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Theses/Dissertations

2013

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Public Budgeting With A Gender Lens: Fulton County, Georgia And San Francisco, California, Mercy K. Dena Jan 2013

Public Budgeting With A Gender Lens: Fulton County, Georgia And San Francisco, California, Mercy K. Dena

Public Affairs Dissertations

Public budgeting with a gender lens, also known as gender budgeting [GB], evaluates policies for their effects on men and women to promote gender equity. This research assesses GB in Fulton County, Georgia and San Francisco, California - the only two local governments in the United States [U.S.] that practice it. This study describes the adoption, implementation and impact of GB to fill a dearth of research on U.S. approaches within global GB literature. The study utilizes qualitative methods of focus group discussion, face-to-face and telephone interviews of county administrators and nonprofit agency representatives, as well as observation and secondary …


Challenges Of Mixed-Use Developments : An Analysis Of Current Mixed-Use Developments In U.S.A., Gizachew Teferra Tesso Jan 2013

Challenges Of Mixed-Use Developments : An Analysis Of Current Mixed-Use Developments In U.S.A., Gizachew Teferra Tesso

Public Affairs Dissertations

There are numerous urban problems that could not be addressed in single use development. Mixed use development as a new theory claims to have the solutions to the urban issues associated with single use development. However, mixed used developments have been criticized for also failing to address their purported claims. This research focuses on analyzing and evaluating the tenets of mixed-use development to determine whether claims of accommodating mixed-income residents, increased density, improved racial diversity, provision of affordable housing, and improved employment trends are achieved. In doing so, 632 single use Block Groups and 84 mixed-use development Block Groups that …


A Neighborhood Foreseen: Identifying Social Capital On Congo Street, D. Deidre Humphrey Jan 2013

A Neighborhood Foreseen: Identifying Social Capital On Congo Street, D. Deidre Humphrey

Public Affairs Theses

The small Southeast Dallas community of Congo Street is not only unique because of its location within Jubilee Park neighborhood, but rather, it is a place where a group of five homeowners made history by cooperatively revitalizing their community with the assistance of the Building Community Workshop. Ongoing community redevelopment reveals that the homeowners are learning to use their social capital to mobilize within and throughout their community and neighborhood. The initial focus of the study aimed to discover how Congo Street residents use social capital to accept or reject community revitalization goals set by the Building Community Workshop and …


The Impact Of Institutional Support Networks: A Case Study Of A Small Texas Public School District, Christine B. Fougerousse Jan 2013

The Impact Of Institutional Support Networks: A Case Study Of A Small Texas Public School District, Christine B. Fougerousse

Public Affairs Theses

This thesis project focuses on a small independent school district in Texas that serves a high-poverty population yet excels at graduating economically disadvantaged students. Using the concepts of cultural and social capital as a theoretical framework, the paper discusses ways that schools can build institutional support networks that can help students succeed. The study focuses on efforts within the high school, using personal interviews to discover the foundations and methods of the school's supports. Findings include the importance of building trust among staff members and staff members working as a team, therefore building internal social capital that students can then …


Transitions In Public Administration Theory Through Presidential Approaches To Healthcare Policy, Clifford Smith Blumberg Jan 2013

Transitions In Public Administration Theory Through Presidential Approaches To Healthcare Policy, Clifford Smith Blumberg

Public Affairs Theses

Through interdisciplinary research of twelve presidential administrations and their various approaches to national healthcare policy, a better understanding of the borderless transitions (which I term "melting points") within Public Administration Theory can be pursued. Can key components or characteristics of these transitions in Public Administration be revealed through a President's approach to healthcare policy?


Information Technology's Impact On The Space And Automobile Relationship: A Study Of The Link Between Internet Tech, Automobiles, And Residential Preferences, Steven Duong Jan 2013

Information Technology's Impact On The Space And Automobile Relationship: A Study Of The Link Between Internet Tech, Automobiles, And Residential Preferences, Steven Duong

Public Affairs Theses

Many city planners, developers, real estate agents, and planning academics have been strong proponents of compact, mixed-use, New Urbanist developments. They point to the research that shows that younger generations will favor the revitalized mixed use, dense, urban downtown centers advocated by urbanists like Jane Jacobs and Richard Florida over newly developed, spacious, quiet suburbs In fact, recent research on ICT and driving suggests that the advent of the smart phone and ubiquitous computing (Ubicomp) may be indeed influencing the lifestyle and preference of young adults, who rather than driving are substituting shopping, social, entertainment, and other trips with virtual …


A Neighborhood Foreseen: Identifying Social Capital On Congo Street, D. Deidre Humphrey Jan 2013

A Neighborhood Foreseen: Identifying Social Capital On Congo Street, D. Deidre Humphrey

