Digital Commons Network^™

Discord Is Still A Chord: A Mixed-Methods Analysis Of Discourse Networks, Brokerage, And The Fiscal Consequences Of Fracking Policy In The Delaware River Basin, In Hae Noh

Electronic Theses & Dissertations (2024 - present)

Beneath the policy debates of many environmental controversies lies a dynamic network of actors making claims, forming coalitions, and contesting policy discourses. Drawing on theories of discourse coalitions, discourse networks, network brokerage, and public finance, and using the Delaware River Basin hydraulic fracturing debate as a case study, this dissertation examines how discourse coalitions evolve, how discourse brokers shape coalition dynamics, and whether resulting policy decisions produce meaningful fiscal consequences. The first paper investigates how discourse coalitions shifted across three periods of the Delaware River Basin fracking debate, using a mix of methods integrating discourse network analysis, computational text analysis, …

Where Perspectives Meet: A Comparative Case Study Of How Participatory Practices Shape Deliberation During District-Level Educational Change, Gregory Vincent Massara

Electronic Theses & Dissertations (2024 - present)

Public education in the United States is socially and politically constructed, and ongoing reforms increasingly require collaborative engagement among diverse stakeholders amid heightened divisiveness. This mixed methods comparative case study examined how educational stakeholders make sense of one another’s perspectives during district-level collaborative work and the conditions that may foster conscientization, the critical reflection on one’s positionality. Two school districts developing a Profile of a Graduate (POG) and one engaged in deliberation about the relationship between public and charter schools within its community serve as comparative cases. The study triangulated meeting observations, a post-deliberation survey of stakeholders (N = 43), …

State Climate Superfunds, Rachel Rothschild

Articles

The harmful effects of climate change have already arrived in cities and states across America, with disasters increasing markedly in recent years along with more gradual environmental changes like sea-level rise and drought. To protect populations and natural resources, significant funding will be necessary for preventative measures as well as disaster response.

At present, it is states and ordinary taxpayers who must shoulder the enormous costs and planning for climate adaptation. A number of state legislators, however, have recently proposed enacting new laws that would require the companies who have most profited from fossil fuel usage to assist in funding …

Bridging Governance And Empirical Threat Intelligence: An Integrated Framework For Cybersecurity In Smart Farming, Radwan Rouzky, Abdolhossein Sarrafzadeh, Evelyn Sowells-Boone, Jason Green, Hannaneh B. Pasandi, Gregory Goins

Electrical & Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

Modern agriculture’s integration of Internet of Things (IoT), Industrial Control Systems (ICSs), and data analytics boosts productivity but introduces significant cybersecurity and data governance challenges. Existing scholarship is divided between policy-focused governance and technical attack analyses, hindering the development of comprehensive, enforceable defenses. This paper introduces an integrated framework that bridges normative data governance in smart farming (SF) with empirical, honeynet-derived threat intelligence. Drawing on the authors’ previous systematic review of SF data governance and a honeynet simulating agricultural IoT/ICS, the study maps governance challenges to quantitative attack indicators from honeynet logs, classifying each pairing as directly supported by telemetry, …

Investigating Policy Enactment In Community Sport Coaching: Directions For Future Research, Ben Ives, Dawn Penney, Jimmy O’Gorman, Adam J. Nichol, Paul Potrac, Lee Nelson

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

This article calls for a sophisticated investigation of policy enactment in sport-related environments, with community sport coaching used as an example case. Emphasis is placed on the need for in-depth empirical research into and theorisation of: 1) political skills involved in the enactment of policy; 2) emotion management when enacting policy; 3) performative and fabricated aspects of policy enactment; and 4) impacts of policy enactment for the health and wellbeing of workers. In doing so, this article challenges scholars to move beyond the study of policy actor types and to develop more nuanced understandings of the political, economic, organisational, interpersonal, …

Police Integrity And The Code Of Silence (Cos): Evidence From A Large-Scale Scenario-Based Survey In Indonesia, Dr. Indarto, S.H., S.Sos., S.I.K., M.Si -

