Pardee RAND Blog Posts

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.

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.

Melissa Kay Diliberti, Julia H. Kaufman @juliahkaufman

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.

Elizabeth D. Steiner @ED_Steiner, Ashley Woo, et al.

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.

Howard J. Shatz @HowardJShatz, Khrystyna Holynska, et al.

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.

Khrystyna Holynska, Pauline Moore

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.

Polina Sinovets, John V. Parachini @JohnParachini, et al.

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?

Will Shumate, Timothy Marler

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.

Mark Stalczynski, Ismael Arciniegas Rueda, et al.

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.

Swaptik Chowdhury, Timothy Marler

Qatar: Challenges and Successes in COVID-19 Pandemic Response

Qatar adopted a spectrum of policies and health measures to contain the spread of COVID-19 and encouraged its innovation ecosystem to play a role in fighting the pandemic. The health sector has gained experience during the pandemic that might inform response to future spikes in demand for health system resources.

Hamad Al-Ibrahim, Nazia Wolters, et al.

Earthquake in Turkey, Syria: Insights from Pardee RAND Faculty

Thousands of people have been confirmed dead in one the strongest earthquakes to hit Turkey and Syria in the past century. As search-and-rescue missions ended and recovery began, Pardee RAND faculty and RAND researchers shared some of their initial thoughts.

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.

Khrystyna Holynska, Pauline Moore

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?

Will Shumate, Timothy Marler

Rebuilding Ukraine

As Khrystyna Holynska (cohort '20) and professors William Courtney and Howard Shatz write, by leveraging better investment conditions and reforms and broad international support, Ukraine could carry out a well-executed reconstruction program. It might repair much of the war damage and help Ukraine move into the ranks of faster-growing European economies.

William Courtney @courtneywmh, Khrystyna Holynska, et al.

Student, Prof Consider Continuity of Government in Ukraine

To reduce the risks of government collapse, Ukraine's leadership might accelerate preparations to ensure the continuity of government. Some steps are doubtless underway but out of public view, write student Khrystyna Holynska and Prof. William Courtney.

William Courtney @courtneywmh, Khrystyna Holynska

More Than Green: Leveraging Green Bonds to Invest in Greater Climate Resilience

The significance of green bonds may depend not only on having a lot of them, write Karishma Patel (cohort '17) and Prof. Michelle Miro, but also on carefully developing, investing, and tracking projects against the larger goal of climate resilience.

Karishma V. Patel, Michelle E. Miro

Malaria Vaccine May Not Eliminate Need to Combat Counterfeit Medicines

The newly announced malaria vaccine could be a critical tool to combat the tremendous socioeconomic burden malaria causes. But Professors Krishna Kumar, Todd Richmond, and Samantha McBirney argue that global achievements in reducing malaria cases and deaths in the past decades may be in danger of significant reversal if the problem of counterfeiting continues.

Samantha McBirney, Krishna B. Kumar @kbkumar_, et al.

Married Moms Aren't Striking Workers, but They Are Saying the Same Thing

If we are in the middle of a labor shortage, recruiting people back into the labor force is key to sustaining a recovery. Prof. Kathryn Edwards says the historic work choices of married mothers reveal a lot about what might lure people back into the workforce, especially when—even if they want the income—there are competing forces at play.

Kathryn A. Edwards

Tech Assets Might Help Make Public Health Data More Equity-Centered

The COVID-19 pandemic has amplified broad societal inequities and trained a spotlight on the strengths and weaknesses of the U.S. public health system. Tara Blagg (cohort '19) and professors Doug Yeung and Chris Nelson ask, what would more equity-centered, tech-engaged public health data look like?

Douglas Yeung @DouglasCYeung, Christopher Nelson, et al.

Platforms Should Use Algorithms to Help Users Help Themselves

Social media users generate massive volumes of content, which then spreads at extraordinary speeds. Yet platforms generally rely on a slow process of human moderation to remove prohibited content. Student Hilary Reininger and Prof. Christopher Paul ask, What if moderation could happen before the content is even posted?

Christopher Paul, Hilary Reininger