Digital Commons Network^™

The National Longitudinal Survey Of Public Health Systems: Selected Findings And Applications For Monitoring The Affordable Care Act, Glen P. Mays

Glen Mays

This presentation reviews the National Longitudinal Survey of Public Health Systems and its applicability for monitoring the effects of the Affordable Care Act on public health delivery within the U.S.

Improving Supports For Youth Of Color Traumatized By Violence, Rhonda Tsoi-A-Fatt Bryant, Robert Phillips

Rhonda Tsoi-A-Fatt Bryant

No abstract provided.

Toward A Low Wage World: The Development And Limitation Of Taiwan' Labor Regime(1980s~2010s), Wei-Yi Chang, Chih-Lung Huang

Chih-lung Huang

This article tries to explain why Taiwan’s labor regime has fallen into a low wage environment. A review of literature shows that existing studies consider only the elements of state, capital, labor, or the social environment to explain the low wage within different historical stages. But the literature to date could not answer the question as for why Taiwan’s labor wage did not increase with economic growth after 2000s. In order to bridge the gap, the legislation and amendment of related labor laws from 1980s to 2010s was explored through the perspective of historical institutionalism. It was found that the …

Women's Inheritance Rights And Intergenerational Transmission Of Resources In India, Klaus Deininger, Aparajita Goyal, Hari Nagarajan

Aparajita Goyal

We use inheritance patterns over three generations of individuals to assess the impact of changes in the Hindu Succession Act that grant daughters equal coparcenary birth rights in joint family property that were denied to daughters in the past. We show that the amendment significantly increased daughters’ likelihood to inherit land, but that even after the amendment, substantial bias persists. Our results also indicate a robust increase in educational attainment of daughters, suggesting an alternative channel of wealth transfer.

A Priceless Review, David Thomas

David Chandler Thomas, PhD

The book, Priceless, is chock full of ideas, many of which are undoubtedly useful. The style is readable, with enough anecdotes to keep the reader’s interest. Unfortunately, the book is almost as confusing as the health-care system. There are too many moving parts, too many clever ideas, and not enough high level insights into how to cut the Gordian health-care knot. As hard as it is to make changes in the U.S. health-care system, it is unlikely the author’s suggestions will find a listening ear.

Government Accountability And Legislative Oversight, Riccardo Pelizzo

riccardo pelizzo

No abstract provided.

Como Mejorar La Rendicion De Cuentas Democratic A Nivel Mundial, Riccardo Pelizzo

riccardo pelizzo

No abstract provided.

Presidential Rankings, Legacy, And Economic Performance 1869-2013, Harry M. Hipler

Harry M Hipler

The economy influences presidents’ rankings by scholars. Based on initial observations of presidents from 1869 to 2013 and a quantitative correlation coefficient analysis of these presidents by examining unemployment and GDP, there is a moderate positive correlation between economic performance and presidential greatness for US presidents from 1869 to 2013. Thus, for a president to have an opportunity to achieve greatness status, he must have a positive economic performance record during his administration in office without which he will not obtain presidential greatness. Contrasting with previous literature and research, my result supports the necessity and constructive importance of economic performance …

La Actividad Física Y El Deporte En La Edificación De Una Ciudadanía Democrática Y En Los Objetivos De Desarrollo Del Milenio: El Caso De Guanajuato, Daniel Añorve

Daniel Añorve

No abstract provided.

Book Review: The Arab Spring, Democracy And Security: Domestic And International Ramifications, Efraim Inbar (Ed), Zenonas Tziarras

Zenonas Tziarras

To oer analysis on an on going political event is always a challenging task. Yet, the “Arab Spring” has given rise to many questions about the past, the present and the future of the Arab world and the Middle East more generally. The Arab Spring, Democracy and Security:Domesc and International Ramifications addresses some of these questions. The chapters of this edited volume have been written by selected Israeli scholars focusing on “issues such as democratization, the role of economic factors in political change and explanations for variations in regime stability in the Middle East.” The relationship between internal and external …

Unnatural Disasters: Rethinking The Distinction Between Natural And Man-Made Catastrophe, Michael D. Cooper, Esq.

Michael D. Cooper, Esq.

The distinction between “natural” and “man-made” disaster has grown increasingly difficult to defend. Our current conception conflates extreme natural events with the notion of disaster—an exclusively human construct. We define our cultural perception of “natural” disaster through three “man-made” constructs. First, our values alone characterize the scope and scale of loss. Second, our volition exacerbates otherwise benign natural hazards, exposes us to otherwise avoidable hazards, and, through technology, generates new and otherwise non-existent hazards. Finally, when natural hazards do unleash their destructive powers, pre-existing socio-economic inequalities manifest as vulnerabilities that ultimately determine both absolute and relative social outcomes and impacts. …

An Affordable Model For Enduring Iss Mission Operations With Increased Scientific Productivity, Donovan Torgerson, Josh Berk, Jeremy Straub, Anders Nervold

Jeremy Straub

The current model of operations for the International Space Station (ISS) is an exercise in futility. Persistent maintenance, risk aversion, high ground support and logistics costs and a lack of scientific productivity have rendered the world's most expensive laboratory severely underutilized.

