Digital Commons Network^™

Institutional Reform In Support Of Xi’S Anti-Corruption Campaign, Rixin Wen

CGU Theses & Dissertations

Corruption remains a pervasive challenge that distorts markets, undermines public service delivery, destabilizes social order, and erodes governmental legitimacy. In China, anti-corruption has been a recurring policy priority since 1949, culminating in Xi Jinping’s sweeping campaign launched in late 2012. Conceptualizing corruption through a principal–agent framework, this dissertation argues Xi Jinping’s anti-corruption campaign represents not merely an institutional inflection point in China’s supervisory architecture substantially enhancing enforcement capacity and elite discipline, but also the enforcement–perception interactive change, reproducing an asymmetry between punishment and public perception under the unvarying political foundation. This study employs a multi-method research design that integrates institutional …

Diagnosis And Proposal For Addressing The Depopulation In Northern California Towns, Cahal T. Connolly

CMC Senior Theses

This thesis examines population decline in small Northern California towns as a process of functional depopulation. Demographic loss becomes most damaging when it weakens the institutions that make communities livable. Focusing on rural towns facing aging populations, economic contraction, climate risk, housing instability, and service erosion, the thesis argues that sustainability cannot be measured by population change alone. Instead, towns must be evaluated according to their ability to maintain municipal services such as schools, healthcare, emergency services, infrastructure, local governance, and civic life. The thesis develops a stabilization framework that distinguishes among stabilizable, transitional, and structurally declining communities based on …

Powering The Machine, Draining The Planet: Whether U.S. Environmental Law Is Equipped To Regulate The Energy And Water Demands Of Ai Data Centers, Michael Marcu

Journal of Earth and Life Science

Artificial intelligence (AI) data centers have become one of the United States' fastest-growing and least-regulated sources of environmental stress. In 2024 alone, U.S. data centers consumed 183 terawatt-hours (TWh) of electricity more than the entire nation of Pakistan and consumed an estimated 17 billion gallons of water (IEA, 2025; Berkeley Lab, 2024). By 2030, electricity demand from these facilities is projected to reach 426 TWh, a 133% increase in six years (Pew Research Center, 2025). This paper examines whether the existing U.S. environmental regulatory framework put by the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the Clean Water Act (CWA), and the …

Follow The Cyclists: Everyday Navigation Of Richmond's Bike Infrastructure, Emily E. Schreer

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis explores the embodied experience of cycling in Richmond, emphasizing the importance of centering firsthand, lived experience in cycling research and urban planning. While traditional transportation planning can often myopically prioritize efficiency and safety metrics to evaluate infrastructure, this project argues that such approaches overlook essential experiential, sensory, and emotional dimensions of cycling that determine how infrastructure is perceived, used, and ultimately succeeds or fails.

Through an ethnographic approach combining field observation of cyclist behavior and mental mapping sessions with Richmond cyclists, this study positions people who bike in Richmond as expert knowledge holders. Participant contributions, combined with observations …

Maintaining Trust In Uncertain Times: Funding Pauses And The Ethical Cost To Community-Engaged Research, Brynn E. Sheehan

Department Psychiatry & Behavioral Science Faculty Publications

Federal funding pauses, once considered rare, are increasingly disrupting the stability and continuity of community‐engaged research. Even projects with active, awarded grants are experiencing the strain of funding uncertainty, raising substantive concerns among research teams and community partners. These disruptions extend beyond operational delays; they jeopardize the continuity of relationships developed through sustained, collaborative engagement. In the absence of clear information about a project's future, uncertainty undermines trust and challenges the ethical principles that guide human subjects research, particularly beneficence and justice. This paper draws on direct experience and insights from the broader field to examine the practical and ethical …

Linking Social Entrepreneurship To Crime Reduction Among Young African Americans In Chicago’S South And West Sides, Grady C. Wheaton Jr.

