Digital Commons Network^™

Disaster Communication Networks: A Case Study Of The Thai Red Cross And Their Disaster Communication Response To The Asian Tsunami, Tami J. Matthews

Theses and Dissertations

Disaster victims and vulnerable populations are audiences that communications professionals and scholars have ignored. Public relation practices dominate current disaster communication policy. This study examines the disaster communication network, including policy and practice, of the Thai Red Cross, before, during, and after the Asian tsunami. Disaster communication(s) is defined as the sharing and exchange of information with the victims immediately affected by a disaster. This definition focuses specifically on the vulnerable audience and allows response efforts to emerge from multiple disciplines. Focusing response efforts on victims' assessed needs and abilities allows for a multi-disciplinary approach to mitigate further suffering. The …

Living In A Land Of Fire, R. J. Whelan, P. Kanowski, M. Gill, A. Andersen

Faculty of Science - Papers (Archive)

Fires are an inherent part of the Australian environment. They cannot be prevented, but the risks they pose — to life, health, property and infrastructure, production systems, and to environment values — can be minimised through systematic evaluation and strategic planning and management. Fires have a fundamental and irreplaceable role in sustaining many of Australia’s natural ecosystems and ecological processes, and they are a valuable tool for achieving many land management objectives. However, if they are too frequent or too infrequent, too severe or too mild, or mistimed, they can erode ecosystem ‘health’ and biodiversity and compromise other land management …

Empowering Senior Females By Utilizing Each Female Person's Voice To Create Desired Lifestyle Options, Icydor Aldale Mohabier

Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Theses

Interviews of senior females ranging in age from 55 through 72 were conducted between September 2004 and April 2005, in order to determine what lifestyle options this group would like made available to them. The participants represented a sample of senior females who had different backgrounds, including culture, education level, and economic circumstance. Although all the participants had very different lifestyles at the time of their interviews, most were satisfied with their current lifestyles but wanted to change something about it. The research results indicate that there are three desired lifestyle options that senior females want: socializing, improving their health, …

Nineteenth Century Review Of Mental Health Care For African Americans: A Legacy Of Service And Policy Barriers, Tony B. Lowe

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The need to focus on service and policy barriers to mental health service delivery for African Americans remains critical. The purpose of this article is to review nineteenth century care as a method for understanding contemporary service and policy barriers. A case study strategy is used to compare the efforts of Pennsylvania and South Carolina using primary and secondary sources to document these developments through a political economy perspective. These findings suggest that the prevailing social, political and economic realities have created mental health disparities along racial lines. Existing barriers are likely rooted in this same reality.

Carbon Dioxide And Climate Changes, Gregorio Marbán, Ana Arenillas, Ángeles Gómez Borrego, Teresa Valdés-Solís Iglesias, Marta Álvarez Rodríguez, Jesús M. Arrieta López De Uralde, Alexandra Coello Camba, Carlos M. Duarte Quesada, Neus Garcías Bonet, Núria Marbà Bordalba, Aurore Regaudie De Gioux, Sergio Ruiz Halpern, María Sánchez Camacho, Raquel Vaquer Suñer, Roberto Martínez Orio, Isabel Suárez Díaz, Ignacio Cruz Cruz, Diego Martínez Plaza, Fernanda Sánchez Ojanguren

Educational Materials on Latin American Energy

This short guide is divided into four sections. Each one provides an explanation of climate change and how it affects the following: ecosystems; our role as global citizens; our daily habits; the problems associated with the current energy sector; possible clean energy alternatives; and the challenge of transportation.

Communications Breakdown: Revisiting The Question Of Information And Its Significance For Community Informatics Projects, William Tibben

Faculty of Informatics - Papers (Archive)

The gap between those who understand the complexities of community requirements and the information technologists who can build the technologies represents a central focus of concern with Community Informatics (CI) research. This paper explores how different assumptions about the utility of information leads to poor communication between researchers and practitioners. Braman’s four-part hierarchy is a useful vehicle to investigate this as she seeks to include a range of actors such as policy makers, technologists and community members. A number of case study examples are explored to illustrate the value of Braman’s work for CI.