An alternate management paradigm for ISS operations, based upon an approach utilized by national, state and local governments for the maintenance of public infrastructure (e.g., roadways) is presented. These governments, instead of trying to become experts at estimating the costs of, planning for and conducting repairs and upkeep on this infrastructure, instead hire a commercial vendor to perform these …

Space Station 2.0: A Public-Private Model For International Space Exploration, Donovan Torgerson, Josh Berk, Jeremy Straub, Anders Nervold

Jeremy Straub

The international community’s USD$150 billion (€113.94 billion) investment in the International Space Station (ISS) has produced a fraction of the scientific value that was anticipated. This paper presents a concept for how to prevent this problem from occurring for humanity’s next space station project referred to herein as Space Station 2.0. For Space Station 2.0, a research style acquisition program for acquiring modular Space Station components could be used or it could be administered as a commercial facility with international space agencies leasing space for research and other purposes, such as furnished habitat space. Customers may pay a mooring fee …

The Influence Of Parental Aspirations, Attitudes, And Engagement On Children's Very Low Food Security, Elizabeth T. Powers

Elizabeth T Powers

Survey of Income and Program Participation data are used to investigate the relationship between parenting and children’s very low food security. Parenting is characterized along five domains (emotional outlook, support, education desires, activities with the child excluding meals, and television viewing rules). Food security definitions are obtained from questions in a special SIPP module that are based on the USDA’s core food security module. Graphical evidence indicates that parenting patterns differ distinctly for households experiencing various levels of food insecurity. Descriptive regression evidence suggests that some of the parenting attributes are significantly associated with children’s food insecurity, even controlling for …

La Larga Marcha De Los Presidenciables, Augusto Reina, Maximo Reina

Augusto Reina

Tras el match electoral que supuso un revés para el gobierno nacional, ya circula la tentación de definir los candidatos presidenciales. Pero claro, todos las fuerzas que aspiren al poder en el 2015 tienen el desafío de ser sustentables por 18 meses. Esto es toda una panacea para la política argentina.

¿Cuántos de ellos tienen las capacidades para hacerlo? En este articulo, nos centramos en la larga marcha que deberán hacer los presidenciables. Haciendo un balance de su posición actual, sus ventajas comparativas y los desafíos a futuro.

Accountability In The Church, Professor Ben C Osisioma

Prof Ben Chuka Osisioma

Traditionally, accountability is the obligation to give a reckoning or explanation for one’s actions and responsibilities to a higher authority. However, for the purpose of this paper, we define accountability as the processes through which an organisation makes a commitment to respond to and balance the needs of stakeholders in its decision making processes and activities, and delivers against this commitment. In the church setting accountability involves managing the resources God has entrusted us with, organising for service and mission, and providing programmes to carry out the church’s mandate. The goal is to help people grow in Christ and learn …

“Normal” Corruption In The Ghanaian Public Service Hindering National Development, George E. Ekeha

George E Ekeha

Corruption, according to wikipedia, may include many activities including bribery and embezzlement and can be classify as petty, grand and systemic. Government, or political, corruption occurs when an office-holder or other governmental employee acts in an official capacity for his or her own personal gain. Corruption breaks your trustworthiness, your good reputation with others, and when you corrupt something that is pure or honest, you take away those qualities. The issue of corruption has dominated many sectors of the Ghanaian Public Service in recent times. A careful look through the Auditor General’s reports over the years show the recklessness among …

Decentralisation In Libya, Markus Bockenforde, Mansour M. Elbabour, Tarek Megerisi

Mansour M Elbabour

No abstract provided.

اللامركزية في ليبيا, ماركوس بوكنفورد, منصور البابور, طارق المجريسي

Mansour M Elbabour

No abstract provided.

Voice Without Say: Why Capital-Managed Firms Aren’T (Genuinely) Participatory, Justin Schwartz

Justin Schwartz

Why are most capitalist enterprises of any size organized as authoritarian bureaucracies rather than incorporating genuine employee participation that would give the workers real authority? Even firms with employee participation programs leave virtually all decision-making power in the hands of management. The standard answer is that hierarchy is more economically efficient than any sort of genuine participation, so that participatory firms would be less productive and lose out to more traditional competitors. This answer is indefensible. After surveying the history, legal status, and varieties of employee participation, I examine and reject as question-begging the argument that the rarity of genuine …

Local Responses To Federal Grants: Evidence From The Introduction Of Title I In The South, Elizabeth Cascio, Nora Gordon, Sarah Reber

Nora Gordon

We analyze the effects of the introduction of Title I of the 1965 Elementary and Secondary Education Act, a large federal grants program designed to increase poor students’ educational services and achievement. We focus on the South, the poorest region of the country. Title I increased school spending by 50 cents on the dollar in the average Southern school district and by more in districts with less ability to offset grants through local tax reductions. Title I induced increases in school budgets appear to have reduced high school dropout rates of whites, but not blacks.

