Digital Commons Network^™

Acculturative Stress And Gang Involvement Among Latinos: U.S.-Born Versus Immigrant Youth, Alice N. Barrett

Psychology Honors Theses

Quantitative and qualitative data from the 2002 Latino Adolescent Transition Study were used to explore differences in acculturative stress and gang involvement between foreign-born and U.S.-born Latino middle school students. Regression analyses showed significant interactions between discrimination stress and immigration status as well as adaptation stress and immigration status. U.S.-born youths were significantly more likely to be gang-involved if they experienced discrimination stress. They were also less likely to be gang-involved if they experienced high adaptation stress. A minority of primarily foreign-born youths identified economic inequality and prejudicial attitudes as factors that differentiated them from Americans. Those reporting economic inequality …

Is There Less Access To Quality Grocery Stores In Minority And Poor Neighborhoods In Houston, Texas?, Chin-Hsing Chen, Lei Zhou, Deborah Banerjee, Monica Slentz

International Journal of Exercise Science: Conference Proceedings

Purpose: There has been an enormous increase in obesity and diet-related diseases in the past decade. Limited access to nutritious foods and easier access to unhealthy foods is believed to be among those at fault. However, access to healthy foods, although studied extensively, does not have a standard measure and is conceptualized in multiple ways by researchers. The relationships between availability of quality grocery store and the socio-demographic profile of the neighborhood are not well understood, particularly in an ethnically and socially diverse city, such as Houston. Our study aims to explore the relationships between distribution of small, medium or …

Economic Writing On The Pressing Problems Of The Day: The Roles Of Moral Intuition And Methodological Confusion, Julie A. Nelson

Economics Faculty Publication Series

Economists are often called on to help address pressing problems of the day, yet many economists are uncomfortable about disclosing the values that they bring to this work. This essay explores how an inadequate understanding of the role of methodology, as related to ethics and human emotions of concern, underlies this reluctance and compromises the quality of economic advice. The tension between caring about the problems, on the one hand, and writing within the existing culture of the discipline, on the other, are illustrated with examples from U.S. policymaking, behavioral economics, and the economics of climate change and global poverty. …

We Dream A World: The 2025 Vision For Black Men And Boys, Rhonda Tsoi-A-Fatt Bryant

Rhonda Tsoi-A-Fatt Bryant

No abstract provided.

Developing Alphabetic Knowledge In A School-To-Home Project With Students Who Are At-Risk: Literature Review, Julie Ann Armstrong

Early and Special Education Graduate Projects and Theses

Literacy skills are developing in children from the time they are born and should be nurtured during the preschool years (Joint Position Statement, 2005). There are important literacy skill sets for children to acquire to be competent readers. The 2009 National Early Literacy Panel has defined one of these skills as alphabetic knowledge (Bell & Westberg, 2009). Alphabetic knowledge is being able to recognize and name letters and their sounds. The research shows that mastery of alphabetic skills is required before children can engage successfully in phonemic awareness. (Bara, Gentaz & Cole, 2007). Parents can facilitate their child’s mastery of …

Developing Alphabetic Knowledge In A School-To-Home Project With Students Who Are At-Risk: Alphabetic Knowledge Activities Handbook, Julie Ann Armstrong

Early and Special Education Graduate Projects and Theses

Early childhood educators are on the frontline of developing emergent literacy skills in their students. Research is abundant and clear about the importance of exposure to and experience with literacy activities for young children (Joint Position Statement- International Reading Association and the National Association for the Education of Young Children, 2005). However, students arrive in the classroom with varying skills and backgrounds relative to literacy, and many students are in a position to be considered at-risk of school failure. Teaching this population of students can be a challenge. This Alphabetic Knowledge Activities handbook was created to be a resource for …

The United States' Failure To Ratify The International Covenant On Economic, Social And Cultural Rights: Must The Poor Be Always With Us., Ann M. Piccard

The Scholar: St. Mary's Law Review on Race and Social Justice

The United States remains one of only half a dozen U.N. member states that have yet to ratify the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. The treaty was signed by President Jimmy Carter in 1977, but no steps toward ratification have ever been taken. Meanwhile, the gap between the rich and the poor in this country continues to grow, and is among the highest of any democracy on earth. The United States is historically suspicious of even recognizing economic, social and cultural rights as “rights” that might be amenable to any method of enforcement. As a result, the …

