Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Conference Report 1. Water Forum For Business And Urban Leaders: Discussing The Water Futures In El Paso Del Norte Region, William Hargrove, Josiah Heyman, Ana Rodriguez Camargo, Patrick Schaefer

Conference Reports

No abstract provided.

Into The Red: A Look Into The Reasons Why Refugees Decide To Flee, Settle Or Migrate To And From Morocco, Fadeelah E. Holivay

Master's Theses

This research paper explores some of the main reasons why refugees and asylum seekers, particularly from sub-Saharan African countries, embark on a journey and decide to settle, flee or migrate to and from Morocco. Because of this phenomenon, Morocco has seen a 96% increase of refugees migrating to the borders of Morocco each year for the past three years. Many say that this astonishing increase of migrants choosing Morocco is due to such factors as: wars breaking out regionally across central African and Middle Eastern countries causing them to flee; Morocco being a culturaly diverse francophone country whose laws and …

Out-Brief Slides: Municipal Planning Advisory Committee, Federal Emergency Management Agency

December 2, 2014: Hampton Roads Climate Preparedness and Resilience Exercise Series

PDF of powerpoint presentation at the "Hampton Roads Climate Adaptation, Preparedness, and Resilience Exercise" on December 2, 2014 at the Ted Constant Convocation Center at Old Dominion University.

Drivers' Perception Of Saher Traffic Monitoring System In Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Yaseen Jan

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

This study examined the drivers' perception of the SAHER (means "watchful" in Arabic) system in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The purpose of this study was to analyze the perception of the SAHER system on impacting the overall traffic conditions in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia including its effectiveness and flaws. A survey was conducted and distributed to 70 drivers and residents of Jeddah. Drivers were divided into two groups based on their age. Five hypotheses were tested in this study. Hypotheses one through four were tested using the averages of related questions. Hypothesis five was tested statistically using a z-test for differences between …

Home And Workplace Built Environment Supports For Physical Activity, Deepti Adlakha, J. Aaron Hipp, Christine M. Marx, Yang Lin, Rachel Tabak, Elizabeth A. Dodson, Ross C. Brownson

Brown School Faculty Publications

Background: Physical inactivity has been associated with obesity and related chronic diseases. Understanding built environment (BE) influences on specific domains of physical activity (PA) around homes and workplaces is important for public health efforts and interventions to increase population PA. Purpose: To examine the association of home and workplace BE features with PA occurring across specific life domains (work, leisure, and travel). Methods: Between 2012 and 2013, telephone interviews were conducted with participants in four Missouri metropolitan areas. Questions included sociodemographic characteristics, home and workplace supports for PA, and dietary behaviors. Data analysis was conducted in 2013; logistic regression was …

Tls Newsletter Volume 9, Edition 3. November, 2014, Unf Transportation And Logistics Society

Transportation & Logistics Society Newsletter

Inside the Newsletter: TLS Meeting on Wednesday November 19. Upcoming Events. TLS President's Corner. Get to know Thomas Phengchanh. TLS on Tour--Volkswagen Parts Distribution Center. TLS Philanthropy: 14th Annual Hubbard House Holiday Drive. In the Know: AST & L Certification in Transportation and Logistics. Life after Graduation with Brandon Little

Tls Newsletter Volume 9, Edition 2 October, 2014, Unf Transportation And Logistics Society

Transportation & Logistics Society Newsletter

Inside the Newsletter: TLS Meeting Wednesday October 15th. TLS President's Corner. Get to Know Kelly Pennington, TLS Secretary. TLS on Tour--Pilot Pen Assembly and Distribution Center. Expand Your Network--Get Involved with Professional Organizations. Life after Graduation with Toby Robin

Massachusetts On The Move: The Intersection Of Talent, Transportation, And Housing, Richard Boyajian, Juleen Freitas, David Mahoney, Karen Ng, Robert Woods

Emerging Leaders Program Team Projects

The Massachusetts Business Roundtable (MBR) collaborated with a team from the Emerging Leaders Program (ELP) from the University of Massachusetts Boston to interview business leaders to explore the important intersection of talent, transportation, and housing on the state’s economy. The ELP Team obtained the insights of 15 key business leaders, industry experts as well as public policy organizations on these important issues and their impact across the Commonwealth. This research seeks to capture the views of stakeholders throughout Massachusetts. The ELP Team surveyed the landscape by reviewing trends and current research on these policy issues.

