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Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons™
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Articles 1 - 10 of 10
Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences
Editor's Note, Padraig O'Malley
Editor's Note, Padraig O'Malley
New England Journal of Public Policy
This issue of the journal is a special issue of a different kind. It highlights the research capabilities of students in the Institute’s Masters of Science in Public Affairs (MSPA) program. The Director of the Institute, Ed Beard, has more to say about the program in his introduction. Suffice to say that tooting one’s own horn is occasionally permissible, especially if one has much to toot about. The three articles that appear in this issue were chosen after careful review with one criterion uppermost in mind: do they meet the standards that merit publication in a professional journal that prides …
The Power Of The Urban Canvas: Paint, Politics, And Mural Art Policy, Maura E. Greaney
The Power Of The Urban Canvas: Paint, Politics, And Mural Art Policy, Maura E. Greaney
New England Journal of Public Policy
In cities across America, outdoor mural paintings have brought public art to the urban landscape. Paint and politics have been splashed upon city walls for decades, replacing bleak, often graffitied, exteriors with vibrant color. But this transformation runs deeper than the artistry of the murals; the real works of art are the changes these collaborative projects inspire within communities. Mural projects mobilize communities to articulate dreams, express frustrations, and most importantly, consider strategies for change. Thus, they are a worthy consideration for public policymakers. This case study traces the contemporary mural movement in three cities: Boston, Philadelphia, and Los Angeles. …
From The Director, Edmund Beard
From The Director, Edmund Beard
New England Journal of Public Policy
Presents information on the Master of Science in Public Affairs graduate program and how this issue includes three of their best Case Studies of last year’s graduating class.
The Citizens Health Prescription: Coping With Rising Drug Costs, Shannon Cadres
The Citizens Health Prescription: Coping With Rising Drug Costs, Shannon Cadres
New England Journal of Public Policy
Prescription drug prices have climbed to unaffordable levels in recent years, creating a serious public policy problem for lawmakers at both the state and federal levels. The U.S. Medicare program only covers the costs of inpatient prescription drugs, and only seventy-five percent of beneficiaries are receiving coverage through some other means. But because of the tremendous power of the pharmaceutical industry on Capitol Hill, lawmakers in Washington have been unable to agree upon a workable solution. As a result, many states are experimenting with different strategies to provide some relief. Massachusetts has attempted to solve the problem through the Prescription …
The Tide Is High For The Boston Beaches, Marissa Glowac
The Tide Is High For The Boston Beaches, Marissa Glowac
New England Journal of Public Policy
In 1993, Massachusetts Governor William Weld and Boston Mayor Thomas Menino approved the “Back to the Beaches” project, a seven-year, $30.5 million public project to restore nineteen Boston Harbor beaches. Today, these sites have new, cleaner sand, improved access, and new amenities and facilities now ready to offer additional opportunities for recreation. People are coming back to the Boston Harbor beaches in numbers significantly higher than a decade ago. This study concludes that the implementation and success of the “Back to the Beaches” project can be attributed to several factors — an increased public awareness of the value of open …
Environmental Public Health Awaits Rediscovery, Anthony Robbins, Phyllis Freeman
Environmental Public Health Awaits Rediscovery, Anthony Robbins, Phyllis Freeman
New England Journal of Public Policy
Preventing environmental exposures that threaten human health remains among the best but least attended to opportunities to improve everyone’s health. For more than a decade, medical care concerns, exacerbated by voracious competition among medical empires and the implacably growing number of uninsured, have often been misconstrued as constituting a complete agenda for health system reform. The authors explain the predicament from an historical perspective — how defining events moved U.S. health policy away from protecting the public against dangerous exposures toward unrealistic expectations that doctors will fix whatever goes wrong, at least for individuals with ample medical insurance. They explain …
The Paradox Of Public Authorities In Massachusetts: Massport And Masspike, Richard A. Hogarty
The Paradox Of Public Authorities In Massachusetts: Massport And Masspike, Richard A. Hogarty
New England Journal of Public Policy
This case study provides historical context and fresh perspectives for those seeking to understand the ways in which independent authorities operate in Massachusetts. More specifically, it examines the controversial performances of two separate authorities that deal with transportation problems. One involves a failure to detect terrorists breaching security at Logan Airport; the other entails a bitter dispute that arose over the delay in raising tolls on the turnpike to pay for the Big Dig project. With both in mind, this study describes the countervailing pressures that converge on the executive branch of state government as it confronts the prospect of …
School District Performance Under The Mcas, Jie Chen, Thomas Ferguson
School District Performance Under The Mcas, Jie Chen, Thomas Ferguson
New England Journal of Public Policy
Education reform has spawned efforts to test learning across the nation. This paper analyzes the determinants of Massachusetts’ school district test scores under the state’s high stakes testing program, MCAS. The study is the first to demonstrate direct links between improvements in MCAS scores and state aid to school districts. The authors estimate “value added” for each school district in the state. The list of schools with high value added produces real surprises — while some affluent districts do well, others rank at the very bottom. Additionally, the study analyzes how teacher maximum salaries, district superintendent salaries, per capita income, …
Alternative School Administrators "At Risk": What Does It Mean For Children?, Christopher Dunbar Jr.
Alternative School Administrators "At Risk": What Does It Mean For Children?, Christopher Dunbar Jr.
Trotter Review
Alternative public schools have evolved from their origins in school choice and the progressive education movement of the 1920's into a system of schools that have become the assigned "dumping ground" for a population of ill-prepared, behaviorally disruptive youth, a population that is also disproportionately composed of minority students. Research suggests these schools fall short of providing an optimal educational opportunity for their students. There are multiple factors that place alternative school administrators "at risk" of failing in their charge to educate. Using a case study from a Midwestern alternative school, the author focuses on policy and the role of …
Race, Ethnicity, Class, And School Dropouts: A Policy Perspective, Richard C. Verdugo
Race, Ethnicity, Class, And School Dropouts: A Policy Perspective, Richard C. Verdugo
Trotter Review
The author presents a review of literature on conditions and circumstances that cause youth to drop out before finishing high school. The essay explains the key features of both cultural and structural theories of low academic performance, and the author argues these theories might profitably be fused in order to formulate effective dropout prevention/intervention policies. The author recommends use of the public health model for prevention and intervention and synthesizes the findings of three recent reports on effective dropout programs.