Economic Writing On The Pressing Problems Of The Day: The Roles Of Moral Intuition And Methodological Confusion, Julie A. Nelson

Julie A. Nelson

Economists are often called on to help address pressing problems of the day, yet many economists are uncomfortable about disclosing the values that they bring to this work. This essay explores how an inadequate understanding of the role of methodology, as related to ethics and human emotions of concern, underlies this reluctance and compromises the quality of economic advice. The tension between caring about the problems, on the one hand, and writing within the existing culture of the discipline, on the other, are illustrated with examples from U.S. policymaking, behavioral economics, and the economics of climate change and global poverty. …

How Widespread Is Oil And Electricity Theft In Latin America?, Inter-American Dialogue's Latin American Energy Advisor

Latin American Energy Dialogue, White Papers and Reports

Last month, a ruptured pipeline in northern Colombia spilled 20,000 gallons of fuel into the Caribbean Sea and created a localized environmental emergency. Authorities allege that the spill was caused by a failed criminal attempt to siphon oil from the pipeline. How big of a problem is the theft of oil, fuels and electricity in Latin American and Caribbean countries? In which countries is the situation most critical? What types of entities are behind the theft, and what policies and practices should be implemented to stop this type of criminal activity?

Book Review: The End Of Poverty: Economic Possibilities For Our Time, Shiela G. Rector

Education and Culture

The End of Poverty: Economic Possibilities for Our Time by Jeffrey D. Sachs details the work of Sachs, a global economist in helping impoverished countries to improve their economy. His passion and sense of possibility for ending poverty is backed by real-life experience in a number of third world countries. He makes a call for the American government and citizens to take the challenge to end extreme world poverty by the year 2025. He also points out the vital role education plays in helping countries to bring themselves out of poverty.

The Impact Of An Advisor-Advisee Mentoring Program On The Achievement, School Engagement, And Behavior Outcomes Of Rural Eighth Grade Students, Christopher J. Herrick

Student Work

The purpose of this exploratory two-group pretest-posttest comparative survey study was to determine the effect of a team adviser-advisee academic, behavior, and character mentoring program on the achievement, school engagement, and behavior outcomes of eighth grade students determined to be above ( n = 21) and below (n = 15) eligibility guidelines for free and reduced price lunch participation during the 2008-2009 school year.

Contextualizing Obesity Among Latino Farmworkers: A Critical Analysis Of Structural And Cultural Processes Affecting Farmworker Health And Nutrition In Central Florida, Melissa H. Johnson

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Migrant and seasonal farmworkers play a critical role in the U.S. economy, producing food for the American public, while their suffering is often rendered invisible by their existence on the margins of society. The low wages associated with farm labor combined with the largely undocumented status of this population severely limits access to food, housing, and health care, resulting in poor health outcomes. Through the use of a critical anthropological approach, this research examines the social, cultural, political, and economic context of obesity among Latino migrant and seasonal farmworkers in Central Florida. Ethnographic research methods were used to explore perceptions …

Poverty And Indigenous Peoples Of Nepal, Gyanesh Lama, Martha Ozawa, Palsang Lama

Himalayan Policy Research Conference

This study analyzes nationally representative sample of women (N =10793) to quantify the magnitude and predictors of poverty among indigenous peoples of Nepal. The study estimates the risk of poverty among the major ethnic groups in Nepal. Cross-sectional data from the Nepal Demographic and Health Survey 2006 (NDHS 2006) was used. Step-wise multivariate logistic regressions were conducted.

Coping Mechanism Among Tribes In India: A Case Study Of Melghat, Nilratan Shende

Himalayan Policy Research Conference

This research identifies a series of coping mechanism on which people of Melghat in the state of Maharashtra rely throughout the year. Variation in each of the coping mechanisms is analyzed in light of ownership of resources, access to natural resources, and gender discrimination. The paper takes a sociological approach to relate problems of food security to the prevailing structural social disparities and consequent discrimination.

