RAND

A new RAND report out this week grapples with a fundamental question that will shape the world in the coming decades: What is the scope and nature of the U.S.-China competition?

bit.lyWinning the Undersea Knife FightA potential battle is brewing under the sea's surface. Critical energy and telecommunications infrastructure is at risk from sabotage and deception, as adversarial and opportunistic geopolitical strat...

Telecommunication networks. Power cables. Pipelines. Nations are more reliant than ever on undersea infrastructure—but these assets are largely unprotected from attacks.

bit.lyA Better Way to Use Criminal Records in HiringEmployers want to know whether an applicant is likely to commit another crime, possibly on the job. But the screening rules many of them use are often about as accurate as a coin toss, in part because...

Employers want to know whether a job applicant with a previous conviction is likely to commit another crime. But the background screening rules many of them use are often about as accurate as a coin toss.

bit.lyWhy Quick Compensation Hasn't Replaced Eaton Fire Lawsuits—So FarA review of Southern California Edison's direct-payment program finds that it has paid claimants much faster, but it hasn't become a broad substitute for lawsuits.

"Even though the Wildfire Recovery Compensation Program so far falls short of replacing lawsuits entirely, it shows that a faster, cheaper alternative is possible."

bit.lyThe RAND School of Public PolicyThe RAND School has specialized in graduate-level policy education since its founding in 1970. Offering both master's and doctoral degrees in policy analysis, it is the only graduate program in the na...

Learn policy analysis from RAND experts at the RAND School of Public Policy. Dive into hands-on policy research and discover how to turn big ideas into real action. Admissions are now open for fall 2027. Learn more and apply. ⤵️

bit.lyDifficulty Supporting Student Mental Health Strains Teacher Well-BeingSchools often lack adequate access to mental health professionals and teachers have stepped into the gap. They check in on students, build social and emotional skills, and connect families to services...

New report: Teachers spend eight hours a week supporting student well-being.

bit.lyHow the U.S. and China Stack Up in Technology DiffusionThe U.S.-China tech competition will shape the future balance of economic and geopolitical power. The critical question is not only which country leads in innovation, but which can more effectively sp...

How effective is the U.S. at spreading technological advances throughout its economy? How effective is China? New report explores:

rand.orgWinning the Undersea Knife FightA potential battle is brewing under the sea's surface. Critical energy and telecommunications infrastructure is at risk from sabotage and deception, as adversarial and opportunistic geopolitical strat...

What will it take to win the "undersea knife fight"? This new report offers a deterrence framework to shape subsea dilemmas into competitive maritime security strategies: https://bit.ly/3TMbjkv

bit.lyWhich Factors Produce Advantage in the U.S.-China Contest for Digital Networks?Digital infrastructure—fiber-optic cables, 5G networks, and AI systems—is central to the U.S.-China rivalry. China holds structural advantages, but the United States retains meaningful strengths.

Cost, bundled ecosystems, and on-the-ground presence give China structural advantages in the global digital network competition—but the U.S. can still catch up.

bit.lyBiosecurity in the Age of AI: Q&A with Steph GuerraThe question that drives Steph Guerra's work at RAND may be one of the most consequential for this moment in the AI era: How can we harness the full potential of AI for science and medicine—but also e...

How can humanity harness the full potential of AI for science and medicine—but also ensure it never helps anyone build a biological weapon? New Q&A with RAND's Steph Guerra:

When considering the competition between the U.S. and China, the key question is not only which country leads in innovation, but which can more effectively spread technological advances throughout its economy.

bit.lySchools, Cell Phones, and AI: Q&A with Melissa Kay DilibertiMelissa Kay Diliberti, an associate policy researcher at RAND, discusses recent findings from RAND that can help parents and policymakers better understand what challenges schools are up against.

RAND's Melissa Kay Diliberti discusses recent findings that can help parents and policymakers better understand the challenges facing schools.

bit.lyThe Scope and Nature of the U.S.-China CompetitionThe U.S.-China relationship is competitive but also interdependent, with shared interests and a need for cooperation. The United States can protect its interests and gain leverage against China withou...

How might the U.S. devise a strategy to counter China and gain strategic leverage? Our new report offers some recommendations:

What does an effective biosecurity strategy look like? RAND's Steph Guerra explains in this new Q&A:

bit.lyWhich Policies Could Increase U.S. Access to Critical Minerals?China dominates global critical mineral supply and uses export restrictions, while U.S. mining and refining capacity have declined. This has prompted new policy tools to secure minerals, but which are...

This new report examines the relative strengths and weaknesses of several U.S. policy tools aimed at securing the domestic supply of critical minerals:

nytimes.comOpinion | This Is How to End Israel’s Isolation (Gift Article)Many Israelis are hopeful that a new government would ease the growing distance between their country and the rest of the world.

