Digital Commons Network^™

Indigenous Party Formation And Success: The Strategic Roles Of Reserved Seats, Parties, And Horizontal Accountability, Michael Fitzgerald

Dissertations and Theses

More than twenty legislatures reserve a portion of seats for ethnic minority groups, often in an attempt to prevent violent conflict and redress historical oppression. The intention of reserved seats coincides with indigenous group objectives--to achieve political representation while maintaining autonomy. Yet the formation and electoral success of indigenous parties does not always follow adoption of a reserved seat system. I explain this inconsistency by taking reserved seats as a necessary but insufficient condition of indigenous party formation, and arguing that two additional conditions must be met to motivate indigenous groups to form a viable party: the failure of the …

"What About The Men? Investigating Alcohol Consumption, Masculinities, And Risky Sex In Peri-Urban Eswatini, Aaron Jackson Levine

Dissertations and Theses

This study focuses on the narratives Swazi men create around drinking, masculinity, and sexual behavior. Alcohol myopia theory, motivational-expectation theory of drinking, and Connell's theory of masculinities were used to create research that details how alcohol and the cultural environment of gendered social drinking intertwine and interact with each other to form the gender structure of eSwatini. Twenty Swazi men were sampled by convenience, given semi-structured interviews, and questioned about their perceived and internal reasoning for the drinking of themselves and others, the observed drinking behaviors of others, their own drinking behaviors, how they viewed women in and accepted women …

Interrogating The Construction And Representations Of Criminalized Women In The Academic Social Work Literature: A Critical Discourse Analysis, Sandra Marie Leotti

Dissertations and Theses

In the United States today, there are 2.3 million people behind bars in jails and prisons. Mass incarceration has swept up the United States to such a degree that we are known globally for holding more people in correctional facilities than any other country in the world. Although women have always, and still do, reflect a smaller proportion of the correctional population, over the last 40 years, their rates of criminalization and imprisonment have far outpaced that of men's. Drastic increases in the criminalization of women are intimately connected to the entrenchment of social disadvantage enabled under neoliberal globalization. Neoliberal …

Situational Context Of Police Use Of Deadly Force: A Comparison Of Black And White Subjects Of Fatal Police Shootings, Shana Lynn Meaney Ruess

Dissertations and Theses

Police use of deadly force is an understudied yet deeply important issue in our society. Recent years have seen a dramatic increase in public concern over use of deadly force, particularly when that force is used against people of color. Due to the relative low frequency of deadly force incidents, little is known about when such force is used, or who it is used on. Recent studies have found a racial disparity between white and black subjects of deadly force, with black subjects significantly over represented as a proportion of the population. This study further expands our understanding of police …

Closure Or Censure? Examining The Determinants Of Disclosure Of Sexual Assault Among College Students, Whitney Head-Burgess

Dissertations and Theses

Sexual assault is an ongoing problem on college campuses, with some projections indicating that one in four college women has experienced some sexual coercion or assault during her time at university. Recent national policy has strove to address the problem through legislation like the 2013 Campus Sexual Violence Elimination Act. Nonetheless, the crime remains the most underreported in the nation despite policy and law which explicitly defines what constitutes sexual assault. However, most victims of sexual assault will disclose what happened to someone else, even if they choose not to report.

This research examines sexual assault disclosure practices on a …

An Evaluation Of Clackamas County's Transition Center Using Propensity Score Modeling, Alicia De Jong Mckay

Dissertations and Theses

Part of the purpose of Justice Reinvestment Initiatives (JRIs) involve a focus of funds and effort toward implementing practices that increase the chances of successful reintegration of people recently released from incarceration. Similar to other jurisdictions, Oregon's JRI has taken a number of forms of reintegrative efforts. In 2016, JRI funding opened a services hub and reintegration/reentry center in a rural county. The Center offers a central location for reentry services, such as employment and housing assistance, but is not a requirement of an offender's supervision. Relying on the risk-need-responsivity framework, this program aims to reduce recidivism by mitigating barriers …

