From RAND Policy Currents <[email protected]>
Subject A Statement by Our President and CEO
Date June 4, 2020 7:34 PM
  Links have been removed from this email. Learn more in the FAQ.
  Links have been removed from this email. Learn more in the FAQ.
Policy Currents | The latest RAND updates
View in Browser: [link removed]


** RAND RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY ON THE ISSUES THAT MATTER MOST
------------------------------------------------------------
Jun 4, 2020


Statement by Michael D. Rich:

James Baldwin famously said, "Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced." It shouldn't require the deaths of innocent Black people to lay bare that our society has not yet faced up to the realities of systemic inequality and structural racism. It shouldn't require the civil unrest of the last week. It shouldn't require a once-in-a-century pandemic that disproportionately affects communities of color.

The consequences are self-evident. We see them in the data we collect and analyze, in the policies and interventions that never stand a chance when considered apart from the tangled web of biases that perpetuate poor outcomes.

Everyone must do more to eliminate racial inequities. At RAND, we will contribute by continuously strengthening our research and analysis on health, education, justice, security, and well-being. We must examine where these areas intersect, listen more to voices that are too often underrepresented, and integrate the historical and structural contexts in which policies have been developed and applied. Anything less would impede our mission to help improve public policy and decisionmaking.

Anything less would dishonor the legacies of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and so many others.

- Michael D. Rich, President and CEO
------------------------------------------------------------

Many Americans Are Having Trouble Paying Their Bills

One-third of American households have lost income since the coronavirus pandemic began, according to a new RAND survey. And during these difficult economic times, many are struggling to make ends meet. Our survey also found that about 30 percent of households are having trouble paying their bills. These problems are more highly concentrated among low-income households - even those whose income has remained stable are struggling - as well as Black and Hispanic households.

Read more: [link removed]


The Unemployment System Has Weathered the Storm

Since March 15, more than 38 million American workers have applied for unemployment insurance. This has been the biggest stress test of the U.S. unemployment system since it was created after the Great Depression. How has the system performed? According to RAND experts, there have been challenges - including delays and unprocessed claims - but the program is nonetheless delivering timely, targeted cash benefits to laid-off workers. And the foundations of this important safety net appear to be holding solid.

Read more: [link removed]


America's Growing Wealth Gap
The effects of COVID-19 will reinforce growing inequality in the United States, says RAND's Shanthi Nataraj. First, low-income workers are more likely to have lost their jobs in the pandemic - and less likely to have savings to fall back on. Second, since higher-earning Americans are more likely to own stocks, the widening gulf between a rebounding stock market and faltering business performance will only widen the wealth gap. That's why it will be important to invest in retraining workers and helping business owners rebuild after the crisis, Nataraj says.

Read more: [link removed]


COVID-19: A Crisis of Disinformation

In the first installment of RAND Remote, our COVID-19 briefing series, researchers Jennifer Kavanagh and Todd Helmus answered questions about disinformation during the pandemic. They discussed why disinformation is so prevalent right now, how people can navigate a challenging information environment, and how China, Russia, and Iran are spreading inaccurate information. Kavanagh and Helmus also described RAND's research initiative aimed at countering Truth Decay, the diminished role of facts and analysis in American public life.

Watch the video: [link removed]


Can Telehealth Help Patients With Opioid use Disorder?

More than two million people in the United States need treatment for opioid use disorder. And while an increasing number of individuals are getting treatment, less than 20 percent receive prescriptions for effective medications such as buprenorphine. Barriers to receiving buprenorphine include inadequate supply, a lack of clinicians who can provide it, and stigma related to drug use. A new RAND study finds that telehealth could help overcome these challenges. In the midst of the pandemic, this approach may become even more important.

Read more: [link removed]


** TRENDING REPORTS
------------------------------------------------------------
COVID-19 and the State of K–12 Schools
[link removed]

Effects of a Public Option on Health Insurance Costs and Coverage [link removed]


** RAND IN THE NEWS
------------------------------------------------------------
China's Defense Budget Shows Xi's Priorities as Economy Tightens
CNN
[link removed]


White House Addresses Trump Pledge to Designate Antifa a Terrorist Group
U.S. News & World Report
[link removed]


LA Hair Salons, Restaurants Reopen. But Federal Program Keeping Workers on Staff Expires Soon
KCRW Santa Monica
[link removed]


** SUBSCRIBE TO THE POLICY CURRENTS PODCAST
------------------------------------------------------------

You already get the latest insights from RAND in your inbox. Why not your earbuds?

Policy Currents is available as a weekly podcast. Five minutes, every Friday.

Subscribe now: [link removed]


** FOLLOW RAND
------------------------------------------------------------
The RAND Corporation is a nonprofit institution that helps improve policy and decisionmaking through research and analysis.

[link removed]

Twitter
[link removed]

Facebook
[link removed]

LinkedIn
[link removed]

Instagram
[link removed]


Privacy statement
[link removed]

Unsubscribe
[link removed]

Manage your subscriptions
[link removed]


RAND Corporation
1776 Main Street
Santa Monica, CA 90401-3208

RAND is a registered trademark.
Screenshot of the email generated on import

Message Analysis