Trade

  • Atrium Health Carolinas Medical Center, May 11, 2022, photo by Alex Slitz/TNS/ABACA via Reuters

    Testimony

    Health Care Consolidation

    Health care consolidation reduces competition and contributes to increased health care spending. It also has not yielded improvements in quality or health outcomes for patients. What is the current state of consolidation among U.S. health care providers, insurers, pharmacy benefit managers, and private equity firms?

    May 17, 2023

  • RAND Weekly Recap

    Blog

    Reflecting on the Pandemic, RAND Turns 75, Labor Trafficking: RAND Weekly Recap

    This weekly recap focuses on lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic, 75 years of influential RAND research, reducing labor trafficking in the United States, and more.

    May 12, 2023

  • Hands of a young girl using a sewing machine in a workshop, photo by Thanaphong Araveeporn/Getty Images

    Research Brief

    Labor Trafficking in the United States

    The U.S. Department of State has estimated that 14,500 to 17,500 people are trafficked into the United States each year to perform bonded or forced labor. The dimensions of this problem are growing, making it more challenging to study and address.

    May 9, 2023

  • A worker applies a skim coat of mortar to a wall (cover of RAND RR-A1681-1)

    Report

    Current and Future Research on Labor Trafficking in the United States

    Reducing the prevalence of human trafficking is a national priority. In this report, researchers recommend a research agenda for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to address labor trafficking policy and enforcement.

    May 9, 2023

  • Sacks of lithium carbonate at Albemarle Lithium production facility in Silver Peak, Nevada, October 6, 2022, photo by Carlos Barria/Reuters

    Commentary

    Do Car Companies Know Where Their Critical Minerals Come From?

    The initial slate of electric vehicles qualifying for a new federal tax credit was announced in April. Key to eligibility is the source of critical minerals used in their batteries. While the list of acceptable nations of origin is still being worked out, there's an important practical question the IRS should ask: Do carmakers really know where their critical minerals come from?

    Apr 28, 2023

  • Journal Article

    Journal Article

    Productivity Institute Programme: Evaluation Framework and Baseline Report

    This report sets out the findings of the first phase of an evaluation of the 2019 Productivity Institute Programme, comprising The Productivity Institute, the Programme on Innovation and Diffusion and the thematic investments.

    Apr 14, 2023

  • Potential U.S. Army recruits listen to a drill sergeant talk about barracks life and other aspects of undergoing Army basic training at Fort Benning, Georgia, October 26, 2019, photo by U.S. Army

    Commentary

    The Army Should Be Looking for a Few Older Soldiers

    Recruiting older people to enlist in the Army could help increase numbers, quality, and talent. Individuals who enlist over the age of 21 perform better as soldiers on several metrics. Recruiters have noted that older recruits are of higher quality, more focused, and more motivated.

    Apr 7, 2023

  • A rocket ship flying in front of the moon. Photo by Adobe Stock / NASA

    Report

    Assessing the Readiness for Human Commercial Spaceflight Safety Regulations

    What is the progress of the commercial space industry in adopting voluntary standards for participant safety, and towards meeting key metrics that would indicate readiness for regulation?

    Apr 3, 2023

  • One person on an Army uniform and one in plain clothes hold papers while standing in front of a table at a job fair. Other people in a mix of Army uniforms and plain clothes are also attending the job fair in the background.

    Report

    Veterans' Employment During Recessions

    Veterans and nonveterans have different employment support needs and are affected differently by recessions. Understanding these differences can help veterans, employers, policymakers, and veteran-serving organizations prepare for economic shocks and uncertainty.

    Mar 29, 2023

  • Periodical

    Periodical

    RAND Review: March-April 2023

    The cover story describes how K-12 schools can build trust with students to increase threat reporting and strengthen school safety. The Q&A with Ashley Woo explores how restrictions on race- and gender-related topics are affecting teachers.