Effects Of Regulation Intensity On Marijuana Black Market After Legalization, Sikang Song

Dissertations and Theses

Since 2012, many states and Canada have legalized the use and sale of recreational marijuana. One of the expected benefits of the legalization is that the establishment of a legal cannabis market would eliminate the black market which has been the main form of marijuana trade for decades. Even though legal options are available for marijuana producers and consumers, the black market is still thriving in states where recreational marijuana has been legalized. The reasons behind the persistence of the marijuana black market are complex. One of the main arguments is that the legalized states have failed to establish a …

Gender And The Voir Dire Process, Tasha Ann Lane

Dissertations and Theses

The jury selection process (also known as voir dire) has been examined previously in many ways, including racial impacts. Previous research suggests the need for more examination of how and if gender impacts the voir dire process. The lack of knowledge about how gender impacts voir dire might also have implications for public respect and trust in the court system. For example, theories of procedural justice suggest that individual experiences with the legal system affect whether they view the entire legal system as being legitimate. This is important because this perception then impacts how the public interact with the system. …

Spatial Analysis Of Burglary And Robbery Crime Concentration Near Mass-Transit In Portland, Bryce Edward Barthuly

Dissertations and Theses

The relationship between mass-transit and the concentration of burglary and robbery crimes is inconsistent within the available literature in environmental criminology. A number of studies have provided evidence of crime concentration at and near mass transit locations where paths intersect, referred to as a node. These empirical studies bring in environmental criminology theory with the idea that crime is clustered, and the pattern of the concentrations is substantially influenced by how and why people travel and move in a city. It is suggested that public transit allows for a large proportion of the population to move around the community along …

Convivial Clothing: Engagement With Decommodified Fashion In Portland, Or, Sarah Guldenbrein

Dissertations and Theses

In a capitalist system demanding perpetual accumulation, producers invest significant resources into proving the superiority of new products over existing ones. When the normative concept is "better" rather than "good" consumers can never reach a sense of sufficiency. One countermovement is that of degrowth. Degrowth scholars advocate for a voluntary and democratic transition to a post-growth future. This thesis contributes to the emerging literature on degrowth by examining alternatives to "fast fashion," an industry with a huge environmental impact and notoriously high turnover. Drawing on participant observation and semi-structured interviews with participants in Portland, Oregon's clothing swaps and Repair …

Identifying With Remida: Early Childhood Educators’ Experiences With Reuse Materials In Reggio Emilia Inspired Identity Studies, Michelle Angela Domingues

Dissertations and Theses

Mainstream approaches to identity studies in early childhood education (ECE) are problematic from both social constructivist and early childhood education for sustainability perspectives. Mainstream approaches are influenced by behaviorist theories of developmental psychology literature which privilege individual identity, whereas emerging discourses in identity theory trend toward discussing the multiplicity of social identities. Alternatively, and in contrast to traditional behaviorist and cognitive learning theories, cultural centers like Reggio Emilia, Italy’s Remida Creative Recycling Center promote reuse material projects that socially construct identities in Reggio’s Municipal Infant/Toddler Centers and Preprimary Schools by giving value to waste materials through offering such materials in …

Application Of Single Particle Electron Microscopy To Native Lens Gap Junctions And Intrinsically Disordered Signaling Complexes, Janette Bernadette Myers

Dissertations and Theses

Gap junctions are a class of membrane proteins that facilitate cell-to-cell communication by forming channels that directly couple the cytoplasm of neighboring cells. The channels are composed of monomers called connexins. Humans express 21 connexin isoforms in a cell-type specific fashion, and each isoform has distinct mechanisms of permeation and regulation. Co-assembly of multiple isoforms into a single intercellular channel can change channel properties, such as conductance and selectivity to substrates (e.g., ions, metabolites and signaling molecules). However, the mechanistic basis for this functional diversity has remained poorly understood. This lack of mechanistic insight has been due in large part …

Radical Doulas Make "Caring A Political Act": Full-Spectrum Birthwork As Reproductive Justice Activism, Jadee Yvonne Carathers

