Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

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 …