Development Plan For The Energy Sector 2007 - 2017, Bureau Des Mines Et De L'Energie

Latin American Energy Dialogue, White Papers and Reports

The national program for the development of the energy sector of Haiti seeks to enable policy makers and various stakeholders providing them with a management tool for the industry. The program covers the period 2007-2032. The conservation of natural resources (especially forests) from the point of view of energy management and environmental integrity will be considered through various measures such as: Support for more efficient use of fuel from wood and charcoal; the production of energy and other forest biomass resources; the conversion to diesel, bio-diesel and LPG of 1,000 small businesses that use wood as fuel; the promotion of …

When Can Politicians Scare Citizens Into Supporting Bad Policies? A Theory Of Incentives With Fear Based Content, Arthur Lupia, Jesse O. Mennng

Department of Political Science: Hendricks Symposium

Analysts make competing claims about when and how politicians can use fear to gain support for suboptimal policies. Using a model, we clarify how common attributes of fear affect politicians’ abilities to achieve self-serving outcomes that are bad for voters. In it, a politician provides information about a threat. His statement need not be true. How citizens respond differs from most game-theoretic models – we proceed from more dynamic (and realistic) assumptions about how citizens think. Our conclusions counter popular claims about how easily politicians use fear to manipulate citizens, yield different policy advice than does recent scholarship on counterterrorism, …

Icts And Political Accountability: An Assessment Of The Impact Of Digitization In Government On Political Accountability In Connecticut, Massachusetts And New York State, Albert Meijer

National Center for Digital Government

This report presents a first analysis of the results of empirical research into the impact of digitization on political accountability in Connecticut, Massachusetts and New York State. The report focuses on presenting the empirical findings and these data still require further analysis.

The United Kingdom Flexible Working Act, Georgetown Federal Legislation Clinic

Memos and Fact Sheets

In 2002, the United Kingdom passed new legislation granting employees with young or disabled children the right to request flexible work arrangements from their employers. The law does not guarantee a right to flexible working but seeks to increase flexibility in UK workplaces by requiring a process for negotiation between employees and employers. Stated simply, that process places the initial responsibility on the employee to propose a new work arrangement and explain its potential impact on the employer. The employee and employer must then consider the request together, and the employer may refuse the request only for certain business reasons.

Housing And Service Options For Older Adults In Maine, Julie T. Fralich Mba, Kate Maggioncalda

Disability & Aging

Older adults want to live at home and in their community as independently as possible for as long as possible (Bayer & Harper L, 2000). The housing and service needs of older adults vary greatly by age, by condition, by setting, by geographic region, and over time. Some older adults do not require any supportive services; others need services that may range from assistance with shopping to extensive need for nursing care. Needs also fluctuate in response to acute events (often requiring hospitalizations), or other temporary changes in health status. The challenge is to have a mix of private and …

"Put Up" On Platforms: A History Of Twentieth Century Adoption Policy In The United States, Michelle Kahan

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Adoption is closely intertwined with many issues that are central to public policy in this country-welfare and poverty, race and class, and gender. An analysis of the history of adoption shows how it has been shaped by the nation's mores and demographics. In order to better understand this phenomenon, and its significance to larger societal issues, this analysis reviews its historyfocusing on four key periods in which this country's adoption policy was shaped: the late Nineteenth Century's 'orphan trains'; the family preservation and Mothers' Pensions of the Progressive Era; World War II through the 1950s, with secrecy and the beginnings …

Labor Supply With Social Interactions: Econometric Estimates And Their Tax Policy Implications, Andrew Grodner, Thomas J. Kniesner

Center for Policy Research

Our research fleshes out econometric details of examining possible social interactions in labor supply. We look for a response of a person's hours worked to hours worked in the labor market reference group, which includes those with similar age, family structure, and location. We identify endogenous spillovers by instrumenting average hours worked in the reference group with hours worked in neighboring reference groups. Estimates of the canonical labor supply model indicate positive economically important spillovers for adult men. The estimated total wage elasticity of labor supply is 0.22, where 0.08 is the exogenous wage change effect and 0.14 is the …

Economic, Environmental And Social Performance Of The Irish Tourism Sector: Towards Sustainability, Kevin Griffin, John Carty

Conference papers

Ireland is promoted a clean, green tourism destination, famous for it’s landscape, environment, natural habitats and biodiversity. However, is this image still realistic and is it an image that can be sustained as Ireland develops post 2006? This question is examined through the course of this paper and relevant tourism policies are drawn on to illustrate this issue further.

