Digital Commons Network^™

Milwaukee Parental Choice Program: Descriptive Report On Participating Schools 2010–11, Michael Q. Mcshane, Brian Kisida, Laura I. Jensen, Patrick J. Wolf

School Choice Demonstration Project

This report is the fifth in a series of annual reports produced by the School Choice Demonstration Project (SCDP) that will provide descriptive information about the schools participating in the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program (MPCP).

Bark Beetles And Fire: Two Forces Of Nature Transforming Western Forests, Gail Wells

Joint Fire Science Program Digests

Bark beetles are chewing a wide swath through forests across North America. Over the past few years, infestations have become epidemic in lodgepole and spruce-fir forests of the Intermountain West. The resulting extensive acreages of dead trees are alarming the public and raising concern about risk of severe fire. Researchers supported by the Joint Fire Science Program (JFSP) are examining the complicated relationship between bark beetles and wildfire, the two most influential natural disturbance agents in these forests. Are the beetles setting the stage for larger, more severe wildfires? And are fires bringing on beetle epidemics? Contrary to popular opinion, …

Scotts Bluff National Monument, Plant Community Resource Brief, Isabel Ashton, Mike Prowatzke

United States National Park Service: Publications

2011 Monitoring Status

Overview

In 2011, the first year of vegetation monitoring by the Northern Great Plains Network Inventory and Monitoring staff at Scotts Bluff National Monument, efforts resulted in the documentation of 79 plant species. This was the lowest number of species among parks sampled in 2011. Graminoid (grass and grass-like plant) species accounted for only 21 (27%) of the total species, but graminoid cover was much higher than that of any other plant type. Forbs were much more diverse, but did not provide as much foliar cover.

The 5 most abundant native non-graminoids were winterfat (Krascheninnikovia lanata …

Plant Community Composition And Structure Monitoring Protocol For The Northern Great Plains I&M Network - Standard Operating Procedures, Version 1.01, Amy J. Symstad, Robert A. Gitzen, Cody L. Wienk, Michael R. Bynum, Daniel J. Swanson, Andy D. Thorstenson, Kara J. Paintner-Green

United States National Park Service: Publications

Introduction

The Northern Great Plains Inventory and Monitoring Network (NGPN) includes thirteen park units located in five northern Great Plains states across six ecoregions. Plant community composition and structure monitoring comprises the core of the vegetation monitoring effort for the NGPN, covering the “Riparian Lowland Plant Communities” and “Upland Plant Communities” vital signs (Gitzen et al. 2010). The narrative portion of the plant community protocol can be found in Symstad et al. 2012. The narrative includes the rationale for vegetation monitoring, an overview of sample design, field methods, data management, and program requirements. This document contains the standard operating procedures …

Conceptualising Cultural And Creative Spaces, Lily Kong

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

This paper reviews the literature on cultural and creative spaces, and examines its merits and shortcomings in helping to explain how culture and creativity in the city are supported. Alternative ways of conceptualising cultural and creative spaces which emphasise the importance of networks and multi-scalar relationships and non-economic considerations will be examined.

Slides: Natural Gas: Game Changer Or Runner Left On Base? Working To Get It Right In Co!, Gary Graham

Drawing the Blueprint for a Sustainable Natural Gas Future (January 18)

Presenter: Dr. Gary Graham, Director, Lands Program, Western Resource Advocates

21 slides

The Embeddedness Of Responsible Business Practice: National Institutional Environments And Corporate Social Responsibility, Luc Fransen

Transnational Business Governance Interactions Working Papers

Academic literature recognizes that firms in different countries deal with Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in different ways. Because of this, analysts presume that variations in national institutional arrangements affect CSR practices. Literature however lacks specificity in determining, first, what parts of national political economic configurations actually affect CSR practices; second, the precise aspects of CSR affected by national-institutional variables; third, how casual mechanisms between national institutional framework variables and aspects of CSR practices work. Because of this the literature is not able to address to what extent CSR practices are affected by either global or national policies, discourses and economic …

Emerging Private Governance: The Challenges Of Choosing A Policy Focus, Graeme Auld

Transnational Business Governance Interactions Working Papers

Across sectors of the global economy, private governance has emerged as a new instrument for addressing pressing social and environmental problems. Although better suited for tackling the challenge of reaching agreements among states to address problems transcending national borders, these initiatives create new boundaries based on what problems they choose to focus on and which actors they choose to regulate – that is, the different policy foci of individual programs. Specialization is not inherently problematic. Private governance can focus attention on the problems of a single-issue area and build capacity among actors to resolve its problems, but equally a particular …

Clark County Community Health Assessment, Center For Urban And Public Affairs, Wright State University

Public Health

The 2012 Clark County Community Health Assessment consists of a telephone survey of 1,053 Clark County adults. The primary purpose of the survey of adults is to evaluate the health status of residents, establish public health priorities, and identify baseline measures for establishing public health program outcomes.