Kejahatan & Keadilan: Jurnal Kriminologi Indonesia

Issues of police integrity are not only driven by individual misconduct but are also sustained by organizational norms that inhibit the reporting of wrongdoing, known as the Code of Silence (CoS). This article reports the results of a large-scale, scenario-based police integrity survey conducted among personnel of the Indonesian National Police (Polri). After excluding responses that did not meet the honesty criterion, analyses were conducted on 57,574 respondents. Respondents evaluated six misconduct scenarios and assessed perceived seriousness, perceived deterrence (likelihood of detection and sanction), knowledge of rules, and willingness to report. Reliability tests indicated very strong internal consistency (Cronbach’s α …

Biomechanical Integrity Of The Female Pelvic Floor: A Comparison Of Military And Civilian Women, Vladimir Egorov, Peter Takacs, Vincent Lucente, Heather Van Raalte, Joy A. Greer, Noune Sarvazyan

Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology Faculty Publications

Introduction

The health of the pelvic floor depends on the integrity of its muscles, connective tissue, ligaments, and their innervation. The female pelvic floor may be more vulnerable to repetitive heavy loads in a military environment than the male pelvic floor because of anatomical and physiological differences. The study aim was to identify and explore possible differences in the female pelvic floor conditions between active military and civilian women with similar demographics.To identify and explore possible differences in the conditions of the female pelvic floor between active military women and civilian women with similar demographics.

Materials and Methods

Military active …

Human Rights Education For Children And Youth On Human Rights And Digital Technologies, Diane A. Desierto, Faisal Yamil Meneses, Notre Dame Global Human Rights Clinic

Journal Articles

AI Generated Summary

This document outlines the importance of human rights education for children and youth, particularly in relation to digital technologies, emphasizing the need for comprehensive, inclusive, and accessible educational frameworks.

Putting The L In Elsi: Legal Methods For Bioethics Research, Anya E R Prince, Benjamin Berkman, Donald Ford, Dov Fox, Christi Guerrini, Amy Koopmann, Natalie Ram, Jessica L Roberts, Kayte Spector-Bagdady, Sonia Suter

Center for Medical Ethics and Health Policy Staff Publications

Lawyers and law professors are increasingly involved in interdisciplinary scientific teams and grant research to answer ethical, legal and policy questions related to biomedical topics. Yet, the methods that lawyers use to conduct legal research and analysis are not always familiar to scientists and social scientists conducting peer review of a proposed project with legal aims or a publication reporting a legal study. To better facilitate interdisciplinary ethical, legal, and social implications collaboration, there is a need to better explain how legal research methodologies can provide robust tools to address a range of nuanced biomedical questions. This paper explores …

Nuclear Deterrence And Nuclear Modernization: A Strategic Analysis Of Global Nuclear Threats And U.S. Policy, Abraham Morland

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

The nuclear imperative comes from the idea that all three legs of the Triad must be retained to ensure a viable deterrent posture, provide flexibility in a response, and give decision makers options to create uncertainty in an adversary’s decision calculus. The nuclear imperative is the need to fund suggested shortfalls in the nuclear enterprise and modernize the U.S. Triad, not just one or two legs, but all three, due to the ever-increasing nuclear risk. To understand the current state in which the United States finds itself and the need for the nuclear modernization program, this thesis will review nuclear …

Drone Dichotomy: Investigating The Application Of Unmanned Aerial Systems For Offensive And Defensive Chemical, Biological, Radiological, And Nuclear-Related Tasks, Evan Jacob Martinovitch

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

This thesis investigates the application of unmanned aerial systems (UAS) for both offensive and defensive chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) tasks to determine if they serve as a force multiplier on the modern battlefield. As CBRN weapons reemerge as realistic threats alongside the rapid proliferation of UAS, the intersection of these fields presents unique challenges and opportunities. Through a methodology that examines the history of the UAS-CBRN intersection, military doctrine, and the status of UAS technology, this research evaluates the capability of current and emerging UAS against specific CBRN delivery, reconnaissance and surveillance, and decontamination tasks. The analysis conducted …

Northern Luzon In A Taiwan Flashpoint: The Philippines’ Place In U.S. Strategy, Carson Keller

