Digital Commons Network^™

The Role Of The State, Multinational Oil Companies, International Law & The International Community: Intersection Of Human Rights & Environmental Degradation Climate Change In The 21st Century Caused By Traditional Extractive Practices, The Amazon Rainforest, Indigenous People And Universal Jurisdiction To Resolve The Accountability Issue, Marcela Cabrera Luna

Master's Theses

Local, national and international conventions that protect indigenous sovereignty and their territories, where many of the resources are extracted from by multinational corporations (MNCs) particularly oil, the number one commodity of the world and cause of climate change, continue to be jeopardized because of the lack of a clear international legal framework that can protect them and potentially hold multinationals accountable for their actions. These practices are causing not only environmental issues to the indigenous and surrounding communities, but climate change is in fact, the real human rights issue of the 21^st century and it affects everyone. By using …

Examining Employee Knowledge Of The Jennie Edmundson Hospital Active Shooter Policy, Mallory W. Darais

Theses & Dissertations

Nationally, there has been a large increase in the number of active shooter events within healthcare facilities such as hospitals. Due to this increase, government organizations have recently released documents to guide healthcare facilities on implementing active shooter policies and updating emergency operation plans. Currently, recommendations from government entities such as the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Department of Homeland Security suggest the “Run, Hide, Fight” approach during an active shooter incident. Jennie Edmundson Hospital, located in Council Bluffs, Iowa, and affiliated with the Methodist Health System, currently has an active shooter policy in place. Data was collected from …

A Review Of 'Body Farm' Research Facilities Across America With A Focus On Policy And The Impacts When Dealing With Decompositional Changes In Human Remains, Brittany M. Wolff

Criminology & Criminal Justice Theses

In the current research study, the use of content analysis and secondary data analysis provided the exploratory research on the “body farm” research facilities across the United States. Open-ended survey questions were also utilized and sent to the six research facilities across the country. The use of open-ended survey questions in combination with a small sample size, resulted in only one institution participating in the survey and one facility actively declining to participate. To resolve this limitation, the use of secondary data and content analysis from facility publications and websites were utilized to complete some of the gaps resulting from …

The Economic Implications Of Evolving Aviation Funding Policy In Tennessee, Hunter Pressley Mccracken

Masters Theses

The majority of state funding for capital improvements at Tennessee’s general aviation and commercial airports comes through grants awarded from the Tennessee Transportation Equity Trust Fund (TETF). Through a 4.5 percent sales and use tax on the consumption of aviation fuel, users help to fund the continued improvement and maintenance of aviation facilities around the state. Aircraft refueling operations associated with the FedEx “SuperHub” in Memphis were responsible for two-thirds of the TETF’s revenue for Fiscal Year 2014. In response to speculation that FedEx would relocate its refueling operations to reduce its fuel tax liability, the Tennessee General Assembly passed …

Language Policy In Turkey And Its Effect On The Kurdish Language, Sevda Arslan

Masters Theses

For many decades the Kurdish language was ignored and banned from public use and Turkish became the lingua franca for all citizens to speak. This way, the Turkish state sought to create a nation-state based on one language and attempted to eliminate the use of other languages, particularly Kurdish, through severe regulations and prohibitions.

Firstly, this thesis traces the language planning policies in the 20th century which resulted in the invisibilization and denial of Kurdish through an attempted linguicide. Through decade long oppressions which resulted in mass killings, arrests, re-location of Kurds, monopolization of education in Turkish and eventually the …

Pushing For New Perspectives: Policy Model Of Criminalized Prostitution And Its Effect On Victims Of Sex Trafficking, Melanie C. Basil

Global Honors Theses

Sex trafficking has become one of the world’s fastest growing crimes, affecting nearly every single country on our globe, and is inevitably linked to prostitution. Although prostitution has been criminalized in the United States for decades, recent literature has shown that this type of prostitution has little effect on aiding the overall sweeping and devastating effects of sex trafficking on its victim’s. The current research therefore uses interviews from experts and individuals with experience in prostitution and sex trafficking to understand—from the eyes of those with actual experience—the realistic role that criminalized prostitution plays in the lives of sex trafficking …

