiveness of different charging policies aimed at reducing congestion levels.
Hispanic immigrants constitute a rapidly growing share of the U.S. population but are less likely to be financially literate than natives. RAND researchers are investigating barriers to Hispanic immigrants' use of financial services and evaluates financial education materials for them.
Households annuitize very little of their retirement savings. The Financial Literacy Center is studying the annuitization choices of retiring workers, designing and implementing new communication strategies that will raise acceptance of annuities, and examining the effectiveness of these strategies.
Previous research has shown that changes in income and health insurance are associated with changes in health and/or mortality. An examination of administrative data may show whether receipt of Social Security Disability Insurance and participation in related programs causally affect survival rates among applicants.
Currently, few Americans opt to annuitize their Social Security payments. A better understanding of individuals' preferences for annuitization, obtained via a stated-preference survey, can inform the debate on Social Security reform.
The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) has released a free toolkit designed to guide hospitals in using the AHRQ Patient Safety Indicators and Inpatient Quality Indicators to improve hospital performance. A RAND Health team, in partnership with UHC, developed and field-tested the toolkit.
UK Higher Education Funding Councils will begin using a new Research Education Framework in 2014 to assess the quality and impact of a university's research before providing further funding. RAND Europe's ImpactFinder can help UK higher education institutions evaluate their research impact.
Women continue to lag behind men, not only in income, but in overall financial capability and retirement preparedness. A financial "bootcamp" may hold promise as a financial education program for early to mid-career women.
Understanding the factors influencing economic growth and development is crucial to enhancing the human welfare of a nation. Research and Policy in International Development (RAPID) is a research center committed to fulfilling this objective.
The Center for Latin American Social Policy conducts research throughout Latin America and the Latin American population in the United States in the areas of aging, social determinants and consequences of health, saving for retirement, social security coverage, labor market dynamics, and migration.
CUBE 2.0, an update of the 2010 release of the 1.0 version, allows users to estimate the "farm-to-gate" greenhouse gas emissions of biomass feedstocks for energy production, as well as the uncertainty in these emissions.
Research suggests that many individuals claim Social Security retirement benefits at younger ages than may be optimal. The Financial Literacy Center is evaluating alternative ways to convey information about when to claim benefits and offering advice to enhance the Social Security Administration's online claiming website.
People have difficulty understanding how much money they must accumulate in their working years to create a sufficient stream of income once they retire. The Financial Literacy Center is exploring whether disclosing information about the monthly retirement income stream resulting from an individual's retirement account will change savings behavior.
A new online tool, called the "Unintended Consequences Guide," is available from the U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality to help hospitals and other health care organizations anticipate, avoid, and address problems that can occur when adopting and using electronic health records.
Given the worldwide trend of aging populations, it is important to learn about the long- and short-term effects of non-contributory social security programs. With the State of Yucatan, CLASP designed such a program for towns with more than 20,000 inhabitants. The project team is now evaluating its impact on the welfare of residents ages 70 and older.
By measuring the quality of care for carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) in a large workers' compensation provider organization in California and assessing value to workers and employers, RAND laid the groundwork for ongoing quality assessment and improvement programs in workers' compensation settings within California and elsewhere.
The world's first Social Impact Bond, an innovative payment-by-results mechanism to fund public services, was implemented in a prison in Peterborough in eastern England. It aims to reduce reoffending by prisoners who have served short custodial sentences.
Leaving the work force early has become commonplace in developed countries. Understanding the financial incentives and other factors that induce individuals to retire early, can help policymakers design effective reforms to help guarantee the financial stability of pension systems.
Results from the National Financial Capability Survey show the majority of Americans lack basic numeracy and knowledge of fundamental economic principles. The Financial Literacy Center is analyzing the raw survey data to construct an atlas of financial literacy among U.S. states and among some demographic groups.
RAND California contains statistics on unemployment, crime rates, school district expenditures, dropout and completion rates, energy consumption, air quality, and more. Much of the data is available at the national, state, county, and city levels.
Many households use commitment devices such as monthly mortgage payments, Social Security, and payroll 401(k) deductions to help them save. The Financial Literacy Center is trying to design a "new and improved" 401(k) that offers a better combination of liquidity and commitment than the current defined contribution pension.
The Promising Practices Network has developed an emergency planning guide that presents high-priority preparedness activities and documents to help child-serving organizations customize their emergency plans.
The U.S. Department of Defense sponsors many programs for servicemembers and their families. RAND compiled a searchable online catalog of 211 programs that address psychological health and traumatic brain injury.
Building on two video games it designed to build financial skills among low-income women, the Financial Literacy Center is now re-creating those games for Spanish-speaking players.