The assessment is based upon questions from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) survey conducted annually by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as well as community health assessments conducted by neighboring communities and priority health needs within the county. The assessment addresses access to and utilization of health care; …

Revisiting Maine’S Lobster Commons: Rescaling Political Subjects, Jennifer F. Brewer

Geography

Calls for cross-scalar theoretical and methodological approaches are not new to commons scholarship. Such efforts might be hastened by channelling poststructuralist and critical theory perspectives through the geographic subfield of political ecology, including attention to political scales and subjects. Toward this end, this paper reconsiders Maine’s lobster fishery. This case has provided rich material for watershed commons scholarship, demonstrating the ability of social groups to conserve resources independent of government or markets, and it continues to offer new findings. Recent fieldwork shows that as lobster boat captains advance collective interests through state-supported co-management governance arrangements, concerns of crew and non-fishing …

Assessing The Impact Of Economies Of Scale And Uncontrollable Factors On The Performance Of U.S. Cities., Mamoon Allaf

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Despite the increased interest among local governments in collecting data on performance measurement, empirical evidence is still limited regarding the extent to which these data are utilized to assess the impact on efficiency of economies of scale and uncontrollable factors. Data envelopment analysis (DEA) is a linear programming method designed to estimate the relative efficiency of decision-making units. In addition to assessing relative efficiency, DEA can estimate scale efficiency and incorporate the impact of uncontrollable factors. Using data from the International City/County Association (ICMA), this study utilized DEA to evaluate the impact of economies of scale and uncontrollable factors on …

Eco Travel Singapore - Balancing Social And Profit Motives, Biqi Wu

Lien Centre Student Case Studies

No abstract provided.

Mexican Cartel Tactical Note No. 9: Decapitated Adult Male With Hands And Feet Removed: Found On Side Of A Dirt Road Near Marana (Pima County) Arizona, Robert J. Bunker

CGU Faculty Publications and Research

No abstract provided.

Mexican Cartel Tactical Note No. 13: Man Crucified In Michoacán, Mexico, Robert J. Bunker

CGU Faculty Publications and Research

No abstract provided.

Mexican Cartel Strategic Note No. 13: City Of Hidalgo, Texas, Fearful Of Cartel Violence Potentials—Will Not Release New Police Chief’S Photo, Robert J. Bunker

CGU Faculty Publications and Research

No abstract provided.

Mexican Cartel Strategic Note No. 12: The Spreading Criminal Insurgencies In Mexico: States With U.S. State Department Travel Advisories, Robert J. Bunker

CGU Faculty Publications and Research

No abstract provided.

Border School Training Conference Held In California, Robert J. Bunker

CGU Faculty Publications and Research

No abstract provided.

Quantifying And Forecasting Vulnerability To Dyadic Conflict In An Integrated Assessment Model: Modeling International Relations Theory, Jonathan David Moyer

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The character of state interaction matters. This dissertation quantifies this interaction from 1960-2001 and then forecasts it from 2010-2050. I contribute to the field of International Relations by improving traditional measures of Realism and Liberalism, quantifying new perspectives sensitive to cultural interaction, and statistically evaluating these indices relative to the occurrence of conflict. It is the first step in an academic research agenda that desires to expand the scope of possibility regarding the modeling of International Relations theory for the purpose of theory evaluation and policy analysis.

This dissertation spans two fields of study that do not typically overlap: International …

Defying Victimhood: Women And Post-Conflict Peacebuilding, Albrecht Schnabel, Anara Tabyshalieva

History Faculty Research

The chapters in this volume cover a wide range of women’s post-conflict peacebuilding experiences in different parts of the world. Post-conflict situations are windows of opportunity during which gender relations can and should be rethought and which, if properly utilized, can serve as the right moment to “rewrite” the rules and practices that previously served as obstacles to the participation of women in society. Overall, our book is meant to challenge the popular and often-propagated assumption that women should be supported, empowered and given a voice merely in their roles as victims. Collectively, we provide evidence in support of the …

A Human Rights-Based Approach (Hrba) In Practice: Evaluating Ngo Development Efforts, Hans Peter Schmitz

School of Leadership and Education Sciences: Faculty Scholarship

Human rights-based approaches (HRBAs) promise greater alignment of development efforts with universal norms, as well as a focus on the root causes of poverty. While HRBAs have been widely adopted across the development sector, there is little systematic evidence about the actual impact of this strategic shift. Evaluating the effectiveness of HRBAs is challenging because various non-governmental and other organizations have developed very different understandings of how to apply a rights-based framework in the development context. This essay takes a step toward the rigorous evaluation of HRBAs by offering a comprehensive review of rights-based programming implemented by Plan International, a …

The Forgotten River; What The Bagmati Action Plan Means For The Sanctity Of One Of The Most Sacred Rivers In South Asia And Those Who Call The Rivers Vacant Riverbanks Home, Benjamin Conner

Environmental Analysis Program Mellon Student Summer Research Reports

This paper investigates the inner workings of the Bagmati Action Plan and how the implementation of this project impacts the established squatter communities that reside in the city’s floodplains. Deemed as a contributor to the rivers polluted state, the composed plan looks at both evicting all riverside squatters and finding alternative housing for affected citizens by working jointly with the country’s Ministry of Urban Development and Building Construction. By comprehensively reviewing the strategies implemented within the Bagmati Action Plan while also uncovering the country’s governmental proposal’s of housing relocation for squatters, this paper attempts to answer questions relating to the …

Mexican Cartel Tactical Note No. 14: Anti-Aircraft Mounted .50 Cal. Machine Gun And Surface-To-Air Missile Recovered In 2009, Robert J. Bunker

CGU Faculty Publications and Research

No abstract provided.