Principles And Policies: Comparing The Counterterrorist Strategies Of United States Think Tanks In The Wake Of September 11th, Malcolm Kelly

Honors Theses

United States think tanks work in a “marketplace of ideas” where they compete to spread their views and influence policy-makers. Although think tanks often claim to be independent organizations free of politicization, they are political bodies. Analysts in think tanks share common assumptions about international relations and think tanks have clear political orientations, which guide their members while researching and promoting policies to decision makers. To what extent can global events alter or transform these underlying assumptions? Are global events interpreted anew or are they absorbed into the particular core values and basic principles mirrored in think tank mission statements? …

The Six-Year Hangover: An Assessment Of The Effectiveness Of Unconventional Monetary Policy In Dealing With Debt Overhang Within The U.S. Economy, Meredith Moshier

Honors Theses

After the Financial Crisis of 2007 to 2008, the Federal Reserve and the federal government used monetary and fiscal policy to buoy the economy out of the recession, but the Fed had to turn to non-standard forms of monetary policy, or unconventional monetary policy. The Federal Reserve used forward guidance, quantitative easing, and the maturity extension program to: lower interest rates, raise inflation expectations, and increase GDP. Six years after the Financial Crisis, the Federal Reserve has begun to taper from unconventional monetary policy. Yet, there has been much debate as to whether unconventional monetary policy is effective or not, …

Bgsu Honors College Social Media Policy And Plan, Joseph Macquarrie

Honors Projects

For my honors project, I want to explore the use of social media by colleges and universities in the processes of recruitment and retention. I want to help the Honors College at Bowling Green State University to recruit and retain high school and honors students. The largest part of my honors project will be formulating a social media policy that will create guidelines for the Honors College social media pages. This way, the social media pages fall into line with BGSU standards while operations of the social media pages remain simple and effective.

Measuring The Level Of University Student Knowledge On The U.S. Drug Policy And Harms Associated With Illicit Drug Use: A Replication Study, Ashley E. Williams

Undergraduate Honors Theses

The purpose of this thesis project is to measure the level of knowledge that university students have regarding state and national illicit drug classifications in the United States and associated penalties with these classifications, as well as the harms resulting from consuming illicit drugs. This particular study, which is to be conducted as a replication study to Higson’s campus-based study on the UK drug policy, focuses on a different campus population in regards to the U.S. drug policy. Replication studies such as these are beneficial to previous studies because such additional research will not only strengthen the findings and correct …

An Assessment Of The Built Environment And Inclusivity Of Older Adults In Community Planning In Portland, Maine, Elizabeth A. Bissonnette

Muskie School Capstones and Dissertations

This paper focuses on this assessment specific to four: civic participation, housing, transportation, and outdoor spaces and buildings. Four others targeted for study by others include respect and social inclusion, communication and information, community and health services, and social participation. Each domain is reviewed from the perspective of older adults and older although this assessment also benefits people of all ages and abilities. Some data and references were only available with population breakouts of those aged 65 years and older and are noted appropriately.

An Embedded Case Study Of The Proposed Megan Meier Cyberbullying Prevention Statute & The Proposed Tyler Clementi Higher Education Anti-Harassment Statute, James Vines

All Dissertations

The purpose of this explanatory, embedded case study was to understand why the proposed Megan Meier Cyberbullying Prevention statute and the Tyler Clementi Higher Education Anti-Harassment statute did not passed. The data for the study was conducted through direct observations of congressional committee hearings, document analysis and open-ended interviews. The proposed Megan Meier Cyberbullying Prevention statute addresses cyberbullying by imposing criminal sanctions. The proposed Tyler Clementi Higher Education Anti-Harassment Statute seeks to provide federal grants to institutions of higher education to implement anti-harassment programs. The findings revealed that vague terminology, language dealing with LGBT people and sexual orientation as well …

Determining If Development Capacity Leads To The Attainment Of Redevelopment Goals For Six Communities Affected By Base Realignment And Closure (1988, 1991, And 1993), Paula J. Loomis

School of Public Service Theses & Dissertations

The McGuire et al. model (1994) showed that development of a strategic plan led to higher development capacity, but did not address the relationship between development capacity and redevelopment success. This study examined the link between development capacity and redevelopment success.

