Methodological Innovation

Innovation at RAND starts at the very cornerstone of our research: our methodologies.

Collage representing researchers innovating.

Photo by julief514/Getty Images. Background art by Berya113/Getty Images.

For more than 70 years, RAND’s commitment to quality and objectivity has been a constant.

But our approaches to research—and the methodologies that ground them—are continually evolving to keep up with the rapidly changing world around us.

We believe that innovative research processes can unlock the full range of policy solutions to today’s most pressing challenges.

The Methods Centers

At RAND, we proactively maintain our innovative edge through our Methods Centers.

These centers represent our continued commitment to the type of methodological and analytical innovation the policy community needs.

And we make it happen with a multidisciplinary team of RAND researchers who understand that policy problems are best solved through the creative and careful application of the right research methods.

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Methodological Innovation in Action

Project
How Does Neighborhood Environment Impact Health Outcomes?
The PHRESH project examines how neighborhood characteristics—like access to fresh fruits, vegetables, and meats—could make residents more or less healthy.
Visualization
These Three Firearm Restrictions Could Help Reduce Gun Deaths in Your State
States that put into effect the most restrictive combination of three common gun policies—regulating the way people use, carry and store their firearms—could see a small but meaningful reduction of firearm deaths.
Essay
Reducing Disparities in Infant Mortality: Using Big Data to Help Babies at Risk
Black babies in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania—and across America—face much higher mortality rates than white babies. Researchers pulled together thousands of data points on more than 150,000 births to better predict who is at risk and how to help them.
Content
Bayesian Indirect Surname Geocoding (BISG)
Bayesian Improved Surname and Geocoding (BISG) is a methodology developed by the RAND Corporation that can help U.S. organizations produce accurate, cost-effective estimates of racial and ethnic disparities within datasets—and illuminate areas for improvement.

Ensuring that Government Use of Technology Serves the Public

Advancing Trustworthy Artificial Intelligence

Six Different Ways: Ukraine Lessons for Japanese Defense Planners

Teacher Well-Being, Russian PMCs, AI Conspiracy Theories: RAND Weekly Recap

Ukraine is running out of ammo. The West doesn’t have enough.

The Policy Currents Podcast

Helping Coastal Communities Plan for Climate Change

Managing Escalation in Crisis and War

Measuring Wellbeing to Help Communities Thrive

Assessing and Articulating the Wider Benefits of Research

Methodological Innovation

The Methods Centers

Center for Applied Network Analysis

Center for Causal Inference

Center for Gaming

Center for Qualitative and Mixed Methods

Center for Scalable Computing and Analysis

Methodological Innovation in Action

How Does Neighborhood Environment Impact Health Outcomes?

These Three Firearm Restrictions Could Help Reduce Gun Deaths in Your State

Reducing Disparities in Infant Mortality: Using Big Data to Help Babies at Risk

Bayesian Indirect Surname Geocoding (BISG)

Water Planning for the Uncertain Future

Two Innovative Tools to "Take the Pulse" of America's Educators

Hedgemony: A Game of Strategic Choices

A Wargame at RAND Puts Teen Girls in Command

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