Mexican Cartel Tactical Note No. 12: Forensics Of Recovered Weapons From Piedras Negras Tactical Engagement Between Los Zetas And Gate (Grupo De Armas Y Tácticas Especiales), David A. Kuhn, Robert J. Bunker

CGU Faculty Publications and Research

No abstract provided.

Mexican Cartel Tactical Note No. 11: Mg 34 Machine Guns Recovered In Nayarit—Hezbollah Arms Transfer Concerns, David A. Kuhn, Robert J. Bunker

CGU Faculty Publications and Research

No abstract provided.

Mexican Cartel Tactical Note No. 10: Claymore Anti-Personnel Mine (And Other Military Hardware) Recovered In Zacatecas, David A. Kuhn, Robert J. Bunker

CGU Faculty Publications and Research

No abstract provided.

Utilising Indigenous Seasonal Knowledge To Understand Aquatic Resource Use And Inform Water Resource Management In Northern Australia, Emma Woodward, Sue Jackson, Marcus Finn, Patricia Marrfurra Mctaggart

Aboriginal Policy Research Consortium International (APRCi)

Indigenous ecological knowledge can inform contemporary water manage- ment activities including water allocation planning. This paper draws on results obtained from a 3-year study to reveal the connection between Indigenous socio-economic values and river flows in the Daly River, Northern Territory. Qualitative phenological knowledge was analysed and compared to quantitative resource-use data, obtained through a large household survey of Indigenous harvesting and fishing effort. A more complete picture of Indigenous resource- use and management strategies was found to be provided by the adoption of mixed methods. The quantitative data revealed resource-use patterns including when and where species are harvested. The …

Force Protection And Suicide Bombers: The Necessity For Two Types Of Canadian Military Red Teams, Robert J. Bunker

CGU Faculty Publications and Research

This article will discuss why the use of two types of red teams - analytical and physical - to identify and then simulate ‘suicide bomber threat scenarios’ is necessary for the force protection training of deploying Canadian military units. Red teaming as a discipline can be divided into two basic forms: (1) analytical red teaming, which is diegetic in nature; that is, based upon descriptive products and decision support functions and (2) physical red teaming, which is mimetic in nature; that is, derived from live-action and role playing-based training with an opposing force (OPFOR) deployed against a friendly military unit. …

Developers' Perceptions Of Opportunities & Obstacles To Building New Urbanist Communities In Dfw, Luke Jackson

Public Affairs Theses - Archive

The recent housing crash has done great damage to the American economy and has affected millions of households. Pre-crash, New Urbanist Communities became more popular to build, yet sprawl development remains the norm. I seek to find out why New Urbanist Communities are being built at their current rates in Dallas-Fort Worth, so to discover whether or not a market failure has occurred regarding this real estate product. This study analyzes supply-side factors affecting the development New Urbanist Communities (i.e. the factors affecting the developers in the Metroplex) through interviews with individuals representing each residential development company. The factors affecting …

My Community, Their Community Our Community: "Musings" On Development, Grace Leonard

VA Engage Journal

This reflection explores the collision of anthropology and civic engagement, a combination that has come to define my senior research. My fieldwork at educational NGOs in Northern Richmond and Northern Ghana caused me to question the local relevancy of NGO management strategies. How can white, middle class teachers appropriately improve educational outcomes for low-income black students in Richmond? Is compulsory education appropriate training for Ghanaian farmers? Academic theories criticize “development” for furthering power against the oppressed, while the qualitative work of NGOs is quantified to fit the needs of grant writers. I find policy can never prescribe perfectly. In order …

Understanding Transit Ridership Demand For A Multi-Destination, Multimodal Transit Network In An American Metropolitan Area, Research Report 11-06, Gregory Thompson, Jeffrey Brown, Torsha Bhattacharya, Michal Jaroszynski

Mineta Transportation Institute

This study examines the factors underlying transit demand in the multi-destination, integrated bus and rail transit network for Atlanta, Georgia. Atlanta provides an opportunity to explore the consequences of a multi-destination transit network for bus patrons (largely transit-dependent riders) and rail patrons (who disproportionately illustrate choice rider characteristics). Using data obtained from the 2000 Census, coupled with data obtained from local and regional organizations in the Atlanta metropolitan area, we estimate several statistical models that explain the pattern of transit commute trips across the Atlanta metropolitan area. The models show that bus riders and rail riders are different, with bus …