Cyber Defense As Environmental Protection - The Broader Potential Impact Of Failed Defensive Counter Cyber Operations, Jan Kallberg, Rosemary A. Burk

Rosemary A. Burk

Key in the critique of the likelihood of cyber conflict has been the assumption that cyber does not lead to long-term and irrevocable effects – therefore it cannot be fought as a war. This might be true if cyber attacks are constrained to specific functions of a computer system or set of client computers, however, a failed cyberdefense can have wider effects than discussed in earlier debates of potential consequences and risks. The environmental aspect of cyberdefense has not drawn attention as a national security matter. We all, as people, react to threats to our living space and natural environment. …

Performance Audit And Local Government's Social Services, Gary S. Sander

Gary S Sander

No abstract provided.

The Four C'S (Curriculum Guidelines, Courses, Competencies And Capacities) To Educating And Training Nonprofit Leaders, Garland S. Doyle

Garland Doyle

The standards from the three national organizations that have developed curriculum guidelines, professional competencies or accreditation standards are compared to the literature on the knowledge and skills needed to be a nonprofit leader. The standards are applied to the four core nonprofit capacities from Connolly and York (2003) to develop a conceptual framework to evaluate a nonprofit management graduate program.

The framework is tested using curriculum mapping to see how curriculum instruction is aligning with professional competencies to develop the skills and capacities of program graduates. The findings from the mapping illustrate the strengths, weaknesses and gaps in the program …

Health, Citizenship, And Human Rights Advocacy Initiative: Improving Access To Health Services In Mexico, Almudena Ocejo, International Budget Partnership

International Budget Partnership

When it comes to health care in Mexico, “universal” has never meant equal, particularly when it came to the access to adequate care for the country’s 52 million uninsured. Civil society organization Fundar — a research organization with a background in budgetary analysis — developed a successful advocacy strategy on health policy to change this.

The full version and short summary of this case study are available in English.

LINK: http://internationalbudget.org/publications/health-citizenship-and-human-rights-advocacy-initiative-improving-access-to-health-services-in-mexico/

When Opportunity Beckons: The Impact Of The Public Service Accountability Monitor’S Work On Improving Health Budgets In South Africa, Alta Fölscher, John Kruger, International Budget Partnership

International Budget Partnership

The Eastern Cape Province of South Africa struggles with high poverty, poor public infrastructure, and dysfunctional administrative systems. One result is that the Eastern Cape has the worst health outcomes in the country. This case study illustrates how a South African civil society organization has used its budgetary analysis to advocate for improvements in health service delivery.

The full version and short summary of this case study are available in English.

LINK: http://internationalbudget.org/publications/when-opportunity-beckons-the-impact-of-the-public-service-accountability-monitors-work-on-improving-health-budgets-in-south-africa/

Global Cities Are Coastal Cities Too: Paradox In Sustainability?, Herman L. Boschken

Herman L. Boschken

Worldwide, most global cities are located in coastal zones, but a paradox of sustainability is especially striking for American global cities. This article examines such paradox drawn between globalization-induced development and coastal ecosystems. It focuses on two developmental components found principally in global cities: (1) the agglomeration of foreign waterborne commerce and global business services and (2) the accelerated activity and mobility habits of a global professional class. Despite formidable gaps in research, some anecdotal evidence suggests unique hazards exist for the coastal ecology as globalization pressures expand a global city’s urban footprint.

Romania-Canada Diplomatic Visits - Photographic Memory Of History -, Silvia-Adriana Tomescu

Silvia-Adriana Tomescu

No abstract provided.

Ombudsman And Local Governments, Gary S. Sander

Gary S Sander

The local governments in democratic countries began to acquire more importance since the scope of the public services they provide have been enlarged. In parallel with this progress, they use more public resources. This fact requires the operation of an inspection system while ensuring that the system does not damage the autonomous structure of the local governments. In all democratic countries an inspection mechanism exists over local governments. While the control of national governments over local governments in developed countries are not so strong, it is just the opposite in developing countries. The control of national government over local government …

The Art Of Getting In The Way: Five Years Of The Bndes Platform, Peter Spink, International Budget Partnership

International Budget Partnership

When a coalition of civil society organizations began to pry into the finances of Brazil’s powerful national development bank, it challenged the status quo and advanced the call for a more transparent, balanced, and democratic economic policy.

The short summary and full version of this case study are available in English. The short summary case study is available in French and Spanish.

LINK: http://internationalbudget.org/publications/the-art-of-getting-in-the-way-five-years-of-the-bndes-platform-2/