All Student Theses and Dissertations

This study examined community members’ perceptions of social entrepreneurship as an employment-centered strategy for addressing youth violence among African Americans on Chicago’s South and West Sides. The study was guided by the following research question: Can social entrepreneurship be leveraged to reduce youth violence among African Americans on Chicago’s South and West Sides, as perceived by community members? Using Fillmore Laundry, a healthcare linen-processing social enterprise located in North Lawndale, as a case example, this quantitative, cross-sectional study collected survey data from 99 eligible community members recruited through community-based partnerships. The survey assessed perceived youth- and community-level program benefits, evaluations …

Scoring Equitable Transit: A Data-Driven Framework For Affordable Transit-Oriented Development In California, Ahoura Zandiatashbar, Anton Rozhkov, Stephanie Nemet, Atticus Washington, Mounashree Prasanna

Mineta Transportation Institute

Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) is a cornerstone of California’s climate and land use policy, promising walkable, compact neighborhoods near high-quality transit. However, these benefits are not always distributed equitably. This study introduces a scalable framework for identifying and scoring Affordable Transit-Oriented Development (A-TOD) across the state’s High-Quality Transit Areas (HQTAs). The goal is to equip policymakers, planners, and housing agencies with tools to evaluate station areas based on their physical form, affordability, and equity outcomes. Using a 1.5-mile network-based pedestrian buffer around over 66,000 transit stations, the research team developed a three-stage clustering and scoring system. Station areas were classified by …

Disaster Risk Reduction In Rural Indonesia: Evaluation Of The Japan Red Cross Program In Pujiharjo Village, Meyralda Dara Adisa, Pujo Widodo, Anwar Kurniadi, Wilopo Wilopo

Preventia: The Indonesian Journal of Public Health

Pujiharjo Village in Malang Regency, Indonesia, is highly vulnerable to natural disasters. In 2021, the Indonesian Red Cross (PMI) partnered with the Japanese Red Cross Society (JRCS) to implement a community-based disaster preparedness program. This study evaluates the program's effectiveness in terms of community participation, institutional support, and alignment with the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015–2030. Using a qualitative case study, data were collected through document analysis of Vulnerability and Capacity Assessments (VCA), Community Action Plans (CAP), and local SOPs. Thematic analysis explored disaster risk perception, governance, mitigation investment, and emergency preparedness. The program successfully improved risk awareness, …

Bringing Mutuality And Reciprocity Into Focus: A Case Study On Sustaining University-Community Partnerships For Local Systems Change And Student Learning, Jessica L. Lucero, Lucas Martin, Jayme Walters

Transforming Communities

This case study explores a long-term university-community partnership focused on addressing homelessness, highlighting the principles of mutuality and reciprocity in achieving systemic change. Over nearly a decade, the partnership has evolved to engage university resources, faculty, and social work students through research, courses, and outreach activities, such as community surveys, the Point-in-Time Count, strategic planning, advocacy, and service system expansion. These collaborative efforts have contributed to enhanced public awareness, increased state funding, and the establishment of vital services, including a warming center. The case study also underscores the challenges inherent in community-engaged scholarship, including capacity constraints like funding and staffing …

Developing Outreach Strategies To Sustain Diversity And Inclusion In Interfaith Partnerships With Local Government, Dora Muhammad

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Local government has been hindered by a lack of sustained interfaith engagement. Faith leaders have not been consistent stakeholders in policymaking decisions. This gap in practice stemmed from a lack of research of self-transcendence within public administrative settings. Grounded in a review of 70 years of research into the conceptual framework of government needs analysis, this study’s purpose was to explore principles and concepts of civic engagement and partnership shared among faiths. Qualitative research was designed to answer, “How do faith leaders describe the current civic participation, partnership, diversity, and inclusive strategies within their faith communities as they relate to …

Building Community Resilience For Disasters In The Wabash Valley, Nathan Myers

2025 Fall Reports (Terre Haute)

As part of the 2025 Indiana State University Sustainable Cities Initiative, we worked on two interconnected research projects: conducting a community needs assessment (as requested by Catholic Charities) and developing a climate-related disaster plan for the City of Terre Haute, Indiana. To complete this work, a student research team examined current statistical information for the Wabash Valley region (including Vigo, Clay, Parke, Vermillion, and Sullivan counties), as well as conducting and analyzing interviews, focus groups, and survey data to determine strengths, challenges, opportunities, and threats related to community resilience in the area. This same information, in conjunction with information from …

