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Factors That Impact Direct Democracy And Voter Turnout: Evidence From A National Study On American Counties, Michael Joseph Biesiada

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This dissertation examines factors that impact citizen initiatives and voter turnout. The dissertation contains two parts that build upon each other with fitting theoretical frameworks. The first part investigates the decision for a county government to permit citizen initiatives. This part applies new institutionalism theory as a framework to examine county governance, autonomy, and decision-making. County governments play a vital role in American politics, yet little is known about why some counties permit citizen initiatives while others do not. I address a gap in the literature that focuses on policy outcomes that vary at the county-level due to election laws. …

Tall Tales Of Danger And Security: How A Critical Human Security Approach Can Address Major Contradictions Revealed Through A Critical Narrative Analysis Of Dominant U.S. Security Strategies, Stephen Schneider

Master's Theses

Over many generations, humans have developed many perspectives and practices regarding the best ways to recognize and address what they perceive to be dangerous. Stories are used to help shape and narrate perceptions about the world, and they serve to pass on vital information that impacts how a society responds to threats and vulnerabilities. These narratives of danger and security are subjective to the experiences and political intentions of society, and therefore in many ways are partial and biased in their assessments and policies. This results in flawed security practices that may actually exacerbate threats or create new insecurities. What …

Attitudes Of Sinjari Yezidis In Iraq Regarding The Rape Of Yezidi Women And The Babies Born From Rape During The Isis Genocide, Jordan Greaser

Theses & Dissertations

This thesis evaluated the attitude of acceptance among Sinjari Yezidis toward Yezidi women who were captured and raped by ISIS captors. In addition, attitudes of acceptance were also studied on behalf of the children born due to rape. These attitudes were recorded by a 25-question attitudinal survey and then analyzed on a question by question bases. The outcome of the following study showed an overwhelming acceptance of the women but a mixed acceptance of their children. Based on the study findings, religious beliefs may be the best way to understand the level of acceptance the Yezidi community has toward the …

Schisms And Conflict Management In New African Immigrants’ Religious Organizations In The Greater Atlanta Area, Christina Edwards

Doctor of International Conflict Management Dissertations

New African immigrant religious organizations (NAIRO) are transnational religious organizations established and led by new African immigrants (NAI). These organizations are experiencing planned growth as outlined in their manuals, but little is known about the internal conflicts that lead to unplanned schisms or break away congregations. Foundational studies in the field of Sociology of Religion failed to include NAI-led churches in their studies and Atlanta was not selected as an immigrant hub city in their follow-up studies. This dissertation explores the social phenomenon of NAIRO internal conflicts that lead to unplanned schisms and therefore contribute to the overall growth of …

Officer Use Of Force: A Multicase Study Of Institutional Betrayal, Margarita Mcauliffe

Theses & Dissertations

Law enforcement officers in the United States are authorized to utilize force (Alpert & MacDonald, 2001); however, the use of force can cause physical and emotional trauma to the person against whom it is used, and to the person’s loved ones (WHO, 2002; Bloom, 2012; APA, 2013). The needs and rights of traumatized individuals must be addressed for healing to occur (U.S. DOJ, 2013). It was not known if the needs and rights of the survivors of officer use of force were being met. Filling a gap in the literature, this exploratory multicase study investigated 5 use-of-force incidents with demographically …

Effects Of Racial Microaggressions On Black Women’S Work Performance As Government Workers, Samantha-Rae Dickenson

All Theses And Dissertations

This study explored the connection between society’s perception of Black women and their experiences of racial microaggressions in a work environment, and further understand the effect these experiences have on their work performance. Despite federal regulations to eliminate workplace discrimination, there are still racially neutral workplace policies and a lack of inclusion in work environments. Work environments that do not actively account for diversity in formal policies can promote the occurrence of racial microaggressions. Black women’s unique experiences with racial microaggressions may affect their job performance. This study used Critical Race Theory, Intersectionality Theory, and Black Feminist Theory as a …

Surprise! You Are Accepted To College: An Analysis Of Idaho's Direct Admissions Initiative, Carson Howell

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

In an effort to improve the rate at which Idahoans ‘go on’ to postsecondary education, Idaho launched an initiative called Direct Admissions in the fall of 2015. This initiative informed students and their parents that the student had already been accepted to at least six of Idaho’s public colleges and universities, even before the student had applied. Although the students still needed to apply, the letters guaranteed the student a seat at any of the colleges listed in their Direct Admissions letter. The goal of the initiative was to encourage students to enroll in one of Idaho’s public colleges or …

