Digital Commons Network^™

Critical Space Infrastructure: A Complex System Governance Perspective, Adrian V. Gheorghe, James C. Pyne, Joseph Sisti, Charles B. Keating, Polinpapilinho F. Katina, William Edmonson

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Faculty Publications

This paper examines the applicability of Complex System Governance (CSG) to advance the Critical Space Infrastructure field (CSI). CSI encompasses space related hardware, workforce, environment, facilities, and businesses that are necessary for societal well-being. CSI is increasing in importance as more societal serving systems are becoming dependent on CSI to operate. Given this increasing dependence on CSI, societal sectors are increasingly at risk should something go wrong with CSI upon which they depend. CSI has been developing is a fragmented way and lacks coherent organization. CSG is focused on design, execution, and evolution of system functions that provide for communications, …

Navigators As A Means Of Overcoming Administrative Burdens: A Quantitative Study Of State-Administered Federal Assistance Programs, Jonathan Sternesky

West Chester University Doctoral Projects

Administrative burdens are the psychological, compliance, and learning costs experienced by individuals interacting with public entities that may shape and reshape their relationship to citizenship and/or access to benefits and rights. It has long been hypothesized that third-party entities, designated as navigators, could be leveraged to mitigate the impact of administrative burden costs on citizens. For effective delivery of service, easing administrative burden costs in application processes may increase applicant likelihood of successfully navigating the bureaucratic process towards a desired end.

This research used data from recently implemented assistance programs in two separate state-level jurisdictions to conduct logistical regression analyses …

Using Input From Administrative Staff To Make Cost-Effective Decisions For Telecommuting, Technology, And Productivity During The Covid-19 Era, Chika Egemba

West Chester University Doctoral Projects

The purpose of this research was to examine if collaborative technologies enhance productivity in the face of remote work during the COVID-19 era using the diffusion of innovation framework. Dothan Housing is a Moving to Work (MTW) Expansion Agency under the Landlord Incentive Cohort #3. This means the agency was granted certain flexibility to pursue innovation. This research study used a post-positivist philosophy and a quantitative research design to investigate the thoughts, opinions, and feelings of Dothan Housing administrative staff about their experience with telecommuting during the COVID-19 pandemic. The participants were selected from among Dothan Housing staff who were …

Is Nuisance Abatement "Broken Windows" Policing? Searching For Code Enforcement's Impact On Crime, Shane Diller

West Chester University Doctoral Projects

This study examines possible correlations between city code enforcement strategies and crime rates. Specifically, it asks: Is the work performed daily by city code enforcement departments, a Broken Windows Theory policing strategy?

To understand these possible connections, this study selected 30 medium-sized California cities, identified common elements of their code enforcement operations believed to be representative of how robust or active their programs were. Data was collected using both open-source, internet-based documents (such as budget documents and strategic plans) and from a survey sent directly to code enforcement staff. The survey consisted of 7 questions about code enforcement operations from …

Quality Check: How Good Is Your Emergency Management Program?, Kesley Richardson

West Chester University Doctoral Projects

As the evolution of Emergency Management continues, and the integration of public administration combines more of the shared services model to protect our communities and populations from disasters, we must first assess ourselves. Emergency Management agencies must do more than build capabilities but do so strategically with evidence-based practices and incorporate innovative structural adaptations such as models, strategies, skills, information, assessment, leadership approaches, and more into everyday operation and strategic planning. In coordination with the only Emergency Management accreditation program on the planet, a standardized quantitative assessment will increase a comprehensive understanding of capabilities while strategically supporting programmatic objectives.

