Public Affairs, Public Policy and Public Administration Commons^™

Bourbon Barrel Tax, William Twigg

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

This paper will look at the impacts of barrel tax reform within the state of Kentucky and the impact of the sunsetting of such an important revenue generator for the Commonwealth given the recent passing of Kentucky House Bill 5 (HB5) on March 31, 2023. It will provide a brief history of the bourbon industry, how Kentucky became known as the homeland of bourbon, some background as to what the barrel tax is and why the tax was needed in the first place, and provide some context as to how the tax was assessed, how much it amounted to, and …

An Analysis Of Policy Changes Of State Individual Income Taxes Over Recent Years, Melissa Feddes

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

This paper provides an overview of how often each state implemented changes to its individual income tax policies (if any) and focuses on six states (OH, MD, OK, KY, and PA) to conduct a comparison of changes and structures from 2015 to 2023. It also evaluates how these changes appeared to impact the selected state's revenues over time.

Examining Migration Flows Across Kentucky's Counties, James Brady Stein

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

The state of Kentucky is home to many rural counties which experience high levels of outward migration due to their relatively unfavorable economic conditions. While migration trends nationally have begun to plateau, migration flows from county to county show a much more volatile story. This study will examine the relationship between economic opportunity and migration flow estimates in Kentucky’s counties through a multiple regression approach with the response variable being annual migration flow estimates, with multiple predictor variables showing the economic composition of the county. Variables used in this regression include annual unemployment rates, educational attainment levels, county poverty rates, …

Estill County "Twin Cities" Consolidation Study, Logan Hart

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

To provide essential services without imposing an unreasonable financial burden on their residents, local governments, particularly those with a declining population or tax base, are seeking ways to maximize their resources. Municipal consolidation is one of the solutions that many local governments have considered. This study aimed to determine if municipal consolidation would improve the efficiency and financial standing of the Estill County, Kentucky cities of Irvine and Ravenna. The study's findings suggest that consolidation could lead to cost benefits for both cities. However, due to the limited availability of data, further research is required to gain a complete understanding …

Improving Tax Compliance In Indonesia Through The 2022 Voluntary Disclosure Program, Farid Al Firdaus

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

Developed or developing countries have conducted Voluntary Disclosure Programs (VDP) to increase tax revenues and taxpayers' compliance. Non-compliant taxpayers prefer this way to regular law enforcement to be more compliant. This study focuses on supporting Indonesia, the lowest tax-to-Gross Domestic Product (GDP) ratio in Asia and the Pacific, in improving its taxpayers' long-term compliance through the 2022 VDP; this amnesty had fewer participants, shorter periods, and higher rates than the first one in 2016. Using descriptive analysis, it is concluded that the 2022 VDP could reveal taxpayers' wealth known and unknown by the tax authority, increase revenue as a fraction …

Examining Academic Performance And Education Stability Measures For Youth In Foster Care, Alex Asbury

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

The state of Kentucky has seen an increase in its population of youth who are involved with child welfare and in the foster care system while also seeing less cases end in reunification with families. While youth process trauma related to the removal from their homes and the potential of experiencing multiple moves through their time with child welfare, it is important that educational stability remain intact to promote normalcy and improve educational outcomes for youth in foster care. Following the signing of the federal Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), the Kentucky education system has seen improvement in its processes …

Offshoring And Subordinate Financialization In Developing Countries, Logan Kuegel

Undergraduate Public Policy Capstone Projects

This study will investigate the relationship between global value chain integration and financialization in the Global South. It is intended for policy research committees in international organizations such as the United Nations (Commission on Trade and Development Special Committee on Cization), the International Monetary Fund (Development Committee), the World Trade Organization, and World Bank. The global production network represents the international division of production through intermediate offshoring, while financialization represents the entrance of traditionally nonfinancial actors (namely firms, governments/banks, and households) into the financial system.

Attempting to use a heterodox framework, this paper builds upon literature that synthesizes the two …

Bolstering Resistance To Misinformation Through K-12 Education, Allison Johnson

Undergraduate Public Policy Capstone Projects

Misinformation online and in news media is a problem because it degrades truth and hinders legitimate democratic discourse. As misinformation becomes more prevalent, we need to start finding ways to limit the extent of the problem. To do so, I recommend a policy solution based on inoculation theory. Inoculation theory, as the name suggests, uses the metaphor of a vaccine. When receiving the flu shot, we get a weakened dose of the virus, which in turn helps us to create antibodies and later be more effective at fighting the real flu. In this instance, people are exposed to weakened doses …

Addressing Money Laundering In The United States Real Estate Sector, Hunter Mccormick

