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Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences

Solar Energy For The Soul: Solving America’S Fuel Poverty Problem With Solar Panels For The Poor, Samantha St. Marie Jun 2018

Solar Energy For The Soul: Solving America’S Fuel Poverty Problem With Solar Panels For The Poor, Samantha St. Marie

Honors Theses

In the United States today, at least 14 million Americans live in fuel poverty. These Americans spend at least ten percent of household income on energy costs ranging from fuel to electricity. The purpose of this thesis is to identify an innovative solution to mitigate the effects of the energy affordability crisis in the United States. After examining national trends and researching localized efforts, I determined that solar panels may be able to support the modern energy needs of the fuel poor. The study uses a least squares regression model with fixed effects to determine factors influencing solar adoption at …


Mental Disorders As Brain Disorders: The Impact On Stigma Of Neuroscience-Based Mental Health Education, Katherine Tighe Mar 2018

Mental Disorders As Brain Disorders: The Impact On Stigma Of Neuroscience-Based Mental Health Education, Katherine Tighe

Honors Theses

Stigmatization of mental illness is undoubtedly detrimental to those with mental health concerns as it limits employment, self-esteem and social support (Markowitz, 1998). In effort to combat the issue of stigma, previous research has evaluated the effectiveness of education as a method to reduce stigma in a college sample; finding that peer-led presentations are effective in reducing stigma (Kosyluk et al., 2016). The current study sought to evaluate the effectiveness of neuroscience-oriented presentation for reducing the stigma of mental illness among college students. Researchers asked 53 Union College students to complete seven-item Social Distance Scale (SDS; Penn et al., 1994) …


Healthcare Certificates Of Need In Mississippi: Policy Review And Recommendation, Seth Dickinson Jan 2018

Healthcare Certificates Of Need In Mississippi: Policy Review And Recommendation, Seth Dickinson

Honors Theses

Healthcare Certificates of Need, often abbreviated as CON, are public policies implemented across America with many intentions but the primary purpose of engaging the healthcare marketplace in a way that allows for government regulation and monitoring. Over time, states have created their own types of certificate of need policies while others have abandoned these types of policies all together. Mississippi is a member of the former group that has crafted its own type of policies geared towards enabling Certificates of Need. As the healthcare marketplace shifts across America, this research delves into the certificate of need policies of states with …


Gender Bias And Sex Trafficking In China, Avery Kennedy Jan 2018

Gender Bias And Sex Trafficking In China, Avery Kennedy

Honors Theses

China's history shows a pattern of preference for sons over daughters. Chinese language and policies show evidence of this bias. This penchant has created a sizable gender disparity within China's population. The implementation of the One-Child Policy only exacerbated the gap between males and females. China's age-old preference for sons has negatively impacted modern-day China. The gender disparity generated a demand for women, which has been answered by sex trafficking women in China to be sold as brides and sex workers.


The Mississippi Adequate Education Program: An Overview And Policy Proposal, Drew Douglas Hall Jan 2018

The Mississippi Adequate Education Program: An Overview And Policy Proposal, Drew Douglas Hall

Honors Theses

Historically, Mississippi is one of the lowest performing states when it comes to kindergarten-twelfth grade education. Mississippi also consistently has one of the lowest amounts of money dedicated to kindergarten-twelfth grade education. It has been suggested that there is a correlation between these two facts, but over the past twenty years, nothing has changed in the way that Mississippi funds education. The current model is written in the Mississippi Adequate Education Program, which allocates money to education based upon a per-year decision by the Mississippi Department of Education to take money from the general fund of the state's budget. This …


South American Trade Blocs: A Risk Assessment Of Nationalist Movements, Christian Bonds Jan 2018

South American Trade Blocs: A Risk Assessment Of Nationalist Movements, Christian Bonds

Honors Theses

Nationalist movements internationally are negatively affecting economic integration around the world. South American trade blocs must consider the risks posed by these threats in order to determine action that needs to be taken in the future. Through examining the collective body of literature on the function, motivations, and historical development of economic integration, we can determine the current status of these organizations in South America. Then, the origin and consequences of current nationalist movements will be outlined. These organizations, such as MERCOSUR, CAN, LAIA, and the Pacific Alliance, can finally be addressed, as to what their specific risks are and …


Firearms Trafficking To Chicago: Connections And Implications, Elizabeth Jamell Benner Jan 2018

Firearms Trafficking To Chicago: Connections And Implications, Elizabeth Jamell Benner

Honors Theses

The initial purpose of this study was to determine which counties contributed the most to the firearms trafficking route between Mississippi and Chicago, Illinois, and to understand which sociodemographic features may differentiate those counties from their lesser-trafficking counterparts. In order to address any firearms trafficking route, law enforcement agencies must understand the underlying causes and enabling factors. Initial studies of Mississippi counties showed trends of median household income, poverty, and racial disparities. These trends were compared with high-trafficking counties in Illinois, Indiana, and Wisconsin in order to see if sociodemographic factors associated with firearms trafficking are state-specific or may be …


