Blog posts from 2012

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Retired General Chiarelli Discusses Perceptions of Post-Traumatic Stress

Ret. Gen. Peter Chiarelli, who was Army vice chief of staff, discusses why he disagrees with the idea that the post-traumatic stress soldiers suffer is a disorder with RAND president and CEO Michael Rich at RAND's Politics Aside event.

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How to Fix Too-Big-to-Fail

At RAND's Politics Aside event, former FDIC Chair Sheila Bair, former U.S. pay czar Kenneth Feinberg, and M&T Bank CEO Robert Wilmers talk with Reuters' Rob Cox about the best ways to tackle the problematic too-big-to-fail doctrine.

commentary

Big Defense Cuts Are Coming, Regardless of the Fiscal Cliff

The prudent approach is to decide on a strategic direction that provides a framework for prioritizing which forces and equipment the United States should preserve and determining which can be trimmed or eliminated with limited risk to security, write Stuart Johnson and Irv Blickstein.

Stuart Johnson, Irv Blickstein

announcement

RAND Corporation Accepting Applications for Stanton Nuclear Security Fellowships

The RAND Corporation is accepting applications for up to three Stanton Nuclear Security Fellows. The application deadline is February 11, 2013.

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Counter Terrorism Through Diplomatic Goals

At RAND's Politics Aside event, former Saudi Intelligence chief Prince Turki Al Faisal, RAND senior political scientist Seth Jones, and others talk with Reuters columnist David Rohde about strategies for dealing with terrorism.

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Creating More Savvy Consumers Through Public Reporting

Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS) surveys are designed to capture patients' experiences in a systematic way that facilitates reporting the results publicly to help other consumers make more savvy care decisions. Consumer choices may influence providers to improve the care they offer so that they can effectively compete in the market.

Mary E. Vaiana

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Economic Battle Royale: Infrastructure Spending vs. Austerity

At RAND's Politics Aside event, Robert Hormats, undersecretary of state for economic growth, energy and environment, goes toe to toe with Nobel laureate Edmund Phelps on whether the government should spend on infrastructure to bolster the economy or cut spending.

commentary

Responding to Newtown

Art Kellermann reviews what is known from broad outlines of the Newtown attack and past research on gun violence to offer some preliminary thoughts to the Obama Administration's task force and the public.

Arthur L. Kellermann

commentary

Shifting the Burden of Mental Health Care: Helping Families

In our national conversation on mental health, we should remember the role of families when thinking about treatment and ensure that our policies open up opportunities to support parents, siblings and relatives, and enhance their capacity for care, writes Ramya Chari.

Ramya Chari

commentary

Wanted: Balance in Defense Cuts

Budget reductions must be applied in ways that pose the least risk to national security. We need to shrink force structure carefully, reduce or delay procurement of some weapons systems, streamline management and cut personnel costs, writes Harold Brown.

Harold Brown

commentary

Egypt's Constitutional Referendum Was an Opportunity Lost

The Egyptian process left no room for broad deliberation of the constitutional issues, or even for educating citizens about the text of the document on which they were asked to vote, writes Laurel Miller.

Laurel E. Miller

commentary

Silencing the Science on Gun Research

The United States has long relied on public health science to improve the safety, health, and lives of its citizens. Perhaps the same straightforward, problem-solving approach that worked well in other circumstances can help the nation meet the challenge of firearm violence, writes Arthur Kellermann.

Arthur L. Kellermann, Frederick P. Rivara

commentary

North Korean 'Satellite' May Fall from Sky, but That Won't Deter Kim Jong-Un

Kim Jong-Un's regime has placed outsized import on its missile launches—despite the risk of alienating the international community—to offset the lack of success across a wide range of topics, writes Bruce Bennett.

Bruce W. Bennett @bwbennett

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In Connecticut, Recovery and Healing Will Take Time

With an event like this, With an event like this, 'recovery' doesn't mean a return to normal, because lives have been permanently altered. Recovery can only mean finding a new normal, a new path forward. And schools, those places of safety and healthy development, can help with that process, by providing a structure and community to support healing, writes Lisa Jaycox.

Lisa H. Jaycox

announcement

Art Kellermann Elected to Institute of Medicine's Council of Governors

RAND congratulates Art Kellermann, M.D., Paul O'Neill–Alcoa Chair in Policy Analysis, on being named by his peers to serve on the Institute of Medicine's (IOM) Council of Governors.