Search

This report assesses the annexation of Crimea by Russia (February–March 2014) and the early phases of political mobilization and combat operations in Eastern Ukraine (late February–late May 2014). It examines Russia’s approach, draws inferences from Moscow’s intentions, and evaluates the likelihood of such methods being used again elsewhere.

Project imPACT is a reentry program designed by the City of Los Angeles Mayor's Office and funded through Proposition 47 funds by the California Board of State and Community Corrections. The program initially received funds in 2018 and was awarded additional funds in 2020 to continue and expand the program through February 15, 2023. Project imPACT provides employment, behavioral health, and legal services to individuals in four regions across Los Angeles, with the goal of improving employment outcomes as a way to reduce future criminal justice system involvement. The additional funding allowed the program to add a transition-age youth pilot and housing services support. The RAND Corporation and Harder+Company conducted a mixed methods process and outcome evaluation of Cohort 2. This report presents findings related to individuals served between June 2020 (when Cohort 2 began enrolling Fellows) through September 2022. The process evaluation focuses on the implementation of Project imPACT, and the outcome evaluation examines whether the program achieved expected short-term and intermediate outcomes. Fellows achieved several of the program goals through their work with the Project imPACT providers: About 52 percent of Fellows obtained employment and 53 percent of employed Fellows remained employed one year after starting the program. Of the 87 individuals who were in unstable housing settings when they entered the program, 64 percent had moved into a more stable setting by the time they exited the program. Only 22 enrolled Fellows were convicted for a new arrest after their enrollment.

The Proposition 47 grant program, administered by the California Board of State and Community Corrections (BSCC), provides discretionary grant funding to localities to provide community-based supportive services to individuals who have been involved in the criminal justice system. In June 2017, the Los Angeles Mayor's Office of Reentry was awarded Proposition 47 grant funding under its first cohort of grantees ("Cohort 1") to implement Project imPACT. Project imPACT is a voluntary program designed to serve individuals who were arrested or convicted of a crime in the past year or who are currently on community-based supervision and who also have a history of mental health and/or substance use concerns. This program provides employment, behavioral health, and legal services in an effort to help participants obtain and retain employment and reduce criminal recidivism. Project imPACT serves four regions of Los Angeles: South Los Angeles, Watts, Downtown, and San Fernando Valley. RAND Corporation and Harder+Company conducted a process and outcome evaluation of the program. This final evaluation report summarizes the authors' findings from a process and outcome evaluation of Cohort 1 of Project imPACT, which provided services from July 2018 to December 2020.

This report, part of the Truth Decay initiative, is one in a series describing malign and subversive information efforts related to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) that Russian and Chinese outlets appear to have used to target U.S. audiences.

This report assesses the annexation of Crimea by Russia (February–March 2014) and the early phases of political mobilization and combat operations in Eastern Ukraine (late February–late May 2014). It examines Russia’s approach, draws inferences from Moscow’s intentions, and evaluates the likelihood of such methods being used again elsewhere.

"The United States today faces a number of actors who employ a wide range of political, informational, military, and economic measures to influence, coerce, intimidate, or undermine U.S. interests or those of friends and allies; many of these measures are often collectively referred to as "political warfare." This report analyzes political warfare as it is practiced today by both state and nonstate actors, and provides detailed recommendations regarding the most effective ways that the U.S. government, along with its allies and partners, can respond to or engage in this type of conflict to achieve U.S. ends and protect U.S. interests. The authors examine historical antecedents of political warfare and current-day practices through in-depth case studies of Russia, Iran, and the Islamic State. They use these cases to derive common attributes of modern political warfare. The authors then identify effective means for responding to these challenges. Drawing on documentary and field research as well as extensive semistructured interviews with practitioners in the U.S. government and elsewhere, they determine gaps in practices and capabilities for addressing political warfare threats. The report concludes with recommendations for countering political warfare by creating a more effective, coordinated, and cost-sensitive approach to effective statecraft, including specific measures for the U.S. State Department and the U.S. military, particularly the special operations community."--Publisher's description.

The authors examine Russia's use of racially or ethnically motivated violent extremism (REMVE) narratives in the context of its war against Ukraine from 2022 to early 2024 by analyzing content on social media platforms X and Telegram.

During the initial post-Soviet years, the personnel system of the Russian Armed Forces experienced pervasive challenges because of budget limitations and domestic and international collapse of prestige. Challenges included undermanning and low readiness, poor training quality and lack of funds, lack of military prestige and popular support, hazing, draft evasion, health problems and personnel deferments, military disillusionment, wage issues, criminality and corruption, and desertion. The authors of this report draw on Russian-language sources to examine trends in Russian military personnel policies and initiatives from the 1990s through December 2021, prior to Russia's February 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Russian personnel policies from 1991 through 2021 sought to mitigate many of the existing problems with the Armed Forces during the implementation of Russia's military reform efforts, especially since 2009. While progress was made in many areas, key challenges remain.

More than ever, nations around the world understand that science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) skills are key to driving economic growth and overall competitiveness. On July 26, 2013, the United States, through the Millennium Challenge Corporation, signed a five-year, $140-million compact with the Government of Georgia (GoG) to develop human capital, advance economic growth, and reduce poverty in the country. The Georgia II STEM Higher Education Project is one part of this compact. It involves an investment of $30 million from the United States and additional funds from Georgia aimed at improving the quality of Georgian university education in STEM fields. The GoG established the Millennium Challenge Account - Georgia to direct all implementation under the compact. San Diego State University (SDSU) partnered with three Georgian public universities-Tbilisi State University, Georgian Technical University, and Ilia State University-to fulfill these goals. SDSU offers its U.S. bachelor's degrees, taught in English, in facilities of the three partner universities. The authors of this interim report examine (1) the development of the partnership, (2) implementation of SDSU program, (3) perceived effectiveness of the program, and (4) partnership sustainability into the future. The final report, expected in 2023, will reexamine these four areas and (5) student outcomes and (6) post-compact economic rate of return.