Policy Currents

Measuring America’s civic infrastructure; a potential explanation for the public debut of Kim Jong-un's daughter; India’s "ultra-realist foreign policy"; treating opioid use disorder in the early pandemic; and how to respond to Chinese economic coercion. For more information on this week’s episode, visit rand.org/podcast .

Understanding the racial wealth gap — and what might help close it; what prevents people of color from becoming and staying teachers; three keys to rebuilding Ukraine after the war; and China’s global basing ambitions. For more information on this week’s episode, visit rand.org/podcast .

What to watch for as the situation in China unfolds, the downsides of diplomacy with Russia, why intelligence work can be traumatizing and what to do about it, and managing expectations about the efficacy of the “mansion tax” in Los Angeles. For more information on this week’s episode, visit rand.org/podcast .

Dementia rates are on the decline in the United States; Ukraine’s Crimea conundrum; protecting personal data in a post-Roe world; preparing for a “tsunami of deepfakes”; and why schools need more data to support migrant students. For more information on this week’s episode, visit rand.org/podcast .

How to better support U.S. service members as they transition to the civilian workforce; new research on the link between military service and quality of life among Black Americans; and a unique veterans program run out of a bakery in Washington, D.C. For more information on this week’s episode, visit rand.org/podcast .

Preparing for future pandemics; planning now for a negotiated outcome in Ukraine; insights from Ukraine that relate to Taiwan; using statistics to improve military force planning; and the need for more data to help reduce law enforcement–related deaths. For more information on this week’s episode, visit rand.org/podcast .

The impact of racism on patient safety; the effects of overturning Roe v. Wade; trauma in the U.S. Intelligence Community; addressing homelessness in L.A.; and how space mirrors might help address the effects of climate change. For more information on this week’s episode, visit rand.org/podcast .

Why Russia’s recent gambits aren’t likely to pay off; the problem with giving in to Putin’s nuclear blackmail; support for Xi Jinping; whether machine-learning can tell if you’re lying; and how K-Pop might deter Kim Jong-un. For more information on this week’s episode, visit rand.org/podcast .

Why prices matter when it comes to cannabis policy; considering whether Putin might actually use nukes; the likelihood of reviving the Iran nuclear deal; how digital offshoring might affect the U.S. labor market; and military activities in space. For more information on this week’s episode, visit rand.org/podcast .

How public school teachers view civic and citizenship education; understanding Russia’s coercive signaling; what China is doing in the Arctic; why Twitter hasn’t gotten rid of bot accounts; and community engagement and police reform. For more information on this week’s episode, visit rand.org/podcast .

RAND experts’ reactions to Putin’s latest threatening rhetoric; how to reshape U.S. policy in the Middle East; COVID-19's effect on drug treatment program admissions; a better approach to dealing with disasters; and promoting diversity in America’s teacher workforce. For more information on this week’s episode, visit rand.org/podcast .

How overturning Roe v. Wade could affect national security; improving support for veteran women; the lasting effects of COVID-19; preparing for the next pandemic; and the tough choices facing Russian business leaders. For more information on this week’s episode, visit rand.org/podcast .

How teachers are doing; what it might take to get all kids vaccinated; why naloxone may be out of reach if you’re uninsured; telemedicine abortion services; and the benefits of diversity in the military. For more information on this week’s episode, visit rand.org/podcast .

An L.A. County program designed to break the cycle of jail and homelessness; Russia’s military continues to “muddle through” in Ukraine; the importance of educator morale; cybersecurity and U.S. elections; and what to consider as NATO prepares to add two new members. For more information on this week’s episode, visit rand.org/podcast .

What educators think about politicized topics in school; the case for cautious optimism in Ukraine; the implications of Russia’s declining profile in space; the intersection of racism and patient safety in health care; and protecting against attacks from quantum computers. For more information on this week’s episode, visit rand.org/podcast .

RAND president and CEO Jason Matheny wants to build a better future; how to address racial and ethnic bias in health care algorithms; crisis communications between the U.S. and China; how overturning Roe v. Wade could affect pregnant women with substance use disorder; and improving diversity, equity, and inclusion in the workplace. For more information on this week’s episode, visit rand.org/podcas...

Why it may be time to talk to Russia; what might lead Moscow to escalate the war in Ukraine; the compounding effects of racial bias; what economic research says about abortion; and why the Navy should stick with its mine-hunting dolphins. For more information on this week’s episode, visit rand.org/podcast .

America's uneven economic recovery from the pandemic; launching 988, the new mental health hotline; the disproportionate effects of an increase in firearm homicides; challenges facing U.S. schools; and why investing in women’s health research benefits everyone. For more information on this week’s episode, visit rand.org/podcast .

Personal firearm storage in the United States; why “replacement theory” is so dangerous; what it might take to achieve lasting peace in Ukraine; lessons from the 2017 battle for Raqqa; and the economic returns of foreign language learning. For more information on this week’s episode, visit rand.org/podcast .

The implications of a Post-Roe America; the threat of deepfakes; what determines a nation’s global standing; and the launch of a new mental health emergency hotline. For more information on this week’s episode, visit rand.org/podcast .

Countering the illegal flow of synthetic opioids; unblocking the Black Sea to free up Ukrainian grain; the link between poor sleep and dementia; mental health services in NYC; and defining the metaverse. For more information on this week’s episode, visit rand.org/podcast .

Teachers are stressed at a higher rate than other working adults; how states can play a role in preventing mass shootings; “don’t poke the bear” as a flawed model for U.S. strategy toward Russia; San Francisco’s open-air drug dealing problem and what to do about it; and countering violent nonstate actors. For more information on this week’s episode, visit rand.org/podcast .

Announcing our new president and CEO; Americans’ views on the U.S. Foreign Service; mapping online violent extremist rhetoric; America’s new mental health hotline; and transportation equity for older adults. For more information on this week’s episode, visit rand.org/podcast .

Which gun laws work—and which ones don’t; tracking extremism online; defending against mass attacks; insights from RAND experts on the war in Ukraine. For more information on this week’s episode, visit rand.org/podcast .

The Truth Decay phenomenon and how to stop it; what civilian technology professionals think about military applications of artificial intelligence; the link between school lunch nutrition standards and childhood obesity; why focusing so much on preventing escalation in Ukraine might be counterproductive; and a new approach to regulating space activity. For more information on this week’s episode,...