Public Affairs, Public Policy and Public Administration Commons^™

Evidence Use In New York City Public Health Policymaking, Miriam J. Laugesen, Kimberley R. Isett

Frontiers in Public Health Services and Systems Research

New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg has attracted national attention for his public health policy reforms. The policy process behind the reform program has received less scrutiny, especially the use of research by policymakers. We show that the process used to develop, promote, and evaluate polices is heavily based on five types of data and research. New York Department of Health and Mental Hygiene staff conducted in-depth appraisals of existing published research, used local health surveys and private laboratory surveillance data, engaged in “shoe-leather” field research, formed research collaborations within and outside government, and disseminated research to legitimize policy …

The Effect Of Snap On Poverty, Laura Tiehen, Dean Jolliffe, Timothy Smeeding

University of Kentucky Center for Poverty Research Discussion Paper Series

On signing the Food Stamp Act of 1964, President Johnson noted that “as a permanent program, the food stamp plan will be one of our most valuable weapons for the war on poverty” (Johnson, 1964). From a humble beginning of 2.9 million recipients per month and $228 million in benefits in 1969 (earliest national figures), the program has grown to serve 47 million persons with benefits of over $74.6 Billion in 2012 (USDA, 2013a). In the late 60’s and early 70’s, when the average monthly benefit was under $20 per month per month, we did not record the effects of …

Institutional Lending Models, Mission Drift, And Microfinance Institutions, Bethany L. Paris

Theses and Dissertations--Public Policy and Administration

Microfinance is a development tool used to reduce poverty among extremely poor households. Impoverished households can access lines of credit through microfinance institutions (MFIs), in order to create a new business, smooth household consumption, fund medical emergencies, etc. Many authors postulate that MFIs are drifting from a welfarist to an institutionalist approach to lending.

Using MIXMarket data on specific MFIs in 118 countries between 1995 and 2011, the average loan balance of these organizations will be regressed against measure of outreach and sustainability of these institutions by charter type through a series of four, fixed effects models. The main research …

Change In Discharge Errors: Introduction Of A Consultant Led Error Feedback Session To Junior Physicians, Elise Albro

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

A previous study, EQUIP 2009, found the rate of in-hospital prescription errors in 19 hospitals across Manchester, England, to be nearly nine percent. Prescription errors have been shown to contribute to adverse drug events, prolonged hospital stay, increased morbidity and mortality, and increased cost. The aim of this pilot study is to determine if constructive feedback by consultants (senior physicians) to junior physicians on their prescribing errors changes their attitudes toward prescribing safety. The hope is that feedback sessions will help solidify a deeper understanding of both the situation and individual actions on errors and more effectively impact future actions. …

Funding Defined Benefit State Pension Plans: An Empirical Evaluation, Cezar Brian C. Mamaril

Theses and Dissertations--Public Policy and Administration

Defined Benefit (DB) state pension trust funds are an integral component of state finances and play a major role in the country’s labor and capital markets. The last decade though has seen a substantial growth in unfunded pension obligations and a seeming inability by states to make the contributions needed to cover funding shortfalls. When coupled with even larger unfunded retirement health benefits, the looming threat of insolvent state retirement systems pose both current and long-term fiscal challenges to state governments already struggling with the ongoing economic downturn and billions of dollars in budget deficits. The convergence of these factors …

Homeland Security Grant Program: An Analysis Of The Determinants Of Federal Homeland Security Funding To States, Michaela Miles

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

Ever since the devastating attacks of 9/11, America has made terrorism prevention a top priority, and the Department of Homeland Security has transferred billions of dollars to states in Domestic Preparedness and Anti-Terrorism programs. However, there has been much debate on how these funds are allocated, many speculating that some states receive more funding than others as “pork.”

Basing an analysis of funding on a variety of determinants, it can be concluded that this speculation might very well be the case. An analysis of allocation of federal Homeland Security funds to states was conducted, hypothesizing the following variables were determinants …