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

While the defense of Taiwan from a potential invasion by the People’s Republic of China (PRC) has long been a topic of debate and scrutiny in U.S. strategic thinking, the role of its southern neighbor, the Philippines, has received far less attention. This thesis argues that northern Luzon would constitute key terrain in a cross-strait conflict and may become an early target of People’s Liberation Army (PLA) operations. Its proximity to Taiwan and position along the Luzon Strait, particularly the Bashi Channel, places it at the center of efforts to control access to the hypothetical battlespace. Drawing on PLA and …

Europe In The Indo-Pacific - Implications For The United States, Joshua G. Zinicola

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

Within the last five years the Indo-Pacific has become a region of increasing interest to European NATO members. In particular, the United Kingdom, France, and Italy have assigned strategic importance for their national security to the region, signing cooperative agreements with regional allies of the United States and deploying significant forces to the region. These agreements include commitments to jointly develop new technologies and combat systems for employment in both Europe and the Indo-Pacific, such as the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP), and the Trilateral security partnership between Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States (AUKUS). They also include …

The Ones Who Watched: Technology, Proxy Warfare, And The Testing Ground Hypothesis, Sean J. Oliver

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

Great powers need laboratories for war. This thesis argues that great powers find these laboratories in proxy forces. Proxy warfare is not just a tool for strategic influence. It is a machine for experimentation. This study posits a central testing-ground hypothesis. It contends that great powers deliberately use surrogates to vet emerging technologies, doctrines, and mobilization schemes under the pressure of real combat. The analytical methodology is historical. It traces patterns from the ancient world's proxy forces and the innovations of the Crusades to the Cold War and the digital age. The thesis examines enduring patterns, including the tension between …

Anything But Endo: Diagnostic Buck-Passing In Endometriosis Diagnosis, Rita Dexter, Megan Kitts, Heather Welty, Melanie Jeske

Center for Medical Ethics and Health Policy Staff Publications

People living with endometriosis, a disease in which tissue similar to the lining of the uterus grows elsewhere in the body, often experience prolonged diagnostic journeys because of symptom variability, normalisation of period pain and other symptoms, and lack of awareness of the condition. In this article, we analyse the endometriosis diagnostic journey through the lens of epistemic injustice. Drawing on in-depth interviews with 52 people living with endometriosis in the United States, we introduce the concept of diagnostic buck-passing to characterise the phenomenon wherein individuals who seek treatment for their symptoms end up stuck in a cycle of seeing …

Toward Ethical Provenance Tracking: The Ga4gh Model Data Access Agreement (Daa), Alexander Bernier, Bartha Maria Knoppers, Jonathan Lawson, Robyn Mcdougall, Maili Raven-Adams, Vasiliki Rahimzadeh

Center for Medical Ethics and Health Policy Staff Publications

Purpose: Standardizing contractual clauses that govern data access enables research institutions to responsibly steward genomic and related health data while enabling its efficient downstream reuse.

Methods: We describe a document analysis study using both qualitative and comparative law analytical approaches to identify the most common categories of clauses from 29 different data access agreements used by human biomedical research consortia globally. We furthermore characterized the legal positions and standard practices for each common element of the agreement and synthesized across them to develop model clauses. A total of 3 discussion sessions were organized virtually to refine the clauses among members …

Navigating Trump Tariffs In Africa: The Role Of Regional Economic Integration, Baba N. Yaaba

Bullion

The global economy is shifting away from free trade toward protectionism and economic nationalism, from multilateralism to unilateralism. This is evidenced by both tariffs and non-tariff measures taken by major global powers, which arise from political populism, economic insecurity, and strategic competition among them. This study analyses this trend, emphasising Trump's recent tariffs and their attendant implications for the global economy. The study argues that African Regional Economic Integration offers a shield to the continent if pursued vigorously. With vast potential in Africa, strategic investments, good governance, and inclusive policies can drive growth. At the same time, cooperation, such as …

The Role Of Linear Programming And Sensitivity Analysis In Improving The Transportation And Distribution Of Vegetable Oils: A Case Study Of The State Company For Vegetable Oils In Iraq, Zainab Alaa Hameed