Promoting Women’S Land Ownership Rights In Tanzania: The Role Of Wlac As A Legal Empowerment Ngo, Norbeth Sixbert

Young African Leaders Journal of Development

Despite Tanzania's progressive legal frameworks that recognize women's rights to own and inherit land, significant gaps remain between policy and practice. This paper explores the role of Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) in promoting women's land ownership rights, using the Women's Legal Aid Centre (WLAC) as a case study. Located in Kinondoni Municipal, Dar es Salaam, WLAC employs a multifaceted approach that empowers women and safeguards their land rights. While WLAC has achieved notable success, challenges exist and are exacerbated by overlapping statutory and customary legal systems that often disadvantage women. WLAC's multilateral engagement has helped to navigate these obstacles, yet structural …

Prahita, Power, And Partnership (Ppp) : Navigating Community-Based Welfare And Clientelism In Myanmar’S Poverty Reduction, Comparative Analysis Of Myanmar And Thailand, Mai Tam Aung Seinn

SOC 605 Comparative Social Policy Research Project - Student Works

Myanmar’s persistent poverty has been deeply rooted in its current political unrest, decades of poor governance, and entrenched clientelism – a system where informal patronage networks exchange material benefits for political loyalty, sidelining equitable welfare delivery (Jones, 2014, Berenschot and Mulder, 2019). The serial issues have now developed into a poly-crisis which consists of a confluence of economic collapse, political instability, and disasters like COVID-19, cyclones, earthquakes, and armed conflicts (UNDP, 2025b). Therefore, the study aims to synthesize Myanmar’s complex interplay between grassroots welfare systems, power dynamics, and external partnerships within Myanmar’s fragile context and proposes to comprehensively investigate poverty …

Understanding Behavioral Patterns: A Case Study Of Emirati Ex-Offenders In United Arab Emirates, Salim Ali Al Naqbi

Theses

Research on desistance has helped criminologists to better understand how people change their criminal identity and exercise personal choice. Yet in the UAE, these ideas has not often been applied to prisoners serving one or multiple offenses, even though incarceration and reoffending remain important social concerns. Because of this, desistance theory has not been fully used to study how rehabilitation is managed in UAE prisons, which means that some useful lessons may be missed. This study begins to close that gap by looking at the personal stories of 15 Emirati participants that were formerly incarcerated by adapting a qualitative and …

Government Communication Strategies And Citizen Participation: A Thematic Review, Ojonugwa Emmanuel, Andrew I. E. Ewoh

Journal of Public Management & Social Policy

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Assessing Community Engagement In The Standard Gauge Railway Project In Tanzania: A Case Study Of The Morogoro – Makutupora Segment, Chacha Timasi Nyakega, Oscar Whynijous Tefurukwa

BISNIS & BIROKRASI: Jurnal Ilmu Administrasi dan Organisasi

Governments play a critical role in engaging communities in decision-making processes directly affecting their daily lives. Such engagement influences the feasibility and success of project implementation. However, the degree of community engagement varies across different projects. This study examines community engagement and perceptions regarding the implementation of the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) project in Tanzania, focusing on Lot II, the Morogoro to Makutupora segment. The theoretical framework proposed by Fung guided the analysis. A qualitative approach was employed, with a sample of 30 respondents. Data were collected through focus group discussions (FGDs) and analyzed using content analysis. Findings indicate that …

The Mediterreanean We Share: Enhancing The Eu-Mediterranean Cooperation In Education And Capacity Building For A Resilient Climate Action, Achref Ininou

COP30

The Euro-Mediterranean region is facing growing inequalities, and regional resilience is being put to the test as we deal with escalating climate challenges. Although the significance of education and capacity building is emphasized by frameworks like SDG 4 and Article 6 of the Paris Agreement, regional efforts are still dispersed, short-term, and frequently not monitored and evaluated. Through inclusive education, the development of green skills, and regional cross-border collaboration, this policy paper highlights that people, especially youth, must be at the center of climate strategies. Strong monitoring and evaluation systems are necessary, though, to guarantee the long-term viability of these …

Sparking Change: Building Local Technical Capacity For Climate Resilience And Energy Access, Elena Sales