This study examined six base realignment and closure communities. Following the Yin Multiple Case Study Method, each community was evaluated on its own merits before being compared with other communities. In this study the McGuire et al. model was expanded to fourteen variables in three categories; citizen participation, community structure, and development instruments. Redevelopment success was measured by attainment …

Creating A Professional Pathway For The Women Who Care For Our Children: An Anthropological Study Of An Early Childhood Workforce Development Policy, Melissa Kay Van Dyke

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Historically, the early childhood workforce has been described as undereducated, poor, and disproportionately comprised of women of color. The EDUCATE workforce development policy was designed to advance the professional development of under-paid and under-valued child care workers. This study focuses on the history, intent, and impact of this policy at the intersection between the grantees, the State, the various organizational contexts, and the broader structural forces. More broadly, complex issues and challenges related to the early childhood workforce are surfaced. Finally, through a critical analysis of the findings, the hidden and dominating forces that maintain the current level of inequity …

A Democracy, If We Can Keep It: Democratic Engagement Policy In Higher Education, Maegan Gorham

Theses and Dissertations

Students will be called upon as American citizens to be knowledgeable, engaged, contributing citizens, and higher education plays a part in the development of this role. Engagement must surpass simple volunteerism in order to more fully realize the potential benefit of democracy and democratic engagement activities. In turn, institutions must respond effectively and responsibly, making informed decisions about educating all students in the safest manner possible. This exploratory policy analysis, with embedded legal research, explores the policy issue, "Is higher education the appropriate venue for instruction on democratic engagement and, if so, do the benefits and rewards of instruction on …

Illinois Teacher Evaluation Student Growth Component: A Predecision-Making Policy Analysis, Joshua Robert Olsen

Theses and Dissertations

ILLINOIS TEACHER EVALUATION STUDENT GROWTH COMPONENT:

A PREDECISION-MAKING POLICY ANALYSIS

Joshua R. Olsen

122 Pages May 2015

Public school districts in Illinois are going to face massive changes to their evaluation systems in the coming years. Thanks to the adoption of the Performance Evaluation Reform Act of 2010 and Senate Bill 7 of 2011, teacher evaluation must contain student growth as a significant factor, beginning with the 2016-2017 school year. Not only must student performance on tests become part of the evaluation of teachers, but, moreover, teacher evaluation will play a greater role in the hiring, retention, and release of …

El Consenso De Washington Y Su Incidencia En El Sector Arrocero Colombiano: Efectos En La Seguridad Alimentaria 1990 2012, María Camila Manrique Fuentes, Magda Natalia Pineda Suescún

Finanzas y Comercio Internacional

El presente trabajo describe las políticas comerciales aplicadas a partir del Consenso de Washington que tuvieron un impacto en la seguridad alimentaria para el caso del arroz en Colombia. Las variables asociadas a la seguridad alimentaria como la producción, el consumo y los precios del arroz fueron estudiadas a través de análisis de tendencias y modelos de regresión lineal. Finalmente las autoras concluyen que la formulación de las políticas implementadas se llevó a cabo en total desvinculación con la realidad agrícola colombiana en términos del manejo de variables como la tasa de cambio y la tasa de interés. Situaciones importantes …

Rural Year-Round Growing To Ameliorate A Possible Negative Effect From Climate Change, Kimberlie A. Brussa

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) suggested that, as the world population grows, food and water shortages will become even more serious issues (IPPC's 2014 predictions about the future effects of climate change (CC), Year-round growing (YRG) may provide a way for communities to extend growing seasons, expand local farm systems, and provide food year round. This case study included a detailed analysis of responses from representatives of all sectors of rural Mesa County, Colorado, regarding YRG and a local food and farm plan due to CC. The case was bounded by time (6 months of data collection) which …

The Critical Success Factors Of Public Private Partnerships In Lagos State, Franca Igboka

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In recent years, the Lagos State Government has attempted to adopt public private

partnerships (PPP) with little success, largely as a result of implementation barriers. The

purpose of this quantitative, ex-post facto design study was to evaluate which factors are

considered most predictive of success of PPP implementation in the state, whereby the

prescribed quality of products/services is achieved within a specified time frame and at

the agreed cost. Wood and Gray's theory of collaboration and the network and

collaborations theory by Kamensky and Burlin guided this study. A self-constructed and

validated structured questionnaire was utilized in the collection of …

Determinants Of Usage Of Age-Appropriate Child Safety Seats In Connecticut, Giuseppina Mendillo Violano

