Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Analysis Of The Impact Of Technological Change On The Cost Of Achieving Climate Change Mitigation Targets, Robert W. Barron

Doctoral Dissertations

There is widespread consensus that low carbon energy technologies will play a key role in the future global energy system. Many of the low-carbon technologies under consideration are not yet commercially available, and their ultimate value depends on a host of deeply uncertain socioeconomic, environmental, and technological considerations. While it is clear that significant investment in the energy system is needed, the optimal allocation of these investments is unclear. This dissertation develops a methodology for (1) analyzing the impact of low carbon energy technologies on the cost of meeting emission reduction targets (policy cost) and (2) using this information to …

Climbing The Adaptation Planning Ladder: Barriers And Enablers In Municipal Planning, Elisabeth M. Hamin, Nicole Gurran

Elisabeth M. Hamin

Local municipal governments have a crucial role in helping communities adapt to climate change. Recognizing different levels of climate preparedness, this chapter analyzes what steps communities tend to follow when they move forward on climate adaptation, including prerequisites for planning and the selection of policies. Drawing on content analyses of local climate adaptation plans from the United States (US) and Australia, as well as interviews with municipal planners in both nations, the chapter explores the adaptation policy choices communities are making and explains the range of strategies local governments have used to move forward on a ‘ladder’ of climate adaptation, …

Examining Implementation Of The Massachusetts Act Relative To Safety Regulations For School Athletic Programs (Sessions Laws: Chapter 166 Of The Acts Of 2010): A Multiple-Case Study, Mitchell L. Doucette

Masters Theses

Background/Purpose: Reducing the incidence and negative consequences of concussion among youth athletes is a public health priority. Fifty states have adopted legislation addressing the problem of sports-related concussions among youth-athletes. In 2010, Massachusetts adopted legislation based on Washington State’s Lystedt Law, enacting state-wide requirements for high school athletic programs. This study explored how the legislation has been implemented within Massachusetts schools and school-districts and identified factors influential to local implementation.

Methods: A qualitative multiple-case study approach was utilized. US Census data concerning the household median income and population size of the school-district’s representative town(s) were used to purposively recruit cases. …

Setting The Record Straight: The Practical Realities Of Self-Sufficiency In State Parks Management, Kc Bloom

National Environment and Recreation Research Symposium

No abstract provided.

Manager And Visitor Perceptions Of Public Recreation Land Management, Rick Gage

National Environment and Recreation Research Symposium

This paper presents the results of semi-structured interviews with key informants representing both users and managers of a public recreation area in West Virginia investigating perceptions of visitor and manager goals and objectives, and their relationship to user-manager recreation conflict. Preliminary analysis indicates that management goals are not as diverse as expected and there seems to be a much stronger emphasis on development and visitor satisfaction than protection of natural resources. Further, it appears to be the case that both visitors and managers experience and can identify user-manager conflict at this recreation area. Results of these interviews will be used …

An Exploratory Study On The Meanings Of A Local Fair From The Perspectives Of Locals, Alvin Hungchih Yu, I-Yin Yen

National Environment and Recreation Research Symposium

Abstract

Many festivals originated with community celebrations. Through festivals, their ethnic, historical, religious piety, community pride, culture preservation, social cohesiveness and reconciliation are embodied. The significance of the economic contribution from festivals or special events has been well documented in the past two decades; thus, festival/special event creation is now treated as a strategy for tangible economic development. In addition, research focused exclusively on the relationship between patrons’ perceptions of festivals/special events and economic benefits overwhelmingly dominates this field. Indeed, it is essential to understand the meanings of festivals from the patron’s standpoints since their perceptions are associated with the …

Pathways Out Of Poverty: A Needs Assessment Survey Of Low-Income Single Mothers In Amherst, Ma, Garine Roubinian

School of Public Policy Capstones

The Pathways out of Poverty Needs Assessment Survey is a project undertaken to provide the first mixed-methods evaluation of the critical needs and issues affecting low-income single mothers in Amherst, MA. This analysis seeks to aid community-based social service organizations, local government officials, and other stakeholders to specifically focus on and thus better allocate intervention and support services to low-income single mothers in need in Amherst and neighboring towns. The survey evaluates current needs and challenges experienced by low-income single mothers, current supports and services they utilize, and service gaps and barriers they experience in accessing help. It also examines …

Genetic Discrimination Law In The United States: A Socioethical & Legal Analysis Of The Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (Gina), Ken Lefebvre

School of Public Policy Capstones

In the last several years, genetic sequencing technologies have become widely accessible to consumers as prices have fallen at rates faster than the National Institute of Health had initially predicted. With these lower costs more patients now have access to their own genetic information than ever before, thanks to a host of new services.