Muthanna Journal of Administrative and Economics Sciences

The State Company for Vegetable Oils in Iraq faces a fundamental challenge of high transportation costs and inefficiency in distributing products across factories and warehouses to meet growing demand. Accordingly, this study aims to employ operations research methods-specifically linear programming and sensitivity analysis---to design a distribution plan that enhances efficiency and minimizes costs. The methodology involved developing a mathematical model of the transportation problem based on actual data related to supply quantities, demand requirements, and transportation costs between production sources and distribution outlets. The model was solved using WinQSB software to determine the optimal solution. Sensitivity analysis was then conducted …

Alternative Vat Policies For Sustainable Menstrual Products In Indonesia, Saraswati Nirmala Suci, Hanik Susilawati Muamarah

Jurnal Akuntansi dan Keuangan Indonesia

Background: Sustainable menstrual products currently face the same VAT rate as conventional products, making them less affordable and slowing their adoption. This price gap drives consumers toward cheaper disposable alternatives, increasing non-recyclable waste and environmental risks. Addressing this imbalance is essential to advancing sustainability and menstrual equity. Method: This study conducted in-depth interviews with officials from the Directorate General of Taxes, the Fiscal Policy Agency, the Ministry of Environment and Forestry, academicians, and a sustainable product manufacturer. Data were analyzed using the Regulatory Impact Assessment (RIA) framework to evaluate four VAT policy alternatives: normal VAT, VAT exemption, non-collected VAT, and …

Embedded Paradox : The Integration Of Internationalization And Localization In Sino-Foreign Cooperative Universities, Jiaxin Guo

Lingnan Theses (MPhil & PhD)

With the rapid development of Sino-foreign cooperative universities and their growing prominence in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA), existing research has begun to focus on this niche sector. While prior studies have examined the tensions of global integration and local responsiveness in such institutions at a macro level, limited attention has been paid to students and faculty—the primary agents of educational practice. To address this gap, this study conducts fieldwork at CUHK-Shenzhen, a cross-border collaborative university in the GBA. This study adopted a qualitative research method and collected field data over six months, including teaching activities and campus …

Social Construction Of Female-Headed Households Participating In Hud Public Housing Programs, Emma Forks

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The problem this study addressed involved factors associated with long-term program involvement of female-headed households living in public and vouchered housing. The literature indicated a significant gap regarding the reasons women who received federal housing assistance stayed in government housing. The purpose of this generic qualitative study was to examine the experiences of female-headed households living in public housing and Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) housing in a Central Texas region, specifically to identify the factors that limited their ability to leave these programs. Using Schneider and Ingram’s social construction of target populations theory, the data was collected from eight participants …

Rethinking Governance: Public Choice Theory And The Modern State, John Carlo Colot

Social Sciences and Development Review

This study critically reexamines governance in the modern state through the lens of Public Choice Theory, which challenges the traditional assumption that government officials always act in the public interest. Developed by economists James Buchanan and Gordon Tullock, Public Choice Theory posits that political actors, like individuals in markets, are motivated by self-interest, which can lead to government inefficiencies such as corruption, rent seeking, and policy outcomes that favor private gains over public welfare. By synthesizing recent empirical and theoretical literature from 2020 to 2025, this research explores how individual incentives and institutional arrangements influence bureaucratic behavior, governance styles, and …

Engaging Stakeholders To Build, Sustain, And Grow Responsible Business: Some Frameworks, Meena Raghunathan, Kara Li Liu

Markets, Globalization & Development Review

This is a follow-up Dialogue commentary to the MGDR publication:

Raghunathan, Meena and Liu, Kara Li (2024) "Moving from ‘Managing Stakeholders’ to ‘Managing for Stakeholders’: The Imperative for Responsible Business," Markets, Globalization & Development Review: Vol. 9: No. 3, Article 4.
DOI: 10.23860/MGDR-2024-09-03-04
Available at: https://digitalcommons.uri.edu/mgdr/vol9/iss3/4.

In this commentary, the concepts of stakeholder approach to management is expanded and deepened.