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In the United States, motor vehicle crashes are one of the leading causes of unintentional injury death and disability for children ages 1'15 years. Despite local, state, and federal legislative and educational efforts, children continue to be restrained improperly and thus face harm. Identifying behaviors and barriers that place child occupants at risk is crucial for implementing focused, injury-prevention programs and policies. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of Connecticut's child passenger safety law that was strengthened in 2005. This study involved a multifactorial approach to predicting child seat use, guided by Roger's diffusion of innovations …

An Evaluation Of Math Assessment Policy Process In A Southwestern School District, Alicia O'Brien

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

An Evaluation of Math Assessment Policy Process in a Southwestern School District

by

Alicia Taber O'Brien

EdS, Walden University, 2011

MA, Western Governors University, 2004

BS, New Mexico State University, 1994

Doctoral Study Submitted in Partial Fulfillment

of the Requirements for the Degree of

Doctor of Education

Teacher Leadership

Walden University

September 2015

This project study addressed the lack of evaluation of a math assessment policy in a rural elementary school district in the southwestern United States. This district implemented a math assessment policy in the spring of 2005, yet no evaluation had been conducted to determine whether the policy …

El Empoderamiento De La Mujer Y Su Participación Política Y Económica, Caso Colombiano, Entre 2000 Y 2013, Gina Paola González Gasca

Economía

En esta investigación se identifica el proceso de empoderamiento y participación política de la mujer en Colombia y se analiza su relación con el nivel de desarrollo humano. Para ello se accedió a los datos publicados por el programa de la Naciones Unidas para el Desarrollo en sus índices realizados del 2000 al 2013, con el fin de estudiar el comportamiento y la incidencia de las variables descritas dentro de una muestra de países latinoamericanos. Llegando a la conclusión que la participación política de la mujer y su proceso de empoderamiento es un indicador fundamental para aumentar el nivel de …

State Adolescent Reproductive Health Policies And Their Impact On Teen Pregnancy Outcomes, Jenna Tosh

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Using multiple regression analysis, this study analyzes the impact of state-level adolescent reproductive health statutes on rates of teenage pregnancy, birth and abortion rates. This study also analyzes the impact that adolescent reproductive health policy outputs have had on teenage pregnancy outcomes between 1992 and 2008, and the disparate impact of policies on minority teens. While some preventive adolescent reproductive health policies are found to impact teen pregnancy outcomes, most research findings pertain to the impact of abortion policy. Restrictions on minors' access to confidential prenatal care are associated with reduced rates of teen abortion while restricting access to contraceptive …

Determinants Of Wind Energy Deployment: Infrastructures, Policies, Resources, Or Economics?, Marc Sydnor

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation analyzes the pattern of deployment of wind power across the United States, focusing on the influence of wind resources, incentives/supportive government and governance policies, supportive/confounding infrastructures, and economic factors. The effects of these factors are considered for 35 states from the year 2001 to 2012. Effects are estimated using fixed effects regression models, forward step-wise between modeling, and lead-lag models. The results indicate that demand, electrical transmission availability, and complementary generation assets, as well as the import-export of electricity are important factors in determining where wind energy deployment occurs. In addition, elevated levels of wind energy deployment are …

“Don’T Talk About It”: Investigating The Effects Of Pei’S Cultural Silence On Abortion Access And Advocacy From The Perspective Of Advocates And Support People, Emily A. Rutledge

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

As an arm of a greater study that investigates the impacts of PEI's abortion restriction over the past two decades, "Don't talk about it" explores the situation from the perspective of support people and advocates to abortion access including; their emotional experiences of support and advocacy, the associated risks and repercussions, as well as their understandings of the barriers, facilitators and impacts of compromised access to off-Island services for PEI women and girls. Key findings show an overarching culture of silence and blame surrounding abortion on PEI, reinforced by stigma and repercussions for those speaking out. This silence serves to …