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Human Capital Investments

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Project
A 21st-Century Workforce Development System
Design studio Morcos Key created an animated illustration that envisions how America's workforce development system could be transformed to better support 21st-century workers, employers, and educators.
Sep 22, 2021
Report
Developing a Pipeline of Diverse Talent into the Public Sector
Public-sector agencies, schools, and community organizations could attract more diverse and talented workers by articulating leadership commitment to recruiting from underrepresented groups, communicating the benefits of public-sector careers, and improving awareness of jobs and internships.
Nov 16, 2021

Explore Human Capital Investments

Commentary
Immigrant Location Policies Can Be Done Right, but That Isn't Happening Right Now
Sudden influxes of migrants across the southwest U.S. border are not new, but they are also increasing. Immigration relocation policies are likely one of the best ways to address migrant surges if done in an organized, humane, and thoughtful way.
Jan 19, 2023
Commentary
The Value of Institutional Capacity Building Through Professional Military Education
Security cooperation rarely makes headlines. But it enhances the security of the United States and its allies and partners in an effective and cost-effective way, and may deserve more attention and support.
Apr 25, 2022
Journal Article
Optimal Allocation of Seats in the Presence of Peer Effects: Evidence from a Job Training Program
We model optimal treatment assignment in programs with a limited number of seats and study how the presence of peer effects impact the optimal allocation rule and us data from an RCT to show there are peer effects in the job training context.
Mar 29, 2022
Commentary
How to Manage a Ukrainian Refugee Crisis
A massive refugee or migration crisis resulting from Russia's invasion of Ukraine would have significant humanitarian, political, and economic implications for both the Ukrainians who flee and for the European nations they go to.
Feb 16, 2022
Commentary
Colombia's Trailblazing Model for Refugees
Colombia recently announced it will give temporary protection status to a million undocumented Venezuelan refugees, with permission to live and work in the country for 10 years. In doing so, it created a new model for managing its own refugee situation and perhaps others elsewhere.
Mar 26, 2021
Testimony
Reimagining the Workforce Development and Employment System
Rather than staying in one field with one skill set for an entire career, today's workers may need to reskill as labor markets evolve. How could an integrated system better support students, workers, and employers?
Jan 26, 2021
Commentary
A New Way to Manage the Growing Global Refugee Situation
As of 2020, a full 1 percent of humanity is living in displacement—as refugees, internally displaced persons, or asylum-seekers—because of conflict or persecution. The world's existing strategies for managing the displaced are no longer sufficient, but the next U.S. administration has an opportunity to lead the world in creating a new way forward.
Dec 17, 2020
Research Brief
How Can the United States Prepare a Workforce for Advanced Manufacturing Using Robotics?
As industrial robots become more advanced, there likely will be a shortage of technicians with the skills to work with, program, and repair them. This brief presents findings of RAND researchers' analysis of the state of training for these workers.
Jul 6, 2020
Report
An Analysis of Education and Training Programs in Advanced Manufacturing Using Robotics
As industrial robots become more advanced, there likely will be a shortage of human workers with the technical and nontechnical skills to work with, program, and repair these robots. RAND researchers assess the state of training for these workers.
Jul 6, 2020
Report
Improving 21st Century Skills in the U.S. Air Force
For a 21st century workforce, you need 21st century skills. The authors of this Perspective offer recommendations to the U.S. Air Force to use lessons learned in different sectors to develop a strategy for airmen to learn and use 21st century skills.
Dec 2, 2019
Report
Effectiveness of Screened, Demand-Driven Job Training Programs for Disadvantaged Workers: An Evaluation of the New Orleans Career Pathway Training
The authors of this report examine the implementation and effectiveness of a New Orleans job training program that helped lower-skilled, unemployed, and underemployed individuals train for and find skilled jobs in particular industries.
Oct 17, 2019
Research Brief
What Works for Job Training Programs for Disadvantaged Workers
Can workforce development programs resolve the mismatch between the talent available and the skills in demand? An evaluation of the New Orleans Career Pathways program offers insights that should be helpful to anyone striving to create or improve such programs.
Oct 17, 2019
Research Brief
The U.S. Workforce Development and Employment System Needs an Overhaul
Despite globalization, technology, and demographic changes, the U.S. approach to education, training, and workforce development still operates on a 20th-century model. Americans need a system that provides on-ramps for transitioning individuals to access opportunities while suitably matching workers and jobs.
Sep 19, 2019
Report
Reimagining the Workforce Development and Employment System for the 21st Century and Beyond
U.S. education, training, and workforce development have not significantly changed despite 21st-century needs. To address this, researchers developed a systems-level, blue-sky approach to rethinking system functions and features.
Sep 19, 2019
Commentary
Economic Burden or Opportunity? How Syrian Refugees Can Contribute to Local Economies
The influx of refugees escaping the war in Syria has placed an enormous economic burden on the countries that host them. Despite the challenges, host countries have an opportunity to capitalize on the presence of refugees to grow their own economies for the mutual benefit of all.
Mar 25, 2019
Report
Building Partner-Nation Capacity Through the Defense Education Enhancement Program
This document reviews the Defense Education Enhancement Program (DEEP) by defining the program, its functions, and why it is valuable to participating nations.
Dec 4, 2018
Announcement
$3 Million Gift from Leonard D. Schaeffer Supports RAND Corporation Employee Recognition Program
The RAND Corporation has received a $3 million gift from health care executive Leonard D. Schaeffer to help endow RAND's employee recognition awards. The top award, given annually to two individuals or employee groups, will be renamed the Leonard Schaeffer Medals in recognition of the gift.
Jan 16, 2018
Dissertation
Labor Market Outcomes of Youth and Women in Newly Industrialized and Developing Countries
This dissertation examines the effects of exogenous shocks and labor market policies on employment, wages, and human capital development of youth and women.
Dec 4, 2017

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Research conducted by

Researcher Spotlight

Lawrence M. Hanser

Senior Behavioral Scientist

Lawrence M. Hanser (he/him) is a senior behavioral scientist at the RAND Corporation. He previously served as associate director of the Manpower, Personnel, and Training Program within RAND Project AIR FORCE.
Evan D. Peet

Codirector, RAND Center for Causal Inference

Evan Peet (he/him/his) is codirector of the RAND Center for Causal Inference, an economist at the RAND Corporation, and a professor of policy analysis at the Pardee RAND Graduate School. His research focuses on health, human capital, labor, and environmental policy. His current research focuses…

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