Public Affairs Theses

The small Southeast Dallas community of Congo Street is not only unique because of its location within Jubilee Park neighborhood, but rather, it is a place where a group of five homeowners made history by cooperatively revitalizing their community with the assistance of the Building Community Workshop. Ongoing community redevelopment reveals that the homeowners are learning to use their social capital to mobilize within and throughout their community and neighborhood. The initial focus of the study aimed to discover how Congo Street residents use social capital to accept or reject community revitalization goals set by the Building Community Workshop and …


The Impact Of Institutional Support Networks: A Case Study Of A Small Texas Public School District, Christine B. Fougerousse Jan 2013

The Impact Of Institutional Support Networks: A Case Study Of A Small Texas Public School District, Christine B. Fougerousse

Public Affairs Theses

This thesis project focuses on a small independent school district in Texas that serves a high-poverty population yet excels at graduating economically disadvantaged students. Using the concepts of cultural and social capital as a theoretical framework, the paper discusses ways that schools can build institutional support networks that can help students succeed. The study focuses on efforts within the high school, using personal interviews to discover the foundations and methods of the school's supports. Findings include the importance of building trust among staff members and staff members working as a team, therefore building internal social capital that students can then …


Narrowing The Sustainability Paradigm - How Meaningful Participation Builds Socially Equitable Communities, Megan L. O'Neal Jan 2013

Narrowing The Sustainability Paradigm - How Meaningful Participation Builds Socially Equitable Communities, Megan L. O'Neal

Public Affairs Theses

This work contributes to the third leg of the sustainability paradigm by addressing socially equitable communities in the field of Planning. It uses a case study of neighborhood planning in Seattle, Washington as its basis for linking meaningful public participation with social capital. It uses a thoughtful qualitative framework to measure social capital in primary and secondary sources and bases these parameters with expert knowledge from scholars within the social science fields.


Community Garden Suitability Analysis For A South Dallas Community, Tiffany Mcleod Jan 2013

Community Garden Suitability Analysis For A South Dallas Community, Tiffany Mcleod

Public Affairs Theses

Community gardens have been proposed as a solution to combat the ongoing and escalating food desert problem in low-income communities. As planners, community leaders and residents look to implement this solution and convert vacant property into gardens they need to be aware of the potential conflicts that can arise when the area starts to develop. This paper offers an analysis tool and uses it to determine vacant sites that are appropriate for community gardens in a particular South Dallas neighborhood that do not conflict with the future development of the area. It also identifies the grocery store gap in the …


Transitions In Public Administration Theory Through Presidential Approaches To Healthcare Policy, Clifford Smith Blumberg Jan 2013

Transitions In Public Administration Theory Through Presidential Approaches To Healthcare Policy, Clifford Smith Blumberg

Public Affairs Theses

Through interdisciplinary research of twelve presidential administrations and their various approaches to national healthcare policy, a better understanding of the borderless transitions (which I term "melting points") within Public Administration Theory can be pursued. Can key components or characteristics of these transitions in Public Administration be revealed through a President's approach to healthcare policy?


The Extent Of Social Disparities In Black And Hispanic Neighborhoods, Monique Coleman Jan 2013

The Extent Of Social Disparities In Black And Hispanic Neighborhoods, Monique Coleman

Public Affairs Theses

The argument of race and segregation is an age-old debate. Nevertheless, in 2013 there are still segregated black and Hispanic neighborhoods experiencing high levels of poverty despite the Fair Housing Act, inclusionary housing practices, and other methods that strive to create mixed-income and mixed-race neighborhoods. Since segregation appears to be a phenomenon that eludes a simple explanation, this research offers to shed light on the subject matter and guide others researching the subject matter to help ascertain the root(s) of social disparities in minority neighborhoods. This report is an extensive review of 2007-2011 American Community Survey (ACS) data for Dallas …


The Aesthetic Experiences Of Public School Teachers: A Study Of The Physical Environment Of Schools Through The Lens Of The Organizational Aesthetics Framework, Kenneth Clifford Goodwin Jan 2013

The Aesthetic Experiences Of Public School Teachers: A Study Of The Physical Environment Of Schools Through The Lens Of The Organizational Aesthetics Framework, Kenneth Clifford Goodwin

Public Affairs Dissertations

Related in part to the study of organizational culture, organizational aesthetics is concerned more with that level of culture that is represented through the symbols and artifacts found within an organization. Artifacts, as in the present study, can be represented by the larger physical environment in toto. The current study used a qualitative approach in applying the organizational aesthetics framework to explore teachers' perceptions of the aesthetics of the physical environment of public middle schools in the Fort Worth Independent School District (FWISD). No previously identified studies of schools have used the organizational aesthetics framework. Consequently, this study was covering …


Public Budgeting With A Gender Lens: Fulton County, Georgia And San Francisco, California, Mercy K. Dena Jan 2013

Public Budgeting With A Gender Lens: Fulton County, Georgia And San Francisco, California, Mercy K. Dena