This …

Exploring Risk Factors Associated With Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Symptomatology In Police, Lori Camacho

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

Mental health outcomes, especially post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), in police have become more of a concern for law enforcement administrators, peers, family and friends. Using culture as a theoretical framework, the current cross-sectional, convergent mixed methods study explored the relationship between personal cumulative exposure to different types of critical incidents and likelihood of reporting PTSD symptoms in a sample of officers (n=71) from one municipal police department. This study also examined how personal cumulative exposure to different types of critical incidents and likelihood of reporting symptoms of PTSD may be moderated by the degree of perception of social support from …

It Is Time To Change The Way We Change, Thane Keller

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

Seventy percent of organizational change initiatives fail. Among organizations where change and adaptation are necessary for survival, the U.S. military stands at the top. The disparity between desired health and fitness behaviors and actual behaviors is a glaring reminder that change is difficult to implement and that current change systems struggle. Merit-based systems offer a solution by rewarding and reinforcing good behavior to generate lasting change. This paper evaluates Kotter's Change Model and Nudge Theory and found them insufficient because they do not sufficiently address reinforcement learning or the temporal tie between behaviors and rewards for reinforcement. This paper then …

The Powerful Actors Of The Criminal Justice System: Understanding Prosecutorial Discretion From The Viewpoint Of Prosecutors. A Public Administrator's Perspective, Ja'von Long

West Chester University Doctoral Projects

Prosecutors are one of the most powerful actors in the American criminal justice system, yet there is a lack of qualitative research related to the topic. There is also a lack of policy reform that has affected prosecutors in the way that it has other actors of the system such as police officers and judges. The research seeks to increase understanding of how prosecutors view the discretion and power prosecutors hold and seeks to provide more information on the institutional and organizational pressures that can affect prosecutors and their decision-making process. The study further explores how cognitive biases along with …

Using Adult Learning Characteristics And The Humanities To Teach Undergraduate Healthcare Students About Social Determinants Of Health, Elizabeth A. Brown, Hannah Kinder, Garrett Stang, Wendy Shumpert

Community & Environmental Health Faculty Publications

Authors used an andragogy framework to help undergraduate allied health students better understand social determinants of health (SDOH) using a photo essay assignment. The study examined students’ perceptions of SDOH in various communities, description of health outcomes associated with their chosen SDOH, and lessons learned and suggestions to improve the assignment for future cohorts. Data were extracted from photo essays from 2019–2021 and entered in Microsoft Excel and Word for data analysis after course completion. Conventional qualitative content analysis was used to analyze student evaluation data from open-ended questions. Data were extracted from 53 student essays from 2019 to 2021. …

Enhancing Reciprocity, Equity And Quality Of Ethics Review For Multisite Research During Public Health Crises: The Experience Of The Covid-19 Clinical Research Coalition Ethics Working Group, Vasiliki Rahimzadeh, Jennyfer Ambe, Jantina De Vries

Center for Medical Ethics and Health Policy Staff Publications

In this paper we report findings from a commissioned report to the COVID-19 Clinical Research Coalition on approaches to streamline multinational REC review/approval during public health emergencies. As currently envisioned in the literature, a system of REC mutual recognition is theoretically possible based on shared procedural REC standards, but raises numerous concerns about perceived inequities and mistrust.

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 …

Aclp - Updated Estimates Of State Bead Allocations - As Of January 2023, New York Law School

Reports and Resources

No abstract provided.

การพัฒนาประสิทธิภาพ ภายใต้บริบท มาตรการรักษาความปลอดภัยตามมาตรฐานสากลกรณีศึกษา ท่าอากาศยานนานาชาติสุวรรณภูมิ, วิธกร ต้นพรหม