"New leadership could ease Israel's isolation temporarily. But will a deeper shift be possible?" RAND's Shira Efron discusses: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/10/09/opinion/israel-elections-palestinians.html?unlocked_article_code=1.HVE.kqYf.qc3MGY8Zrpc1&smid=url-share

What do we know about how students are using AI? How effective are schools' cell phone policies? And what do schools need to navigate these and other challenges?

rand.orgA U.S. Strategy to Prevent the Creation of Mirror LifeMirror life is a hypothetical life form that could pose global catastrophic risks. There are steps the United States can take to prevent its creation before the window for meaningful action closes.

What is mirror life? How could it pose catastrophic risk? And what might be done to prevent its creation? This new research brief explains: https://bit.ly/3V6BjHw

phys.orgNew research shows steep and continuing decline in prison population in the USThe U.S. prison population is declining at an accelerating rate, and prison admission rates are predicted to fall an additional 50% within the next two decades, according to new research from Universi...

"I study crime, so I rarely get to deliver good news. This is good news. The generation that filled our prisons is aging out, and the generation behind it is not replacing them." https://phys.org/news/2026-09-steep-decline-prison-population.html

jamanetwork.comWhen Children Turn to AI ChatbotsThis Medical News article discusses how children are using artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots for emotional support and the challenges of developing evidence and mental health safeguards quickly en...

More than 1 in 5 children report using AI for emotional support. Is this good news or bad? RAND's Ryan McBain discusses: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2854950

bit.lyPreserving Jobs and Tax Revenue in the Age of AI: Q&A with Carter PriceCarter Price, a mathematician at RAND and co-director of the RAND Von Furstenberg Family Budget Model Initiative, discusses ways to rebalance the tax code so that it doesn't incentivize employers to r...

RAND's Carter Price has an idea for how to give workers an edge in the age of AI:

bit.lyRAND Appoints Amanda Hsiao as Distinguished Hu Chair in Taiwan PolicyAs Distinguished Hu Chair in Taiwan Policy, Amanda Hsiao will strengthen RAND's research on Taiwan's evolving politics, capacity, and strategic outlook, as well as its interactions with rapidly changi...

We've appointed Amanda Hsiao as Distinguished Hu Chair in Taiwan Policy. She will strengthen our research on Taiwan's evolving politics, capacity, and strategic outlook, as well as its interactions with rapidly changing regional and global dynamics.

bit.lyHow Do Veterans Fare in the Civilian Labor Market?In a sample of people consistently employed for eight years after entering the labor market, post-9/11 veterans experienced faster earnings growth than comparable non-veterans. These gains were consis...

New research compares veterans' and non-veterans' earnings outcomes over time:

rand.orgHow Insurers Are Responding to AI RisksA mismatch exists between rapid enterprise adoption of AI and the fragmented market for insuring AI-related losses. Insurers are responding unevenly—through exclusions, endorsements, affirmative cover...

AI-related harms are already creating demand for insurance. But they don't fit neatly within existing insurance lines. This new report assesses how insurers are responding—whether through exclusions, endorsements, affirmative coverage, or silence: https://bit.ly/3TcEflj

rand.orgAGI Rideout: Managing Risk on the Road to Advanced AIRAND's David Frelinger and Karl Mueller propose an “AGI Rideout” strategy to help prevent conflict, build resilience, and navigate the potential risks on a path toward artificial general intelligence.

What is a rideout strategy? And how might the U.S. use this approach on the road toward artificial general intelligence? Find out in a new episode of Policy Minded. ⤵

"Where the current tax code sometimes disincentivizes keeping human workers, our proposed change would flip the script."

The U.S. has launched a wide-ranging industrial policy effort to secure the domestic supply of critical minerals. But which policy tools work? And what are their trade-offs?

rand.orgPatterns of Disconnection Among America's YouthMany 18- to 22-year-olds go through periods when they’re not in school, training, or work. How long do these stretches of disconnection last—and what do they mean for young people’s well-being?

RAND researchers used survey data from the American Youth Panel to trace patterns of "disconnection" among 18- to 22-year-olds. Here's what they found. ⤵

news.bloombergtax.comCritical Minerals Refining Gap to Test Deep-Sea Mining AmbitionsAs federal authorities work to issue permits for mining in and beyond US waters, industry officials are making plans to build infrastructure the country lacks to process what’s recovered from the ocea...

"A big part of any new mineral source, particularly seabed mining, is processing… All the mining in the world is not going to help us if you don't have processing capacity." https://news.bloombergtax.com/health-law-and-business/critical-minerals-refining-gap-to-test-deep-sea-mining-ambitions

A new RAND report out this week grapples with a fundamental question that will shape the world in the coming decades: What is the scope and nature of the U.S.-China competition?

The most plausible end state, the authors write, "is to create the conditions that encourage and require China to constrain its ambitions and aggressiveness—to become not a friend or ally but a great power more capable of controlled coexistence."

