Pardee RAND News, Research, and Commentary

Pardee RAND Graduate School students, alumni, and faculty are often in the news, writing blogs, publishing research, speaking at events, and more. Other pages (featured research, career services news, and alumni news) list Pardee RAND news and announcements on specific topics; here we present a complete compilation of ALL the news that's fit to share.

  • A voter waits to cast his ballot in the 2022 U.S. midterm elections at Considine Little Rock Recreation Center in Detroit, Michigan, November 8, 2022, photo by Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters

    Whether Democracy Is Eroding or on the Upswing Depends on What State You Live In

    Voter laws, civic education opportunities, and trust in government are all important aspects of democracy that impact individuals' civic participation. If policymakers had better ways to measure and monitor this “civic infrastructure” beyond just voter turnout, a different, more complicated but complete picture of our democracy would likely emerge.

    Dec 13, 2022

  • Black woman teacher in a classroom, photo by NappyStock/Pexels

    Keeping Teachers of Color in the Classroom Will Take More Than a Pay Raise

    All students—but particularly Black and Latinx students—benefit academically and socially from having teachers who are people of color. Policymakers and education leaders can help these teachers stay in the profession by making teaching more financially sustainable and fostering collegial relationships within school communities.

    Dec 1, 2022

  • Railway workers repair the tracks damaged by Russian shelling in the northern direction, Kharkiv Region, northeastern Ukraine, November 25, 2022, photo by Vyacheslav Madiyevskyy/Ukrinform/Abacapress.com via Reuters

    Politics of Ukrainian Reconstruction

    When fighting subsides, Ukraine may undergo reconstruction on the scale of the post–World War II Marshall Plan. Debate is ramping up about core issues, such as the scope of reconstruction, sources of funding, and reforms needed for success. Ukraine and the West might begin now to forge consensus on these issues.

    Nov 30, 2022

  • Collage illustrating communication between police and community, photo by freshidea/Adobe Stock

    Equity Hackathon Examines 'Justice Reinvestment'

    Justice reinvestment is a data-driven approach to reducing spending on corrections and reinvesting the savings in evidence-based strategies designed to increase public safety and hold offenders accountable. Pardee RAND students explored this concept with undergraduates from Morehouse, Clark Atlanta, and Spelman in RAND's second annual Equity Hackathon sponsored by the Tech + Narrative Lab and RAND's NextGen Initiative.

    Nov 10, 2022

  • U.S. service members climb an obstacle at Camp Johnson, Vermont, July 23, 2021, photo by Calvin Reimold/U.S. Army Reserve Command

    Alum Develops Tool to Address Disparities in the U.S. Military

    Racial, ethnic, and gender disparities in military career success and representation are a long-standing problem. To help inform efforts to address this, David Schulker (cohort '07) created the Military Demographic Equity Machine tool.

    Sep 6, 2022

  • Russian service members ride an armoured vehicle in the Russian-held part of the Zaporizhzhia region, Ukraine, July 23, 2022, photo by Alexander Ermochenko/Reuters

    Understanding Russia's Motivations, and Using Them

    The concept of ontological security could help explain Putin's war on Ukraine and his regime's reasoning, write Khrystyna Holynska (cohort '20) and Professor Pauline Moore. It's about maintaining a continuous sense of self, and in this case, of state identity. Putin may have deemed the invasion necessary to maintain a sense of continuity and order, where order is Russia's continued adversarial relationship with the West.

    Aug 19, 2022

  • A Ukrainian army officer looks at a destroyed SS-24 missile silo near the town of Pervomaisk, Ukraine, October 30, 2001, photo by Gleb Garanich CVI/CLH//Reuters

    How Russia's Nuclear Double Cross of Ukraine Teaches Dangerous Lessons

    Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the West's support for Kyiv has been tempered by an ace up Vladimir Putin's sleeve: the potential use of nuclear weapons. But Khrystyna Holynska says other countries are taking notice, which could imperil world stability even further.

    Aug 16, 2022

  • The words Hacking Equity on a black background with abstract lines and squares, image by Peter Soriano/RAND Corporation

    RAND, Pardee RAND, and AUCC Partner for Equity Hackathons

    By connecting emerging leaders of color from Morehouse, Clark Atlanta, and Spelman with experienced policy analysts from RAND and doctoral candidates from Pardee RAND Graduate School, the equity hackathon series run by the Pardee RAND Tech + Narrative Lab and RAND's NextGen Initiative spark a wide range of fresh insights and creative explorations.

    Aug 15, 2022

  • A young woman waiting for a nurse to get a syringe ready for an injection, photo by Lacheev/Getty Images

    Does Racism Affect Patient Safety?

    Rates and types of patient safety events vary across patients from different racial and ethnic backgrounds, with minority patients more likely to experience safety issues. The factors that lead to these disparities are complex and intertwined, but there is growing sentiment that racism may play a role.

