Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Risk, Vulnerability, And Hazards: The Industrial Canal And The Lower Ninth Ward, Jerry V. Graves Jr.

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to identify, analyze, and describe the social outcomes that may be affected by the environmental risks generated by infrastructure projects; to examine the ways in which vulnerability and exposure to hazards may increase risk in neighborhoods over time; and to examine the implications of addressing the exacerbation of exposure to natural hazards within the traditional environmental justice framework. The Industrial Canal and Lower Ninth Ward were selected as the subjects of this case study because the canal has existed on the perimeter of the neighborhood for nearly one century, isolating Lower Ninth Ward residents …

The Threat To The U.S. 7th Fleet By The Chinese, Mohammed Lamrani

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

This research identifies key sciences and technologies that are possessed or sought after by the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN). An overview of Chinese naval history is presented to better understand the possible reasons for China’s expansion to the South China Sea. By looking at Chinese official news reports as well as statements by Chinese military and other high ranking officials, a Chinese perspective is developed. Types of defense purchases, spending, and military espionage are evaluated to reflect the new-found capabilities and current technologies of interest for the Chinese Armed Forces. The threat to the US 7th fleet is increasing …

Arizona’S Senate Bill 1070: A Case Study On State-Sponsored Immigration Policy, Ryan Murphy

Master's Theses

This study assesses the origins of Arizona’s state-sponsored immigration policy. It attempts to identify the social dynamics within Arizona that contributed to the overwhelming public support for SB 1070. Since it has been two years after the law was passed, this analysis determines what impact the law has had thus far within the state. Finally, it postulates the future of Arizona’s immigration policy.

Lessons Learned: Can A Principled Mechanism For Improving Health Equity Be Integrated Into A Budgetary Process?, Maria X. Martinez Ms., Maria X. Martinez Ms.

Master's Projects and Capstones

Health equity is the social justice lens that public health institutions across the United States have increasingly embraced as a mandate, however there are few jurisdictions addressing how to prioritize funding toward that end. The practical translation of a social justice concept necessitates the creation of a budgetary tool and an implementation process that identifies those with the highest levels of health disparity and social disadvantage.

Using the San Francisco Department of Public Health (SFDPH) as its central case, this paper argues that for health delivery systems to be socially just and to achieve health equity, these systems must not …

A Tale Of Two Superpowers: Nigeria And China Relations, Faouziatou Aboudou Kabassi

Master's Theses

The study discusses the historical development of the Sino-Nigerian bilateral relations. The paper provides a detailed view of china's FDI in Nigeria and the diverse challenges faced by the oil rich country to develop its own economy through NEEDS as a result of china's economic power. China’s partnership with Nigeria is ideally for economic growth but practically poisonous to Nigeria’s development goals as China is solely pursuing its own interest and diverting its partner from working toward its NEEDS goal. A deep investigation of the relations should be reviewed for both countries. This will be needed to produce vital economic …

The Atlantic Bluefin Tuna: A Public Policy Approach To Saving An Iconic Species, Timothy Patrick O'Brien

Theses and Dissertations

The Atlantic Bluefin Tuna (Thunnus thynnus) is perhaps the most magnificent and most marvelous nomadic wild animal living in the world. It lives in the deep blue waters of the Atlantic Ocean and is one of the largest of the world’s fin fish and the largest of the 48 other species of tuna (Kuhn, 1996). It is a species that seems to have been designed and sculpted by an artist—sleek, smooth, and beautiful—instead of having been a product of an evolutionary process. Today, the existence and future of the Atlantic Bluefin Tuna is in question because of the constant overexploitation …

An Empirical Exploration Of The Effects Of Medical Marijuana Laws, Ben Ehrens

Economics Theses

This exploration into the multiple effects of medical marijuana laws on regional marketplaces uses a novel data set and contributes three unique and important findings. First, in states with medical marijuana legislation the price of marijuana is significantly lower than states without similar legislation, this is likely due to measures that allow for legalized avenues of production and distribution. Secondly, because of price breaks for bulk purchases, retail level distributers operate on a downward sloping supply curve that is less steep in medical marijuana states; this is likely due to decreased risk of distribution which may reduce preference for lower …

Institutional Quilombos? Black Studies In Brazil And The United States, Dalila Negreiros