Wellness And Prevention Program Sustainability Design For Clark University Athletics Department, Emily Corbett

International Development, Community and Environment (IDCE)

The purpose of this work is to design a wellness based prevention program that is tailored to fit the campus community within Clark University, Worcester, MA, called the Peer Athletes Advocating for Wellness (PAAW) initiative. This paper first presents the current research on wellness related issues within a college campus, specifically surrounding sexual violence. It then outlines the current sexual violence prevention programming that takes place yearly for incoming first year students at Clark University, as well as a one-time initiative during which student athletes participated in the sexual violence prevention programming. There is a review of the current most …

The Social Value Of Seiu Women, Alex Rothfelder

International Development, Community and Environment (IDCE)

This paper analyzes women in health care unions by specifically examining the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) as a case study. Moreover, this paper asks: what motivates these health care workers; is it primarily patient care, or are there other significant issues? How do workers think about their product of care, and how does this affect unionism? And how is gender connected to these issues? After interviewing six health care workers in SEIU, this paper found that the motivation of health care workers is partially motivated by patient issues, but that this occurs in a negative sense. Union organizational limitations …

Assessing Rice Consumers’ Preferences And Willingness To Pay In Haiti, Cleeford Pavilus

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In the last 30 years, rice has become the number one food staple in Haiti, and rice imports have outpaced domestic production to supply the country’s increasing rice demand. Policy makers support the claim that increasing local rice supply will not only reduce the dependency on imported rice but also upheave the national economy. However, there is a lack of information on Haitian consumers’ preferences for rice to aid the development of the local rice supply chain. This research aims to bridge that gap by assessing Haitian consumer preferences and willingness to pay for selected rice quality characteristics. The results …

Mindset, Mentor, And Money: How Each Influences College Success, Malachi Nichols

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Across society, the consistent influx of students enrolling in higher education institutions without a comparable increase in degree attainment has produced a heightened awareness and a desire to identify the factors related to influencing college success. This dissertation aims to develop a greater understanding of three potentially relevant factors and their respective influences in facilitating college success at the University of Arkansas. First, I evaluate the Student Talent Enrichment Program (STEP) Grant program, designed to fulfill low-income first-year students’ financial needs and encourage their persistence on to their second year of college. Second, I study the effectiveness of the BounceBack …

The Impact Of Coaches' Character On Youth Basketball Players, Natasha Hill

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

If utilized effectively, recreation and sports can serve as major tools for developing youth, improving the educational environment, and increasing the number of productive adults that are healthier physically and mentally to positively impact society. Most research targeting recreation and sports developing youth has the perspective primarily of parents and youth. Evaluating the character strengths of coaches and youth athletes who actively participate in team basketball is vital.

An exploration of the value of basketball and character strengths of (n = 64) youth athletes, between the ages of 12 to 16 years, and the impact of their involvement with coaches …

Local Disaster Planning And Preparedness Coordination In The Rio Grande Valley, Cristina L. Madrid

Theses and Dissertations

Hurricanes and flooding events yield complex social and environmental consequences to coastal communities. Disaster preparedness and recovery is a multidisciplinary and multi-jurisdictional effort that requires coordination and planning across many actors.

Existing research recognizes the link between social capital and a community’s ability to respond to and ‘bounce back’ to normalcy after such hazardous events. However, few studies have examined the institutional dimension of social capital among communities noted for high levels of poverty situated in disaster-prone areas along the U.S. Mexico border. We aim to fill this gap by using survey data collected from emergency management practitioners in the …

Law Enforcement Employees’ Perceptions Of Performance Appraisals In A Medium-Size, Suburban Police Department, Christopher C. Zimmerman

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to investigate how police officers in a medium-size, suburban police department perceived performance appraisals and the effects of performance appraisals on job satisfaction and job performance. This study also examined the impacts of job satisfaction and job performance on organizations. One-on-one participant interviews were conducted, and thematic coding was utilized to capture the dominant themes associated with the police officers’ perceptions of performance appraisals. Twelve police officers from a medium-size, suburban police department in New Jersey participated in the study, and their anonymity was maintained to elicit transparent responses. This dissertation was …

