Policy Currents | The newsletter for policy people
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** May 15, 2025
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Introducing RAND's New Flagship Podcast, Policy Minded
Want to get even smarter about the policy issues that shape the world? Check out RAND's new podcast, Policy Minded. In each episode, we pick the brains of the world's top policy experts, bringing you conversations that go beyond the headlines and insights you can't find anywhere else.
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Managing AI's Economic Impacts
AI technologies pose great economic uncertainty. As leaders grapple with AI policy decisions, what strategies could promote economic growth while mitigating inequality?
In a new report, RAND's Tobias Sytsma tackles this question by modeling thousands of potential futures to understand the trade-offs between different automation policies.
The findings suggest that policymakers could consider what Sytsma calls an asymmetric approach to automation policy: strongly incentivizing AI policies that enhance existing automated processes while moderately constraining those that displace human labor.
"Even without knowing exactly how AI futures will evolve," Sytsma writes, "policymakers can make informed choices today about incentive structures that promote beneficial forms of automation."
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Why Is It So Expensive to Build Affordable Homes in California?
According to a recent RAND study, building apartments in California costs more than twice what it costs in Texas. Several factors contribute to this gap, says Jason Ward, who led the study. But the biggest driver of California building costs is time. Project approvals and construction timelines in California are significantly longer than in Texas. As California policymakers explore ways to address housing costs, tackling the length of construction projects will be key. In fact, says Ward, "the future of California may well hinge on it."
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How to “De-Risk” U.S. Drug Supply Chains
U.S. biopharmaceutical companies offshore an estimated 30 percent of FDA-approved drug workflows to Chinese contract development and manufacturing organizations. According to RAND experts, such deep interdependence poses medical and national security risks for the United States. That's why they recommend "strategically de-risking" U.S. drug supply chains. This would involve partnering with other nations to diversify key biopharmaceutical supply chains, rebuilding domestic manufacturing capabilities, and thoughtfully structuring existing U.S.-China collaboration.
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** RAND Recommends
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- U.S. Army recruits are trending older. There are benefits to this, says RAND's Beth Asch: "A lot of what happens in the military is very team-oriented, and maturity matters."
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- A new study conducted by researchers from RAND and the University of Southern California revealed that Americans' use of illicit opioids could be 20 times higher than previously estimated.
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- In an interview with the Kyiv Post, RAND's Michael Cecire explains the implications of growing China-Russia solidarity: "It suggests that Beijing is indeed serious about supporting and potentially sustaining Russia in its war against Ukraine and broader aggression in Europe."
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** Events
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The Future of Standardized Assessment
Wednesday, May 21, 2025 (Online)
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How Resilient Is China's Economy?
Wednesday, May 21, 2025 (Online)
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Policy Lab: Protecting Schools, Protecting Students
Thursday, May 22, 2025 (Online)
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Admissions Webinar: Master of National Security Faculty Panel
Thursday, May 29, 2025 (Online)
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