Public Affairs Dissertations

Public budgeting with a gender lens, also known as gender budgeting [GB], evaluates policies for their effects on men and women to promote gender equity. This research assesses GB in Fulton County, Georgia and San Francisco, California - the only two local governments in the United States [U.S.] that practice it. This study describes the adoption, implementation and impact of GB to fill a dearth of research on U.S. approaches within global GB literature. The study utilizes qualitative methods of focus group discussion, face-to-face and telephone interviews of county administrators and nonprofit agency representatives, as well as observation and secondary …


The Factors That Influence The Development Of Performance Measures In Texas Counties, Julius Awuor Owino Jan 2013

The Factors That Influence The Development Of Performance Measures In Texas Counties, Julius Awuor Owino

Public Affairs Dissertations

Over the past few decades, governments have developed performance measurement systems with the objective of improving the quality and effectiveness of services delivered to the public. However, there is scant information about the factors that influence the development of performance measures in county governments because few studies have been carried out to determine the significance of the participation of stakeholders, the strategic planning, the use of incentives, and the availability of resources on the development of performance measures. The purpose of this study is to investigate the factors that influence the development of performance measures in Texas counties by addressing …


Prison Prerelease Facilities In Texas: What Effect Do These Programs Have On Offender Success?, Brittany Michelle Rodriguez Jan 2013

Prison Prerelease Facilities In Texas: What Effect Do These Programs Have On Offender Success?, Brittany Michelle Rodriguez

Public Affairs Dissertations

There is sufficient evidence to suggest that inmates who participate in prerelease programs are less likely to recidivate once released from prison than those who do not participate in these programs. Research shows that the impact of education, employment skills, and life skills while incarcerated helps contribute to an offender making positive choices that will prevent them from committing new crimes. Furthermore, researchers posit that these offenders have more opportunities for success then offenders who are released with no added programs. The major hypothesis for this study is that inmates in Texas who are released from a prerelease program have …


Effective Truancy Reduction Programs: How Is Success Defined?, Veronica Cole Jan 2013

Effective Truancy Reduction Programs: How Is Success Defined?, Veronica Cole

Public Affairs Dissertations

This research examines how stakeholders involved with the Dallas County Truancy Court measure and define the success of truancy reduction programs. Previous studies have failed to include the perceptions of all of these major stakeholders. Judges, non-profit organizations, parents, and principals from the six districts serviced within the Dallas County Truancy Court were interviewed to assess how success was measured within truancy reduction programs. Findings indicated the measure of success among stakeholders was not consistent. This study identified the barriers associated with developing a uniform definition of success among multiple stakeholders in a decentralized arrangement.


The Aesthetic Experiences Of Public School Teachers: A Study Of The Physical Environment Of Schools Through The Lens Of The Organizational Aesthetics Framework, Kenneth Clifford Goodwin Jan 2013

The Aesthetic Experiences Of Public School Teachers: A Study Of The Physical Environment Of Schools Through The Lens Of The Organizational Aesthetics Framework, Kenneth Clifford Goodwin

Public Affairs Dissertations

Related in part to the study of organizational culture, organizational aesthetics is concerned more with that level of culture that is represented through the symbols and artifacts found within an organization. Artifacts, as in the present study, can be represented by the larger physical environment in toto. The current study used a qualitative approach in applying the organizational aesthetics framework to explore teachers' perceptions of the aesthetics of the physical environment of public middle schools in the Fort Worth Independent School District (FWISD). No previously identified studies of schools have used the organizational aesthetics framework. Consequently, this study was covering …


The Factors That Influence The Development Of Performance Measures In Texas Counties, Julius Awuor Owino Jan 2013

The Factors That Influence The Development Of Performance Measures In Texas Counties, Julius Awuor Owino

Public Affairs Dissertations

Over the past few decades, governments have developed performance measurement systems with the objective of improving the quality and effectiveness of services delivered to the public. However, there is scant information about the factors that influence the development of performance measures in county governments because few studies have been carried out to determine the significance of the participation of stakeholders, the strategic planning, the use of incentives, and the availability of resources on the development of performance measures. The purpose of this study is to investigate the factors that influence the development of performance measures in Texas counties by addressing …


Prison Prerelease Facilities In Texas: What Effect Do These Programs Have On Offender Success?, Brittany Michelle Rodriguez Jan 2013

Prison Prerelease Facilities In Texas: What Effect Do These Programs Have On Offender Success?, Brittany Michelle Rodriguez

Public Affairs Dissertations

There is sufficient evidence to suggest that inmates who participate in prerelease programs are less likely to recidivate once released from prison than those who do not participate in these programs. Research shows that the impact of education, employment skills, and life skills while incarcerated helps contribute to an offender making positive choices that will prevent them from committing new crimes. Furthermore, researchers posit that these offenders have more opportunities for success then offenders who are released with no added programs. The major hypothesis for this study is that inmates in Texas who are released from a prerelease program have …