In my experience with RAND they always reminded me of a resource extraction company. Think oil and gas, but their trade was government contracts.
Add in a couple of big names to justify the cost, staff it with jr people/post grads, shine it up with some fancy graphics and quant-ish formulas and poof, a million dollar study.
Of all the FFRDC beltway bandit think tanks, they felt the most like an MBA consultant shop. Lots of overhead, questionable return on investment. While they do have history and prestige, I'm not convinced anything they deliver is uniquely insightful.
Add in a couple of big names to justify the cost, staff it with jr people/post grads, shine it up with some fancy graphics and quant-ish formulas and poof, a million dollar study.
Of all the FFRDC beltway bandit think tanks, they felt the most like an MBA consultant shop. Lots of overhead, questionable return on investment. While they do have history and prestige, I'm not convinced anything they deliver is uniquely insightful.