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

สารนิพนธ์ฉบับนี้ศึกษาแนวทางที่มีประสิทธิภาพและเหมาะสมสำหรับการดำเนินมาตรการรักษาความปลอดภัยของท่าอากาศยานนานาชาติสุวรรณภูมิ รวมถึงระบุปัญหาหรือข้อบกพร่องที่อาจส่งผลกระทบต่อมาตรการรักษาความปลอดภัยของท่าอากาศยานนานาชาติสุวรรณภูมิ เพื่อนำไปสู่แนวทางในการปรับปรุงและพัฒนาประสิทธิภาพการรักษาความปลอดภัยทั้งในเชิงรุกและเชิงรับของท่าอากาศยานนานาชาติสุวรรณภูมิ โดยอาศัยกระบวนทัศน์ของแนวคิดและทฤษฎีต่าง ๆ ที่เกี่ยวข้อง โดยงานวิจัยนี้ใช้วิธีการวิจัยเชิงคุณภาพ ผ่านการทบทวนเอกสารที่เกี่ยวข้อง และการสัมภาษณ์เชิงลึกของผู้บริหารและเจ้าหน้าที่ที่เกี่ยวข้องกับการรักษา ความปลอดภัย ทั้งในสำนักงานการบินพลเรือนแห่งประเทศไทยและในท่าอากาศยานนานาชาติสุวรรณภูมิ งานศึกษานี้พบว่า ท่าอากาศยานนานาชาติสุวรรณภูมิมีแนวทางในการพัฒนาประสิทธิภาพการรักษา ความปลอดภัยที่มีศักยภาพ สามารถรับมือต่อภัยคุกคามที่เกิดขึ้นได้ตามมาตรฐานสากล รวมถึงปฏิบัติตามแผนรักษาความปลอดภัยต่าง ๆ ตามที่หน่วยงานภาครัฐกำหนดไว้ได้อย่างเหมาะสมและถูกต้อง อย่างไรก็ตาม อาจมีปัญหาและอุปสรรคที่ส่งผลต่อมาตรการรักษาความปลอดภัยของท่าอากาศยานนานาชาติสุวรรณภูมิบางประการ อาทิ ปัจจัยด้านบุคลากร ปัจจัยด้านการบริหารจัดการพื้นที่ ปัจจัยด้านภัยคุกคามจากภายนอก และปัจจัยด้านการตระหนักรู้ของผู้ที่มีส่วนเกี่ยวข้อง เป็นต้น ข้อเสนอแนะเพื่อการพัฒนาประสิทธิภาพของมาตรการรักษาความปลอดภัยของท่าอากาศยานนานาชาติสุวรรณภูมิ ประกอบด้วย 1) การบังคับใช้กฎหมายและมาตรการต่าง ๆ อย่างเข้มงวดและชัดเจน 2) การเพิ่มค่าตอบแทนให้ผู้ปฏิบัติงานเพื่อรักษาความต่อเนื่องในการปฏิบัติงาน 3) การสร้างความสมดุลระหว่างมาตรการรักษาความปลอดภัยและการอำนวยความสะดวกให้กับผู้ใช้บริการให้เหมาะสมยิ่งขึ้น 4) การเพิ่มการประชาสัมพันธ์ให้ประชาชนรับทราบถึงกฎระเบียบและข้อปฏิบัติในการใช้บริการสนามบิน และ 5) การเพิ่มบทลงโทษ หากตรวจพบผู้โดยสารนำพาสิ่งผิดกฎหมายหรือวัตถุต้องห้ามขึ้นอากาศยาน

Protecting Low-Income Consumers In The Era Of Digital Grocery Shopping: Implications For Wic Online Ordering, Qi Zhang, Priyanka Patel, Caitlin M. Lowery

Community & Environmental Health Faculty Publications

The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) is now expected to allow participants to redeem their food benefits online, i.e., via online ordering, rather than only in-store. However, it is unclear how this new benefit redemption model may impact participants’ welfare since vendors may have an asymmetric information advantage compared with WIC customers. The WIC online ordering environment may also change the landscape for WIC vendors, which will eventually affect WIC participants. To protect WIC consumers’ rights in the new online ordering model, policymakers need an appropriate legal and regulatory framework. This narrative review provides that …

Wooing “Willing Dupes”: The Bush Administration’S Use Of Emotional Language In The Drive Toward War With Iraq, Michael F. Russo

Faculty Publications

The publicly available texts of the George W. Bush administration from September 11, 2001, to March 19, 2003, as presented in The Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States, were analyzed for word frequency and the words themselves analyzed for emotional weight using the NRC Emotion Intensity Lexicon. Transcripts of six television news agencies (ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN, FOX, and PBS) were also analyzed for word frequency to determine the extent to which these agencies may have repeated and consequently amplified the rhetoric of the administration. Public opinion polling for this same period was examined in an …