COP30

Globally, 666.5 million people still lack access to electricity, the vast majority residing in rural areas in the Global South. The same communities are also among the most vulnerable to climate change, facing rising temperatures, extreme weather and environmental degradation - yet they lack the energy resources needed to adapt and build resilience. Community-led distributed renewable energy (DRE) systems, from household solar to community mini-grids, can help accelerate the global adoption of renewable energy while empowering the most marginalized communities to have the capacity to lead the transition. For these systems to be sustainable, communities must be paired with direct …

Cultivating Community Resilience Through Youth Engagement, Elizabeth K. Anthony, Allison Mullady, Kendelle Brown, Michelle Blagg-Catone, Stephanie Castillo

Journal of Community Engagement and Higher Education

This article presents the impact of Arizona State University’s Design Studio for Community Solutions (DSCS) on youth engagement and community resilience. Through a mixed-methods approach, the study assesses the impact of DSCS programs on youth engagement and community resilience. The findings highlight best practices, underscoring the importance of consistent communication, trust-building, and community representation. Additionally, the research offers nuanced recommendations for future investigations, emphasizing the importance of continuous data collection and periodic assessments to drive ongoing improvement and address unmet community needs.

Community Engagement Networks: Utilizing The Untethered, Theresa M. Harrison

Journal of Community Engagement and Higher Education

In this forum commentary, I discuss those who fall outside the traditional community engagement professional (CEP) roles and how they can be better used in community engagement networks. As a staff member not working in or affiliated with a community engagement office, I feel untethered. Staff, faculty, and CEPs deeply invested in community engagement efforts need community engagement networks both within and outside our institutions that accommodate various roles and their unique contributions.

The Relationship Between Perceived Institutional Support And Student Experience For Employer Selection, Employee Persistence, And Career Path Among Community-Engaged Faculty And Staff Members, James Morgan Lewing

Journal of Community Engagement and Higher Education

The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to explore the potential relationship between the employment decisions of faculty and staff members who participate in community engagement and their perceptions of organizational support for community engagement. Findings indicated that perceptions of organizational support can influence employment decisions, especially for individuals who participated in community engagement activities as students.

Urban University Community Engagement: Questions Of Commitment To Democratic Ethics And Social Change, Khaula Murtadha

Journal of Community Engagement and Higher Education

This paper examines ethical issues underpinning urban university engagement in community spaces. The intent is to encourage an evaluation stance and consider how university representatives and community representatives might justly approach and develop partnerships. The paper questions whether faculty, staff, and community partners take action to cultivate public dialogue, or what might be called democratic voice, to bring about social change. Social change organizations unambiguously try to affect and reshape public and environmental affairs, group dynamics, processes, and outcomes. Are the university administration and faculty, in partnership with community stakeholders, ready to take on the charge of social change organization?

Community Engagement: It Is All About Relationships!, Jennifer June Anderson

Journal of Community Engagement and Higher Education

The ability to generate sustainable, mutually beneficial, interprofessional teams becomes a critical skill for today’s emerging professionals. Interprofessional teams can be developed among community-university partners to bridge the intellectual resources of academe through a model of scaffolding interrelated paradigms. This work will provide a conceptual framework for enhancing community engagement through interprofessional collaborative practices for continuing education programs.

In Like Flint: How The Innovation Incubator At Um‐Flint Fosters Social Entrepreneurship In A City Remaking Itself, Nic Custer

Journal of Community Engagement and Higher Education

This paper focuses on how the University of Michigan-Flint’s Innovation Incubator supports emerging for-profit businesses and nonprofit organizations through programming, business plan development, and ongoing mentorship. The incubator is especially interested in supporting start -ups that address key social issues in the surrounding community, including economic vitality. This goal aligns with the university’s mission, which emphasizes that engaged citizens can exercise some control over the social, environmental, and economic factors in the larger community.

Engaging The Somali Diaspora: A Case Study Of One Agency’S Community Programming Approach, Farhia Abdi

The Journal of Social Encounters

This case study investigates how a local community agency engages with the Somali diaspora to design and implement culturally responsive services, such as the Settlement and Integration Program. It also explores the potential of fostering meaningful dialogue with community members to inform the development of culturally sensitive programming. The research question guiding this study was developed by findings from previous research, which highlighted the significance of community engagement, sustained dialogue, and the necessity for agencies to design clearly defined programs. These programs should prioritize active participation from community members in both the creation and implementation of tailored initiatives.