The George-Anne, Georgia Southern University

The George-Anne

• Competition for Einstein’s?
• News
• Views
• Weekend Wrap
• Features
• Reviews
• Classifieds
• Sports

Geographic Isolation And Poverty Among Indigenous Peoples In Nepal, Gyanesh Lama, Marth N. Ozawa, Palsang Lama

Himalayan Research Papers Archive

This study analyzed nationally representative sample of women (N =10793) to quantify the magnitude and predictors of poverty among indigenous peoples of Nepal. The study estimated the risk of poverty among the major ethnic groups in Nepal. Cross-sectional data from the Nepal Demographic and Health Survey 2006 (NDHS 2006) was used. Step-wise multivariate logistic regressions were conducted. The results show that significant variations exist in the risk of poverty between indigenous and non-indigenous peoples. Tamang were at the highest risk of poverty among the indigenous peoples. Controlling for geography further exacerbated the disparity between indigenous and non-non indigenous peoples. Attentions …

Encouraging Savings Under The Earned Income Tax Credit: A Nudge In The Right Direction, Vada Waters Lindsey

University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform

During 2007, 3.6 million or 9.7% of people in the United States age 65 or older were below the poverty level. In light of the number of elderly people living below the poverty level, it is important that everyone, including low-income workers, have the opportunity to save for retirement. Low-income workers face many challenges to saving for retirement. The barriers to saving include the lack of access to retirement plans and lack of investment savvy. For example, only 42 % of workers employed in service occupations in the private industry have access to employer retirement plans. The percentage drops to …

Faith, Charity, Justice, And Civic Learning: The Lessons And Legacy Of Frédéric Ozanam, Raymond L. Sickinger Ph.D.

Vincentian Heritage Journal

Frederic Ozanam’s philosophy and work has much to offer those interested in community service and service learning. Thinkers such as John Dewey and Jane Addams believed that acts of charity allowed the rich to judge the poor and to excuse themselves from greater social responsibility. Charity and social justice were therefore mutually exclusive. In contrast, Ozanam’s definition of Christian charity involved treating poor persons as equals to increase social engagement and transform all of society. Ultimately, all classes were to come together with the same social goals of “peace, order, and happiness.” With the advice of those working in the …

Frédéric Ozanam―Beneficent Deserter: Mediating The Chasm Of Income Inequality Through Liberty, Equality, And Fraternity, Reverend Craig B. Mousin

Vincentian Heritage Journal

Frederic Ozanam demonstrated how liberty, equality, and fraternity were Christian principles whose application was to safeguard the rights of poor persons and lessen the tremendous gap between rich and poor. He feared violent class warfare and insisted that Christians act as nonviolent mediators for as long as they could to prevent it from happening or at least ensure less disastrous results. If forced to take sides, Christians were to choose the poor, as the Gospel does. He urged charitable, pastoral, and civic engagement with the working poor, an often overlooked group. He campaigned for the Church and France to embrace …

Love's Lack: The Relationship Between Poverty And Eros In Plato's Symposium, Lorelle D. Lamascus

Dissertations (1934 -)

This dissertation responds to a long-standing debate among scholars regarding the nature of Platonic Eros and its relation to lack. The more prominent account of Platonic Eros presents the lack of Eros as a deficiency or need experienced by the lover with respect to the object needed, lacked, or desired, so that the nature of Eros is construed as self-interested or acquisitive, subsisting only so long as the lover lacks the beloved object. This dissertation argues that such an interpretation neglects the different senses of lack present in the Symposium and presents an alternative interpretation of Eros based on the …

Distressing Projections For The Health Of American Children: Are They Inevitable?, Luisa Franzini

Journal of Applied Research on Children: Informing Policy for Children at Risk

A commentary on Murdock et al.'s article, "Poverty, Educational Attainment and Health Among America’s Children: Current and Future Effects of Population Diversification and Associated Socioeconomic Change."

Poverty, Educational Attainment And Health Among America’S Children: Current And Future Effects Of Population Diversification And Associated Socioeconomic Change, Steve Murdock, Mary Zey, Michael E. Cline, Stephen Klineberg

Journal of Applied Research on Children: Informing Policy for Children at Risk

A complex of interrelated factors including minority status, poverty, education, health status, and other factors determine the general welfare of children in America, particularly in heavily diverse states such as Texas. Although racial/ethnic status is clearly only a concomitant factor in that determination it is a factor for which future projections are available and for which the relationships with the other factors in the complex can be assessed. After examining the nature of the interrelationships between these factors we utilize direct standardization techniques to examine how the future diversification of the United States and Texas will affect the number of …

A Lay Word For A Legal Term: How The Popular Definition Of Charity Has Muddled The Perception Of The Charitable Deduction, Paul J. Valentine