The Carceral State Of American Schools: The Impact Of Symbolic Threat Of Public School Policy, Noe Alexander Aguado, Justin J. Joseph

Politics, Justice, Law, and Philosophy

The fear of violence in schools has compelled school systems to use a variety of authoritarian methods to control students' behavior. This work seeks to understand why these methods of behavioral control are used in some schools but not in others. Using the school survey on crime and safety, the authors explore the extent that the behavioral control strategies at diverse schools are more reminiscent of correctional facilities than institutions of learning. This analysis offers a nuanced view of the carceral elements in schools, where student body diversity is linked to some aspects of the carceral state but not others. …

The Negative Impact Of Social Media's Algorithms On Society, Julia S. Tucker

Emerging Writers

The tools utilized by social media, including algorithms and curation of media feeds, contribute to media phenomenon such as filter bubbles and confirmation biases. These agents transfer from the digital world to the real world, negatively affecting our society, and changing our behaviors. Some examples include political polarization, imposter syndrome, and extremism. These attributes of social media also promote the spread of mis and dis- information, which can negatively impact our social and personal health.

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 …

Street-Level Goals And Teacher Discretion: An Exploration Of Antecedents And Consequences, Heasun Choi

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Scholars have long noted that street-level administration faces significant challenges due to ambiguous work environments and limited resources. At the same time, street-level bureaucrats exhibit widely different behavioral patterns when using discretion while scholars continue to examine their motives. Despite a substantial body of literature on street-level bureaucracy, little attention has been given to the connections between goal dynamics and street-level discretion. This dissertation addresses this gap by conducting three empirical studies that combine a survey of teachers’ priorities, time allocation, and working conditions with administrative data on student achievement. The studies explore the antecedents and consequences of street-level goals …

Centering Consumer Dignity Within Volunteer Operations, Meghan Loftus

West Chester University Doctoral Projects

Volunteerism has become so commonplace in the United States that it is often considered the third sector of our economy. To maximize output and stretch every dollar, many nonprofit agencies rely on volunteers to assist with the provision of their direct services. This unfettered access to their service population, without the same trainings and safeguards as implemented with paid staff, potentially create the opportunity for these volunteers to violate the dignity of the nonprofit consumer, either intentionally or unintentionally. The purpose of this study is to explore this phenomenon and determine if it is in fact a shared experience. Through …

The Evolution Of Participatory Policy-Making For Regional Power Grids, Nicholas Johnson, Stephanie Lenhart, Seth Blumsack

Public Policy and Administration Faculty Publications and Presentations

In the United States, Regional Transmission Organizations (RTOs) are critical for maintaining electric reliability and facilitating the shift toward more efficient and sustainable electric power systems. RTOs are voluntary member-driven organizations that engage hundreds of stakeholders in policy decisions affecting planning, markets, and operations. RTOs have evolved into highly complex and interdependent systems with internal feedback among and within RTO functions, and external feedback from emerging technologies and federal and state clean energy policies. In the PJM Interconnection, the expanded scope of responsibilities, complexity, and member body size has created tensions within the stakeholder processes that has led some to …

The Need For Additional Landslide Regulation: Examining Flooding Through A Case Study, Kristen Gartner

William & Mary Environmental Law and Policy Review

Natural disasters are increasing at an alarming rate. As of this writing, the top five deadliest disasters occurred after 1970, and the top five most economically devastating occurred in the years since 2005, with three of them occurring in 2017. These increasing storms are exacerbated by the worsening of climate change and global warming. The problem will continue to increase if federal and state governments fail to properly regulate and prepare for these natural disasters. This Note will specifically discuss the regulation and prevention of landslides by comparing them to the regulation of flooding. Other examples of natural disaster regulation …

The Linear Evolution Of Local Emergency Management Training In Response To Domestic Terrorism, Jeffrey Januchowski

