Focus on the U.S. Gulf States pdf

For More InformationVisit RAND at www.rand.org Explore the RAND Gulf States Policy Institute View document details Support RAND Browse Reports & Bookstore Make a charitable contribution

For More Information

Visit RAND at www.rand.org Explore the RAND Gulf States Policy Institute View document details

Support RAND Browse Reports & Bookstore Make a charitable contribution

Limited Electronic Distribution Rights

This document and trademark(s) contained herein are protected by law as indicated in a notice appearing later in this work This electronic representation of RAND intellectual property is provided for non-commercial use only Unauthorized posting of RAND electronic documents to a non-RAND website is prohibited RAND electronic documents are protected under copyright law Permission is required from RAND to reproduce, or reuse in another form, any of our research documents for commercial use For information on reprint and linking permissions, please see RAND Permissions.

Skip all front matter: Jump to Page 1 6

The RAND Corporation is a nonprofit institution that helps improve policy and decisionmaking through research and analysis.

This electronic document was made available from www.rand.org as a public service

of the RAND Corporation.

CHILDREN AND FAMILIES

EDUCATION AND THE ARTS

ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENT

HEALTH AND HEALTH CARE

INFRASTRUCTURE AND

TRANSPORTATION

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

LAW AND BUSINESS

NATIONAL SECURITY

POPULATION AND AGING

PUBLIC SAFETY

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

TERRORISM AND

HOMELAND SECURITY

This product is part of the RAND Corporation corporate publication series Corporate publications describe or promote RAND divisions and programs, summarize research results, or announce upcoming events

Committed to the Region and the Well-Being of Its Residents

www.rand.org | www.rand.org/gulf-states

Focus on the U.S Gulf States

he RAND Gulf States Policy Institute started in 2005 after Hurricane Katrina to inform policies for long-term recovery and economic development in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama In the months following the storm, the RAND Corporation contributed its services and tackled issues such as housing and health care as well as other needs of families affected by the storm Years later, we have offices in New Orleans and Jackson, Mississippi, and remain committed to the region for the long term

Expertise to Tackle the Big Challenges

RAND Gulf States harnesses the expertise of RAND’s

more than 1,200 researchers to inform a wide variety of

policy and technical subjects critical to the region These

include:

• coastal protection and disaster preparedness

• environment, energy, and transportation

• health and community resilience

• economic development

• education and workforce development

• safety and justice.

T

Objective Analysis Effective Solutions.

RAND is a nonprofit institution that helps improve policy and decisionmaking through research and analysis Our goal is to help planners and policymakers make informed choices and develop sound public policy based

on facts, data, and evidence As a nonpartisan organization, RAND is widely respected for operating independent of political and commercial pressures.

RAND Gulf States engages regional leaders and residents with practical, action-oriented research in the public interest Our products are available to the public online at no cost at www.rand.org/gulf-states

Headquarters Campus

1776 Main Street, P.O Box 2138

Santa Monica, CA 90407-2138

Coastal proteCtion and restoration. RAND Gulf

States played a key role in the development of Louisiana’s

2012 Coastal Master Plan by creating two models: a new

hurricane flood risk model to assess projects designed

to reduce flood damage and a planning framework and

decision support model to develop and compare different risk

reduction and restoration projects We continue to support the

implementation of the Master Plan through updated, novel

research methods

Community resilienCe. As the U.S East Coast recovers

from Superstorm Sandy and plans for the future, it can look to

the Gulf States and RAND expertise on resilience, which is the

ability to prepare for, respond to, and recover from natural and

man-made disasters We developed an emergency planning

toolkit that presents high-priority preparedness activities and

documents to help child-serving organizations customize their

emergency plans Also, researchers testified before Congress

on ways that governments can leverage the strengths of

nongovernmental organizations in disaster response and

improve ways that spending is managed

Housing and demograpHiCs. One of RAND Gulf States’

first projects was to describe the pre-hurricane housing

markets in Mississippi’s three coastal counties, the damage

they sustained, and what might inhibit recovery Other studies

have proposed goals for an effective U.S Gulf Coast residential

insurance market and changes to the National

Flood Insurance Program

HealtH. Three of the five American cities most affected by

new HIV and AIDS cases in recent years are located in the Gulf

States region, according to the latest data released by the

Washington, DC • Pittsburgh, PA • New Orleans, LA • Jackson, MS • Boston, MA • Doha, QA • Cambridge, UK • Brussels, BE

GULF STATES POLICY INSTITUTE

gary Cecchine

Director Email: cecchine@rand.org Phone: 504.299.3432

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention RAND researchers have examined attitudes, beliefs, and actions of several ethnic, religious, and socioeconomic populations with regard to HIV and AIDS These studies can help congressional, state, and local policymakers understand how to approach the challenges posed

by HIV/AIDS

mental HealtH. Events at Sandy Hook Elementary School highlight the risk of violence in the lives of our nation’s children RAND collaborated with a team of professionals to develop, implement, and evaluate a school-based intervention

to help children traumatized by violence, natural disasters, accidents, and traumatic losses The program, based on cognitive-behavioral therapy, was used successfully to help children who showed symptoms of post-traumatic stress after Hurricane Katrina

eduCation. After Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans replaced the city’s existing school system with a decentralized choice-based system of both charter and district-run schools An examination of principal, teacher, and parent surveys found many similarities between charter and traditional schools’

performance but greater satisfaction among charter school parents with their children’s schools, as well as more perceived choices

publiC safety. In one early project, RAND Gulf States worked with the New Orleans Police Department in its effort to recruit and retain officers that began after Hurricane Katrina, and

to improve recruitment, retention, and the skill mix of the force More recently, RAND Gulf States completed a study on the public health implications of former prisoners reentering society

Examples of How We Make a Difference

“rand gulf states is committed to working with

partners in the region to take on the gulf’s most

critical issues through objective analysis.”

gary Cecchine, Director