Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Differential Impacts Of Smoke-Free Laws On Indoor Air Quality, Kiyoung Lee, Ellen J. Hahn, Nick Pieper, Chizimuzo T.C. Okoli, James Repace, Adewale Troutman

Nursing Faculty Publications

The authors assessed the impacts of two different smoke-free laws on indoor air quality. They compared the indoor air quality of 10 hospitality venues in Lexington and Louisville, Kentucky, before and after the smoke-free laws went into effect. Real-time measurements of particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter of 2.5 µm or smaller (PM_2.5) were made. One Lexington establishment was excluded from the analysis of results because of apparent smoking violation after the law went into effect. The average indoor PM_2.5 concentrations in the nine Lexington venues decreased 91 percent, from 199 to 18 µg/m³. The average …

Evaluating The Healthy States Initiative Policy Forums, Jessica Harmon

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

Since 2005, The Council of State Governments (CSG) has participated in a cooperative agreement funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) called the Healthy States Initiative. The initiative promotes public health by providing information resources to state legislators through publications and public health forums. CSG is interested in information about the impact of the public health forums on state legislators. More specifically, they would like to know if the forums have encouraged the participants to produce public health legislation, to support funding for public health projects, and to work closely with colleagues and various groups to improve …

The Influence Of Veterinary Schools On The Veterinary Labor Market, Kyle Bosh

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

Problem Statement:

Does the presence of a veterinary school in a state influence the supply of veterinarians practicing in that state? Citizens and animals in states without a veterinary school are at a disadvantage if the presence of a veterinary school significantly improves public health and access to medical services in those states that have a veterinary school.

Research Strategy:

The unit of analysis in this study is 50 states and the District of Columbia. The study is designed as a cross-sectional analysis of 2006 pet, 2002 livestock, 2006 human, labor, and economic data. The study uses simultaneous equations to …

State Corporate Tax Policy: Is Tax Competition The Main Determinant?, Gabriel Ramón Serna

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

In the past few decades state corporate income tax policy and coordination/harmonization of corporate income taxes have been regularly discussed in the tax policy literature. The reason for this level of attention is that capital is assumed to be highly mobile across nations or unions with multiple jurisdictions with differential corporate tax rates (Bucovetsky, 1991; Cnossen, 2003; Frey & Eichenberger, 1996; Gordon, 1983; Isard, 1990; Keen & Marchand, 1997). Further, much of the literature focuses on states’ “race to the bottom” in terms of corporate income taxation or incentives to base capital in their jurisdictions, and the tendency for this …

Developing An Outcome Evaluation Instrument For The Bluegrass Domestic Violence Program: The Use Of Cognitive Interviews In Questionnaire Development, Andrea Walden

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

Questionnaires can be useful tools for evaluating program outcomes in human services programs, in that they provide quick, easy-, and inexpensive-to-gather information about the program's success in meeting its objectives. Questionnaires may be easy to use, but they are not necessarily easy to design. If developed using sound methodology, the data gathered from questionnaires can be valid and of use to administrators, board members, direct-service staff, and funders in improving a program's services without a more resource-intensive program evaluation.

An exit questionnaire was developed to evaluate the Bluegrass Domestic Violence Program's (BDVP) achievement of short-term outcomes. Short-term outcomes for the …

A Formative Evaluation Of Kentucky’S Environmental Compliance Assistance Program, Bonnie Wathen

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

Kentucky’s Department for Environmental Protection’s Division of Compliance Assistance has the Environmental Compliance Assistance Program (CAP). CAP is a relatively new program that has had little to no evaluation and measurement. However, with limited state resources to be distributed to departments, it is imperative that programs be able to justify their existence. Due to this fact, I chose to evaluate the CAP for my capstone project.

Because inadequate data on outcomes is available at this time, I was unable to conduct a traditional summative evaluation or include any statistical analysis. Instead I chose to conduct a formative, or process, evaluation …

Redevelopment, Property Values And The Neighborhood Life Cycle: An Impact Analysis Of Downtown Lexington Redevelopment, Brett Anthony Rudy

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

Over the past century, downtown regions have seen a great deal of transition, from powerhouse city centers to dilapidated slums. Downtown can be the hub of a city’s entire economic and cultural life, but it can also be the stigma of a city’s problems. It is easily one of the most dynamic regions of a city. But why do these regions fail? I contend there are forces at work, which lead to the failure of a downtown region, but there are also equal, if not more powerful forces that can lead a bring a city center back from the brink. …

Property Tax Revenue Decline In The State Of California And The Implications: An Examination Of Selected Local Governments In The State Of California, Ryan M. Mauldin

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

The Center for Responsible Lending projects California local governments to experience a $107 billion dollar decrease in home values and taxable property rolls as a result of subprime mortgage related foreclosures [Lending, 2008]. Due to Proposition 13, property taxes do not account for a substantial portion of local government revenue. They do, however, constitute 53% of statewide K-14 funding, as stipulated by Proposition 98 (Education Revenue Augmentation Fund or ERAF). As a result of ERAF, local governments (defined as counties, cities, schools, and special districts) receive less money through a complex fund shifting process that offsets statewide general fund spending. …

Business Improvement Districts: Should Lexington Establish One?, Melissa A. Hagan

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

Downtown districts are falling victim to surges of new development increasingly taking place outside the city as people seek to escape fast‐paced city life for a more peaceful life in the suburbs. As people move to the suburbs, they either take the businesses with them or the businesses fail to maintain profitability in empty downtowns. Downtown Lexington has been no exception. The recent developments of Hamburg Place and, more recent the developments around Fayette Mall have attracted even more business owners away from downtown.

A new implementation approach for revitalization is gaining momentum, as downtowns are introducing policies that enable …

The Alternative? Alternative School Calendars’ Effects On Nonacademic Data In Independent Districts, Nick Grinstead

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

This study measures the effect of alternative school calendars, otherwise known as year-round calendars, on “nonacademic data”, which includes average daily attendance rates, retention rates (where retention rate is defined as percentage of students held back a grade level), and dropout rates. This measurement will be done on Kentucky’s Independent School districts, which have a unique advantage of never having a problem with overcrowding (which will be explained as an important consideration for measurements of effects of alternative school calendars) and in whose districts the majority of alternative school calendars in Kentucky have been implemented. The study will be performed …