Tls Newsletter Volume 9, Edition 1 September, 2014., Unf Transportation And Logistics Society

Transportation & Logistics Society Newsletter

Inside the Newsletter: TLS Fall Kick-off Meeting. TLS President's Corner. Upcoming Events. Get to Know Fallon McDonald, TLS Newsletter Editor. T & L Fall Career Day 2014. Jump-start your career--How to Graduate with a Degree and a Job. UNF T & L Students Travel to National Conferences. Life After Graduation with Veer Patel.

Assessment Of Policies For Innovative Financing In Infrastructure Systems, Ali Mostafavi, Dulcy Abraham, Charlene Sullivan

Infrastructure System-of-Systems (I-SoS ) Research Group

Infrastructure systems are drivers of the economy in the nation. A dollar spent on infrastructure development yields roughly double the initial spending in ultimate economic output in the short term; and over a twenty-year period, and generalized ‘public investment’ produces an aggregated $3.21 of economic activity per $1.00 spent [1]. Thus, formulation of policies pertaining to infrastructure investment and development is of significance affecting the social and economic wellbeing of the nation. The aim of this policy brief is to evaluate innovative financing in infrastructure systems from two different perspectives: (1) through consideration of the current condition of infrastructure in …

Louisiana's Water Innovation Cluster: Is It Ready For Global Competition?, Stephen C. Picou

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

The rapid growth of Louisiana's coastal restoration science and technology assets is paralleled by the growth of business resources to fulfill myriad project needs. Many institutions and organizations in Louisiana seek to further develop the state's research, education, engineering and related restoration assets into a globally competitive set of industries with exportable expertise and products that help the state capitalize on its water challenges. Globally, similar efforts are identified (and often branded) as water technology innovation clusters (or more simply water clusters). This paper explores the phenomenon of the development of water clusters by public-private partnerships and initiatives, nationally and …

City Of North Las Vegas Complete Streets Corridor Ranking Study Evaluation, Yasmin Dixon, Brianna Lawrence, Sarah Saenz, Imari Thompson

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

A Complete Street is a corridor that is accessible by all users and modes of transportation; it promotes livability and economic vitality in the surrounding community, and is a new approach to improving transportation networks. Prior to the implementation of Complete Streets projects, cities conduct corridor ranking studies to determine potential project locations. The City of North Las Vegas Planning Department (CNLV) is currently working on a corridor ranking study in partnership with the Regional Transportation Commission (RTC) and an external consulting group, Atkins International (Atkins). This is the first Complete Streets planning study for the City of North Las …

The Role Of Federal Libraries And Federal Librarians In Research Data Services (Rds): An Exploratory Study, Kimberly L. Douglass, Carol Tenopir, Ben Birch, Suzie Allard, Carol Hoover, Lisa Zolly, Mike Frame

DataONE Sociocultural and Usability & Assessment Working Groups

This study explores the roles federal (government) libraries and librarians play in scientific (international) knowledge development within federal agencies and in the larger scientific enterprise. In particular, this research looks at libraries’ and librarians’ facilitation of scientific inquiry through the application of research data services (RDS). Currently, librarians’ research and data consultation activities with administrators and researchers typically involve creating citations and finding datasets; less frequently, librarians are engaged in data management planning and other RDS activities. However, federal libraries and librarians have been identified as key stakeholders in collaborative science generally and specifically in scientific data cyberinfrastructures, such as …

Managing Private Vehicles In Asian Cities, S Y Phang

PHANG Sock Yong

No abstract provided.

U.S. Vs. European Broadband Deployment: What Do The Data Say?, Christopher S. Yoo

All Faculty Scholarship

As the Internet becomes more important to the everyday lives of people around the world, commentators have tried to identify the best policies increasing the deployment and adoption of high-speed broadband technologies. Some claim that the European model of service-based competition, induced by telephone-style regulation, has outperformed the facilities-based competition underlying the US approach to promoting broadband deployment. The mapping studies conducted by the US and the EU for 2011 and 2012 reveal that the US led the EU in many broadband metrics.

• High-Speed Access: A far greater percentage of US households had access to Next Generation Access (NGA) …

Chief Executive Structure In Massachusetts Towns: The Relationship Between Authority Levels And Leadership Opportunities, Maureen A. Thomas .