A Case Study Of Public Policy, Neighbourhood Change, And Transit Equity Outcomes, Stacy-Ann Baker

Tennessee State University Alumni Theses and Dissertations

Despite intentions or understatement, public policy has influenced neighbourhood change, such as gentrification. However, its impact tends to be muted, ignored, or underappreciated. Transit equity policy and research have also lacked a robust social justice framework that considers spatial justice. Additionally, there have been several knowledge gaps, limitations, and mixed results regarding impacts, notably concerning buses, bus rapid transit (BRT), accessibility, and communities of concern. Unlike other studies, this dissertation proposal employs the social-ecological system framework (SESF), the public transportation sustainability list (PTSIL), and sustainability impact assessment (SIA) guidance from the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in a …

Ka Mua, Ka Muri—Walking Backwards Into The Future: Revitalizing Indigenous Economies And Economies Of Well-Being, Suzie Greenhalgh, Jason Mika, Christopher Alcantara, Shaun Awatere, Kendon Bell, Kiri Dell, Donn L. Feir, Dustin Frye, Diane Jarvis, Taryn Kong, Kirsten Maclean, Cathy Robinson, Chellie Spiller, Rachel M. Wolfgramm, Emma Woodward

Indigenous Business & Public Administration

The concept of and desire for well-being economies are rising in prevalence as traditional business paradigms are questioned and alternative framings are being sought. Indigenous peoples, their economies, and their approach to business can provide a rich source of learning to enable and help facilitate a transition to economies of well-being. As Indigenous peoples are emerging from their colonial pasts, they are becoming more empowered to make investment choices, use business models, and form partnerships grounded in their worldviews, which are often well aligned with a well-being economy.

In this paper, we note some of the obstacles Indigenous economies have …

Study Of Public Space Development Based On Preservation Of Cultural Heritage Areas: Case Study Of Muara Jambi Area, Farhan Rachmanda Graha Cahyadi

Cities and Urban Development Journal

Background: The development of public spaces in cultural heritage areas has an important role in supporting the preservation of historical and cultural values, while improving the quality of life of the community around the cultural heritage.

Aims: This study aims to examine the potential for developing public spaces that are in line with efforts to preserve the Muara Jambi Cultural Heritage area.

Methods: The method used is qualitative-descriptive with conceptual-contextual orientation. Data collection techniques are carried out through systematic literature studies, document analysis, and triangulation through stakeholder statements. Data are analyzed using thematic analysis to identify relevant key elements.

Results: …

Sustainable Tourism Behaviour Through Walking Tour: A Qualitative Study To Walking Tour Participants In Jakarta, Melisa Bunga Altamira, Khairunnisa Devani Aqtus Permana Putri

Journal of Indonesian Tourism and Policy Studies

As urban tourism continues to rise, walking tours have emerged as a low-impact, environmentally friendly, and culturally immersive form of tourism. This study explores the relationship between walking tours and the development of sustainable tourism behaviour among participants in Jakarta, Indonesia. Using a qualitative research approach, this study elaborates the motivations, perceptions, and behavioural changes of individuals who have participated in walking tours across Jakarta’s historical and cultural sites. Data were collected through in-depth interviews and participant observations, focusing on themes such as environmental awareness, appreciation of local culture, and reduced dependency on motorized transport. The findings suggest that walking …

"You Need To Make The Decision You Can Live With": An Observational Study Of Anti-Abortion Centers In Tampa Bay, Anna Broich

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Anti-Abortion Centers (AACs) pose a grave threat to the reproductive health outcomes of Americans. Disguising themselves as licensed health clinics, AACs target vulnerable communities to prevent or delay abortion care through the spread of medical misinformation, contributing to abortion stigmatization. Situated in a state with a near-total abortion ban, this secret-shopper study aimed to understand the ways in which AACs in Tampa, Florida communicate anti-abortion rhetoric to pregnant people seeking abortions. Under the guise of people who suspect they are pregnant searching for abortion care, the main researcher and her assistants conducted the first phase of the study through 25 …