Featured Pardee RAND Research

Pardee RAND students and faculty — and even some alumni — contribute to RAND research. This page features selected reports and projects to which the Pardee RAND community has contributed.

  • 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

  • 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

  • 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

  • A gloved hard reaches out to pick up a orange from a conveyor belt.

    Is Los Angeles County Prepared for California's Edible Food Recovery Mandate?

    Experts in food recovery discuss findings from a RAND study into Los Angeles County's preparedness for a new law that requires California to significantly reduce organic waste and recover some edible food from going to landfills by 2025.

    Jul 18, 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

  • 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

  • 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

  • Close up of a military patient talking with a doctor, photo by SDI Productions

    Recommended Standards for Delivering High-Quality Care to Veterans with Invisible Wounds

    RAND researchers identified ten standards for the delivery of high-quality care for veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder, depression, substance use disorders, and mild traumatic brain injury.

    May 9, 2022

  • Scholars of the Stand-To Veteran Leadership Program with Lisa Hallett, cofounder of "wear blue: run to remember," a nonprofit running community that honors the service and sacrifice of the U.S. military, August 2019, photo by Grant Miller/Bush Institute

    Standards for Delivering High-Quality Care to Veterans with Invisible Wounds

    Depression, PTSD, traumatic brain injury, and substance use disorders interfere with veterans' employment, family life, community engagement, and well-being. There are effective treatments but also barriers to accessing them. A set of standards can help identify providers who serve veterans and deliver high-quality care.

    May 9, 2022

  • U.S. Army Capt. Mario Vergara (right) discusses COVID-19 testing procedures and best practices with health care staff at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, Landstuhl, Germany, April 23, 2021, photo by Marcy Sanchez/DVIDS

    Assessing Burnout Among Military Health Care Providers

    Health care provider burnout poses a threat to mental and behavioral health care for service members, veterans, and their families. How prevalent is burnout? What workplace factors are associated with increased risk for burnout? And what interventions could help?

    May 3, 2022

  • Image representing the presence of a bug or malware in computer software, photo by Black_Kira/Getty Images

    The Effects of Technology on Strategic Deterrence

    Emerging technologies—especially those related to information aggression and manipulation, automation, hypersonic systems, and unmanned systems—hold dramatic implications for both the effectiveness and stability of deterrence. How might the United States prepare for the potential risks?

    Apr 14, 2022

  • A man looks at a street monitor showing a news report about North Korea's missile launch, in Tokyo, Japan, November 29, 2017

    Nuclear-Use Cases for Contemplating Crisis and Conflict on the Korean Peninsula

    What are some potential ways that nuclear weapons might be brandished or used in a Korea-originated crisis? An essay by alum Bruce Bennett (cohort '75) and Prof. Paul Davis sketches a number of cases involving conflict on the Korean peninsula. They offer insights on how and why nuclear war could occur, and the corresponding circumstances that must be avoided.

    Apr 5, 2022

  • A world map superimposed over people's raised hands, photo by Rawpixel/Getty Images

    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?

    Mar 24, 2022

  • Two women hugging in a group setting, photo by FatCamera/Getty Images

    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.

    Mar 10, 2022

  • Older man talking a receptionist at a medical office, photo by stockfour/Getty Images

    Do Financial Incentives Affect Medicare Use by Chronically Ill Individuals?

    Alum Sai Ma (cohort '02) and RAND colleagues found that individuals with chronic conditions respond to changes in copays, although these responses are small. Reductions in PCP copays lead to reduced use of some specialists, suggesting that lowering PCP copays could be an effective way to reduce the use of specialist care, a desirable outcome if specialists are overused.

    Mar 4, 2022

  • Teenage student getting help from her parent during remote school, photo by Imgorthand/Getty Images

    Educating Students with Disabilities: Lessons from the Pandemic

    Heather Gomez-Bendaña (cohort '19) and Lucas Greer ('20) analyzed a survey of U.S. educators that sheds light on the obstacles that teachers and principals faced—even before the pandemic. They found that the obstacles make supporting students with disabilities especially challenging in the COVID-19 era.

