Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Wyoming Sage-Grouse Working Groups: Lessons Learned, Thomas J. Christiansen, Lorien R. Belton

Human–Wildlife Interactions

The greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) has been the subject of multiple status reviews under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). Wyoming accounts for approximately 38% of the range-wide population. Since 2000, 2 statewide and 8 local citizen working groups have been established in Wyoming to developed conservation plans and advise state policy. The first statewide plan for the conservation of sage-grouse was formally adopted in 2003. The statewide plan established local sage-grouse working groups charged with developing and facilitating implementation of local conservation plans. Those 8 plans were completed in 2007 and 2008, and updated in 2014. From 2005-2017, …

Fighting Against Bullfighting: Tackling Spain's Bloody Tradition, Genevieve Hoyt

Pell Scholars and Senior Theses

Bullfighting has grown to be a serious problem in Spain, bringing severe animal cruelty, economic controversies, and a national identity crisis. This paper synthesizes research from a variety of sources to comprehensively evaluate the problems bullfighting causes in Spain, and it also proposes two policy options to attempt to resolve these issues. While banning bullfighting entirely may seem like an easy fix, it would also provoke a number of issues. This paper will ultimately conclude that bullfighting will likely come to an end on its own. Still, anti-bullfighting groups should continue their protests in order to decrease popularity and encourage …

Considerations For Measuring The Impact Of Policy-Relevant Research, Megan Collado, Lauren Gerlach, Caroline Ticse, Katherine Hempstead

The Foundation Review

Philanthropy, and the research and analysis it supports, has an important role to play in informing policy and making government more effective. Yet all too often, foundations and other research funders struggle to understand whether and how their investments have affected policy.

This article highlights the findings of an 18-month pilot project conducted by AcademyHealth to help the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation better understand the impact of a subset of the foundation’s research grants, across investment types, on health insurance coverage and health reform, and to help inform how the foundation may more systematically track and measure the impact of …

Financial Exploitation Of Maine's Older Adults: An Analysis Of Maine Adult Protective Services And Legal Services For The Elderly Case Records, State Fiscal Years 2010-2016, Eileen Griffin Jd, Catherine Mcguire Bs, Kimberly I. Snow Mhsa, Ba

Disability & Aging

The goal of this study was to capture information about the amount of money Maine’s older adults have lost to financial exploitation, along with information about those exploited, the perpetrators of financial exploitation, the type of loss, and amount of money lost. This report summarizes key findings emerging from this analysis. In particular, we found that, when compared to Maine’s general population of adults age 60 and older, the victims of financial exploitation served by Maine's Adult Protective Services (APS) and Legal Services for the Elderly (LSE) are more likely to be age 80 and older, female; and widowed, single, …

Charting Constellations Of Power: Texas Public Education Policy, Hollie Wright

MSU Graduate Theses

For decades, public education in Texas has been entrenched in neoliberalism-inspired policies that research shows largely fail to produce promised results and have a tendency to perpetuate the very problems advocates claim the policies will solve. This raises questions about the decision-makers and what is happening in the public education policy process. In line with Laura Nader’s directive for more anthropologists to make those in power the subject of their research, I used both ethnographic and social network analysis methods to ‘study up’ in Texas public education. This study describes some relationships of members of the Texas State Board of …

Implementation Assessment Of Executive Order 13518: The Veterans Employment Initiative, Nicholas Armstrong, Zachary S. Huitink, Rosalinda V. Maury, Matthew Hidek, Nathaniel Birnbaum, Rachel Linsner, Fitore Hyseni

Institute for Veterans and Military Families

A year-long study to assess the implementation of Executive Order (EO) 13518, Veterans Employment in the Federal Government. Signed on November, 9, 2009, EO 13518 created the Veterans Employment Initiative (VEI), one of the most comprehensive efforts in U.S. history to increase veterans’ employment in U.S. federal agencies.

Implementation Assessment Of Executive Order 13518: The Veterans Employment Initiative (Executive Summary), Nicholas Armstrong, Rosalinda V. Maury, Zachary S. Huitink, Matthew Hidek, Nathaniel Birnbaum, Rachel Linsner, Fitore Hyseni

Institute for Veterans and Military Families

This is the Executive Summary of a report which documents the results of a year-long, independent study to assess the policy implementation of the government’s Veterans Employment Initiative (VEI). The study considers the initiative’s efficacy and impact, identifies successful practices, strategies and opportunities for improvement. This assessment also offers recommendations to senior policymakers and agency leaders on how to best position the VEI for future success.