Undergraduate Public Policy Capstone Projects

The United States faces threats to economic stability and legal integrity from money laundering practices in the real estate market. Legislative loopholes, complicit enablers, and aging technological systems used by government agencies allow individuals to flow ill-gotten wealth into the United States with little effort. As a result of these factors, local economies suffer job loss, once-inhabited properties lie empty in decay, and trust in government weakens. Illegal wealth is transformed into protected assets in the form of property and can stored to later fund terrorism organizations or influence the American people. Approximately $2.3 billion was laundered through real estate …

Curbing Diabetes Prevalence And Reducing Risk Through Policy, Grayson Blount

Undergraduate Public Policy Capstone Projects

The purpose of this policy brief is to illuminate the dire circumstances surrounding the ongoing diabetes epidemic in Kentucky. Type II diabetes mellitus, a preventable and manageable chronic illness, affects nearly 465,000 Kentuckians currently. Beyond the daily struggle associated with diabetes, many acute complications can arise that are severly detrimental to quality of life, such as blindness or lower extremeity amputation. Additionally, the costs associated with diabetes are tremendous, to patients, to providers, and to the state. It is in the best interest of all stakeholders to do whatever we can in order to reduce prevalence and improve management of …

Convicted Felons And Voting, Olivia Corley

Undergraduate Public Policy Capstone Projects

Felony disenfranchisement impacts nearly 4.6 million individuals in the United States with low-income communities and communities of color disproportionately affected. This policy is a practice that restricts the voting rights of individuals who have been convicted of a felony. This brief provides an overview of the challenges faced by those affected by felony disenfranchisement, as well as the implications for democracy in the United States. Highlighting a 50-state scan of state voter restrictions, I showcase the different laws and policies that restrict the voting rights of individuals with felony convictions across the United States. The history of felony disenfranchisement in …

Child Welfare And The Opioid Crisis In The Bluegrass State, Irina Mohler

Undergraduate Public Policy Capstone Projects

This brief discusses the challenges facing Kentucky's child welfare system, particularly due to the opioid epidemic, childhood adversity, mental health needs, and limited social services. Kentucky has one of the highest child neglect rates and opioid dispensing rates in the nation. The state's child welfare system includes services like the Child and Family Services Plan, Independent Living Program, and Sobriety Treatment and Recovery Team (START), but it faces issues such as high caseloads and data gaps. It aims to emphasizes the importance of providing the highest standard of care for children in Kentucky and seeking effective recommendations by examining similar …

Making Transportation Safer, Jack Reynolds

Undergraduate Public Policy Capstone Projects

While often overlooked, the overreliance on private transportation across the United States has become a major source of danger, with thousands of lives lost every year to motor vehicle crashes. These deaths have been taken for granted, yet what is often forgotten is that in the face of increasing rates of motor vehicle crash deaths, we have the capability to prevent future tragedies like these from occurring through targeted policy decisions. While certain reforms to private transportation were found to be effective in improving traffic safety, such as implementing graduated licensing systems and lowering speed limits, the primary component of …

Three Essays On Rural Education: Descriptive Studies Focused On Federal Rural Definitions And Policy Changes, Kyung Ha Oh

Theses and Dissertations--Public Policy and Administration

Rural education issues in K-12 public schools are understudied despite a large rural student population in the U.S. This dissertation studies how different federal definitions of rural change how rural school districts and their diverse communities are portrayed, in comparison to their non-rural counterparts. This study also explores the recent federal rural policy changes on rural district revenue and student academic outcomes.

This dissertation consists of three descriptive essays. The first chapter shows how we choose to define ‘rural’ changes what differences are accentuated between rural and non-rural districts. Definitions of ‘rural’ is closely related to who gains access to …

A Multilevel Jurisdictional Analysis Of The Impact Of Walmart On Host Communities, Matt Young

Theses and Dissertations--Public Policy and Administration

This research takes a holistic approach to answer the empirical question about what impacts Walmart has on host jurisdictions. This consists of a thorough review of the extant literature; a formalization of Walmart’s potential impact into a theoretical framework; a consideration of endogeneity within Walmart’s operations from multiple angles; a nationwide analysis of impacts on labor and retail markets at both the county and municipal level; a nationwide analysis of the impacts on housing prices and property tax revenue post Walmart; a multistate analysis of host jurisdictions’ reactions to these changes through the lens of local sales taxes; finally, a …

Three Essays On Consumption Taxation In Indonesia, Partomuan Transparenter Juniult

Theses and Dissertations--Public Policy and Administration

Consumption taxes play a major role in revenue generation for many developing countries. They are also used to encourage or discourage certain consumption behaviors. However, the administrative aspects of implementing these taxes can create challenges for the tax authorities, and lead to distortions in taxpayer behavior. To overcome these challenges, efforts have been made to simplify policies and utilize technology to improve administration and compliance. My dissertation aims to provide empirical evidence on the effects of three consumption or commodity tax policy reforms in Indonesia. The dissertation consists of three essays as follows.