    Mar 3, 2022

  • Wind turbines surrounded by fog in Costa Rica, photo by OGphoto/Getty Images

    A Green Costa Rican COVID-19 Recovery

    Before COVID-19 hit, Costa Rica had been taking a leading role in addressing the effects of climate change by investing in decarbonization. Pardee RAND students, faculty, and alumni consider whether these same investments could also accelerate Costa Rica's pandemic economic recovery and help address historical inequities.

    Feb 24, 2022

  • Teacher helping student in classroom

    A Snapshot of Anti-Bias Education in U.S. K–12 Schools

    RAND Corporation researchers share data from a national teacher survey administered in spring 2021 concerning the extent to which public school teachers report addressing anti-bias education in their K-12 classrooms.

    Feb 23, 2022

  • Illustrated graph shows how Costa Rica could reach net-zero emissions by 2050 under its National Decarbonization Plan. Achieving net-zero emissions is estimated to create a net economic benefit of $40.9 billion, visualization by Gabrielle Mérite

    Visualizing Costa Rica's Carbon-Neutral Future

    The latest product of RAND Art + Data illustrates research findings by Pardee RAND alumni and students David Groves, James Syme, Edmundo Molina-Perez, and Carlos Calvo Hernandez, who analyzed the potential outcomes of Costa Rica's National Decarbonization Plan.

    Feb 23, 2022

  • Students hold signs inside the Kentucky Capitol Rotunda in opposition to bills Kentucky lawmakers say would eradicate critical race theory from state schools, January 12, 2022, photo by Alton Strupp/USA Today via Reuters

    Anti-Bias Education in U.S. Public Schools

    Teaching students explicitly about issues of identity, diversity, equity, and bias can lead to positive outcomes. Ashley Woo (cohort '18), Prof. Julia Kaufman, and RAND colleagues found that nearly three in four K–12 teachers reported that they provide such anti-bias instruction, but more than half said that their school's or district's curriculum materials did not adequately address anti-bias topics.

    Feb 22, 2022

  • An aerial view of Lake Hodges hydroelectric dam in Southern California. Photo by AutumnSkyPhotography / Getty Images

    Equity Metrics for Climate Adaptation in the Electricity Sector

    In 2020, the California Public Utilities Commission adopted a ruling that requires utilities to assess communities' vulnerability to climate impacts and evaluate how climate adaptation efforts can promote equity. Researchers developed a set of context-specific equity metrics that Southern California Edison could build on and incorporate into its ongoing work toward climate adaptation.

    Feb 17, 2022

  • A parent of two students works as a substitute teacher at the Austin Jewish Academy as the spread of the Omicron variant leads to teacher shortages in Austin, Texas, January 20, 2022, photo by Callaghan O'Hare/Reuters

    School Staffing Challenges in the Pandemic's Third Year

    As of fall 2021, school staff shortages were most acute for substitutes, bus drivers, special education teachers, and paraprofessionals, Melissa Diliberti (cohort '19) finds, based on an analysis of American School District Panel survey data. The turnover of superintendents was normal but half of them said that they might leave in the next few years or were unsure of how long they would stay.

    Feb 15, 2022

  • Woman talking with her doctor, photo by FatCamera/Getty Images

    Carve-In Models for Specialty Behavioral Health Services: Lessons for California

    Many states separate, or "carve out," Medicaid financing of behavioral health services from that for other types of health care, but there has been a recent trend in some states toward "carve-ins": combining financing for behavioral health services with the larger pool of Medicaid-covered services. Jonah Kushner (cohort '20) and Prof. Marcela Horvitz-Lennon examine the experiences of other states with carve-in financing to inform California's consideration of this type of funding.

    Feb 11, 2022