May 2021

blog

Reopening the U.S. Economy, Geoengineering, 5G: RAND Weekly Recap

This weekly recap focuses on the potential effects of reopening the economy before the White House's vaccination goal is met, students' learning experiences during the pandemic, competition in the 5G era, and more.

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A Memorial Day Like No Other

Although Memorial Day is and should be dedicated to our fallen military personnel and veterans, this year, especially, we are reminded that service to the country comes in many forms.

Rajeev Ramchand @RRamchand, Carrie M. Farmer @carriefarmer

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Culture, Performance, and Assessment in Research

The unwritten, and often unsaid, concern in the debate about research culture in the UK is an apparent trade-off between excellence in research and a healthy research culture. But the evidence shows that this is a false dichotomy.

Susan Guthrie, Jonathan Grant

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Biden's Proposed New Health Agency Would Emphasize Innovation. Here's How It Might Work

President Biden has proposed a new health agency modeled on DARPA to work on groundbreaking research. This agency could pursue the kind of high-risk research that can lead to high-reward results and help get more medical treatments to market sooner.

Luke Muggy, Catherine C. Cohen, et al.

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Progress on Infrastructure, but the Devil May Be in the Details

Negotiations are underway between the White House and Congress about the scope of investment in infrastructure and how to pay for it. But reaching a compromise on spending may not be enough to ensure that the spending will produce results as intended.

Debra Knopman, Benjamin M. Miller

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Will the United States Declare Freedom from COVID-19 Too Soon?

RAND analyzed what could happen with COVID-19 deaths in the United States if restrictions all go away on July 4. Fully reopening the economy before Biden's vaccination target was met doubled the average number of COVID-19 deaths between Independence Day and the end of the year.

Lawrence Baker, Pedro Nascimento de Lima @PedroNdeLima, et al.

blog

Vaccine Hesitancy, Working from Home, Arctic Diplomacy: RAND Weekly Recap

This weekly recap focuses on vaccine hesitancy as a symptom of ‘Truth Decay,’ how to make remote work beneficial for all, U.S. Arctic diplomacy, and more.

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India's Brittle Confidence in America

Democracies are supposed to get along. But that has not always been the case for the United States and India. From New Delhi's perspective, there are significant irritants in U.S.-India ties. Any of these could derail an otherwise positive relationship.

Derek Grossman @DerekJGrossman

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Sanctions Targeting Russia's Defense Sector: Will They Influence Its Behavior?

In response to recent Russian cyber espionage, interference in U.S. elections, and the poisoning of opposition leader Alexei Navalny, President Biden announced a new round of sanctions and expulsions of Russian officials. But will these sanctions hurt Russia's defense industry enough to curb the Kremlin's behavior?

John V. Parachini @JohnParachini, Ryan Bauer

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The Link Between Extremism and Military Functioning

U.S. Department of Defense policy prohibits service members from actively participating in extremist activities. Broadening the policy to include passive forms of participation could introduce two challenges.

Marek N. Posard @mnposard, William Marcellino, et al.

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Blinken's Arctic Opportunities

Continued positive U.S. engagement in the Arctic Council could be important for balancing the influence of Russia and China, and in moving toward the Biden administration's climate change goals. Washington's new priority on climate change could be an issue that will now bind, rather than divide, Arctic states.

Abbie Tingstad, Stephanie Pezard @StephaniePezard

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Is DarkSide Really Sorry? Is It Even DarkSide?

The U.S. military relies heavily on commercial energy assets, making the implications of events like the Colonial Pipeline outage more serious than just higher prices at the gas pump. The origins and severity of an attack dictate what the United States might do in response.

Anu Narayanan, Jonathan W. Welburn @jwwelburn

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The Biden Administration's Chance to Improve SNAP and Nutrition Support

If policymakers were to make permanent the relaxed rules forced by the COVID-19 pandemic, it could be a start to increased racial equity in SNAP. Given broad public support for SNAP, making benefits easier to access, particularly for those already eligible, could be a bipartisan priority.

Sameer M. Siddiqi

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Micromobility: How Will We Know When It's Working?

Micromobility was positioned as a solution for every urban problem from traffic congestion to air pollution to transit deserts and inequality. Is there a way to know if micromobility can fulfill these ambitious goals?

Liisa Ecola, Laura Fraade-Blanar

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It's Time to Drop 'Competition' in the National Defense Strategy

What should the U.S. Defense Department do during peacetime if the United States is not competing with China and Russia? Simply put, it should prepare to win the next war, while defeating any military aggression below the threshold of conflict.

Raphael S. Cohen