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Social Equity

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Social equity is the fair and just management of all institutions serving the public, distribution of public services, and implementation of public policy; and the commitment to promote fairness, justice, and equity in policymaking. RAND research examines the compounding effects of racial bias; equity in schools, workplaces, the military, and the justice system; equity in disaster preparation, response, and recovery; equity in infrastructure planning; and equity in climate resilience.

Essay
What Would It Take to Close America's Black-White Wealth Gap?
White Americans hold ten times more total wealth than Black Americans, a disparity that has worsened in recent decades. RAND researchers modeled wealth across millions of households and tested several funding scenarios to see which could most effectively close the gap.
May 9, 2023
Commentary
How Florida's Expansion of 'Don't Say Gay' Law Will Hurt Students and Teachers Across the United States
Policies restricting discussion of LGBTQ+ issues and representation of LGBTQ+ individuals are likely to make schools less welcoming to America's estimated two million LGBTQ+ youth. Policymakers should develop policies that cultivate learning and work environments where all students and educators feel safe and valued.
May 13, 2023

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Explore Social Equity

Journal Article
Neighborhood Walkability, Neighborhood Social Health, and Self-Selection Among U.S. Adults
Neighborhood walkability may promote specific aspects of neighborhood social health, which together are beneficial for physical and mental health. These findings provide additional impetus for enhancing walkability of US communities.
Jun 22, 2023
Journal Article
Evaluation of the Alternative Provision Specialist Taskforces (APST): Evaluation Protocol and Statistical Analysis Plan
This report gives a detailed overview of the methods used in the evaluation of the Alternative Provision Specialist Taskforce (APST).
Jun 22, 2023
Journal Article
Trends in 2-1-1 Calls During Public Health Emergencies, Overall and By Gender: Hurricane Irma and COVID-19 in Broward County, Florida
The study examined how changes in 2-1-1 call volume after two public health emergencies in Broward County, Florida, varied by emergency type and whether variations differed by gender and over time.
Jun 22, 2023
Journal Article
Association Between Insurance Type and Fluoride Varnish Application During Well-Child Visits in Massachusetts
We compare rates of fluoride varnish (FV) applications during well-child visits for children covered by Medicaid and private medical insurance in Massachusetts.
Jun 22, 2023
Journal Article
Rural Disparities in the Quality of Clinical Care Are Notable and Larger for Males
This study extends evidence of pronounced rural-urban differences in clinical care. It shows that quality gaps in clinical care for rural MA enrollees are often larger for males than females.
Jun 22, 2023
Report
State of the American Teacher Survey: 2023 Technical Documentation and Survey Results
This technical report presents detail about the data, samples, and methodology for the 2023 State of the American Teacher survey and American Life Panel companion survey, including survey results.
Jun 21, 2023
Journal Article
Couples' Diminished Social and Financial Capital Exacerbate the Association Between Maladaptive Attributions and Relationship Satisfaction
A study of the social networks of 462 ethnically diverse newlywed spouses living with low incomes.
Jun 21, 2023
Journal Article
Advance Care Planning Among Sexual Minority Men: Sociodemographic, Health Care, and Health Status Predictors
There is a dearth of contemporary information about advance care planning among sexual minority men, a population with disparities in health care and health status. We sought to address some of these gaps in a large, longitudinal cohort.
Jun 21, 2023
Journal Article
Survey: Principals Say They Need Better-Trained Teachers and More Resources to Address Student Misbehavior
Educators have long struggled to reduce student misbehavior—a challenge that has become more acute since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. We highlight two things principals say they need to reduce misbehavior: better teacher prep and resources.
Jun 20, 2023
Journal Article
Survey: What Purpose Do Suspensions Serve? Principals Don't Seem Quite Sure
Efforts to encourage principals to limit use of excessively punitive disciplinary practices have been underway for more than a decade and yet suspension rates remain high. We sought to learn more about principals' beliefs about school discipline.
Jun 20, 2023
Report