    Mar 22, 2023

  • A customer is escorted into the Silicon Valley Bank headquarters in Santa Clara, California, March 13, 2023, photo by Brittany Hosea-Small/Reuters

    Commentary

    Financial Panic in the Age of Digital Banking and Social Media

    Bank runs as a source of systemic risk are nothing new. To manage systemic risks in the age of social media, regulators may need to anticipate where the crisis will go and build in automatic brakes to slow them down. There likely won't be time to react at the speed of negotiation between regulators and bankers.

    Mar 14, 2023

  • An employee walks past a part of Gazprom's Power Of Siberia gas pipeline at the Atamanskaya compressor station outside the far eastern town of Svobodny, in Amur region, Russia, November 29, 2019, photo by Maxim Shemetov/Reuters

    Commentary

    Consequences of the War in Ukraine: The Economic Fallout

    Before Russia invaded Ukraine, projections estimated global economic growth in 2022 would be around 5 percent. But the war in Ukraine contributed to slowed economic growth in 2022 and a slowed recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. What are the broader consequences for the global economy?

    Mar 7, 2023

  • COVID-19 viruses floating around an image of the world made up of icons of people, image by denisismagilov/Adobe Stock

    Report

    Quantifying the link between COVID-19, conflict risk, and the global economy

    Our research suggests that COVID-19 will significantly increase the risk of civil conflict in African countries. We estimate this effect will, in turn, have negative global repercussions via international trade losses.

    Mar 3, 2023

  • Woman with a mask and an apron sitting in a chair in a closed restaurant, photo by RainStar/Getty Images

    Journal Article

    The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Workers with a Criminal History

    In this article, we use data from the NLSY97 COVID-19 Supplement to examine the extent to which workers with a criminal history record had employment disruptions during the early months of the pandemic.

    Feb 14, 2023

  • U.S. President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken attend the ASEAN summit in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, November 12, 2022, photo by Cindy Liu/Reuters

    Commentary

    Biden's Southeast Asia Policy Improves in Second Year, but Still Much to Do

    In 2022, the Biden administration stepped up its game in Southeast Asia by showing up in person, clarifying its approach in key strategy documents, and boosting cooperation. But one obvious problem that remains is that it still has no real economic strategy to counter China in the region.

    Jan 10, 2023

  • News Release

    News Release

    Pittsburgh Science and Technology Sector Is Large, but Faces Challenges; Improvements Needed to Continue to Flourish

    The Pittsburgh region has a robust science and technology sector that is larger than the national average, but action is needed to safeguard the region's strengths and further its ability to compete with other technology hubs.

    Jan 9, 2023

  • Tool

    Tool

    Science and Technology-Focused Postsecondary Options in the Pittsburgh Area

    RAND researchers compiled a list of science- and technology-focused (STF) providers and programs in the Pittsburgh area. Potential students can filter the list to find out which types of degrees or certificates can be earned in which STF fields.

    Jan 9, 2023

  • Two scientists working in a laboratory, photo by poba/Getty Images

    Report

    Pittsburgh's Science- and Technology-Focused Workforce

    About 18 percent of Pittsburgh's employment is in science- and technology-focused occupations, and the growth rate suggests the need for more workers in the future. What investments and policy changes could safeguard the region's strengths and support it as a flourishing science and technology hub?

    Jan 9, 2023

  • Kathy Spencer sorts the dozens of pills she must take since contracting COVID-19 in November 2020, in Kensington, Connecticut, January 11, 2022, photo by Mark Mirko/TNS/ABACA via Reuters Connect

    Commentary

    Long COVID Is a Mass Disability. The Labor Market Is in Denial

    Forget the work-from-home revolution or quiet quitting: The COVID-19 pandemic's biggest impact on the U.S. labor market will be as a mass disability event. It's a shock that the economy is not well prepared to handle.

    Dec 7, 2022

  • A pedestrian passes a help wanted sign in the door of a hardware store in Cambridge, Massachusetts, July 8, 2022, photo by Brian Snyder/Reuters

    Commentary

    How COVID-19 Transformed the Jobs Market

    The COVID-19 pandemic initially devastated the U.S. economy. It also exposed and exacerbated existing inequities in society. But in as yet unpredictable ways, it may have accelerated profound changes in how labor works today.

    Dec 1, 2022

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