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.

  • Jordan Fischbach, Nastaran Tebyanian, Rob Lempert, Steven Popper, Edmundo Molina Perez, Pedro Lima, Nihar Chhatiawala, and James Syme, photo courtesy Rob Lempert/RAND

    Pardee RAND Plays Leading Role at DMDU Society Meeting

    With seven students, alumni, and faculty in attenance, Pardee RAND was well-represented at the tenth annual meeting of the Society for Decision Making Under Deep Uncertainty (DMDU) in Delft, Netherlands, October 30–November 1.

    Dec 1, 2023

  • Apartment buildings in Los Angeles, Photo by peeterv/Getty Images

    Crime-Free Housing Policies Increase Evictions in Minority and Low-Income Neighborhoods, but Do Not Lead to Reductions in Crime

    Student-led research finds that policies encouraging landlords to evict tenants who have involvement with the criminal justice system do not appear to reduce crime, but do increase evictions among Black residents and people with lower incomes.

    Nov 17, 2023

  • High-voltage power lines with colorful sunset in the background, photo by Yelantsevv/Getty Images

    An Affordable Energy Transition Will Require Supportive and Sensible Regulation

    The transition to decarbonize the grid and reduce emissions will be challenging, and customer bills may increase in the short term. Student Brian Wong and Professor Ismael Arciniegas Rueda say regulators can help keep utilities financially healthy and make a smoother energy transition possible.

    Nov 13, 2023

  • Aerial view of the Intuit Dome construction site with SoFi Stadium in the background in Inglewood, California, October 13, 2023, photo by Image of Sport/Reuters

    A Case for Promoting Infrastructure Equity for the Olympics

    In 2028, Los Angeles will host the Olympic Games for the third time. Cristian Cardenas (cohort '22) says a critical factor for successfully hosting will be for planners to ask hard questions early, so the community can collaborate with the organizing committee, informing its response to critical themes such as homes, health, transport, jobs, society, and culture.

    Oct 16, 2023

  • Pardee RAND 2023 Bootcamp in Watts, photo by Cynthia Gonzalez/Pardee RAND

    New Student Bootcamp Includes Focus on Watts

    The students of Cohort '23 arrived last week for their orientation and "policy bootcamp." For the second year, Pardee RAND took the new cohort to Watts to immerse them in community-based participatory research. They met with project partners from the Watts Rising Collaborative, toured the historic neighborhood, and unpacked critical questions related to policy implementation.

    Sep 28, 2023

  • Faculty, Students Explore DMDU in Mexico City

    A two-week intensive exploration of decision making under deep uncertainty (DMDU) offered a unique opportunity for seven Pardee RAND students, faculty, and alumni to teach, learn, and enjoy each other's company in Mexico City this summer.

    Sep 15, 2023

  • North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un and Russia's President Vladimir Putin attend a meeting at the Vostochny Сosmodrome in the far eastern Amur region, Russia, September 13, 2023, photo by Sputnik/Artem Geodakyan/Pool via Reuters

    North Korea, Russia and China: The Developing Trilateral Imperialist Partnership

    There are no easy ways for the United States and its allies to counter the developing Russia-China–North Korea partnership. But alum Bruce Bennett (cohort '75) says there are options to consider, steps to take, and fissures in their relationships to exploit.

    Sep 13, 2023

  • Students talk with faculty and board members at a luncheon, photo by Diane Baldwin/RAND Corporation

    Apply Now for the Pardee RAND Master's or Ph.D. Degree in Policy Analysis

    Interested in pursuing a master's degree or Ph.D. in public policy analysis? Through research fellowships, Pardee RAND students benefit professionally and financially from our unique experiential learning program. Learn more and apply today!

    Aug 30, 2023

  • The ECOWAS Committee of Chiefs of Defense staff brief the press on plans to deploy its standby force to the Republic of Niger, in Accra, Ghana, August 18, 2023, photo by Francis Kokoroko/Reuters

    ECOWAS: In Need of Help in Niger?

    Nigerian President Bola Tinubu recently sought the Nigerian national legislature's backing for a possible military intervention by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to turn back a coup that toppled the government of Niger. As Tim Sotubo (cohort '22) writes, an ECOWAS intervention would have a better chance of succeeding if other nations joined the effort.

    Aug 25, 2023

  • Carlos Calvo Hernandez presents at the Santa Fe Institute's Complex Systems Summer School, photo courtesy Carlos Calvo Hernandez

    Student Explores 'Beautiful and Interconnected Web of Complexity'

    Carlos Calvo Hernandez (cohort '19) says the four weeks he spent studying in Santa Fe, New Mexico, this summer "broadened my horizons and allowed me to meet many brilliant, inspiring people." With support from Career Services, Carlos attended the Complex Systems Summer School, an intensive introduction to complex behavior in mathematical, physical, living, and social systems.

    Aug 8, 2023

  • Hackathon Partners Pardee RAND and Watts Students to Promote Public Sector Careers

    When Professor Charles Goldman wrote Recruiting and Hiring a Diverse and Talented Public Sector Workforce, he never expected it would result in a hackathon in which Pardee RAND students and South Los Angeles youth developed media campaigns to amplify his message.

