Policy Currents | The newsletter for policy people
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** Dec. 7, 2023
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Rise in Child Suicides Is Linked the Opioid Crisis
Child suicide rates in the United States had been declining for decades. But from 2011 to 2018, suicide rates among children ages 10 to 17 began rising at an unprecedented level. A new RAND study finds that this increase was fueled in part by the nation's opioid crisis.
What explains this? In 2010, OxyContin was reformulated to make it harder to crush the pills to inject or snort. This change caused people who misused opioids to seek other sources of drugs, leading to a large increase in the use of illicit opioids. In turn, this contributed to worsening conditions for many children, including increased rates of neglect and altered living arrangements.
So, while the use of illicit opioids did not increase among children, it appears that kids were negatively impacted by the broader effects of America's ongoing opioid crisis. Unless more action is taken to address the opioid crisis, this problem may only worsen.
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Recent RAND research on addressing the opioids crisis: [link removed]
Building a Civil Reserve Space Program
The Civil Reserve Air Fleet program is a partnership between the U.S. government and the commercial airline industry. Its objective is to provide the Department of Defense with additional airlift capabilities during emergencies or wartime. Would a similar concept work to address urgent needs for U.S. capabilities in outer space? A new RAND paper examines the risks, benefits, and costs that the Pentagon should consider if it were to create a civil reserve space program.
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Demystifying China's Global Energy Interconnection
China has an ambitious plan to build a global power grid. The Global Energy Interconnection, or GEI, would connect remote renewable sources of energy to global power consumption centers. On paper, the proposal presents many benefits. But there are serious concerns about the implications of a GEI led by Beijing. For example, the Chinese government could leverage the GEI for sabotage or espionage purposes. A new RAND report explores such potential risks.
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** RAND Recommends
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- In an interview with CNN's Jake Tapper, RAND's Mark Schwartz, a retired U.S. Army lieutenant general, discussed civilian casualties in Gaza.
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- California recently passed a bill that will require its public schools to teach media literacy. RAND's Alice Huguet spoke to The Guardian about this policy change.
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- Historically, the supply of physicians has been too limited to meet Americans' medical needs. Researchers at RAND and the Association of American Medical Colleges developed a new model to better understand physician workforce dynamics and address imbalances.
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**Events
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China's AI Exports: Implications for Africa and Asia
Tuesday, December 12, 2023 (Online)
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China, Taiwan, and the United States: The Coming War?
Wednesday, December 13, 2023 (Online)
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