Theses and Dissertations

The literature on Black Studies, Afro-Brazilian Studies and Comparative Race Relations between Brazil and the United State has been dedicated to the study of Black activism and education. However, there is a gap in comparative studies focused on Black Studies units in the United States and Afro-Brazilian studies in Brazil. The dissertation “Institutional Quilombos? Black Studies in Brazil and the United States” investigates how Black Studies centers and departments in Brazil and the United States exist, survive and act politically as educational and anti-racist spaces in six different institutions: the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee; Harvard University; Temple University; the …

Identity And Intersectionality For Big City Mayors: A Phenomenological Analysis Of Black Women, Constance J. Brooks

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The role of a mayor is integral within local governance. Their leadership and influence directly effectuates outcomes for the cities over which they preside. For big city mayors, their impact extends beyond local government and into the national policy arena. The way an individual demonstrates the role of mayor can be influenced by his/her perception of their own identity. However, within the realm of academic research dedicated to mayoral leadership and African Americans in politics, Black female mayors have largely been ignored. In particular, there are no known attempts at investigating the intersection of race and gender in understanding Black …

"Choices" Florida's Version Of Obamacare, Jason Lamarr Wasden

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

"CHOICES" Florida's version of ObamaCare was a unique case voted in by the public in Alachua County Florida. A mixed methods research design was utilized and provided context in which policy entrepreneurs operated, as well as an explanatory model of internal determinants. Social, economic and political factors were examined to determine the predictor variable in the adoption of the "CHOICES" health services program. The results revealed that voters 51 years of age and older had a greater probability of voting for the Alachua Referendum. "CHOICES" legality has not been under contention but its effectiveness has. This study found that "CHOICES" …

Cultivating Reform: Richard Nixon's Illicit Substance Control Legacy, Medical Marijuana Social Movement Organizations, And Venue Shopping, Jason Scott Plume

Political Science - Dissertations

Over the course of the last two decades, organizations representing the medical marijuana social movement have campaigned for, proposed state level legislation, and supported numerous legal arguments that challenge and attempt to reform U.S. federal illicit substance policies. This set of social regulatory policies, commonly known as the Controlled Substance Act of 1970 (CSA), were drafted, promoted, and implemented by the Nixon Administration then subsequently entrenched by multiple presidents with acquiescent congresses adopting supplemental supply-side resource allocating legislation. My dissertation research uncoils the convoluted history and institutional dynamics of path dependent U.S. illegal drug control policies to answer the question …

Arts Targeted Local Economic Development Florida Cities With Flair, Jessica Ghersetich

HIM 1990-2015

Promoting economic development is important for many local governments. Economic development plans provide guidance for how local governments can nurture existing businesses as well as attract new industries. Arts and culture can represent a significant component of local economic development efforts. An "arts development strategy" can focus on human capital, the development of local public spaces, and the promotion of culture. Based on a literature review of the concepts of traditional local economic development, this research provide a framework for analyzing local arts strategies and presents the results of in-depth case studies of how a sample of cities in Florida …

School Reform: Where Does Policy Come From? Where Should It Go?, Kim Karman Friel

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Policy analysis helps to develop a greater understanding of societal problems and provide possible solutions for elected and non-elected government decision makers. Ultimately, the product of analysis is advice relating to public decisions and informed by social values. In light of the pressures placed on education by policy-makers concerning implementation of educational reform there are surprisingly few studies concerning the changing role of the federal government from a historical perspective. Looking at the past, with the present in mind, reminds us that the current shape of education was not inevitable.

This qualitative dissertation study analyzes the evolution of the intentions …

An Analysis Of The Legal Obstacles To State Pension Reform, Jeremy Stuart Buck

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Public pension systems are underfunded, straining state budgets. Historically, many states have presumed that they can modify pension benefits only as to newly-hired employees, and that they must leave benefit accruals untouched for current workers. More recently, though, states have begun enacting more fundamental pension reform that modifies future accruals or even reduces cost-of-living allowances for retirees. Nearly all such new reforms have been the subject of one or more lawsuits alleging that the federal and/or state constitution bars the legislature from reducing benefits or accrual patterns. This dissertation examines the legal underpinnings for arguments made against pension reform, and …

Coaching Equestrian Vaulting: The Motivation Behind Volunteer Coaching, Amy Mccune

All Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to identify the primary motivations for people to become and continue as equestrian vaulting coaches. Using a nomothetic context for research, this study focused on gaining a better understanding of equestrian vaulting coaches by identifying factors that generally motivate their participation in the sport. The first research question related to what motivates someone to become a vaulting coach while the second question related to what motivates these coaches to continue in the coaching role.
Fifteen female coaches were selected for interviews from the American Vaulting Association membership. Interview questions were based on a preliminary …