Implementation Assessment Of Executive Order 13518: The Veterans Employment Initiative (Full Technical Report), Nicholas Armstrong, Rosalinda V. Maury, Zachary S. Huitink, Matthew Hidek, Rachel Linsner, Nathaniel Birnbaum, Fitore Hyseni

Institute for Veterans and Military Families

This report documents the results of a year-long, independent study to assess the policy implementation of the government’s Veterans Employment Initiative (VEI). The study considers the initiative’s efficacy and impact; identifies successful practices, implementation strategies, and opportunities for improvement; and offers recommendations to senior policymakers and agency leaders on how best to position the initiative for future success.

Alma Mater, Mater Exulum. Jesuit Education And Immigration In America: A Moral Framework Rooted In History And Mission, Michael M. Canaris

Institute of Pastoral Studies: Faculty Publications and Other Works

Book Description: The current daily experiences of undocumented students as they navigate the processes of entering and then thriving in Jesuit colleges are explored alongside an investigation of the knowledge and attitudes among staff and faculty about undocumented students in their midst, and the institutional response to their presence. Cutting across the fields of U.S. immigration policy, theory and history, religion, law, and education, Undocumented and in College delineates the historical and present-day contexts of immigration, including the role of religious institutions. This unique volume, based on an extensive two-year study (2010-12) of undocumented students at Jesuit colleges in the …

Charting A Pathway Forward: Redesigning And Realigning Supports And Services For Maine's Older Adults, Eileen Griffin Jd, Elizabeth C. Gattine Jd

Disability & Aging

The current growth of the population age 65 and older is one of the most significant demographic trends in the history of this country and is especially significant for Maine, where the number of people age 65 and older is growing even faster than the rest of the nation. By 2025, over a quarter of Maine’s population is expected to be age 65 and older. Because the cost of long term paid support is out of reach for many Mainers, public financing—particularly Medicaid financing—is an essential tool for addressing the long term support needs of older adults. But Medicaid is …

Analyzing The Potential Of Hybrid And Electric Off-Road Equipment In Reducing Carbon Emissions From Construction Industries, Matthew Holian, Jae-Ho Pyeon

Mineta Transportation Institute

This report quantifies the likely impact recent improvements in emissions technology in the heavy construction equipment fleet will have on national and state-level carbon emissions from construction industries. Specific technologies examined in this report include hybrid and electric-powered off-road equipment. Innovation in the equipment manufacturing industry, and adoption of innovative technology by construction firms, is driven by a wide range of factors, some of which can be influenced by public policy. Therefore, this paper describes policies available to public decision makers at the local, state and national levels that impact equipment use and development decisions, including those that encourage the …

World Changers: Inspiring Cultural And Linguistic Excellence In Children, Parents And Teachers, Ana I. Berdecia Med, Caitlin Kosec Mpp, The John S. Watson Institute For Public Policy For Thomas Edison State College

Center for the Positive Development of Urban Children

The New Jersey Cultural Competency and English Language Learners Summer Institute and Mentoring Program hosted its 10th Anniversary, Three-Day Learning Institute, Aug. 23-25, 2016, with the theme, World Changers: Inspiring Cultural and Linguistic Excellence for Children, Parents and Teachers. After the Three- Day Learning Institute, classroom teachers were assigned a mentor who provided monthly supports to the classroom teachers in the adoption English language learners and cultural competency strategies with the goal of creating culturally and linguistic responsive classrooms. Twenty-three teachers from Trenton Public Schools were recruited and received 21 hours of training in best practices for engaging diverse …

Knowledge Of Health Insurance Concepts And The Affordable Care Act Among Rural Residents, Erika C. Ziller Phd

Health System Reform

Health insurance literacy is central to identifying eligibility for coverage and subsidies, choosing a plan, and using optimal healthcare services under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) or other insurance reform initiatives. To fully benefit from policy efforts to improve health insurance access, rural residents must have the ability to select the plan that best meets their healthcare needs. However, a higher proportion of rural residents possess characteristics that may put them at risk of lower health insurance literacy, including lower incomes and educational attainment, less experience with private insurance, and historically higher uninsured rates. Using Health Reform Monitoring Survey data …

The First Special Issue Of Dignity, Donna M. Hughes

Dignity: A Journal of Analysis of Exploitation and Violence

No abstract provided.

Covering The Care: Health Insurance Coverage In New Hampshire, Jo Porter, Lucy Hodder

Law Faculty Scholarship

the first in a series of data and policy briefs that seek to inform the current conversations about health reform happening across the state. The first brief uses data from the American Community Survey to provide information about the health insurance coverage landscape in NH.

Maine Women's Giving Tree Quarterly Review Vol. 2, No. 1 (June 2017), Maine Women's Lobby Staff

Maine Women's Publications - All

No abstract provided.