Prescription Opioids And Heroin Abuse In New Mexico: Swot Analyses Of Possible Policies/Interventions And The Way Forward, Ali Abbasi

Public Administration ETDs

Throughout the last decade or so, Opioid related fatalities are at all-time high in the United States. New Mexico’s problem with Opioids abuse in not a new phenomenon and a large number of New Mexicans are losing their lives almost on a daily basis. The paper highlights the alarming situation of overdose deaths caused specifically by the abuse of Prescription Opioids and Heroin which, in 2016 alone have taken 347 lives in New Mexico. Policy makers along with other stakeholders play a vital part in shaping the politics along with other interventions which can help tackle the epidemic. The paper …

Building A National Maritime Security Policy, Adriana Avila-Zúñiga Nordfjeld

World Maritime University Ph.D. Dissertations

The issue of port security raised concerns at the highest levels after the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001 against the United States. Security threats against ports and vessels acquired a new perspective and in 2002 the International Maritime Organization (IMO) adopted amendments to the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS), 1974, introducing Chapter XI-2 - Special measures to enhance maritime security. This set of regulations enshrines the International Ship and Port Facilities Security Code (ISPS Code), which entered into force on 1 July 2004.

This Code establishes a set of measures to enhance the security …

Developing Port Marketing Strategies: A Case Study For Bangkok Port, Thailand, Kanchisa Deerod

World Maritime University Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Successful Reentry Of African American Women, Tori Starks

Master of Science in Criminal Justice Theses & (Pre-2016) Policy Research Projects

African American women have a history of being overlooked in the criminal justice system. Despite this, they are disproportionately represented within prisons in the United States. By acknowledging the disadvantages that African American women face, being at the intersectionality of race and gender, it is important that we understand how different factors of society may impact them differently. In addition to African American women being overlooked in the Criminal Justice System, reentry plays a vital role in understanding incarceration and how it impacts criminal justice involved individuals. It is important that the Criminal Justice System is providing criminal justice involved …

Why Education Matters: Political Participation And Interpretive Experiences At High School, Samuel V. Stoddard

Doctoral Dissertations

Political scientists have long recognized educational attainment as a strong predictor of voter turnout, but the mechanisms through which educational experiences lead voters to the polls remain under-explored. This research begins the process of opening the proverbial black box of education to understand the specific types of scholastic experiences that encourage voting. Grounded in previous findings by scholars of policy feedback and political socialization, I use a mix of qualitative and quantitative data analyses to reveal that nonacademic high school experiences can have powerful and lasting interpretive effects. Results show that participants in performance and service-based extracurricular activities are commonly …

Searching For The Fulcrum: Can Accountable Care Organizations Lower Spending By Balancing Specialists-To-Primary Care Providers?, Vishal Shetty

Masters Theses

Background:

While value-based payment models emphasizing care coordination have been widely implemented to improve quality and lower expenditures, supporting empirical evidence is sparse. Our objective was to quantify the impact of specialist-to-primary care physician involvement within accountable care organization (ACO) and its association with lower spending.

Methods:

We conducted a retrospective cohort study of Medicare Shared Savings Program ACOs from 2012-2016 using publicly available data provided by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services at the ACO level. We examined the association between the proportion of primary care services delivered by specialists versus other types of care providers and ACO …

Law, Autonomy, And Local Government: A Legal History Of Municipal Corporations In Canada West/Ontario, 1850-1880, Mary Margaret Pelton Stokes

PhD Dissertations

The historiography of local government in mid-nineteenth century Canada West/Ontario is divided on the question of municipal autonomy. The more dominant thesis asserts that the Municipal Corporations (Baldwin) Act of 1849 ushered in a period of freedom for municipalities. The second depicts the Act as oppressive of autonomy in the interests of economic development. Both interpretations are based largely on extrapolation from earlier and later periods; there have been no direct examinations of local governance in Canada West/Ontario for what may be considered its formative period, from 1850 to 1880. In addition, much that has been written has been conceptually …

Making Occupations Possible? A Critical Analysis Of Social Assistance Policy In Ontario, Nedra R. Peter

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This thesis reports on a two-part study exploring the occupational possibilities of people receiving social assistance in Ontario. The research conducted in this thesis was guided by the research question: How does social assistance in the form of Ontario Works and the Ontario Disability Support Program influence occupational possibilities for adults living in poverty? Guided by a governmentality perspective, Laliberte Rudman (2010) proposes that social and political processes shape expectations and possibilities for occupations. Occupational possibilities refer to the occupations that are supported and promoted by various aspects of the broader systems and structures in which lives are lived (Laliberte …

White Rage: Investigating The Implicit Nature Of State Sanctioned White Violence, Kerry Sonia , '19

Senior Theses, Projects, and Awards

No abstract provided.

