Digital Commons Network^™

Selam Medirashachin (Safe Arrival) Project: Addressing The Risk Of Trafficking, Violence, And Sexual Abuse Among Newly Arriving Migrant Girls In Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Annabel Erulkar, Eyasu Hailu

Adolescents and Young People

Rates of urbanization in Ethiopia are significant and, increasingly, young females are among those who migrate from rural to urban areas. Previous research in Addis Ababa showed that, compared to boys and young men, young female migrants are more likely to migrate to cities without the accompaniment of immediate family members. and often move in with people with whom they have only loose affiliation or live on their own. Previous Population Council research on the experience of adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) revealed that girls’ migration from rural to urban areas of the country may be perilous. This is …

Increasing Housing Stability Through State-Funded Community Mediation Delivered By The Massachusetts Housing Mediation Program (Hmp) Fy2023 Evaluation Report, Madhawa Palihapitiya, Karina Zeferino

Massachusetts Office of Public Collaboration Publications

The Massachusetts Housing Mediation Program (HMP) is a comprehensive statewide program that provides free housing mediation services as a tool to increase housing stability with the intention of preventing homelessness created by landlord-tenant disputes. It is administered by the Massachusetts Office of Public Collaboration (MOPC) at the University of Massachusetts Boston and deploys the community mediation system infrastructure with 11 Community Mediation Centers (Centers) participating and serving all 14 counties of the Commonwealth to provide free conflict resolution services for tenants and landlords/property managers with housing disputes at any stage, from the earliest point a problem occurs, up to, and …

11 Trends In Philanthropy For 2024, Dorothy A. Johnson Center For Philanthropy At Grand Valley State University

Research, Reports, and Publications

When we think of “trends” in our everyday lives, we typically think of concrete things we can see, hear, or even eat. Popular songs, or brand names — the ubiquitous appetizer, the meme we can’t escape.

Over eight years of producing 11 Trends in Philanthropy, the Dorothy A. Johnson Center for Philanthropy has most often taken this approach to our annual review of the sector, as well. Our team has combed the landscape of nonprofits and foundations for the most visible signs of a trend — the increased grant dollars, the emerging networks, familiar voices speaking up.

This year’s trends …

Aapi Communities Are Leading An Upswell In Philanthropy, Trish Abalo, Mandy Sharp Eizinger

Research, Reports, and Publications

No abstract provided.

Fueling Prosperity: The Positive Economic Ripple Effects Of Increasing Wages For Nebraska’S Direct Care Workforce, Ernest Goss, Susan Reay

Social Work Faculty Publications

The goals of this study are to estimate the impact of increasing support for direct service providers for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) and its impact on the state economy. Specific goals of the study are to: 1. Estimate the economic impact to Nebraska if the state increased the pay to direct service providers delivering care to individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (hereafter IDD) to a level more competitive with other states. a. Estimate the impact on the overall state economy, employment in the state and on the top 20 Nebraska industries. b. Estimate the impact of …

Gentrification And Nonprofit Activities For Neighborhood Development In Baltimore, Maryland And Houston, Texas, Jesseca E. Lightbourne, Aminata Sillah, Julius A. Nukpezah

Journal of Public Management & Social Policy

This study examines the role of community-based nonprofit organizations in neighborhood revitalization/community development and their impact on the level of housing services. The neighborhoods in the study represent certain universalities of gentrification in older communities, and therefore selected for the study. By going beyond the profitability of gentrification, this study examines the social costs associated with gentrification through the lens of nonprofit organizations using quantitative data from Baltimore, Maryland and Houston, Texas. Taking into account nonprofit organizations as important actors in the gentrification field, this study contributes to the understanding of the social cost of gentrification and how community-based nonprofit …

Is The Juridical Field Of Environmental Law In India Gendered? A Study Of Environmental Justice In Goa Through An Ecofeminist Lens, Shweta Dilip Singh Sinha

