Policy Currents | The newsletter for policy people
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** July 1, 2025
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Will China's Industrial Policy Help It Win the AI Race?
China wants to become the global leader in AI by 2030. What is Beijing doing to achieve this goal? Will its policies work? And what are the implications for Washington?
A new RAND paper tackles these questions, exploring China's industrial policy related to AI. The authors argue that, despite some waste and conflicting priorities, Beijing's multilayered strategy will help Chinese companies compete with U.S. AI firms and likely accelerate China's rapid progress.
China's state support can help in three critical areas: developing domestic AI chips and a "sanction-resistant" semiconductor supply chain, rapidly scaling energy production to meet demand for AI data centers, and addressing talent shortages.
Will these efforts allow China to achieve AI dominance? It's too soon to tell. But even if Chinese AI doesn't surpass Western offerings, it's likely to remain a "close competitor" because of China's vibrant mixture of private innovation and public support.
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Tracking Homelessness in Los Angeles
Since 2021, RAND researchers have been tracking how many people are experiencing homelessness in three Los Angeles neighborhoods: Hollywood, Skid Row, and Venice. New findings released today show that the number of unhoused residents across the study area dropped 15 percent from the previous year. However, people who "sleep rough"--without a tent, vehicle, or makeshift shelter--are now the most common type of unsheltered resident. "As more people live totally exposed to the elements," says coauthor Sarah Hunter, "their needs will rise."
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Decoding Dementia: What You Need to Know
There is no cure for Alzheimer's disease, which affects nearly 7 million Americans. And an estimated 12 million have mild cognitive impairment, which may be a sign of Alzheimer's or other dementias. What are the primary risk factors for dementia? Why don't more people get screened for cognitive impairment? And what treatment options are available to manage the symptoms? RAND's Peter Hudomiet and Jodi Liu tackle these questions and more in a new episode of the Policy Minded podcast.
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** This is our only newsletter this week ahead of the Fourth of July holiday on Friday. Policy Currents will be back in your inbox on Tuesday, July 8.**
** RAND Recommends
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- What are "sleep deserts"? A new study by researchers at RAND and the University of Pittsburgh explores how socioeconomic factors make restorative sleep harder to achieve, particularly in underserved communities.
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- Late last year, Ottawa announced a policy focused on enhancing Canadian sovereignty in the Arctic. RAND's Benjamin Sacks explains what it might take to achieve that goal.
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** Events
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Policy Lab: Restoring U.S. and Allied Military Power and Influence
Thursday July 31, 2025 (Online)
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