In my first essay, titled “The effect …

Association Of Diabetes Prevalence With Labor Force Participation Rates In Kentucky Counties, Ryan Montgomery

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

Compared to other states in the USA, Kentucky has one of the highest rates of diagnosed diabetes and one of the lowest levels of labor force participation. This project employs a multivariable linear regression model to estimate the correlation between county-level diabetes prevalence and county-level labor force participation rates in Kentucky counties from 2015-2019, using publicly available data from the Centers for Disease Control’s Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) and the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (ACS). Labor force participation rates serve as the dependent variable and diabetes prevalence rates serve as the primary independent variable, alongside nine …

Navigating The Maze Of Student Loan Debt: Exploring Long-Term Economic Implications And Strategies For Alleviating The Burden, Kimberly Faulk

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

This capstone paper explores the long-term economic implications of student loan debt on individuals and society and identifies potential strategies that can be implemented to alleviate the burden. Student loan debt has become a significant issue globally, affecting individuals of all backgrounds and having far-reaching consequences for both individuals and the broader economy. The analysis reveals that the long-term economic implications of student loan debt on individuals are multifaceted. High levels of debt can hinder financial stability and economic mobility, as borrowers struggle to save, invest, and participate in the broader economy. The burden of student loan debt can delay …

The Thin Line In The Bluegrass Schools: A Quantitative Study On How School Resource Officers Impact A School And District's Use Of Exclusionary Discipline In Kentucky, Mia Morales

Theses and Dissertations--Education Sciences

Legislatures across the country have been developing laws and policies to place police officers, also known as School Resource Officers (“SROs”), in schools. A recent piece of legislation in Kentucky, entitled the School Safety and Resiliency Act, requires all school campuses in Kentucky contain at least one SRO. Researchers have found relationships between the presence of SROs and the use of exclusionary discipline, and this research expands on that foundation by looking statewide at school- and district-level variables.

Using a multiple regression model, this research examined the presence of SROs in schools and the ratio of number of SROs to …

Coalition Of The Ending: Why States Withdraw From International Military Coalitions, Weiss Mehrabi

Theses and Dissertations--Political Science

This dissertation examines the causes and conditions motivating states to discontinue supporting an ongoing military coalition operation and prematurely abandon their partners. In exploring coalition defection through a three-article dissertation, I advance three separate theoretical arguments focusing on three levels of analysis.

The first article contributes to the literature by investigating the effects of political regime types on coalition abandonment during interstate wars. I argue that anocracies are dependable wartime partners and will not abandon coalition warfare earlier than autocracies and democracies. I advance two arguments for the theory of anocratic reliability. First, leaders of mixed regimes expect severe post-defeat …

Factors Associated With Successful Military-To-Civilian Transition Among Special Forces Veterans, Edward Richter

Theses and Dissertations--Social Work

The purpose of this study was to explore the military-to-civilian transitional experience in a sample of Special Forces veterans. Acknowledging challenges in accessing the veteran population, most existing research on the military-to-civilian transition consolidates military occupations into a single sample. This method fails to address the intricacies that may exist within individual military occupations, especially that of U.S. Army Special Forces soldiers. Special Forces qualified soldiers represent the largest portion of all U.S. Military Special Operations Forces and are responsible for the majority of all Special Operations activities, yet their experience in transitioning out of the Army is largely unknown. …

The Geopolitics Of Infrastructuralized Platforms: The Case Of Alibaba, Hong Shen, Yujia He

Patterson School of Diplomacy and International Commerce Faculty Publications

Contemporary digital platforms have become increasingly infrastructuralized, and started to raise geopolitical tensions with their global expansion. Amidst the heightened geopolitical competition between the US and China, the growing power of Chinese infrastructuralized platforms has made them the center of recent geopolitical dynamics. Drawing from an exploratory case study, this paper discusses Alibaba, one of the most prominent Chinese Internet giants, as an infrastructuralized platform, and highlights its geopolitical struggles. Often perceived as an e-commerce company, Alibaba has become ‘infrastructuralized’: its now-massive digital empire has moved beyond e-commerce, expanding into almost every aspect of China’s and global digital economy such …

Chinese-Backed Fintech Lending Boom: How Did Indonesia Respond?, Angela Tritto, Yujia He, Victoria Amanda Junaedi

Diplomacy and International Commerce Reports

Peer-to-peer (P2P) online lending has the potential to boost innovation and financial inclusion in emerging markets, yet it can also incur investment and borrower-related risks, such as privacy breaches.

