As 2023 draws to a close, you may be taking time to reflect on the past year. In a wide-ranging essay published today, our president and CEO Jason Matheny is doing the same.

Like many of us, Matheny “feels the weight of the world's problems.” But he is also heartened by the optimistic urgency of RAND's work: “Where there are thoughtful people working tirelessly to find solutions,” he writes, “there is hope.”

Matheny recounts examples from the last 12 months that showcase some of the many ways RAND is tackling the world’s most urgent and complex issues—from reckoning with the Israel-Hamas war, to seizing opportunities and addressing challenges posed by AI, to identifying ways to better prepare for the effects of climate change.

“Not only can evidence steer society toward changes that improve people's lives in the here and now,” Matheny says, “but the future can be bright if humanity rises to the occasion with rigor and reason.”