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** RAND RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY ON THE ISSUES THAT MATTER MOST
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Oct 17, 2019


Starting School Later Could Boost the Economy

A new California law will delay start times at most public middle and high schools until at least 8:00 a.m. and 8:30 a.m., respectively. The shift is designed to improve outcomes by helping students get more sleep.

According to a 2017 RAND study, later start times could also deliver significant economic gains. The authors estimate that such a change could boost California's economy by about $1.1 billion after two years and by more than $10 billion after 10 years. Starting the school day later across the country could contribute $83 billion to the U.S. economy within a decade.

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Can Streaming Apps Help Americans be More Active?

Physical inactivity is a mounting challenge for many Americans. In fact, most people report spending their daily leisure time watching screens, devoting only a small fraction - 24 minutes for men and 14 minutes for women - to physical activity. The explosion of streaming apps is likely contributing to this problem. But these same services that are keeping us glued to our devices could also be part of the solution, says RAND's Deborah Cohen.

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Brexit Deal Reached: What's Next?

Britain and the European Union reached a Brexit deal today, the first under Prime Minister Boris Johnson. On Saturday, the agreement will be voted on by Parliament, which rejected three proposals by Johnson's predecessor. If the deal is voted down, Johnson must ask the EU for an extension or secure Parliament's approval for a no-deal Brexit. RAND research shows that leaving the EU without a deal would result in the greatest losses, reducing Britain's GDP by about $140 billion over 10 years.

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How to Build a Resilient Transportation System

In a resilient transportation system, critical assets are not exposed to hazards. Or if they are, there is enough capacity to mitigate the negative effects. How can transportation planners better incorporate resilience into their decisionmaking, especially with disasters becoming more and more common? That's the topic of a new RAND report. The authors have developed a framework that defines resilience in this context and helps planners weigh options to bolster the entire transportation system.

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'Stop Calling Us Women Experts'

Last year, RAND held a national security conference in which every expert was a woman, inverting the all-too-common "manel," a panel that includes only men. But the event wasn't marketed as a "women's conference." Why? RAND's Caroline Baxter and Elizabeth Bodine-Baron explain that focusing on the sex of panelists prevents the national security community from valuing the voices of women as implicitly as it does those of men. "Women must be freed of the baggage of being women scholars and women policymakers," they say. "Just call us experts."

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Job Training for Disadvantaged Workers

Can workforce training programs resolve the mismatch between the talent available and the skills in demand? A new RAND report explores this question by analyzing a program in New Orleans that offers career training for low-income, lower-skilled residents. The program had several positive outcomes, including higher wage growth and job satisfaction for participants. However, it did not affect the duration of employment or arrest rates. The authors offer recommendations that should be of interest to anyone striving to create or improve workforce development programs.

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** TRENDING REPORTS
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The Emerging Risk of Virtual Societal Warfare
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Transboundary Environmental Stressors on India-Pakistan Relations
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** RAND IN THE NEWS
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U.S. Congress Mulls Arms Export Ban on Turkey for Incursion Into Syria
Military Times
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U.S. Should 'Test' Kim Jong Un
United Press International
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Trump Is Trying Hard To Thwart Obamacare. How's That Going?
All Things Considered, NPR
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