Theses and Dissertations

The aim of this study is to examine whether the “juridical field,” as defined by Bourdieu, of environmental law in India (Goa), is gendered. As per Bourdieu, the legal field is neither as neutral nor as autonomous as the legal profession asserts it is. It relies heavily on the juridical practices of universalization, appropriation, and naming or categorization in order to constantly reimagine and negotiate its own boundaries. This study examines these juridical practices including acts of symbolic violence committed in the process of ‘naming’ or ‘defining’ within legal terms extra-legal concepts, mainly environmental toponyms, such as, ‘“forest,” “CRZ” (Coastal …

Textiles, Dress And Politics: A Diachronic Perspective Through The Case Studies Of Ancient Rome And Medieval Iceland, Meghan Korten, Zofia Kaczmarek

Textile Crossroads: Exploring European Clothing, Identity, and Culture across Millennia

People dress for more than just aesthetic reasons. Over the centuries, dress became a sign of human civilization, allowing us to identify the origin, gender, and status of the wearer. Textiles and clothing influence our body, posture, movements, and the way we are perceived by society. Textiles are also a tool used by people to further their agenda, that is why they found their place in the political life of many ancient and modern societies.

According to Michel Foucault, power can be understood as a set of activities influencing the life of the other: It provokes, forbids, or permits, but …

Part 5: Are Disability Rates Rising In Hampton Roads?, Dragas Center For Economic Analysis And Policy, Old Dominion University

State of the Region Reports: Hampton Roads

In this chapter, we examine one particular corner of a much larger disability story – those individuals who have a work history and subsequently seek to receive income from the Social Security Administration because of that disability. Contrary to what many people believe, both the number of applications for worker disability and rates of approval of those applications have trended downward in recent years. We explore the differences in disability rates and workers across Hampton Roads.

Spanish On Bulletin Boards In Baltimore Public Libraries, Francisco Martínez Ibarra

International Journal of the Linguistic Association of the Southwest

Public libraries provide not only a safe space to access information but to interact with other members of the local community as well. The purpose of my paper is to study communication practices derived from posting messages on analog bulletin boards in Baltimore, Maryland. A few of the questions that guide my exploration are: who uses the bulletin board and how is it structured linguistically? Are Spanish and English used any differently regarding the author and the topic of the message? Does language use align with the demographics of the community?

I collected 488 texts from a total of 36 …

Community Integration Experiences Of Formerly Homeless Persons With Serious Mental Illness (Smi) Housed In Washington Dc Using The Housing First Model, Gwendolyn Harter

West Chester University Doctoral Projects

Two interventions which have been successful in housing and maintaining housing for individuals who have serious mental illness and are classified as chronically homeless are the Housing First Model and community integration. Currently existing models of community integration were created using dated information and definitions, created from a medical model and not a social framework. Therefore, this dissertation used a phenomenological approach to define community and whether, by that definition, the participants feel integrated into the community. This included the interviewees’ experiences with Pathways to Housing DC and transitioning from homeless to housings and the Housing First Model.

Outcomes from …

Part 4: Rising Disability Rates (Or Not): A Sign That We Care Or An Epidemic Problem In The Commonwealth?, Dragas Center For Economic Analysis And Policy, Old Dominion University

State of the Commonwealth Reports

In this chapter, we examine one particular corner of a much larger disability story --- those individuals who have a work history and subsequently seek to receive income from the Social Security Administration because of that disability. Contrary to what many people believe, both the number of applications for worker disability and rates of approval of those applications have trended downward in recent years. We examine how worker disability rates have changed over time across the nation and Commonwealth.