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractThis paper presents a research study in the field of emergency management. The study aims to identify training or educational needs for the emergency manager at the local level of government to effectively handle disasters. The study uses phenomenon theory with semi-structured interviews that gather data from emergency managers that have experience with major disasters and training requirements. Participants were experts in the emergency management profession with the ability to speak appropriately about the phenomenon. Research questions identified the training methods that produce the best results along with the specific hazards emergency managers may encounter. The research design used questionnaires …

Cross-Sectional Collaboration In Florida's Emergency Management System, Christopher Stephen Kirkland

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Florida faces a unique set of emergency management hazards prompted by the state’s geography, high volume of tourism, and position as a hub of international trade. The state has developed a highly adaptive emergency management system to deliver humanitarian assistance to Floridians affected by natural and other disasters. Despite the importance of collaboration in delivering humanitarian goods and services to Floridians in times of crisis, little is known as to how collaboration occurs, what impediments exist, and how organizations adapt to the dynamics of natural and other disasters. In this qualitative case study, the integrative framework for collaborative governance was …

Barriers To Effective Public Secondary Education In Rural Areas In Haiti, Marjorie Calixte-Hallworth

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The limited access to public secondary education in rural regions of Haiti has impacted children who want to pursue their education beyond the primary level. The purpose of this generic qualitative study was to explore the perceptions of informed Haitian educators and other educators who were knowledgeable about the lack of access to public secondary education in rural Haiti, specifically through the framework of polarities of democracy theory. Data were gathered by conducting semistructured interviews with 20 educators who were situated in both Haiti and the United States. NVivo 14 was used to organize, code, and analyze the data. Thematic …

Discrepancies In Race, Occupational Prestige Score, Socioeconomic Index, Income/Wealth, And Social Class Between Blacks And Whites, Queensley Udofia

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

An argument that has gained prominence recently is that race is/will no longer be a significant factor in explaining any Black - White gaps. The argument is that in the post-Civil Rights era, the implementation of affirmative action and antidiscrimination policies at local, state, and federal levels has closed, if not almost erased, the gaps between Blacks and Whites. Research, however, has disputed the claims of proponents of color-blindness that issues of race are on the decline and will no longer be a factor in explaining racial inequalities between Blacks and Whites. This study used General Social Survey 2021 data …

Nonprofit Social Service Employees’ Perceptions Of Barriers Or Facilitators To Voting Registration Among Previously Incarcerated Individuals, Anthony J. Nixon

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Most U.S. states have applied permanent restrictions on incarcerated individuals in custody for crimes more serious than misdemeanors. After the time is served and limitations are removed, the right to vote may not be restored to previously incarcerated individuals. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to explore what nonprofit social service employees perceive to be barriers or facilitators to voter registration among previously incarcerated individuals. The social acceptance model provided the theoretical framework to support the study. Data collection was completed through a brief demographic survey and individual interviews with 15 nonprofit organizers in Ohio. Data were analyzed …

Effect Of Managerial Conduct On Retention And Job Satisfaction In Criminal Justice Public-Sector Organizations, Alexis Makayla Mceady

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Managers who lack support and training can exhibit conduct that leads to low rates of employee retention and job satisfaction. It is common in the United States for employees working government public service jobs to earn low wages. Managerial conduct impacts day-to-day operations for these low-wage positions. The purpose of this quantitative, nonprobability, correlational study was to examine whether there was a statistically significant relationship between managerial conduct, employee retention, and job satisfaction. Grounded in Herzberg’s two-factor theory, it was hypothesized that employees with bad managers were less likely to be retained and more likely to have low job satisfaction. …

The Prison Reentry Experience Of Justice-Involved Veterans, Latta Roosevelt Thomas Jr.

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Prison reentry programs attempt to equip justice-involved veterans with life skills necessary for their transition out of prison. This qualitative study addressed the scant understanding of the impact pre-released prison reentry programs have on justice-involved veterans’ transition and reintegration back to the community. The purpose of this qualitative study was to describe the perceptions of justice-involved veterans regarding prison reentry programs that have impacted their transition out of prison. The well-being development model and Castro’s military-to-civilian transition model provided the conceptual framework for this qualitative study, using semistructured questions to interview 11 justice-involved veterans regarding their participation in prison reentry …