Changing Donor-Ngo Relations Thorough Viable Alternatives To Conventional Grantmaking, Kio Okawa

Capstone Collection

The purpose of this research is to explore ways in which non-governmental organizations (NGOs) can become more sustainable in light of a crucial challenge facing them today: that of financial instability. In the charitable sector in the U.S, NGOs, especially small-scale NGOs, have struggled with securing daily operating revenue rather than revenue for long-term program operations, in spite of the continuing needs of their beneficiaries (Janus, 2018; Le, 2017; Meehan & Jonker, 2017). Fundraising has come to involve relationships between NGOs and institutional donors such as foundations, government agencies and corporations. Competition among NGOs and rampant power asymmetry between donors …

Ageing, Health And Health-Seeking Behaviour In Ghana, Razak Mohammed Gyasi

Lingnan Theses and Dissertations (MPhil & PhD)

Rapid ageing of populations globally following reductions in fertility and mortality rates has become one of the most significant demographic features in recent decades. As a low- and middle-income country, Ghana has one of the largest and fastest growing older populations in sub-Saharan Africa, where ageing often occurs ahead of socioeconomic development and provision of health and social care services. Older persons in these contexts often face greater health challenges and various life circumstances including role loss, retirement, irregular incomes and widowhood, which can increase their demand for both formal and informal support. This thesis addresses the effects of the …

Bias-Motivated Homicides: Toward A New Typology, Lindsey Sank Davis

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Despite significant progress towards equal protection under the law for women, LGBT individuals, and people of color in the United States, hate crime remains a pervasive problem, and rates appear to have increased in recent years. Bias-motivated homicide – arguably the most serious form of hate crime – is statistically rare but may have far-reaching consequences for marginalized communities. Data from the Uniform Crime Reports and the National Crime Victimization Survey have suggested that, on average, fewer than 10 bias-motivated homicides occur in the United States per year; however, data from open sources indicate that the rate of bias-motivated homicide …

An Examination Of The Relationships Between Stressors, Correctional Burnout, And Job Outcomes, Erin Rogers

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

While most jobs can cause work related stress, correctional workers experience exposure to stressors that often result in a more serious condition known as burnout. The effects of burnout are far more detrimental than average work related stress yet, there is a dearth of knowledge and research on correctional burnout. This study examines how work characteristics relate to correctional burnout (e.g. emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and a decreased sense of personal accomplishment) and job outcomes (e.g. job satisfaction, organizational commitment, and turnover. It also assesses the relationship between the three aspects of burnout and the three types of job outcomes listed …

Exploring The Source Of Container Cargo And Passenger Flow : A Case Of Shanghai Port, Dong Xu

World Maritime University Dissertations

No abstract provided.

The Politics Of Wounds, Jonathan Nash

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

What configuration of strategies and discourses enable the white male and settler body politic to render itself as simultaneously wounded and invulnerable? I contextualize this question by reading the discursive continuities between Euro-America’s War on Terror post-9/11 and Algeria’s War for Independence. By interrogating political-philosophical responses to September 11, 2001 beside American rhetoric of a wounded nation, I argue that white nationalism, as a mode of settler colonialism, appropriates the discourses of political wounding to imagine and legitimize a narrative of white hurt and white victimhood; in effect, reproducing and hardening the borders of the nation-state. Additionally, by turning to …

Program Evaluation For Volunteers In Medicine Of Southern Nevada, Josephine Fenton

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

A program evaluation was conducted for Volunteers in Medicine of Southern Nevada (“VMSN”), founded just over 10-years ago by a group of passionate and concerned citizens whose mission statement and goal is “to provide quality health care and support for people without access to health care in Southern Nevada within a culture of caring.” This report serves as the completed program evaluation for VMSN, and includes analytical findings and recommendations that VMSN may incorporate and develop into their organization to help further improve their services for the Southern Nevada community.

After careful review, it was determined that the scope of …