Improving Screening For Intimate Partner Violence Amongst Older Adults, Olivia Bell

Honors Undergraduate Theses

This systematic literature review was conducted to gather a better understanding of screening for intimate partner violence (IPV) among older adults. IPV affects millions of people every year. Many screenings are conducted with women of reproductive age in medical settings, not older adults. This study focused on ways to improve screenings for older adults by addressing topics including elder abuse and IPV and the lack of resources/knowledge for IPV survivors who are older adults. This study was a literature review conducted with the University of Central Florida’s PRIMO database to find articles on IPV among older adults over the last …

Development Potential Of Smes In Poland Selected Aspects Of Age, Diversity And Intellectual Capital Management, Elwira Gross-Gołacka, Izabela Warwas, Justyna Wiktorowicz

Monografie/Monographs

Monografia o charakterze teoretyczno-empirycznym przybliża funkcjonowanie małych i średnich firm w Polsce przez pryzmat wybranych aspektów kapitału ludzkiego. Autorzy szczególną uwagę poświęcili zaprezentowaniu determinant rozwoju oraz czynników sukcesu małych i średnich przedsiębiorstw, roli kapitału ludzkiego w budowaniu trwałej przewagi konkurencyjnej przedsiębiorstw oraz prezentacji różnorodnych zasobów i relacji pomiędzy kapitałem intelektualnym a zarządzaniem różnorodnością

This theoretical and empirical monograph presents the functioning of small and medium-enterprises in Poland through the prism of selected aspects of human resources. The authors devote particular attention to presenting the determinants of development and success factors of small and medium-enterprises, the role of human resources capital …

Fairness And Fair Use In Generative Ai, Matthew Sag

Faculty Articles

Although we are still a long way from the science fiction version of “artificial general intelligence” that thinks, feels, and refuses to “open the pod bay doors,” recent advances in machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI) have captured the public’s imagination and lawmakers’ interest. We now have large language models (LLMs) that can pass the bar exam, carry on (what passes for) a conversation about almost any topic, create new music, and create new visual art. These artifacts are often indistinguishable from their human-authored counterparts and yet can be produced at a speed and scale surpassing human ability.

“Generative AI” …

Exoneration Finance, Kay L. Levine, Russell M. Gold

Faculty Articles

The path to financial compensation for the wrongfully convicted can be complex and time-consuming. Exonerees often struggle to make ends meet and function in free society, let alone navigate serpentine processes while waiting years for the recovery they deserve. Securing the assistance of an attorney is often a critical step, but too few lawyers are willing to risk accepting these complicated cases on a contingency-fee basis—the only way that exoneree-clients can likely pay their lawyers without outside help.

Litigation finance—an important tool for increasing access to justice in tort cases—could help close this access to justice gap for exonerees. In …

ปัจจัยที่ส่งผลต่อค่าธรรมเนียมที่ทนายเรียกในการทำคดี: การศึกษาโดยการสำรวจเชิงทดลองจากกลุ่มตัวอย่างนิสิตคณะนิติศาสตร์และเศรษฐศาสตร์, วทัญญู รักขธรรมวงศ์

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

ค่าธรรมเนียมทนายความเป็นองค์ประกอบสำคัญของระบบยุติธรรม โดยเฉพาะในคดีความที่มีลักษณะที่ไม่สามารถคาดการณ์ผลลัพธ์ได้แน่นอน โครงสร้างและระดับของค่าธรรมเนียมจึงมีบทบาทอย่างยิ่งในการกำหนดแรงจูงใจของทนายความและความสามารถของประชาชนในการเข้าถึงบริการทางกฎหมาย งานวิจัยนี้มีวัตถุประสงค์เพื่อศึกษาปัจจัยที่ส่งผลต่อค่าธรรมเนียมขั้นต่ำที่ทนายความยินดีรับทำคดีละเมิด ภายใต้โครงสร้างค่าตอบแทนแบบ Fixed Fee และ Percentage Contingent Fee โดยเน้นการวิเคราะห์จากมุมมองด้านความเสี่ยงและต้นทุนค่าเสียโอกาส ผลการศึกษาแสดงให้เห็นว่า ปัจจัยด้านโครงสร้างค่าธรรมเนียม โอกาสชนะคดี และระยะเวลาในการทำคดีมีอิทธิพลอย่างมีนัยสำคัญต่อการกำหนดค่าธรรมเนียมขั้นต่ำ โดยเฉพาะในรูปแบบค่าตอบแทนแบบ Contingent Fee ซึ่งทนายความต้องรับความเสี่ยงร่วมกับลูกความ นอกจากนี้ยังพบความแตกต่างเชิงพฤติกรรมระหว่างกลุ่มนิสิตทั้งสองคณะในการประเมินความคุ้มค่าของการรับทำคดี อันสะท้อนถึงมุมมองต่อความเสี่ยงและต้นค่าเสียโอกาสที่ต่างกัน