Language, Labels, and the DHS Lexicon: Analysis to Support a More-Inclusive Lexicon for Securing the Homeland
The authors analyze U.S. Department of Homeland Security documentation, processes, and procedures and then identify ways to improve them and to create an organizational culture that supports the lasting implementation of more-inclusive terminology.
Jun 19, 2023
Journal Article
Motivational Network Intervention to Reduce Substance Use and Increase Supportive Connections Among Formerly Homeless Emerging Adults Transitioning to Housing: Study Protocol for a Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial
This article describes a pilot test of a brief motivational network intervention for youth experiencing homelessness transitioning to a housing program reduce their substance use and strengthen their prosocial supportive connections.
Jun 15, 2023
Journal Article
Evaluation of Approaches to Recruitment of Racially and Ethnically Diverse Breast Cancer Patients from an Integrated Health Care Setting for Collection of Observational Social Network Data
We compared approaches to recruitment of diverse women with breast cancer in a study of social networks. Mailed letter was the best approach to recruit diverse women with breast cancer and collection of social network data.
Jun 14, 2023
Testimony
Geographic Availability of Substance Use Disorder Treatment for Veterans
Far too many Americans, and especially veterans, fail to receive treatment for substance use disorder. Improved data collection on the availability and accessibility of treatment could help increase the number of veterans who get treatment and prevent unnecessary drug overdose deaths.
Jun 14, 2023
Report
Evaluation of California's Statewide Mental Health Campaigns
This report describes surveys of a representative sample of California adults to understand the reach and impact of the California Mental Health Services Authority's mental health prevention and early intervention campaigns.
Jun 13, 2023
Report
Advancing Equitable Decisionmaking for the Department of Defense Through Fairness in Machine Learning
This report provides policymakers and developers of machine learning algorithms with a framework and tools to produce algorithms that are consistent with the U.S. Department of Defense's equity priorities.
Jun 13, 2023
Journal Article
Feasibility of a Computer-Assisted Social Network Motivational Interviewing Intervention to Reduce Substance Use and Increase Supportive Connections Among Emerging Adults Transitioning from Homelessness to Housing
Results suggest that a substance use intervention using Motivational Interviewing and social network visualizations is acceptable to youth transitioning to housing from and can be feasibly delivered by case managers during case management sessions.
Jun 13, 2023
News Release
State Policies During COVID Associated with Increase in Tele-Mental Health; Disparities in Access to Care Persist Despite Expansion
Four state policies introduced during the COVID-19 pandemic to spur expansion of telehealth were associated with expansion of such services by mental health facilities, but growth of telehealth was lower among facilities in counties with the greatest proportion of Black residents.
Jun 13, 2023
Journal Article
Preparing for the Next Pandemic: Has COVID-19 Changed American Attitudes?
This study explores how personal experiences of Americans during the COVID-19 pandemic, attitudes about institutions (government and business), and views of social change could either pose challenges or help with planning for the next pandemic.
Jun 7, 2023
Journal Article
Geographical Access to Specialized Behavioral Health Treatment Programs for U.S. Active Duty Service Members and Military Families from Military Installations
The purpose of this study is to determine geographical access to specialized behavioral health programs tailored to active duty U.S. service members and military families from military installations.
Jun 1, 2023

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Research conducted by

Researcher Spotlight

David Metz

Quantitative Analyst

David Metz is a senior quantitative analyst who specializes in benefit-cost analysis and other quantitative methods to evaluate the impacts of policies and programs across a broad range of topics, including homeland security, occupational safety and health, hazard mitigation, and equity. David's…
Jamil Brown

Associate Policy Researcher

Jamil Brown is an associate policy researcher. Brown previously worked as a Fellow for the U.S. Air Force Academy Institute for Future Conflict. In this role he was responsible for leading future conflict and innovation education support efforts. He was also a Next Generation Fellow at the…

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