Paul J Valentine

In the United States there is a deeply held conviction “that taxpayers who donate to charity should generally not be subject to the same income tax liability as similarly situated taxpayers.” This innate sense about the Internal Revenue Code’s section 170, otherwise known as the charitable deduction, resonates with the Americans’ sense of fairness and creates strong barriers to curtailing its function. This same sense of fairness is tied to the perceived effects of the charitable deduction. Yet, how “charitable” is the charitable deduction and how charitable do we expect it to be? This paper argues that the discrepancy between …

No Chance To Explain : The Utility Of Attachment Theory When Working With African American Teen Mothers : A Project Based Upon An Independent Investigation, Amy Bauman

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

In this cross-sectional qualitative study the intersection of race and sexual orientation in the family planning process of interracial queer women-identified (IQW) couples was examined. For total participants N = 13. Themes included the affirmative nature of the intentionality of the family planning process for IQW couples as well as the difficulties of assisted conception. Participants spoke to their relationship to their family of origin and their fears and visions regarding their own family formation, related to genetic heritage, language, and traditions. Support systems offered by family of choice and social networks were discussed, specifically the need for community mirroring …

Gendered Vulnerabilities After Genocide: Three Essays On Post-Conflict Rwanda, Catherine Ruth Finnoff

Open Access Dissertations

This dissertation addresses gendered vulnerabilities after the genocide of 1994 in Rwanda. It consists of three essays, each focusing on the experience of women in a particular aspect of post-conflict development. The first essay analyzes trends in poverty and inequality in Rwanda from 2000 to 2005. The chapter identifies four important correlates of consumption income: gender, human capital, assets, and geography, and examines their salience in determining the poverty of a household and its position in the income distribution. The second essay is an econometric examination of an important health insurance scheme initiated in post-conflict Rwanda. Employing logistic regression techniques, …

Educating Children About Global Issues, Ali Nawab

Professional Development Centre, Chitral

No abstract provided.

Bringing The Organization Back In: The Role Of Bureaucratic Churning In Early Tanf Caseload Declines In Illinois, Chad Broughton

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Welfare reform legislation in the late 1990s lead to rapid declines in state welfare caseloads. In contrast to prevailing accounts that emphasize rapid job creation and those that pin caseload declines on successful work incentives and behavioral sanctions, this article argues that organizational rationing mechanisms explain a large portion of the sharp initial declines in Illinois. The article first highlights how street-level bureaucratic practices oriented toward caseload reduction arose in TANF implementing bodies from a reordered and narrow set of organizational incentives that had little to do with the symbolic goals of welfare reform. Based on an analysis of state-level …

Avoiding The "Big Black Hole" Of Development Aid: The Legal Promise And Inherent Challenges Of Community-Directed Development, Allison Wells

Allison Wells

In the face of recent natural disasters in places such as Haiti and Pakistan, as well as the chronic underdevelopment in many regions of the world, development aid funnels billions of dollars around the globe every year in an effort to improve the lives of suffering populations. However, the distribution of those funds is constantly controversial, and much is said about the potential for mismanagement in international development, as well as the risk of political paternalism in dictating what needy communities are lacking. Community-Directed Development (CDD) is a growing trend in international aid that improves upon many of these pitfalls …

Poverty And Inequality In Uttar Pradesh During 1993-94 To 2004-05: A Decomposition Analysis, Durgesh Chandra Pathak

Durgesh Chandra Pathak

This paper attempts a decomposition analysis of Poverty scenario in UP during 1993-94 and 2004-05. It was found that poverty has decreased but inequality has increased between these years. The main problems in the state are stark inter-region and intra-region differences. A positive observation is that the poorest region in the state, the southern region or Bundelkhand, is making relatively impressive progress in poverty reduction. The study also tries to highlight the way anti-poverty programmes are generally being implemented in the state.

Estimating The Life Course Dynamics Of Asset Poverty, Mark R. Rank, Thomas A. Hirschl

Center for Social Development Research

Poverty can be conceptualized and measured in several different ways. The most common approach has been to rely on a scarcity of income as the basis for poverty. This paper analyzes poverty using a relatively new and alternative measuring stick—that of asset poverty. Using data from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics, we examine the extent to which individuals have enough assets to allow them to live for three months above the official poverty line. Households that fail to have the necessary amount of assets are considered asset poor. Three different measures of counting assets are used in this paper—net …