Public Affairs Capstones Collection

Throughout Massachusetts towns and cities there are various organizational and chief executive structures that dictate levels of authority and leadership opportunities. Drawing mostly from the literature on city forms of government, this research explores the authority-level variations among town administrators and town managers in Massachusetts and examines how authority levels relate to leadership opportunities. A mixed methods approach is used via a survey instrument to the 215 Massachusetts town administrators and town managers, 7 in-depth interviews, and secondary data review. Levels of chief executive authority and leadership were found to vary widely among the 94 survey respondents. While quantitative results …

Using The Morphogenetic Model To Examine Broadband Adoption: A Critical Realist Argument, Paul Jackson, Philip Dobson, Denise Gengatharen

Denise E Gengatharen

In this paper we use Archer’s morphogenetic model (Archer, 1995) to help explain community attitudes and expectations of adoption of broadband in rural communities in Australia. Broadband infrastructure is currently being implemented throughout Australia as part of a government backed National Broadband Network (NBN). Attitudes to this “nation building project” are deeply divided along political, ideological and demographic lines: some see it as transformational, others as a white elephant. Some anticipate great benefits, others would not bother to subscribe. Given this situation and the ambivalent results in other countries with similar programs, we propose to use critical realism as a …

Getting Seniors Moving Through Broome County, Nicole A. Zulu

MPA Capstone Projects 2006 - 2015

Faith in Action (FIA) is interested in expanding and restructuring its transportation program for seniors. FIA lacks the volunteers and program structure to serve all 449 clients. In 2013, transportation accounted for 66% of requested services, while only 30% of active volunteers are willing to provide transportation services. FIA is interested in learning volunteers' motivations and the best practices for volunteer recruitment and management, as well as the most effective way to structure a volunteer-provided transportation program.

Tls Newsletter Volume 8, Edition 7. April, 2014, Unf Transportation And Logistics Society

Transportation & Logistics Society Newsletter

Inside the newsletter: TLS meeting with bingo and club elections on April 9th. Upcoming events and TLS President's Corner. A review of the year in pictures. Get to know TLS Adviser Lynn Brown. CTL Certification: What you need to know before you graduate. Life after graduation with Shauna Tekula

A Vision For Berwick: A Case Study Of The Citizen Initiated Visioning Process For Downtown Redevelopment In Southern Maine, John Stoll

Muskie School Capstones and Dissertations

This Capstone follows the downtown redevelopment visioning process in Berwick from the initial presentation to Town Officials up until formal adoption as an addendum to the Comprehensive Plan. Berwick has a monumental task ahead of it as the Town looks to redevelop an 11 acre abandoned factory site that is located directly where a downtown should be. Residents of Berwick had to work with Town Staff to navigate a considerable amount of lingering controversy and to rebuild trust between the public and local government. Members of the Downtown Vision Committee worked tirelessly to reach out to the community through education …

Broadband Policy In Maine: The Efficacy Of The Current Approach And A Vision Of The Future, Ethan Wiley

Muskie School Capstones and Dissertations

Today in Maine anemic internet speeds reinforce a digital divide between rural and urban areas. Even where adequate connectivity is possible its adoption rate lags behind. In order to overcome this technical solutions are necessary such as streamlining access and building capacity. It will require additional incentives to bring levels to an ideal state as well as public enlightenment to the increasingly vital role that broadband performs. Until this happens the deficit that the state faces in access and adoption will continue to hamper progress in business, health, education and other arenas.

Internet Connectivity And Use In Nebraska: A Follow Up Study, Rebecca Vogt, Anne Byers, Connie Hancock, Charlotte Narjes, Roger Terry

University of Nebraska Public Policy Center: Publications

The Nebraska Public Service Commission was awarded a grant from the Department of Commerce's National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) for conducting a study of broadband use and needs in Nebraska. The University of Nebraska-Lincoln first conducted a survey for the Commission in 2010. The Nebraska Information Technology Commission (NITC) Community Council, the AIM Institute and Nebraska Department of Economic Development (DED) collaborated with the Commission on this survey. A follow-up survey was conducted in 2014 to see if any changes have occurred in the previous four years. The survey included questions about Nebraskans’ current use of technology, their opinions …

Your Friends And Neighbors: Localized Economic Development And Criminal Activity, Matthew Freedman, Emily Owens

Matthew Freedman

We exploit a sudden shock to demand for a subset of low-wage workers generated by the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) program in San Antonio, Texas to identify the effects of localized economic development on crime. We use a difference-in-difference methodology that takes advantage of variation in BRAC’s impact over time and across neighborhoods. We find that appropriative criminal behavior increases in neighborhoods where a fraction of residents experienced increases in earnings. This effect is driven by residents who were unlikely to be BRAC beneficiaries, implying that criminal opportunities are important in explaining patterns of crime.

