Welcome to Policy Minded

What if all your coworkers … were geniuses? On Policy Minded, we pick the brains of the world’s top policy experts, so you can get smarter about the issues that shape the world. Our first episode drops May 15th, 2025.

Emergency management is essential to all communities, but it isn't a field that most people think about often or understand well. Patrick Roberts and Mary Ellen Carroll join us to discuss what today’s emergency managers do to support communities, how the field is evolving, and why emergency management matters to all of us. For more information on this episode, visit rand.org/podcast.

Big changes to the podcast. Plus, RAND has a new website. For more information on this week’s episode, visit rand.org/podcast.

Assessing global catastrophic risk; how “mercurial leadership” at SpaceX could threaten national security; the actual dangers of geoengineering; and protecting your sleep during election season. For more information on this week’s episode, visit rand.org/podcast.

What to make of Russia and North Korea’s relationship; why Yahya Sinwar’s death matters; the effectiveness of U.S. economic policies toward China; abortion access for minors in Virginia; and how to restore freshwater ecosystems. For more information on this week’s episode, visit rand.org/podcast.

Expert insights on the crisis in the Middle East, including the humanitarian disaster, where the war might be headed next, and prospects for ending the conflict. For more information on this week’s episode, visit rand.org/podcast.

China, AI, and social media manipulation; preparing for AI to transform the workforce; how a pretrial mental health diversion program is working in Los Angeles; and U.S. climate policy. For more information on this week’s episode, visit rand.org/podcast.

A close look at America’s military and veteran caregivers; charging the parents of school shooters; and how Ukraine’s Kursk offensive changed the geometry of the battlefield. For more information on this week’s episode, visit rand.org/podcast.

‘Stunning’ explosions targeting Hezbollah in Lebanon; what teachers think about active shooter drills and school safety; managing escalation with nuclear adversaries like China; and providing more support to veterans left behind. For more information on this week’s episode, visit rand.org/podcast.

Social media manipulation in the era of AI; lessons from Ukraine's resistance to Russian disinformation; what the data reveal about U.S. public education; and addressing America’s drinking water quality problems. For more information on this week’s episode, visit rand.org/podcast.