Driven by regulation control in China, Chinese investments flocked to Indonesia, causing a rapid expansion of online lending platforms.

Similar to what happened in China prior to the regulatory crackdown, the P2P lending boom in Indonesia saw a rise in unethical and illegal business practices. The government responded by creating new regulations and institutions to mitigate risks without stifling the potential for financial inclusion.

A proactive approach towards monitoring and regulating …

Evaluating Pharmacy Student Opinions Of The Kentucky Professionals Recovery Network, Abby Kosharek

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

Healthcare professionals have similar rates of substance use disorders as the general population. Healthcare professionals are in a unique position because their substance use disorder affects them and may affect their patients. Substance use disorders among healthcare professionals can result in lawsuits and loss of licensure. Kentucky Professionals Recovery Network (KYPRN) provides healthcare professionals with substance use disorders services and programs to help them recover from their disorder. Unfortunately, the University of Kentucky College of Pharmacy no longer provides education on the Kentucky Professionals Recovery Network in its formal curriculum. Instead, students are expected to gain this knowledge via experiential …

Analysis Of Regulatory Options To Reduce Ethylene Oxide Emissions In Southern Louisiana, Claire Oyler

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

Toxic chemicals are dangerous when exposed directly to humans but are often vital for the production of goods and services. Ethylene Oxide is a carcinogenic gas used as a commercial sterilizer and emitted during the manufacturing process of common household goods. The term fence-line communities describes the residents living adjacent to facilities emitting toxic chemicals into the air. Several predominately minority, low-income fence-line communities in Southern Louisiana are exposed to higher than average levels of Ethylene Oxide from nearby manufacturing facilities. This raises environmental justice and overall public health concerns in the area. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is charged …

Sunset Provisions In The Local Tax Code: Best Practices, Sara Deuster

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

The primary objective of this research project is to identify the main uses of the sunset provision as it relates to the local tax code. This research project utilizes a case study approach to collect and analyze sunset tax legislation from five municipalities. Capital project funding is found to be the primary use of taxes with a sunset provision. Other uses associated with sunset taxation include transportation infrastructure, capital funding, bond financing, and public safety. Through the analysis process for this research project, five best practices were developed to guide municipalities who engage in sunset taxation with respect to their …

The Impact Of Korean Government’S Industrial R&D Expenditure On Technological Competitiveness, Hyunok Kim

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

In Korea, the total amount of R&D executed by the Korean government in 2019 was $16 billion. The Compound Annual Growth Rate of Korean government R&D budget is 5.04% (2010~2019). This paper studies whether the Korean government's R&D expenditure effectively achieves its purpose. Assuming the purpose of government R&D expenditure is set as science and technology competitiveness based on related laws and the indicator is identified as the technology balance of payments (TBP), this study estimates the statistical correlation between government R&D expenditure and TBP. Since the characteristic of government R&D expenditure is different for each field, the correlation by …

Covid-19 And Advanced Course Enrollment: Kentucky High Schools, Jessica Thomas

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

In Kentucky governments, districts, and schools made decisions about school closures and mode of learning that would impact community health as well as student achievement. Within those schools, students themselves were also making decisions that could impact their futures academically. In spring 2020, students were choosing their courses for the following year. Vast uncertainty about what the 2020/2021 school year would look like had the potential to impact those decisions. Disruptions to spring 2020 classes could also impact whether a student felt they had learned the prerequisite skills needed to pursue advanced coursework. This study found that advanced course enrollment …

University Of Kentucky Sustainability Strategic Plan, Sophie Beavin

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

Global climate change is impacting ecosystems, communities, and economies and will continue to do so into the future. To address these issues, sustainable practices and policies are needed on the local and global scale. At the University of Kentucky, sustainability implies that actions are ecologically sound, socially just, and economically viable. Harmonizing these three aspects is critical when developing and implementing sustainability goals on campus. The Office of Sustainability is responsible for coordinating and implementing sustainability policies, actions, and programs for the University of Kentucky. In 2017, they released the first Sustainability Strategic Plan that set goals through 2022. The …

Defunding The Police: True Police Reform Or Just Political Smoke And Mirrors? A Look At The City Of Camden, New Jersey And Its Approach To Police Reform, Anitra Austin

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

The summer of 2020 brought police brutality to the forefront of society. The deaths of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd at the hands of police officers ignited a firestorm of social justice movements. Black Lives Matter and other social justice organizations were calling for cities around the country to defund their police departments as a strategy for police reform. This strategy was largely unprecedented, and highly controversial. There was a lack of understanding of what defunding the police actually meant, as it seemed to mean different things to different people. The subtle suggestions of defunding the police quickly turned to …