Life Satisfaction In Motherhood: The Influence Of Mindfulness On Life Stressors, Shyann Schumacher, Shyann M. Schumacher

Master's Theses or Doctor of Nursing Practice

Motherhood can be a stressful and highly demanding role. With the challenges a mother faces, many factors can influence satisfaction a mother experiences in their life. Within the many roles mothers play throughout their lives, mindfulness is found to benefit both women and their children and positively influence mothers’ relationships with their children or partner. This study investigated the role of mindfulness within life satisfaction among mothers’ experiences by examining levels of social support, mother’s age, work-life balance, and socioeconomic status as predictors of life satisfaction when moderated by mindfulness. Participants were sampled through social media including Facebook and Instagram. …

การต่อรองอัตลักษณ์และสิทธิของกลุ่มชายขอบในอินเดียร่วมสมัย กรณีศึกษา Gangubai Kathiawadi และกลุ่มฮิจรา, นภัสสร ณ นคร

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

สารนิพนธ์ฉบับนี้มีวัตถุประสงค์เพื่อวิเคราะห์และเปรียบเทียบการนำเสนอภาพลักษณ์ของกลุ่มฮิจราในภาพยนตร์ Gangubai Kathiawadi กับความเป็นจริงทางสังคมของอินเดียร่วมสมัย โดยอธิบายผ่านกรอบแนวคิด Constructivism ที่มองว่าอัตลักษณ์ไม่ใช่สิ่งตายตัว แต่ถูกสร้างและปรับเปลี่ยนผ่านกระบวนการทางวัฒนธรรมและปฏิสัมพันธ์กับโครงสร้างทางสังคม สารนิพนธ์ฉบับนี้พบว่า แม้ในภาพยนตร์ตัวละครฮิจรามีอำนาจทางสังคมและการเมือง แต่อัตลักษณ์ดังกล่าวเป็นเพียงสัญลักษณ์ “ภาพแทนเชิงอุดมคติ” ที่ตอกย้ำภาพจำที่สังคมคุ้นเคย ตรงข้ามกับความเป็นจริงที่กลุ่มฮิจราถูกกดทับจากโครงสร้างอำนาจที่ไม่เท่าเทียม ทั้งในด้านเศรษฐกิจ การจ้างงาน การศึกษา และการเข้าถึงสวัสดิการ แม้รัฐอินเดียจะประกาศรับรองสถานะ “เพศที่สาม” อย่างเป็นทางการตั้งแต่ปี ค.ศ. 2014 สื่อบันเทิง Bollywood มีบทบาทสำคัญในการหล่อหลอมทัศนคติของสังคมและสร้าง soft power ผ่านแพลตฟอร์ม Netflix ซึ่งช่วยให้ภาพลักษณ์ของกลุ่มฮิจราได้รับความสนใจในระดับสากล แต่สื่อกระแสหลักไม่สามารถก้าวข้ามอคติเดิมได้ เนื่องจากฮิจรามักถูกนำเสนอในฐานะ “ตัวละครเสริม” ดังนั้น การต่อสู้ของกลุ่มชายขอบในอินเดีย ไม่ว่าจะเป็นโสเภณีในอดีตหรือกลุ่มฮิจราในปัจจุบัน ไม่ได้เป็นเพียงการเรียกร้องสิทธิทางกฎหมาย แต่เป็นการต่อสู้กับค่านิยมและโครงสร้างสังคมที่หยั่งรากลึกที่ต้องอาศัยเวลา ความพยายาม และความร่วมมือจากหลายฝ่าย เพื่อส่งเสริมให้เกิดความเท่าเทียมอย่างยั่งยืน