Key Strategies Of Sustainable Real Estate Decision-Making In The United States: A Delphi Study Of The Stakeholders, Pernille Christensen

All Dissertations

Sustainable real estate is a growing sector within the commercial real estate industry, yet there is still a lack of consistency among the multitude of sustainability performance measurements and reporting requirements around the world. As a result of this confusion, stakeholders have developed different strategies and requirements for sustainability, which in turn makes it difficult to communicate with other stakeholders about sustainability in real estate. Without the ability to communicate with other stakeholders about sustainability efforts, comparison of sustainable real estate becomes a challenge, thus impeding progress towards a competitive sustainable real estate market.
This study presents the results of …

Policy-Making Under Evo Morales: Explaining Ethnopopulist Redistributive Measures In Bolivia, Luis Ferreira

Graduate Program in International Studies Theses & Dissertations

The Evo Morales administration has radically transformed the Bolivian state since his election in 2005. As a result of Morales' indigenous identity and overt ethnic tensions in this state, there is a perception that this factor plays a decisive role in Bolivia's policymaking. However, as the 'renegotiation' of the hydrocarbon industry in 2006 demonstrates, ethnopopulism and political survival provide the most comprehensive approach to predicting the policies of the current Bolivian government.

The resistance to liberalization efforts, the success of redistributive measures and the role identity has had in Bolivia explains why this approach to policy-making has allowed Morales to …

California High Speed Rail - The Broken Tracks Of Communication, Nathalie Nguyen

Master's Projects and Capstones

Proposition 1A, “Safe, Reliable, High –Speed Passenger Train Bond Act” was passed on November 8, 2008. Fifty-two percent of Californians voted to issue $10 billion in bonds to fund the clean, efficient, and safe high-speed train service, which is known today as the California High Speed Rail system (CHSR). The rail system will provide a mass transit system up and down the state of California if constructed, planned, and funded successfully.

This paper analyzes the City and County of Merced’s approach to planning for this highspeed rail while engaging in public discussion with the California High Speed Rail Authorities (CHSRA) …

Gentrification And Vulnerability Of Maine Fishing Communities, Cameron R. S. Thompson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Maine hosts numerous small fishing villages that contribute greatly to the States economy and culture. The cumulative effects of state and federal regulation, stock depletion and other socio-economic trends threaten these communities. Drawing on ethnographic research and interviews, we examine how gentrification is affecting the vulnerability and resilience of fishing communities. This study has revealed gentrification to be a complex process, which is merely the most readily recognizable symptom of forces that are reshaping the post-industrial landscape. Fishing communities can no longer be thought of as discrete entities isolated from broad social and economic changes. Technology and new markets have …

The Relationship Among Training Policy, Knowledge Transfer, And Performance Improvement: A Study Of Private Sector Organizations In The Kingdom Of Saudi Arabia, Fayez M. Shafloot

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore human resource (HR) managers' perceptions of training practices (i.e., needs assessment, trainee preparation, training program review, accountability, management support, knowledge transfer, and performance improvement) in Saudi private sector organizations. The research questions were: (1) How do HR managers perceive the importance and or occurrence of training needs assessment, trainee preparation, training program review, accountability and management support? (2) How do HR managers perceive knowledge transfer and performance improvement as a function of training? and (3) What training factors do HR managers identify as being important to the delivery of training?

Data were …

Soft Power, Ngos, And The Us War On Terror, Layla Saleh

Theses and Dissertations

Bringing together foreign policy literature and INGO (international non-governmental organization) scholarship, this dissertation seeks to explain geographic and temporal variation in the US government's use of hard, soft and smart power in the War on Terror. Making an important theoretical contribution, I revise Nye's concept of soft power, more rigorously conceptualizing it as a consciously-utilized strategy employing methods other than hard power (military or economic sanctions) to influence a target government or population to enhance US interests. Soft power is a strategic means of achieving a foreign policy goal. I conceptualize smart power as including both soft and hard power, …

Identifying Local Entrepreneurship Development System Policy In Rural Areas And How Local Context Shapes Entrepreneurship Policy Formation, Stacey Wright Mccullough

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

As rural communities struggle to maintain a sustainable economic base in today's global economy, many are exploring strategies to encourage entrepreneurial development. The purpose of this study was to better understand how local public policy is being be used to support the creation of entrepreneurship development systems in rural communities and how local context shapes entrepreneurship public policy formation. In phase one of the study, a survey and analysis of documents available on the Internet were used to identify county and municipal policy actions associated with entrepreneurial development in 16 counties in North Carolina. In the second study phase, two …