Read the report ⬇️

A new RAND report out this week grapples with a fundamental question that will shape the world in the coming decades: What is the scope and nature of the U.S.-China competition?

Washington should also seek to strengthen its existing global power alignments, which remain a huge advantage. And focusing more on homeland resilience issues could put the U.S. on better footing, whether in peacetime or war.

In its competition with China, the U.S. must preserve its vital interests without blowing up the relationship.

A new RAND report out this week grapples with a fundamental question that will shape the world in the coming decades: What is the scope and nature of the U.S.-China competition?

They also warn that, despite limits to China's rise, Beijing is approaching this contest through a comprehensive campaign, within and across many elements of national power. Meanwhile, the U.S. has yet to fully embrace the scope of the contest or invest sufficiently in critical tools of statecraft.

This has many implications for U.S. strategy. For example, the contest for influence in global digital, AI, and energy networks must be an important focus of strategic investments.

A new RAND report out this week grapples with a fundamental question that will shape the world in the coming decades: What is the scope and nature of the U.S.-China competition?

The report identifies seven areas of power and influence that provide a useful framework for understanding the competition. Science and technology and domestic economics stand out as the two most critical areas.

The authors also note that this is a contest to prove which country's system best provides for its own people during a time of turbulence and instability.

A new RAND report out this week grapples with a fundamental question that will shape the world in the coming decades: What is the scope and nature of the U.S.-China competition?

China is indeed a formidable U.S. competitor, but it is not poised to dominate world politics. "The competition is clearly something other than a classic power transition," the authors write. "China is rising relative to the U.S. but not in a straight-line trajectory."

bit.lyNetanyahu May Have Ignored a Dire Warning. Israel Ignores the Deeper Threat.Israel's strategy in Gaza is only keeping Hamas in power—deterred, but not replaced, with no real alternative given a chance. A different outcome calls for a different approach.

"A future Israeli government that wants a different outcome will have to act like it. This means setting a political horizon instead of managing the conflict incident by incident, taking initiative on the Trump plan and disarmament roadmap."

How do veterans fare in the civilian labor market? New report: https://bit.ly/3T1MO2k

rand.orgWho Benefits from Education Savings Accounts? Q&A with Susha RoyTens of thousands of American families use state-funded education savings accounts for their children's education. How exactly do these accounts work? Who benefits from them? And how do they affect ed...

As education savings accounts become more common, it's crucial to collect data on how students with these accounts perform, says RAND's Susha Roy. "Without that, we just won't know for sure whether the money states spend on education savings accounts benefits children."

New paper: It is common for young people to experience long spells of disconnection—periods when they're not engaged in school, training, or work.

bit.lyThe Recent Rise of Women Gun OwnersIn recent years, women made up almost half of all new gun owners, a striking shift from the historical norm, when women accounted for about a quarter of them. And the uptick is widespread across geogr...

Between 2020 and 2022, more than 7.5 million people bought their first gun. An unprecedented number were women. RAND's Rosanna Smart and Andrew Morral discuss.

rand.orgForecasting the Next Steps in Ukraine's Military EvolutionUkraine’s military has changed substantially since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022. Will its next evolution be shaped by traditionalists or technologists?

As Ukraine faces ongoing Russian assaults, its military faces fundamental questions about how it will evolve.

bit.lyWho Benefits from Education Savings Accounts? Q&A with Susha RoyTens of thousands of American families use state-funded education savings accounts for their children's education. How exactly do these accounts work? Who benefits from them? And how do they affect ed...

How do education savings accounts work? Who benefits? And how do they affect education funding more broadly? RAND's Susha Roy breaks it down in a new Q&A:

"Fixating on the few days before Oct. 7 obscures a deeper flaw: The Israeli mindset, the strategic conception, remains largely unchanged. It is conflict management."

bit.lyGetting a Security Clearance Doesn't Have to Be So Intimidating: Q&A with Sina BeaghleyThe security clearance process can be difficult and time-consuming but the government has made big strides in improving it. Sina Beaghley, a senior international and defense researcher at RAND, has pr...

"People think that things like student debt or foreign travel will disqualify them from getting a job that requires a federal clearance. But the reality is that there are very few issues that automatically disqualify someone."

21 Sept

RAND's Sina Beaghley has provided much of the research underpinning government efforts to improve the security clearance process. What's her advice for someone considering a job that requires vetting? New Q&A:

rand.orgWhat the Record Shows on Corporate Veteran SupportWhat do publicly available data reveal about corporate support for veterans, including messaging about veterans, foundation giving to veteran causes, and federal contractors’ hiring of protected veter...

20 Sept

Many of America's largest companies publicly commit to supporting veterans, but available data often cannot show whether those efforts translate into lasting career outcomes. https://bit.ly/4gVPark