    Jul 20, 2023

  • A man sells fruit and vegetables at an outdoor market in Benghazi, Libya, July 10, 2011, photo by Esam Al-Fetori/Reuters

    How Do We Make Early Warning and Early Action for Food Security More Effective?

    Although food security early warning early action (FS-EWEA) has a track record of reducing food insecurity, Professor Aaron Clark-Ginsberg and student Loveline Phillips explain that it is designed for rural settings, and effective action remains elusive. Extending FS-EWEA to the millions living in fragile urban contexts requires answering four critical questions.

    Jul 17, 2023

  • Chinese-built Thai Navy frigate HTMS <em>Taksin</em> moored at Sattahip Naval Base, Thailand, October 8, 2019, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HTMS_Taksin#/media/File:HTMS_Taksin_(FFG-422).jpg">photo</a> by Pangpond 2007/<a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA 4.0</a>

    Russia's War in Ukraine Could Reshape the Global Arms Market in Favor of China

    The war in Ukraine is straining Russia's defense production, which is having downstream effects on Moscow's ability to export arms. Weilong Kong (cohort '18) says China has the opportunity, the incentive, and the capacity to gain from Russia's losses. As Russia relinquishes more of its share of the global arms market, there is not much standing in the way of China's success.

    Jul 10, 2023

  • A person runs on the National Mall as the U.S. Capitol is shrouded in haze and smoke caused by wildfires in Canada, in Washington, D.C., June 8, 2023, photo by Amanda Andrade-Rhoades/Reuters

    We Aren't Helpless in the Face of Increasing Fires and Smoke

    Modernizing, better funding, and expanding wildland firefighting forces in North America won't make fires or smoke magically disappear. A massive paradigm shift is necessary, writes Jay Balagna (cohort '20), but he adds it's clear something needs to happen immediately too.

    Jun 12, 2023

  • Asian teacher standing at the front of a middle school classroom teaching students, photo by Hero Images/Getty Images

    Social Studies Achievement Has Plummeted Nationally. Four Reasons This Trend Will Not Be Reversed Without Systemic Action

    Results from the latest national social studies assessments show U.S. history scores continued a previous pattern of decline and civics scores declined for the first time ever. Student Melissa Diliberti and senior policy researcher Julia Kaufman say reversing these trends will require concerted effort and increased investments at all levels of the U.S. education system.

    May 22, 2023

  • Hillsborough High School students protest a bill that would prohibit classroom discussion of sexual orientation and gender identity in Tampa, Florida, March 3, 2022, photo by Octavio Jones/Reuters

    Woo and Diliberti: 'Don't Say Gay' Law Will Hurt Students and Teachers Across the U.S.

    The Florida Board of Education recently expanded the scope of the state's Parental Rights in Education law, which restricts classroom discussions of gender identity and sexual orientation. Research by students Ashley Woo and Melissa Diliberti suggests the so-called “Don't Say Gay” bill is bad for students and educators—and not just in Florida.

    May 13, 2023

  • ChatGPT user interface is seen on a smartphone screen over a keyboard, photo by Nikos Pekiaridis/NurPhoto via Reuters

    AI, ChatGPT, and Language as Technology: Q&A with William Marcellino

    William Marcellino, a senior behavioral and social scientist at RAND and professor at the Pardee RAND Graduate School, discusses the rapidly expanding reach of artificial intelligence, the challenges it could pose for both society and policymakers, and how the research community is poised to help.

    May 12, 2023

  • Student recipients of the IIASA YSSP Fellowship, styling by Monica Hertzman/RAND

    Scholarship Fund Aims to Strengthen Connections Between IIASA, RAND, and Pardee RAND

    Since 2015, a donation from RAND alum Roger Levien has provided summer fellowships for Pardee RAND students to work at the International Institute of Advanced Systems Analysis (IIASA) in Vienna, Austria. Now, a scholarship fund seeks to extend the reach of Levien’s generosity.

    Apr 11, 2023

  • A teacher using a tablet computer in an elementary school lesson, photo by Getty Images

    Amplifying Teachers' Voices: Q&A with Ashley Woo

    Ashley Woo, an assistant policy researcher at RAND and a Ph.D. candidate at the Pardee RAND Graduate School, aims to bring teachers' perspectives into policymaking. In this interview, she discusses her research on teachers' responses to state restrictions on how they can address topics related to race and gender in the classroom.

    Mar 16, 2023

  • A man's profile in front of an abstract image of branches and hundred dollar bills, illustration by Kekeli Sumah/RAND Corporation, from Andre Hunter/Unsplash and Pete Soriano/RAND Corporation, from Atlas Illustrations/Adobe Stock and dar/Adobe Stock

    Faculty, Students Investigate the U.S. Racial Wealth Gap

    Policy interventions to address current wealth disparities must understand the long-standing inequities that contributed to them. A series of discussion papers by professors Jonathan Welburn, Kathryn Edwards, and a team of faculty and students investigated how wealth is accumulated, the potential effects of particular policy responses, and the social mobility prospects of African Americans.

    Feb 25, 2023