Unintended Consequences Of California’S Proposition 12 Affecting Low-Income Communities, Blanca Estella Garcia

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The background of this study established context describing the 2018 implementation of Proposition 12 in California, a law intended to improve animal welfare standards. The central problem identified the law’s unintended effects on multiple stakeholders, which prior literature suggested could include increased production costs and limit consumer access. However, existing studies have focused on theoretical and economic projections, leaving gaps in understanding secondary data research and practical impacts on farmers and low-income consumers. The purpose of the study was to examine unforeseen consequences of Proposition 12, with attention to its direct and indirect impacts on animal welfare, farmers, and low-income …

Current Status, Issues, And Strategies Of Researchers From National Scientific Institutions Participating In Science Education, Xiaoyi Wei, Jianzhong Zhou, Runqiang Wang, Rui Chen, Meihui Gu, Yixia Zhao, Jing Li, Ying Xiong, Liming Wang

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

Science education constitutes the essential foundation and critical underpinning for achieving the national strategy of integrated development across education, technology, and talent. The participation of researchers from national scientific research institutions in science education is of significant and far-reaching strategic importance for improving the overall scientific literacy of the Chinese public and cultivating top-tier innovative talent. This study focuses on researchers within the research institutes of Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS). Employing a questionnaire-based survey, we investigate and analyze the current status and challenges of researchers’ engagement in science education from the perspective of the theory of planned behavior (TPB). …

The Impact Of New York City’S Bail Reform, Ruya Y. Kutgun

Honors College Theses

This thesis examines the impact of New York City’s bail reform on crime, recidivism, and jail populations, with particular attention to whether the reform has contributed to increased violence. Implemented in 2020 to reduce racial and economic inequalities, bail reform eliminated cash bail for most low-level offenses and emphasized the least restrictive pretrial conditions, with subsequent amendments expanding eligibility for detention. Using cross-sectional data from multiple governmental and research institutions, this study analyzes arrest rates, rearrest rates, and jail population trends before and after implementation. Findings indicate no significant increase in recidivism or violent crime attributable to bail reform. Fluctuations …

Artificial Intelligence And Consumer Trust, Privacy, And Protection On Digital Platforms, Alheri Gajere Adams

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Academic scholars have researched the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on privacy, trust, and data governance; however, substantial gaps remain—particularly regarding how AI influences consumer trust and privacy among Texas consumers subscribed to digital platforms. The purpose of this generic qualitative study was to explore how Texas consumers experience and perceive online platforms for personal and private use regarding online data privacy and trust, underscoring the gap in prior research on how state-level consumer protection laws, such as the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act (DTPA), address concerns relative to data trust, privacy, and digital protection. The conceptual framework that guided …

Lessons Learned: Ewald Nowotny, Maryanne Chute Lynch, Rosalind Z. Wiggins

Journal of Financial Crises

Ewald Nowotny was appointed governor of the National Bank of Austria in September 2008 at the start of the Global Financial Crisis (GFC), having previously served as a vice president of the European Investment Bank in Luxembourg, the house bank of the European Union. Nowotny participated in the implementation of the multilateral stabilization framework known as the Vienna Initiative, which helped restore stability in the financial markets of Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe during the GFC. Working with the Austrian Central Bank, the European Commission, and the International Monetary Fund (IMF), he steered the Austrian economy away from recession. During …

Book Review: Disputed Decisions Of World War Ii: Decision Science And Game Theory Perspectives, James Allen Knechtmann

Parameters Bookshelf – Online Book Reviews

Author: Mark Thompson

Reviewed by: James Allen Knechtmann, supervisory archivist, chief, Ridgway Library Branch, Army Heritage and Education Center, US Army War College

In this innovative analysis of World War II, Thompson applies decision science and game theory to reexamine some of the conflict’s most controversial strategic choices. By modeling the logic behind pivotal decisions, he challenges conventional narratives and reveals the complexity of wartime leadership. This book offers a fresh lens for historians, strategists, and analysts seeking deeper insight into the calculus of war.

Book Review: Men Of God, Men Of War: Military Chaplains As Ministers, Warriors, And Prisoners, Geoff Bailey

Parameters Bookshelf – Online Book Reviews

Author: Robert C. Doyle

Reviewed by: Chaplain (Colonel) Geoff Bailey, PhD, US Army War College chaplain and director of ethical development, Department of Command, Leadership, and Management, US Army War College

Robert C. Doyle offers a sweeping historical study of chaplains in American wars, revealing how faith and duty intersected on battlefields and in prison camps.