Higher Education And Labor Standards: Adapting To Overtime Regulations At The University Of Mississippi, Elizabeth M. Hocevar Jan 2018

Higher Education And Labor Standards: Adapting To Overtime Regulations At The University Of Mississippi, Elizabeth M. Hocevar

Honors Theses

Recent attempts of amending the Section 13(1) overtime regulations proposed by the Wage and Hour Division in 2016 have placed a strain on universities' budgets and services. As a result, departments on university campuses are home to challenges that affect both employers and employees. I provide a record of the history of Section 13(1) amendments to date in order to establish the context of my thesis. My thesis attempts to observe how various departments at the University of Mississippi have adapted to the new rule that the University has recently adopted. My review of the literature in combination with my …


The Policy Evolution And Privatization Of Commercial Space Systems, Nestor Delgado Jan 2018

The Policy Evolution And Privatization Of Commercial Space Systems, Nestor Delgado

Honors Theses

From the Wright Brothers to SpaceX launching the Falcon Heavy, space systems, and the policies that govern these systems, continue to evolve at a rapid rate. However, as space travel becomes commercialized, the federal government is beginning to realize that it would be cost-ineffective to continue to manufacture, maintain, and operate space systems completely through their own agencies. In result of this, it would be proactive for policymakers to decide what policy tools would be most effective in regulating space systems and the space ports in which they travel. The purpose of this study is to present research on the …


The Evolution Of Trade And Labor Laws In China, Sarah Catherine Hearn Jan 2018

The Evolution Of Trade And Labor Laws In China, Sarah Catherine Hearn

Honors Theses

This thesis investigates the long-term evolution of legislation that contributed to the shift of China from a command economy to an economic powerhouse in the capitalist world economy. Few have discussed whether the concept of neoliberalization, defined as the process of adapting fiscal conservative and expert oriented policies, explains the longer-term trend of Chinese development. Therefore, this thesis sets out to make a determination whether China is evolving towards or away from the neoliberal model. To answer this question, this thesis analyzes two areas of legislation crucial in a free market: China's trade and labor laws since the 1970s. More …


Housing Policy Alternatives For The Lafayette-Oxford, Mississippi Community, Alice C. Norman Jan 2018

Housing Policy Alternatives For The Lafayette-Oxford, Mississippi Community, Alice C. Norman

Honors Theses

This thesis explores housing policy alternatives to address housing insecurity in the Lafayette-Oxford, Mississippi community and similar non-metropolitan communities which are experiencing accelerated growth. Policy alternatives were collected through a systematic literature review of the University of Mississippi's One Search database. Findings reveal that there are a number of housing dynamics in U.S. cities which require different considerations in regards to policy alternatives. Policy alternatives discussed range from subsidized affordable housing, the removal of regulations on new developments, social housing, voucher programs, rent control, creating city connections, unemployment insurance, community land trusts, shifting responsibility to a higher level of government, …


Unraveling The Veil: An Evaluation Of American Immigration Policy In The 20th Century Using John Rawls's Ethical Theory, Elizabeth J. Linginfelter Jan 2018

Unraveling The Veil: An Evaluation Of American Immigration Policy In The 20th Century Using John Rawls's Ethical Theory, Elizabeth J. Linginfelter

Honors Theses

Due to the current discussion surrounding immigration policy, I found it prudent to research the ethics behind the policies we have had in the past in order to make better policy decisions in the future. These policy decisions in the past have shaped America, and will continue to do so. Having this in mind, I decided to ethically evaluate the immigration policy of the 20th century using four acts implemented during this time: the Immigration Act of 1924, the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952, the Immigration Act of 1965, and the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986. To …


Writing Ix: Combining Theatre Arts And Public Policy Through The Process Of Playwriting, John Brahan Jan 2018

Writing Ix: Combining Theatre Arts And Public Policy Through The Process Of Playwriting, John Brahan

Honors Theses

This thesis explores the process of writing a play and compares sexual misconduct policies at universities in the Southeastern Conference. It exhibits the process through examining writing exercises to develop character and plot, showing expanded understanding of dramatic literature through reading additional plays, outlining the growth of the narrative through table readings, additional feedback, and displaying audience feedback garnered through an optional survey filled out by patrons at the end of their theatre experience. Throughout the narrative of the thesis, I explore how I developed each of Aristotle's Six Elements of Tragedy: character, plot, idea, language, music, and spectacle. The …


Regulating Sex Work: United States' Policy And International Comparisons, Kathryn Rowe Jan 2018

Regulating Sex Work: United States' Policy And International Comparisons, Kathryn Rowe

Honors Theses

This thesis examines the issues with current United States' sex work policies and considers peer countries' policies as potential alternatives by surveying existing research and utilizing case studies. Specifically, this thesis analyzes how American sex work policy restricts bodily autonomy, creates dangerous markets, and hinders efforts to deter sex trafficking. As policy alternatives, this study evaluates German and Swedish policies. German policy provides an example of a fully legalized and regulated sex market, where the buying and selling of sex are legally protected. The study on Swedish policy provides an example of the Nordic Model, where the buying of sex …