RAND was asked to evaluate whether the Programming Computation on Encrypted Data program—which expands the knowledge base of the global cryptographic community—is likely to provide more benefits to the United States than it does to its global rivals.

The five U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) Regional Centers for Security Studies have been helping partner nations build strategic capacity for almost 20 years. However, recent DoD budget constraints have put pressure on the regional centers (RCs) to increase efficiency. The Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD) asked RAND to conduct a study on the overall impact of the RCs, their effectiveness in advancing DoD policy priorities, the ways in which they assess their programs, and ways in which they could improve their impact and efficiency and the resulting outcomes. The RAND study team found that centers have had great success at the missions they have undertaken. They are high-impact components of U.S. security cooperation and engagement efforts, despite their relatively small budgets. The team identified 24 ways in which the centers advance U.S. interests, including building partner capacity, building relationships, fostering pro-U.S. outlooks, offering unique opportunities for engagement, and promoting regional dialogue that reduces tensions. However, RCs should improve impact-oriented data collection and analysis for improved assessment, methodically collecting such data over time. OSD and the combatant commands should improve their oversight and management of the RCs to ensure alignment with department- and theater-level objectives. In addition, OSD should maintain the RCs' focus on regional security challenges rather than refashioning them to address specific threats. Options to consider for greater impact include evaluating the balance between core residential courses and in-region workshops and determining whether and to what extent the centers should develop customized programs for DoD components so as to secure funds beyond the core budget they receive from OSD.

"The U.S. and China are the world's largest energy importing countries. In 2011, both countries imported approximately half of their total oil supplies from overseas. Due to this great reliance on foreign energy supplies, energy companies from both countries continue to pursue energy outward direct investments (EODIs) as an approach to increase their access to global energy reserves. In this context, my study will compare and contrast the characteristics, current positions, and future trends of both the U.S. and Chinese EODIs - specifically their exploration and development investments. Based on the analysis of current U.S. and Chinese EODI positions, the study goes further to analyze their objectives and determinants, explaining both the similar and different aspects of EODI characteristics, positions and historical trends. By integrating the positions, objectives, and determinants of U.S. and Chinese EODIs into an interactive and dynamic mechanism, the study designs a partial equilibrium model system, in order to predict the future operational outcomes (production, sales, exploration, and profitability) and the competitive positions of U.S. and Chinese EODIs. However, the study's conclusions should be interpreted with caution, since the analysis is based on data and trends up to 2011, and in some cases up to 2008, 2009, and 2011. The major technological breakthroughs in the field, especially in hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling technologies, may affect future demand, lifting costs, and geographic locations of energy reserves, and thus may affect the prospects of EODIs in significant ways"--Publisher's description.

Presents an analysis of defense institution building (DIB), recommends goals and objectives, identifies partner nation and DIB activity selection criteria, develops a strategy for coordinating activities, and recommends accountability procedures.

This research notes that the ascendancy of Asia's economic growth coincides with the exigencies of shifting center of economic gravity towards innovation, while the two other pillars of economic growth, the quantity of labor force and capital formation, become increasingly subdued in growth potential. The research study takes a case-specific approach to investigate into the leapfrogging innovations, providing a distinctive perspective to understand Asian business innovation, distinguishing itself from both the traditional corporate surveys and index-based or empirical approaches. By contrast, this research navigates through forefront innovation leaders in real scenarios, and also presents a panorama, with a combination of storytelling and pattern analysis. The research, understanding innovations with the special relevance of market, regulatory, societal, and cultural contexts, serves its primary end to inform businesses in Asia and by Asia. This study also sheds light upon innovations elsewhere, especially Europe and North America businesses -- the other two leading hubs of business innovators.

This report assesses U.S. efforts in defense institution building (DIB) in Africa and suggests possible improvements to planning and execution. It defines DIB and reviews some best practices from DIB and security sector reform experiences. It also highlights how DIB activities serve U.S. official strategic guidance for Africa.

China0́9s Guangzhou Development District (GDD) will be the site of the new innovation cluster known as Sino-Singapore Guangzhou Knowledge City. Jointly developed by GDD and Singbridge of Singapore, Knowledge City will be a new environmentally and technologically advanced city that hosts innovative industries and their associated knowledge workers. To achieve this goal, GDD must design a strategic plan to pursue three primary goals: attract high-technology companies and enable their growth; attract and retain a highly skilled, innovative workforce; and ensure the availability of innovation-oriented finance. This report first presents a portrait of high-technology firms in Guangzhou and compares Guangzhou with other Chinese cities. It then presents an analysis of three case studies-Silicon Valley, the life sciences corridor in Maryland, and the technology cluster between Tel Aviv and Haifa in Israel-and describes the factors that led to their success. Finally, it provides an overview of the current innovation system in GDD and applies lessons learned from the case studies and from the literature on entrepreneurship, innovation, and cluster formation to GDD and Knowledge City. This is a companion volume to another RAND report, An Outline of Strategies for Building an Innovation System for Knowledge City (MG-1240-GDD), which outlines a strategic plan for Knowledge City and is intended to help the developers create conditions that are conducive to innovation and the commercialization of new technologies.

China0́9s Guangzhou Development District (GDD) will be the site of the new innovation cluster known as Sino-Singapore Guangzhou Knowledge City. Jointly developed by GDD and Singbridge of Singapore, Knowledge City will be a new environmentally and technologically advanced city that hosts innovative industries and their associated knowledge workers. To achieve this goal, GDD must design a strategic plan to pursue three primary goals: attract high-technology companies and enable their growth; attract and retain a highly skilled, innovative workforce; and ensure the availability of innovation-oriented finance. This report first presents a portrait of high-technology firms in Guangzhou and compares Guangzhou with other Chinese cities. It then presents an analysis of three case studies-Silicon Valley, the life sciences corridor in Maryland, and the technology cluster between Tel Aviv and Haifa in Israel-and describes the factors that led to their success. Finally, it provides an overview of the current innovation system in GDD and applies lessons learned from the case studies and from the literature on entrepreneurship, innovation, and cluster formation to GDD and Knowledge City. This is a companion volume to another RAND report, An Outline of Strategies for Building an Innovation System for Knowledge City (MG-1240-GDD), which outlines a strategic plan for Knowledge City and is intended to help the developers create conditions that are conducive to innovation and the commercialization of new technologies.