Addressing Healthcare Disparities Faced By Aging Down Syndrome Populations, Rhea Mistry

Pitzer Senior Theses

Down syndrome (DS) is a chromosomal genetic condition that impacts the development of the body and brain. The life expectancy of individuals with DS has drastically improved over the decades, increasing from 9 years in 1929 to 25 years in 1983 and further reaching 60 years by 2002. Individuals with DS face a variety of prominent co-occurring health conditions that are subject to change over time, including cognitive, visual, and hearing impairments, sleep apnea, cardiovascular defects, Down syndrome regression disorder, and dementia. Despite this increase in life span, DS is still most familiar to pediatric care providers, resulting in healthcare …

Sustainable Tourism Development In Greece: A Phenomenological Study Of Municipal Leaders, Panagiote G. Tsolis

Theses and Dissertations

The Hellenic Republic relies heavily on the summer tourism industry for economic growth (Kouri, 2012). The objective has been to increase demand for lesser-known destinations and encourage visitation outside the peak summer period. However, expanding the tourism offering is complex, as tourism destination networks are some of the most complex systems (da Fontoura Costa & Baggio, 2009). There are no official national framework for sustainable tourism in the Hellenic Republic. However, multiple national frameworks for sustainable tourism within the Hellenic Republic have been designed, focusing on tourism or regions and natural preserves. The problem is that municipal leaders' perspectives are …

Coping Strategies Of African American Lgbtq Same-Gender-Loving And Heterosexual Women After Intimate Partner Violence, Victoria Moran

Theses and Dissertations

A thematic analysis of literature was applied to academic studies of African American women who identify as same-gender-loving (SGL), meaning either lesbian or bisexual, and African American heterosexual women who have endured intimate partner violence (IPV). The aim was to identify in the literature coping strategies used by the IPV survivors, as well as under-utilized coping strategies. Few studies (28) met the inclusion criteria related to this intersectional identity. Main themes of positive coping skills mentioned were as follows: spirituality, mindfulness, religious practice, community support, social support, confrontation, safety precautions, activism, attitude or self-help, mental health services, participation in research …

Lawyering In The Age Of Artificial Intelligence, Jonathan H. Choi, Monahan Amy, Daniel Schwarcz

Scholarship@WashULaw

We conducted the first randomized controlled trial to study the effect of AI assistance on human legal analysis. We randomly assigned law school students to complete realistic legal tasks either with or without the assistance of GPT-4, tracking how long the students took on each task and blind-grading the results. We found that access to GPT-4 only slightly and inconsistently improved the quality of participants’ legal analysis but induced large and consistent increases in speed. AI assistance improved the quality of output unevenly—where it was useful at all, the lowest-skilled participants saw the largest improvements. On the other hand, AI …

Best Practices For Community Outreach For The Virginia Eviction Reduction Pilot, Callie B. Houghland

Master of Urban and Regional Planning Capstone Projects

The purpose of this plan is to understand best practices for community outreach for the VERP program and provide materials to aid future outreach efforts. This plan has five parts. First, this plan will review characteristics that contribute to housing vulnerability, such as race or number of children, and consider which vulnerabilities should be prioritized in outreach. Then, this plan will identify how VERP grantees are currently conducting community outreach and who is being served through the program. Next this plan will look to understand who is missed between those who are most vulnerable and who are actually served across …

Lifting The Voices Of Cisgender Female Survivors Of Sexual Violence: A Systematic Review Of Their Experiences With Formal Support Providers/Systems, Madeleine Walker

Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative systematic review aimed to recognize what adult cisgender female survivors of sexual violence said about their experiences with formal support providers upon disclosure and their recommendations to enhance the disclosure process. Using a deductive content analysis of nice qualitative studies, the researcher identified and explored supportive and unsupportive formal support providers’ behaviors. Results indicated that supportive experiences typically involved aspects of both emotional support and tangible aid. Unsupportive experiences mainly focused on how providers responded to and negatively treated cisgender female survivors during the entirety of the investigation process. Also, cultural factors, such as race, gender, ethnicity, and …

Blockchain As A Newer More Economic Form Of Data Services For Large Organizations

Journal of Economics and Finance Education

Blockchain can be used in Academia to create an alternative to the operating systems of a college. This helps reduce the economic and financial costs of operating. Blockchain also enables businesses in the area to connect to the college in a more economically efficient way. To complete these objectives, a prototype blockchain was created using Docker and Python. Blockchain improves the efficiency and security of data transfer within these institutions while providing additional features that will enhance operations for Institutional stakeholders and connected businesses. These additional features can solve issues within collegiate systems through financial assistance transparency and efficiency.

Patterns In The Tapestry: A Typology Of Collective Giving Groups, Dorothy A. Johnson Center For Philanthropy At Grand Valley State University, Philanthropy Together, Isis Krause, Michael D. Layton

Research, Reports, and Publications

The collective giving movement has seen remarkable growth across the U.S. in recent years, both in participation and impact. Between 2017 and 2023, nearly 4,000 collective giving groups engaged over 370,000 members, mobilizing $3.1 billion to support various causes (Loson-Ceballos & Layton, 2024, p. 1). These figures underscore the scale and scope of this dynamic movement. While all collective giving groups share a commitment to democratic processes for mobilizing and allocating resources for social impact, their structures, composition, and practices vary widely. By understanding and appreciating these differences, we can better grasp how collective giving is transforming philanthropy and driving …

Unjust And Unsafe: The Eviction Experiences Of Latine Immigrant And Farmworker Tenants In Oregon, Natalie J. Cholula, Lisa K. Bates, Alex Farrington, Marisa Zapata, Jacen Greene, Azad Amir-Ghassemi, Colleen Carroll

Sociology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Latine immigrant households often face housing instability due to language barriers, immigration status, and limited access to government resources. Oregon farmworkers experience additional obstacles to safe and stable housing caused by low wages, a lack of affordable housing options, and social isolation. In light of the identified needs and lack of equitable access to resources that this group experiences, the Evicted in Oregon research team conducted focus groups with Latine immigrant and farmworker tenants in Multnomah, Washington, and Marion Counties. The aim was to gain insight into their experiences with eviction and understand how they navigated through evictions during the …

Examining Social Identity Among Urban School Leaders: A Case Study Of Five Principals In New York City, Victor G. Frias Jr.

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

Exploring how school leaders address underrepresented student voices, meaning those of marginalized experiences along the continuum of social identity including though not limited to race, class, gender, immigration, and LGBTQ issues in schools is more essential than ever following the novel coronavirus of 2019 (COVID-19). Principals’ social identities (i.e., race, class, and gender), and their connected social locations and personal histories reveal how their leadership styles can contribute to the support of marginalized communities. Hence, this qualitative research study employed a case study methodology to investigate whether and how the social identities and lived experiences of principals in the Brooklyn …

Toward Equal Access: A Model For Lay Advocacy Programs Serving People Who Are Deaf Or Hard Of Hearing, Melissa Bell

JADARA

Advocacy programs are prevalent among state government agencies that specialize in serving persons who are deaf or hard of hearing around the United States. The work is crucial to ensuring equal access and equal opportunity, yet the lay advocacy profession is not yet formalized with certification, ethical standards, or training programs for advocates serving this population. Research was conducted to advance efforts to maximize these programs’ effectiveness by compiling components of an ideal model for lay advocacy programs. Directors from state agencies that specialize in serving this population around the country refined the model and described the structure of their …