Though objective in itself, genetic information is often regarded as an indicator of social and medical outcomes, with some associations substantiated and others largely reflecting social attitudes. Our understanding of genetic markers as forecasters for certain physiological disorders is still relatively limited, but associations between certain …

Socioeconomic Assessment Of The Epic Mangrove Restoration Project In Thailand, Jennifer King, Orlando Cordero

School of Public Policy Capstones

Mangroves supply important services to tropical and subtropical communities around the world, but these delicate ecosystems have been degraded, sometimes destroyed, for development interests such as tourism, charcoal concessions, intensive shrimp aquaculture, and growing populations. The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is restoring mangroves at two sites in Koh Klang, an island in Krabi, Thailand. The process centers around teaching the surrounding community about the benefits of mangroves as food sources, fish nurseries, and in terms of disaster risk reduction, the ability of mangroves to protect nearby communities from floods, erosion, salinization, and wind. IUCN promotes the …

Evaluation Of The Capacity Building Grant For The Food Bank Of Western Massachusetts, Asya Rozental, Laura Steglich, Mylasha Furnlonge

School of Public Policy Capstones

The Food Bank of Western Massachusetts strives to eliminate hunger in the region by providing resources and food donations to member agencies. In response to a lack of capacity in many of these agencies, the Food Bank established a capacity building grant in 2012 to assist in providing items such as freezers, refrigerators and computers along with many other possible options. The Food Bank collaborated with a graduate student research team at the University of Massachusetts Amherst to provide an evaluation of the program in order to assess the success of the grant and to find further ways to improve …

Women's Rights In Pakistan: The Zina Ordinance & The Need For Reform, Minah Ali Rathore

School of Public Policy Capstones

This paper will begin with a historical analysis of Pakistan with a particular focus on the pro-equality vision that Pakistan's founder, Muhammad Ali Jinnah had. The paper then moves on to Zia-ul-Haq's regime and the rise of Islamization under his military dictatorship. The prerequisites that allowed for Islamization to take place are also highlighted. Zia's dictatorship utilized Islam and Sharia law as a tool to introduce gender-discriminatory laws into the nation. Particular focus is paid to the Zina Ordinance and the loopholes within the ordinance that have been devastating to women's rights in the country. The paper then transcends to …

Coastal Erosion In Cape Cod, Massachusetts: Finding Sustainable Solutions, Michael D. Roberts, Lauren Bullard, Shaunna Aflague, Kelsi Sleet

Student Showcase

The Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management (CZM) and the Cape Cod Planning Commission have identified coastal erosion, flooding, and shoreline change as the number one risk affecting the heavily populated 1,068 square kilometers that constitute Cape Cod (CZM, 2013 and Cape Cod Commission 2010). This paper investigates natural and anthropogenic causes for coastal erosion and their relationship with established social and economic systems. Sea level rise, climate change, and other anthropogenic changes increase the rate of coastal erosion. The impacts associated with coastal erosion include habitat loss, property loss, infrastructure damage, and beach loss. These impacts will affect economic, …

The Effect Of Cluster Size Variability On Statistical Power In Cluster-Randomized Trials, Stephen A. Lauer, Ken P. Kleinman, Nicholas G. Reich

Biostatistics and Epidemiology Faculty Publications Series

The frequency of cluster-randomized trials (CRTs) in peer-reviewed literature has increased exponentially over the past two decades. CRTs are a valuable tool for studying interventions that cannot be effectively implemented or randomized at the individual level. However, some aspects of the design and analysis of data from CRTs are more complex than those for individually randomized controlled trials. One of the key components to designing a successful CRT is calculating the proper sample size (i.e. number of clusters) needed to attain an acceptable level of statistical power. In order to do this, a researcher must make assumptions about the value …