Dissertations and Theses

This study, based on in-depth interviews with 30 self-identified radical doulas working in the US, describes the radical practices, positionality, and orientation towards reproductive justice that distinguish these care workers from mainstream doulas. Radical doulas provide nonjudgmental support in a full-spectrum of reproductive experiences from menarche to menopause according to the needs of their clients. As non-medically trained care workers, they provide informational, emotional, and physical support during abortion, birth and postpartum, fetal loss, adoption, or surrogacy, enacting individualized skill sets across settings from homes to hospitals and clinics. Radical doulas are paid professionals, but often offer a sliding-scale for …

Evaluating The Utility Of Theories Of Social Integration In Understanding Areal Suicide Rates In The United States, Nathan Finch Parsons

Dissertations and Theses

Despite over a century's worth of study, areal variations in suicide rate remain largely unexplained. In order to better understand these regional differences, this analysis aggregates county-level National Center for Health Statistics Multiple Cause of Death data with data from the US Census, the Association of Statisticians of American Religious Bodies, and the Penn State Northeast Regional Center for Rural Development to test the three leading conceptualizations of social integration (i.e. demographic, compositional, ecological) against US suicide rates. Results of negative binomial regression models indicate that an ecological measure, social capital, is substantially associated with suicide rate, while demographic and …

An Investigation Of The Impact Of High School Student Fine Arts Course Accumulation On Mathematics Course Achievement, Daniel Mackin Freeman

Dissertations and Theses

Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) educational achievement is vital to economic competitiveness in the United States and abroad. Despite a concerted effort, the US lags well behind many similarly developed nations. Research suggests that the integration of fine arts education into traditional STEM curriculum (STEAM) boosts academic achievement in STEM subjects and closes gaps between low- and high-socioeconomic status students. Justifications for STEAM programs are based, however, on the unexamined assumption, for one, that fine arts courses instill creative and critical thinking skills that can be transferred to STEM subjects. The present study explores the impact of taking fine …

"It's All Because I Like The Person That's Teaching Me": Masculinities, Engagement, And Caring Relationships In Secondary Schools, Cristy Lauren Weggelaar

Dissertations and Theses

U.S. schools face a well-documented gender gap within some important educational and social indicators. In the United States, boys and young men are significantly more likely than girls and young women to be diagnosed with a learning disability, leave high school without a diploma, receive failing grades in core classes, and be suspended or expelled from school. This study uses an interpretive research framework to investigate the relationship between this gender gap in education and constructions of masculinity, social and cultural capital, agency, caring and resistance in secondary schools. Data collected through interviews with young men who engaged in acts …

Making Imaginaries: Identity, Value, And Place In The Maker Movement In Detroit And Portland, Stephen Joseph Marotta

Dissertations and Theses

This dissertation explores the maker economy and culture in Detroit, MI and Portland, OR and queries the "Made in Place" branding strategy that relies so heavily on a shared imagination of cities, identities, and values. Bridging the gap between urban economic development, political economy, and affect theory, this dissertation is centrally concerned with how imagination works as a commons and how such "imaginaries" shape each city's milieu of small, entrepreneurial, artisanal producers ("makers"). The constituent elements of "Made in" branding "made" and "place" suggest common understandings of each; this sense of coherence is critical for how value is added to …

Closing The Loop: The Capacities And Constraints Of Information And Communication Technologies For Development (Ict4d), Phillip Nicholas Turman-Bryant

Dissertations and Theses

As a mechanism for collecting and sharing information, information and communications technologies (ICT) hold immense potential for individuals and institutions in low- and middle-income countries. Currently the distribution and adoption of ICTs--particularly mobile devices--has far outpaced the provision of other household services like clean water, sanitation, hygiene, or energy services. At the same time, the development and deployment of Internet of Things (IoT) devices including cellular- and satellite-connected sensors is facilitating more rapid feedback from remote regions where basic services are most limited. When used in conjunction with economic development or public health interventions, these devices and the feedback they …

