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RAND research and commentary on the issues that matter most
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Aug 13, 2020
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Photo by Lucy Nicholson/Reuters
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Los Angeles and its neighboring counties are among the areas hardest hit by the COVID-19 recession. In June, the unemployment rate in the Los Angeles–Long Beach–Anaheim metro area was 18.1 percent—the highest in the country. But for the poor and some racial and ethnic groups, the jobs picture is even worse, says RAND's Jason Ward. What accounts for these differences? For starters, the Los Angeles region had among the worst income inequality in the nation even before the pandemic began. Read more »
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Image by Andriy Onufriyenko/Getty Images
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Against the backdrop of a pandemic inflicting disproportionate pain on communities of color, and an overdue reckoning with America's long history of inequity and racism, RAND is launching its Center to Advance Racial Equity Policy. Anita Chandra, vice president of RAND's Social and Economic Well-Being research division, describes the need for this commitment: “We must examine where inequities intersect across systems and groups, represent voices that are too often left out…and integrate the structural contexts in which policies have [sometimes had] unintended consequences.”
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A nurse holding China's Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine at a hospital in Porto Alegre, Brazil, August 8, 2020. Photo by Diego Vara/Reuters
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China could be among the countries that first produces a successful vaccine for COVID-19. If this happens, there are important issues to consider, says RAND's Jennifer Bouey. First, although China is responsible for about 20 percent of global vaccine production, it mostly targets the domestic market. And for a vaccine to reach the global market, additional regulatory requirements must be met. Second, a “regulatory divide” means that a Chinese vaccine would be unlikely to come to the United States, the EU, or Japan.
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Servicemembers from all four military branches salute during the 50th Annual EOD Memorial Service, May 4, 2019. Photo by Samuel King Jr./U.S. Air Force
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How might U.S. military leadership change to better serve national security objectives? To help answer this question, a new RAND report analyzes the professional experiences and shared characteristics of general and flag officers in the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps. The findings revealed some commonalities. For example, promotion boards across all the services tend to select officers whose career experiences are comparable to their own. However, each service's approach to personnel management differs in some key ways.
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Photo by Monkey Business Images/Adobe Stock
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Despite ethical and sustainable eating trends, such as “Veganuary” and “Meat Free Monday,” most people in the UK still don't eat a healthy diet. A new RAND Europe study examines what's behind the food choices people make—and the policies used to help promote healthier habits. According to lead author Camilla d'Angelo, it's important to develop a policy approach that balances “soft” measures, such as awareness campaigns, with stronger policies, such as changes to the cost and content of food.
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Photo by Dado Ruvic/Reuters
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Last month's hijacking of dozens of high-profile Twitter accounts appears to have been achieved through an elaborate combination of social engineering and spear-phishing that targeted specific Twitter employees. According to RAND experts, such vulnerabilities at tech platforms can also threaten national security. But there are steps that social media companies can take to reduce the risk of insider threats, such as reconsidering broad staff access to data and compartmentalizing data access.
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