RAND Europe is an independent not-for-profit research institute with offices in the UK and Belgium. Its research portfolio complements RAND's and also includes choice modeling, evaluation and performance management, innovation and technology, and more.
The Financial Literacy Center is developing and testing college curricula for financial literacy instruction, suitable for adult learners and pre-service K–8 teachers. The goal of this project is to educate as many young people and adults as possible in financial matters.
The RAND Behavioral Finance (BeFi) Forum is a collective of academic, financial, and government leaders who meet regularly in person and via web seminars to foster cutting-edge behavioral research for practical application. BeFi's mission is to help consumers make better financial decisions.
Lack of financial literacy has been shown to be a serious obstacle to financial stability. The Financial Literacy Center is using new and innovative methods such as visual tools and the power of stories and narratives to teach basic but fundamental economic concepts that are the foundation of financial decisionmaking.
The RAND Institute for Civil Justice (ICJ) conducts research on all aspects of civil justice, from trends in litigation and jury verdicts to punitive damages, compensation systems, and alternative dispute resolution. Directly or indirectly, civil justice issues have an impact on us all.
Recent proposed reforms to the Stafford Act (improving disaster recovery capability) and the National Disaster Recovery Framework (a guide to cooperation between federal agencies) cluster around five key areas where RAND has relevant studies offering additional insight and context.
To further analyze Europe's illicit drug market and the EU's responses to it, DPRC and RAND Europe are teaming with European partners to expand their original 2009 research on the global drug market.
Changing the Social Security Disability Insurance program rules could reduce caseload costs by encouraging a return to work, but it could also create unintended consequences by inducing more workers to apply for benefits.
When children with disabilities turn 18, most apply for SSI-disabled adult benefits without first looking for work. The Financial Literacy Center is developing a financial literacy tool for these young adults to teach the value of entering the labor market.
How does policy support science and how does science in turn support policy? What works in terms of funding science and in maximizing academic, social and economic 'payback' from investment in science? RAND Europe is a leader in understanding the returns from different kinds of investment in science and research.
The application and appeals process for Social Security Dissability Insurance (SSDI) can take months if not years, during which time applicants are not allowed to work more than a limited amount. Understanding the true application costs of SSDI can help quantify the total wefare impact of the program.
Policymakers are facing new challenges as they implement the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA). RAND COMPARE is a modeling tool that simulates the impact of implementation decisions on insurance coverage, premiums, and health care spending.
Part of the RAND Center on Quality Policing, the Police Recruitment and Retention Clearinghouse is a web-based resource that serves as a "one-stop-shop" for information about recruitment and retention specifically designed for the law enforcement community in order to promote evidence-based personnel planning.
The Southern California Metropolitan Water District sought advice determining which trends are most useful to monitor to implement its adaptive management strategy. RAND supported Metropolitan's Blue Ribbon Commission to develop recommendations for a new business model to help the agency meet its goals over the next fifty years.
The 2010 Integrated Resource Plan Update developed by the Los Angeles Metropolitan Water District (MWD) includes a preferred resource mix as well as an adaptive management approach to monitor key trends and modify the resource mix as necessary. RAND helped the MWD determine which trends are most useful to monitor.
The RAND Center for the Study of Aging has conducted objective, independent, interdisciplinary research on aging and the elderly for more than 20 years. It improves public policy through primary data collection as well as secondary data analysis.
RAND Texas is a subscription-based service that provides access to more than 110 databases of statistics on industry and occupational wages, prison and parolee populations, teacher demographics, greenhouse gas emissions, and more. Much of the data is available at the national, state, county, and city levels.
The standard model of educational decisions predicts no (or minimal) effects of deferral on educational attainment, but this model may not tell the whole story. A study of those who were not accepted by lottery to a Mexican college shows that labor market effects must also be considered.
Does one's level of education influence one's patience? A study examining the time preferences of students accepted by lottery to a Mexican college, compared to those of individuals who were not accepted, indicates that more educated individuals do tend to be more patient.
The sustained ability of a community to withstand and recover from adversity, at both the infrastructure and human levels, is a key policy issue. This project asks, what are the key levers for building and strengthening community resilience and what specific activities can communities undertake?
The Wellcome Trust's African Institutions Initiative funds consortia to build sustainable, independent health research capacity at African universities and research organisations. RAND Europe is evaluating the consortia's efforts to promote research collaboration and train individuals for research careers in Africa.
The European Commission's eGovernment benchmarking encourages excellence in government performance. The continuous collaboration of country representatives and the EC has created an atmosphere of friendly competition, shared learning, and benchmarked action amongst participants.
Many complex issues surround the use of antiretroviral therapy as HIV prevention. RAND Europe is partnering with several organisations on Mapping Pathways, a project that will explore potential treatment regimes and conduct research, community engagement, and policy work in the U.S., India, and South Africa.
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