Development Of A Readiness Assessment Model For Evaluating Big Data Projects: Case Study Of Smart City In Oregon, Usa, Husam Ahmad Barham

Dissertations and Theses

The primary goal of this research is to help any organization, which is planning to transform to the big data analytics era, by providing a systematic and comprehensive model that this organization can use to better understand what factors influence big data projects. Also, the organization's current status against those factors. Finally, what enhancements are needed in the organization's current capabilities for optimal management of factors influencing an upcoming big data project. However, big data applications are vast and cover many sectors, and while most of the factors influencing big data projects are common across sectors, there are some factors …

Can Churches Change A Neighborhood? A Census Tract, Multilevel Analysis Of Churches And Neighborhood Change, David E. Kresta

Dissertations and Theses

This study examines the role of local churches in neighborhood change, analyzing the relationship between Christian churches and changes in household median incomes from 1990 to 2010 in the census tract in which each church is located. Based on a nationally representative sample of churches from 2006 and 2012, the study uses hierarchical linear modeling and statistical matching techniques to analyze how key church characteristics such as social service involvement, social capital generation, residential patterns of attendees, and demographic composition are related to changes in neighborhoods. Two primary research questions were addressed: 1) How have patterns of church location changed …

A Scoring Model To Assess Organizations' Technology Transfer Capabilities: The Case Of A Power Utility In The Northwest Usa, JoãO Ricardo Lavoie

Dissertations and Theses

This research intends to advance knowledge in the technology management field, most importantly in the study of organizations that develop technologies in-house and wish to enhance their technology transfer performance while maintaining adherence between R&D activities and overall business strategies. The objective was to build a multi-criteria decision-making model capable of producing a technology transfer score, which can be used by practitioners in order to assess and later improve their organizations' technology transfer capabilities -- ultimately aiming to improve technology development as a whole. The model was applied to a major power utility organization in the Pacific Northwest of the …

Gentrification And Student Achievement: A Quantitative Analysis Of Student Performance On Standardized Tests In Portland's Gentrifying Neighborhoods, Justin Joseph Ward

Dissertations and Theses

Across the United States one would be hard pressed to find an urban center that has been unaffected by the phenomenon known as gentrification. From substantial economic growth to the displacement of long-term residents, the benefits and criticisms of the process of gentrification are wide ranging and extend over a thorough body of literature. Commonly associated with increasing levels of education and higher resident incomes, gentrification should be a boon to struggling public schools that are continually plagued by generational poverty. Unfortunately, the continued widening of the education gap and increasing racial segregation in our public schools suggest that any …

Preventing Child Sexual Abuse And Juvenile Offending Through Parental Monitoring, Kelly E. Stewart

Dissertations and Theses

In this dissertation, I present three manuscripts to investigate the prevention of a range of crimes committed against, and by, youth, using parental monitoring or guardianship. In the first paper, I tested whether the routine activities of juvenile sexual offenders (JSOs) and their victims' caregivers was associated with the JSO being placed into a supervisory role, and whether subgroup differences existed in the use of modus operandi strategies between JSO supervisors and non-supervisors (Chapter II). Findings indicated that parents' need for childcare assistance predicted JSO supervisor status more strongly than perpetrators efforts to get the child alone or disruptions to …

Perceived Partner Responsiveness, Sleep And Pain: A Dyadic Study Of Military-Connected Couples, Annamarie Sophia O'Neill

Dissertations and Theses

The health-promoting influence of high-quality, supportive close relationships has been extensively documented, yet the mechanisms of this effect are less well-understood. Leading researchers have galvanized the field to test particular relationship processes and the mediating psychological processes they facilitate to pinpoint how close relationships exert their salutary effects. The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of the intimacy process on health outcomes of sleep and pain and if this effect depends on the facilitation of psychological processes in a sample of veterans and spouses (collectively called military-connected couples; N=147). Sleep problems are highly prevalent among military-connected couples …