Social Isolation And Loneliness In Older People: A Closer Look At Definitions, Mary Lou Ciolfi, Frances Jimenez Ba

Disability & Aging

Social isolation and loneliness are related and the terms are often used interchangeably, but they are distinct concepts with different definitions, health impacts, and interventions. Our population is aging and older people are at increased risk for both social isolation and loneliness and the associated negative health consequences. Understanding the important differences between social isolation and loneliness will help us recognize them earlier in vulnerable populations, engage in more meaningful conversations with older adults about their own risks, and will inform the development and delivery of more individualized, meaningful, and cost-effective interventions.

Influences On University Staff Members Responsible For Implementation Of Alcohol-Control Policies, Glenn A. Cochran

Graduate Doctoral Dissertations

Excessive college student drinking is a complex problem associated with a range of consequences including deaths, injuries, damage, health risks, legal difficulties, and academic problems. State governing boards, trustees and executives have enacted policies aimed at reducing the negative effects of excessive drinking. This study examined influences on university staff members responsible for implementation of alcohol-control policies. Deeper understanding of factors influencing alcohol-control policy implementation may help leaders improve policy making, implementation and attainment of policy objectives.

This mixed methods study utilized a sequential transformative mixed methods strategy with a quantitative survey, sequenced first, informing the prioritized qualitative multiple case …

Examining The Effects Of Policy Interventions On Increasing Electric Vehicle Adoption In California, Ethan G. Mcdermott

Master's Projects and Capstones

Any significant effort to reduce global emissions of greenhouse gasses must address the growing concern of the transportation sector’s inability to meaningfully reduce its emissions contribution. A major shift in the primary fuel used in the sector away from petroleum-based fuel to electricity is one potential way the sector can lower its emissions and transition into a sustainable future. However, a number of barriers face the electric vehicle market, including competing against an already mature vehicle market, battling consumer preferences, and overcoming technical challenges. This paper examines several policy proposals to combat these barriers and examines the impact similar policies …

A Guide For Assessing Older Adults’ Needs On Maine Islands, Beatrice Byrne

Muskie School Capstones and Dissertations

This template may help Maine island communities identify older adults’ needs and island resources, in order to allow older adults to age in the island communities.

Three interviews with island health leaders, one community conversation with older islanders, and one pilot test provided information about what to include in the template.

The template includes a demographic survey, guides for conducting semi-structured interviews and group conversations with older adults and caregivers, a guide and worksheet for analyzing the data, a guide for assessing community resources, a guide for dissemination, and a list of additional resources.

Financial Literacy In Local At-Risk Appalachia, Elijah R. Osborne

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Unfortunately, rural Appalachia is perennially one of the poorest areas of the United States. Many scholars have offered opinions as to why this trend of poverty continues in this region, but one potential cause has not been the subject of much research: do residents in Appalachia have a functional knowledge of the financial system, or even a simple understanding of basic savings, which is necessary for achieving certain levels of financial security?

We conduct a survey modeled after a national study which measures basic financial literacy in local Appalachia, expecting to find that at-risk Appalachians would have less financial literacy …

The Role Of Public Versus Private Health Insurance In Ensuring Health Care Access & Affordability For Low-Income Rural Children, Erika C. Ziller Phd, Jennifer D. Lenardson Mhs, Amanda Burgess Mppm

Access / Insurance

Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) have played a critical role in ensuring access to health insurance coverage among children and have been particularly important sources of coverage for rural children. More than 35.5 million children were enrolled in Medicaid or CHIP in September 2016—accounting for just over half of total Medicaid and CHIP enrollment. Given the large proportion of rural children covered by public insurance, it is critically important to understand the role of that coverage in ensuring access to affordable healthcare for rural children. Using data from the 2011-2012 National Survey of Children’s Health, this study …

Motivation And Support For Regulatory Changes: A Typology Of Tennessee Wild Turkey Hunters, Cristina Elisa Maldonado

Masters Theses

Hunters form a diverse group with multiple motivations for seeking outdoor recreation experiences. A deeper understanding of hunters’ motivations may benefit wildlife managers in state agencies to cater services and regulations to meet the needs of this diverse group. To determine the motivations of wild turkey (Meleagris gallopavo) hunters in Tennessee, and their attitudes and preferences concerning turkey hunting and management, a self-administered questionnaire was developed and mailed to a sample of licensed Turkey hunters in Tennessee. A multivariate K-means cluster analysis was then applied to identify hunter typologies based on several motivation factors that were derived from …