    Aug 8, 2022

  • Students making their way through a hallway at Ridgeview STEM Junior High in Pickerington, Ohio, December 21, 2021, photo by Shane Flanigan/USA Today via Reuters

    School Districts Still Struggled in Year Three of the Pandemic

    Research by student Melissa Kay Diliberti and Professor Heather Schwartz found that 90 percent of school districts changed operations in 2021–2022 because of teacher shortages. They increased substitute teacher pay and their number of staff above prepandemic levels. They also struggled with political polarization around critical race theory, student and staff mental health, and student learning loss.

    Jul 19, 2022

  • Hanging lightbulb with connecting dots in foreground, many hanging lightbulbs out of focus in background, photo by onurdongel/Getty Images

    Embracing Intrinsic Cultural Advantages in Innovation

    The United States has long enjoyed the benefits of novel technology, but it could lose ground soon as other countries advance. Will Shumate and Tim Marler ask, could it be time for the United States to embrace the advantages in innovation that it holds relative to near-peers like China?

    Jul 15, 2022

  • Smoke rises from the pipes of a heat power plant, Kiev, Ukraine, November 27, 2015, photo by Valentyn Ogirenko/Reuters

    Rebuilding Ukraine for a Changing Climate

    When the war in Ukraine ends, the country will in all likelihood undergo a massive reconstruction. Ukraine could rebuild in a way that would both lower its carbon footprint and construct infrastructure resilient to the effects of climate change.

    Jul 8, 2022

  • Alum Uses Game Theory and AI to Gain Insight on Space Competition

    Bonnie Triezenberg (cohort '14) and colleagues use game theoretical models to focus on the dynamics of space competition. They describe strategic interaction patterns, where possible; the conditions that give rise to them; and how investments shape those conditions.

    Jul 6, 2022

  • Frederick S. Pardee, photo courtesy of the RAND Corporation

    In Remembrance: Frederick S. Pardee (1932-2022)

    Frederick S. Pardee, a former RAND researcher, longtime RAND supporter, and the graduate school’s namesake, passed away on June 27, 2022 at the age of 89.

    Jun 30, 2022

  • Aerial map image by Google Earth

    Environmental Racism: How Historic Redlining Continues to Affect Communities

    Starting in the 1930s, neighborhoods across America were redlined—marked on government maps as too hazardous, as in, too Black or too immigrant, for federal home loans. When zoning officials needed somewhere to put a new factory or freeway, those redlined neighborhoods were like a bullseye that they hit again and again.

    Jun 27, 2022

  • A map of Los Angeles County with the words '88 Cities + the County". Graphic by Glory Film Co. Philanthropy

    California's Edible Food Recovery Mandate: One Solution for Two Problems

    Organic waste in landfills emits 20 percent of California's methane, and about 1.1 million tons of potentially donatable food were discarded in 2018. California's food recovery mandate, Senate Bill 1383, could make an important contribution toward mitigating the climate crisis and food insecurity.

    Jun 21, 2022

  • The words "Los Angeles Food Recovery Study" appear over a panoramic shot of the LA skyline. Graphic by Glory Film Co. Philanthropy / Image by Motion Array

    Preparing for California's Edible Food Recovery Mandate: Findings from the Los Angeles Food Recovery Study

    Under a new state law, California must significantly reduce organic waste and recover some edible food from going to landfill by 2025. Is Los Angeles County prepared for the new mandate?

    Jun 21, 2022

  • Art installation “Machine Hallucinations—Space: Metaverse” by artist Refik Anadol, in Hong Kong, China, September 30, 2021, photo by Tyrone Siu/Reuters

    The Metaverse: What It Is and Is Not

    The metaverse is quickly expanding, but its meaning remains unclear. Until an agreement on a definition of “metaverse” is reached, efforts to manage the technology development and related public policy could be muddled at best.

    Jun 20, 2022

  • Lockheed Martin employees work on the F-35 Lightning II joint strike fighter production line in Fort Worth, Texas, December 24, 2012, photo by Defense Contract Management Agency

    Improving Defense Acquisition

    Informed by 35 years of RAND research on defense acquisition, a new analysis describes overarching trends that affect DoD's acquisition system, outlines challenges in the acquisition process, and suggests improvements that might help address those challenges.

    Jun 16, 2022

  • Two teachers walking and talking in a school corridor, photo by SolStock/Getty Images

    Rates of Stress Among Teachers and Principals Are Running High

    U.S. teachers and principals are experiencing frequent job-related stress at a rate that is about twice that of the general population of working adults. Well-being is reported as especially poor among Hispanic/Latinx teachers, mid-career teachers, and female teachers and principals.

    Jun 15, 2022