Forthcoming in the …

Media Portrayal Of Individuals In The Lower Class And Its Effects On Attributions Of Educational Hardships, Krista A. Burke

Communication Studies

This study investigated how media portrayals of individuals in the lower class affect people’s beliefs about educational hardships in lower socioeconomic areas. Specifically, this study looked at the attributions of these hardships to determine if media consumption had an effect on the internality of attributions. It was hypothesized that increased media consumption would be related to an increased tendency toward internal attributions. It was hypothesized that increased media consumption would lead to lower support for policy changes regarding education. A survey was distributed to assess media consumption habits and attitudes toward educational hardships in the lower class. Correlation results yielded …

Three Cities Fire And Emergency Services Project, Portland State University. Hatfield School Of Government. Center For Public Service, Kent S. Robinson, Robert Winthrop, Phil Keisling

Center for Public Service Publications and Reports

Fairview, Troutdale and Wood Village, and all other Oregon cities, are responsible for providing their citizens with fire and emergency medical (EM) services. Rather than establish internal city fire departments, the Three Cities entered into an intergovernmental agreement (IGA) to purchase services from the City of Gresham in March 2006. These services include fire suppression, fire prevention, emergency medical services, and hazardous materials response (2005 Fire Service IGA). Under this IGA, the Three Cities collectively reimbursed Gresham $2.705 million for FEMS in 2012-2013. The current IGA will expire June 30, 2015, and the Three Cities are preparing to review their …

Tls Newsletter. Volume 8, Edition 5. February, 2014, Unf Transportation And Logistics Society

Transportation & Logistics Society Newsletter

Inside the Newsletter: TLS Meeting on Wednesday, February 19th. TLS President's Corner. Upcoming Events. The Propeller Club of Jacksonville--What's in it for you! Get Involved: UNF Relay for LIfe. Get to Know TLS Assistant Marketing Director Veronica Perez. TLS on Tour: Target Distribution Center. Life after graduation with Taylor Barry

For Whom The Tunnel Be Tolled: A Four-Factor Model For Explaining Willingness-To-Pay Tolls, Juita-Elena (Wie) Yusuf, Lenahan O'Connell, Khairul A. Anuar

School of Public Service Faculty Publications

This research examines citizen acceptance of tolls and road pricing, and specifically focuses on determinants of the individual’s expressed willingness-to-pay tolls to use a tunnel express lane that would be free of traffic delays. We answer the research question “What factors influence citizens’ willingness-to-pay tolls” by empirically estimating a four factor model of willingness-to-pay: (a) direct benefit to the respondent; (b) relative cost over time; (c) community concern; and (d) political and environmental liberalism. We use data about citizen perceptions from the Life in Hampton Roads Survey, a survey of residents of Hampton Roads, Virginia. We find that willingness-to-pay is …

Brooklyn's Thirst, Long Island's Water: Consolidation, Local Control, And The Aquifir, Jeffrey A. Kroessler

Publications and Research

The creation of greater New York City in 1898 promised a solution to the problem of supplying Brooklyn and Queens with water. In the 1850s, the City of Brooklyn tapped ponds and streams on the south side of Queens County, and in the 1880s, dug wells for additional supply. This lowered the water table and caused problems for farmers and oystermen, many of whom sued the city for damages. Ultimately, salt water seeped into some wells from over-pumping. By 1896, Brooklyn’s system had reached its limit. Prevented by the state legislature from tapping the aquifer beneath Suffolk’s Pine Barrens, the …

Study On Investment In Water And Wastewater Infrastructure And Economic Development, Edward J. Collins, Jr. Center For Public Management, University Of Massachusetts Boston

Edward J. Collins Center for Public Management Publications

The Edward J. Collins, Jr. Center for Public Management in the John W. McCormack Graduate School of Policy and Global Studies at the University of Massachusetts Boston was tasked by the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority Advisory Board (MWRAAB) with asking and answering a very fundamental question relating to public infrastructure: “What is the relationship between investment in water and wastewater infrastructure and economic growth?” To do so, Center staff not only researched the positive results of investing in infrastructure, but also took time to consider what failing to invest in adequate water and wastewater infrastructure might mean. Additionally, the Center …

Tls Newsletter, Volume 7, Edition 11. January, 2014, Unf Transportation And Logistics Society

Transportation & Logistics Society Newsletter

Inside the Newsletter: TLS Meeting on January 22. TLS President's Corner. Upcoming Events. 13th Annual TLS Hubbard House Holiday Drive. Get to know TLS Treasurer James Flannagan. T & L Spring Career Day--Are You Prepared? TLS on Tour--Bacardi Bottling Corporation. Life after Graduation with Rebecca Bratcher Cobb