Family Policies And Institutional Satisfaction: An Intersectional Analysis Of Tenure-Track Faculty, Heather Lee Schneller

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Gender and faculty career advancement have been examined with a focus on academic work environment, including faculty workloads, mentoring relationships, access to research networks, and work-life balance. Previous studies concerned with gender, employment, and care work only have considered child care. Additionally, the exploration of faculty and care work focused specifically on gender instead of examining the interaction of race and gender. To date, no study on academic work-life policies includes faculty perceptions of their importance and effectiveness nor has the faculty assessment of eldercare policy been examined in relation to career success.

Guided by an intersectional perspective, this study …

Building Social Infrastructure Through Public-Private Partnerships: The Case Of Student Housing In Public Higher Education, Bruce Cole

All Dissertations

Evaluations of Public-Private Partnership arrangements as alternatives to traditional government procurement methods for the delivery of public infrastructure projects have been anecdotal at best. This paper proposes a framework to evaluate a public university's infrastructure asset management performance and a specific measure based on a new concept of the elapsed time required for services to be delivered (i.e., Project Completion Time). The results suggest that the choice to use a public-private partnership as a project delivery method for student housing at a public university can dramatically shorten the overall schedule. This research will serve as the foundation for future quantitative …

Factors Contributing To The Educational Success Of Single-Mother Welfare Recipients At An Urban Southwestern Community College: Case Studies Of Six Success Stories, Rhonda Rose Faul

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This study gave voice to the issues, needs, and concerns of economically disadvantaged single mothers and determined the motivational and institutional factors that helped lead them to their successful completion of a community college degree or certificate program while at the same time coping with the challenges of financially surviving on meager public welfare assistance, raising their children, and meeting welfare-mandated work activity requirements. While American society has a long tradition of regarding higher education as a means of achieving long-term financial security and self-sufficiency, current welfare policy unfortunately adds additional obstacles for welfare recipients who may be motivated to …

Superintendent Leadership During Economic Austerity: A Multiple Case Study, Douglas Paul Finch

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

In contrast with recent decades of economic growth and stability, today's education funding landscape appears to be entrenched in a pattern of diminishing financial resources that may persist for a number of years. This is occurring also amid unprecedented efforts by lawmakers and public officials to intervene in school reform work. School leaders, specifically superintendents of the public school districts, are expected to make difficult leadership decisions in cutting back and downsizing the district organization while still maintaining an innovative and positive environment in schools. The effective leader must be well informed of best practices in positively influencing critical determinants …

Assessing The National Innovation System In A Developing Country Context: A Framework And Evidence From Thailand, Maleena Parkey

All Dissertations

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Exploring Group Cohesion In A Higher Education Field Experience, Brian Malcarne

All Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to gain understanding into the experience of group cohesion for university students participating in an academic field experience. A mixed methods approach was used following a two-phase, sequential research design to help provide a more complete explanation of how group cohesion was impacted by the field experience. The sample consisted of 112 undergraduate students involved in a 3-day academic field experience. The initial quantitative phase gathered pre- and post-test data on group cohesion using the Group Environment Questionnaire (GEQ) modified for an academic context. Findings demonstrated significant positive change in the domain of social …

Policy Evaluation Using Cost-Benefit Analysis: Empirical Ramifications For Two Policy Issues, Elizabeth Crouch

All Dissertations

Using two distinct health policy issues my research examines the relevance and ramifications of using cost-benefit analysis (CBA) to demonstrate real-world impacts of the policies. My dissertation discusses how these two situations represent particular challenges to cost-benefit analysis. The challenges have specific implications for how scholars, agencies, and government entities should use CBA to evaluate policies. Specifically, my research finds that by separating CBA into four different approaches, a much more complete, and less assumption-laden, CBA can be accomplished.

A Historical Case Study Of School Desegregation And Resegregation In Las Vegas, Nevada, 1968-2008, Felicia Forletta

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The purpose of this study was to document and examine the perspectives of members of a historically African American community located in Las Vegas, Nevada (historic West Las Vegas) concerning equal education and school desegregation and resegregation in the Clark County School District from 1968 to 2008. Using historical case study methods, this study sought to provide a historical description and analysis of the social, political, and cultural contexts that shaped decades of school desegregation and resegregation in this historically African American community. Data sources included: legal cases and court documents; archived news, newsletters, newspaper and magazine articles; (3) Clark …