The Effect Of Single Mothers’ Marital Status On Sympathy, Character Evaluations, And Maternity Leave Support, Patrick B. Dorsey Ii

Senior Theses and Projects

Social science research has found that single mothers tend to be viewed more negatively than married mothers. However, single mothers are not a monolithic group, they can vary in terms of their marital status. Informed by DiLiapi’s (1989) motherhood hierarchy, we hypothesized that relative to never married single mothers, formerly married single mothers (i.e., widowed and divorced) would garner more sympathy, more favorable character evaluations and people would also be more willing to support maternity leave policies as a result of thinking about formerly married single mothers compared to never married single mothers. To test these predictions participants were randomly …

Diffusion Of Renewable Energy Policies, Khatera Alizada

Graduate Program in International Studies Theses & Dissertations

This study examines the global diffusion of renewable energy policies: feed-in tariffs (FIT) and renewable portfolio standards (RPS). Existing studies of policy diffusion have failed to differentiate between four possible mechanisms of policy diffusion: emulation, suasion, learning and competition. To test these competing explanations, the study uses a mixed-method research design that combines statistical analysis of time-series cross-sectional data with an agent-based model of diffusion processes. The findings of the statistical analysis show strong support for the suasion (European Union Membership, Clean Development Mechanisms) and emulation mechanisms (cultural similarity or common language) in the diffusion of FIT. In the diffusion …

Structures, Norms, And Renewable Energy Policy: A Comparative Analysis Of The Driving Forces Behind Energy Policymaking In The United States And Denmark, Elise Ogden

Senior Theses and Projects

The 1973 OPEC Oil Embargo served as a wake-up call for many highly oil dependent countries, including the United States and Denmark. In the wake of the 1973 oil crisis, the U.S. and Denmark had very different policy responses. Denmark identified oil itself as the underlying issue, and quickly transitioned to alternative energy sources, including wind. Today, Denmark is a global leader in renewable energy usage and sustainability. The United States, on the other hand, saw foreign reliance on oil as the main issue, and moved to develop domestic oil reserves rather than transitioning to alternative sources. Today, the U.S. …

Policy Considerations Regarding The Integration Of Lusophone West African Immigrant Populations, Kezia Lartey, Brandon D. Lundy

Faculty and Research Publications

On January 23, 2012, Resolution No. 3 enacted the National Immigration Strategy for the island nation of Cabo Verde, the first of its kind in the country. As a buffer nation to Western Europe with a rapidly developing economy and good governance indicators, Cabo Verde is transitioning from a sending and transit country to a receiving nation for African mainlanders, especially from Guinea-Bissau. How effective are these immigration policies at managing these changing mobility patterns? Are immigrants successfully integrating into host communities? How might integration be handled more effectively? This policy briefing reports integration successes and failures from ethnographic research …

Establishing Sustainable Community Garden Interventions With Aid From Health Promotion Organizations, Rachel Joann Buenemann

Theses and Dissertations

Community garden interventions provide policy, system and environmental change at the community level to establish health behaviors, which act in contest to obesity risk factors. Limited research examines factors, which influence the sustainability of community garden interventions. Therefore, in this study, a sample of 10 Midwestern community gardens associated through funding from a health promotion organization in 2013, collected data through the interviewing and surveying of 10 garden administrators and surveying of 12 garden volunteers. The study identified garden benefits perceived by garden administrators and volunteers to include contributions to social justice, continued education, enhanced social cohesion, increased access to …

Designing Urban Policy For A Thriving New Jersey • New Jersey Urban Mayors Association Addresses Policy Priorities, Thomas Edison State University, Evan Weiss, New Jersey Urban Mayors Association

Urban Mayors Policy Center

Cities are the Solution, Not the Problem:

While decades of suburban development might suggest otherwise, New Jersey is at its core an urban state. It is dense, covered by one of the largest transit networks in the country and incredibly diverse. Every region of the state has great livable cities, with small, midsized and large cities all represented — most states are lucky to have just a handful. But, for decades, new jersey cities have too often been portrayed as problems that need to be fixed. As the economic and lifestyle preferences of future generations shift back toward cities and …

The Strategic Challenges Of Urban Warfare, Christian Aditya Niksch

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

With urbanization on the rise, policymakers cannot ignore urban conflicts. In the aftermath of the Cold War, several scholars were of the opinion that primitive modes of fighting, such as close combat, would cease to be used. However, as urban spaces have increasingly become battlefields in the 21st century, there has been a retrogression to a brutal and bloody mode of fighting. This return of primitivism affects the tactics that the military can use in urban warfare, which makes it a daunting strategic challenge. A combined focus on policy, strategy, and operations is necessary to improve thinking about how exactly …