Revolutionärinnen Am Fließband: A Comparative Gendered Analysis Of The 1973 Pierburg And Ford Migrant Labor Strikes, Jordan Faith Norquist

Dissertations and Theses

In the years following the end of the Second World War, the Federal Republic of Germany experienced a "golden age" of economic upturn. Due to the labor shortage in the aftermath of war and the division of Germany, West Germany initially looked to its eastern counterpart, the German Democratic Republic, to meet its labor needs in the immediate postwar years. Once East Germany tightened its border control, the Federal Republic of Germany extended bilateral agreements to Southern Mediterranean countries to meet the nation's labor needs. Italy was the first official nation to have a bilateral work agreement with West Germany …

Hospital-Based Services For Opioid Use Disorder: A Study Of Supply-Side Attributes, Kelsey Caroline Priest

Dissertations and Theses

The United States (U.S.) is in the midst of an opioid overdose epidemic. In the U.S., overdose deaths related to opioid exposure are the leading cause of accidental death, yet life-saving treatments, such as methadone or buprenorphine (opioid agonist therapy [OAT]), are underused. OAT underused is due, in part, to complex regulatory and health services delivery environments. Public health officials and policymakers have focused on expanding OAT access in the community (e.g. office-based buprenorphine treatment, and opioid treatment programs); however, an often-overlooked component of the treatment pathway is the acute care delivery setting, in particular hospitals.

Opioid use disorder (OUD)-related …

Racial Disparities In A State Based Workers' Compensation System, Caroline Kristine Smith

Dissertations and Theses

Racial, ethnic, and linguistic minority workers suffer higher rates of work-related injuries and illnesses in the United States compared to their White counterparts. Explanations for these higher rates include potential socioeconomic causes (education, income, and wealth) and occupational segregation into more dangerous occupations. What is less studied are the post-injury sequelae for minority workers, which is their experiences in the workers' compensation system, as well as their health and return to paid employment. What is known comes primarily from qualitative literature, which includes themes of racial discrimination (from employers, health care providers, and workers' compensation employees), a lack of information …

Concerted Cultivation, Academic Achievement, And The Mediating Role Of Non-Cognitive Factors, Bryant Carlson

Dissertations and Theses

Previous research has focused on the role concerted cultivation has played as a pathway to academic achievement and cognitive skill acquisition, but there has been little to no attention given to the potential role concerted cultivation plays as a pathway to non-cognitive factors that shape academic achievement in school. There is substantial evidence that non-cognitive factors significantly determine educational and economic mobility, but we know relatively little about the specific role that parenting style, and concerted cultivation in particular, plays in shaping non-cognitive factors. The work of Bourdieu provides a rationale to hypothesize that the pathway connecting concerted cultivation to …

Scientists, Uncertainty And Nature, An Analysis Of The Development, Implementation And Unintended Consequences Of The Northwest Forest Plan, Gilbert David Miller

Dissertations and Theses

The conflict in the Pacific Northwest between competing visions of how federal forests should be managed resulted in a political stalemate in the early 1990s. The Northwest Forest Plan (NWFP) was initiated to resolve the demands for maintaining ecosystem processes and biological diversity with the social and economic needs for timber harvest. The foundation for the plan rested with the development of ecosystem management. The intent of this research is to explore the events which led up to the adoption of the NWFP, how it was implemented by the US Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management and the subsequent …

Stigmatization And Mental Illness: The Communication Of Social Identity Prototypes Through Diagnosis Labels, Justin Samuel Leverett

Dissertations and Theses

This study tested whether participants exposed to a vignette describing an individual experiencing symptoms of depression, which included only the specific diagnosis label of "depression," would report significantly less stigmatized responses than participants exposed to an otherwise identical vignette which included only the non-specific diagnosis label "mental illness." The study is grounded in past research on stigmatization of mental illness and is informed by three theoretical frameworks, the social identity perspective, attribution theory, and labeling theory. Participants were randomly assigned to read one of the two alternate vignettes, then respond to a series of measures testing desire for social distance, …