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Exploring the
Applications and Implications of
Emerging Technology for
Policy and Society

Technology Rules, but Policy Matters. In Pardee RAND’s Tech + Narrative Lab (TNL), policy analysts can apply new and emerging technologies to study policy problems and create novel policy solutions, as well as understand the policy implications of new and emerging technologies.

The TNL embodies a philosophy of curiosity and experimentation within the broad context of policy analysis and action. Central to these efforts are the ability to effectively communicate complex and rigorous work. The lab also embraces the themes of ethics, social justice, and racial equity, and actively encourages emerging technology experimentation focused on these topics.

areas of interest – the intersection of tech and policy

Internet of Things (IoT)

devices talk to devices talk to algorithms and back

Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning (AI/ML)

algorithms do more - will humans do less?

Augmented - Virtual - Mixed Realities

the real world is no longer just the physical things around us

Digital Gaming

the game industry now outsells Hollywood - and provides new ways to interact and contextualize

The TNL is more than just a place. It embodies a philosophy of curiosity and experimentation within the broad context of policy analysis and action. The TNL serves as a hub for students and researchers interested in technology issues, as well as a connective tissue between the graduate school, RAND research, and external collaborators, including academia, government, and the private sector. The TNL is all about hands-on work, collaboration, and exploration. It employs the best practices of technology start-ups — rapid prototyping, developing a “minimum viable product,” and iterating. This combines with an ethos of curiosity, exploration, play, learning and growing from failure, and doing rather than just thinking. Finally, narrative is a critical aspect of our work, as we need to be able to clearly and effectively articulate what we did, how we did, and why someone should care.

Pardee RAND is one of the founding members of the Public Interest Technology University Network – PIT-UN.