Over the past decade, Irish tourism has performed quite well and has made a strong contribution to the national economy[1]. An efficient government sector, a competitive air and maritime transport sector, a strong partnership between public and private sector, …

Bus Rapid Transit: A Handbook For Partners, Mti Report 06-02, George E. Gray, Thomas F. Larwin, Norman Kelley

Mineta Transportation Institute

In April 2005, the Caltrans Division of Research and Innovation (DRI) asked MTI to assist with the research for and publication of a guidebook for use by Caltrans employees who work with local transit agencies and jurisdictions in planning, designing, and operating Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) systems that involve state facilities. The guidebook was also to assist to transit operators, local governments, community residents, and other stakeholders dealing with the development of BRT systems. Several areas in the state have experienced such projects ( San Diego , Los Angeles , San Francisco , and Alameda County ) and DRI wished …

Wealth Building In Rural America: Programs, Policies, Research, Jon Bailey, Jami Curley, Karen Edwards, Gena Gunn, Eric Henson, Njeri Kagotho, Anna Lee, Kathleen K. Miller, Luxman Nathan, Trina R. Shanks, Michael Sherraden, Margaret S. Sherraden, Jean Schumacher, Bill Schweke, Ann Ulmer

Center for Social Development Research

Wealth Building in Rural America: Programs, Policies, Research

Contributions Of The Earned Income Tax Credit To Community Development In Indian Country, Kristen Wagner, Karen Edwards, Miriam Jorgensen, Dana Klar

Center for Social Development Research

The earned income tax credit (EITC) has become a central element in a suite of programs and polices that promote “asset building” for the poor. Increasingly, it has become a way not only for individuals but also communities to turn their economic circumstances around. The Center for Social Development in collaboration with Kathryn M. Buder Center for American Indian Studies engaged ten Native community organizations currently providing free tax preparation services in a study that examined uptake and potential uses of Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) income by Native people. Through community surveys we learned that a majority of survey …

Academic Capabilities And Disadvantaged Students: The Role Of Institutions, William Elliott Iii, Margaret Sherrard Sherraden

Center for Social Development Research

Notwithstanding the far reaching intellectual and practical contributions of Bandura’s theory of self-efficacy, researchers have suggested that it may not adequately address the role of institutions. This paper suggests that traditional measures of self-efficacy underemphasize institutional factors. This may have important implications, especially for considering the circumstances of disadvantaged groups. It may be productive to think of self-efficacy as a multidimensional construct that includes personal and institutional dimensions. Using an interdisciplinary approach, we examine how self-efficacy theory can be expanded to account for the social and economic realities of disadvantaged groups and lead to empirical work that can inform policy …

Integrated Assessments Of Climate Variability And Change For Australian Agriculture – Connecting The Islands Of Knowledge, Holger Meinke, Mark Howden, Rohan Nelson

International Congress on Environmental Modelling and Software

Key clients for regional or national assessment capabilities are government and industry policymakers, who must deal with constantly changing policy questions. For instance, adaptation to climate change has relatively recently come onto the policy agenda, as has the interaction between adaptation and greenhouse gas mitigation. ’Integrated assessment’ has therefore become a common approach that attempts to demonstrate the policy relevance of science. It is intended to inform policies that ultimately lead to better risk management of agro-ecosystems (amongst other objectives). Increasingly policy stakeholders also demand realistic assessments of uncertainties that are associated with the scenarios underpinning such integrated assessments. This …

Integrated Assessments Of Climate Variability And Change For Australian Agriculture – Connecting The Islands Of Knowledge, Holger Meinke, Mark Howden, Rohan Nelson

International Congress on Environmental Modelling and Software

Key clients for regional or national assessment capabilities are government and industry policymakers, who must deal with constantly changing policy questions. For instance, adaptation to climate change has relatively recently come onto the policy agenda, as has the interaction between adaptation and greenhouse gas mitigation. ’Integrated assessment’ has therefore become a common approach that attempts to demonstrate the policy relevance of science. It is intended to inform policies that ultimately lead to better risk management of agro-ecosystems (amongst other objectives). Increasingly policy stakeholders also demand realistic assessments of uncertainties that are associated with the scenarios underpinning such integrated assessments. This …

The Social Implications Of Information Security Measures On Citizens And Business, K. Michael, M. G. Michael

Professor Katina Michael

The 2006 Workshop on the Social Implications of Information Security Measures on Citizens and Business was organised by the Research Network for a Secure Australia (RNSA) funded by the Australian Research Council. The Workshop will become a biennial event bringing together both researchers and practitioners in the fields relating to the national research priority entitled Safeguarding Australia.

In 2006, the workshop was held on the 29th May, at the Function Centre at the University of Wollongong between 8.30 am and 5.00 pm.

The Workshop was organised by RNSA members of the Centre for eBusiness Applications Research at the University of …

County Characteristics And Poverty Spell Length, Andrew Grodner, John A. Bishop, Thomas J. Kniesner

Center for Policy Research

*In this paper we ask, how do individual and community factors influence the average length of poverty spells? We measure local economic conditions by the county unemployment rate and neighborhood spillover effects by the racial makeup and poverty rate of the county. We find that moving an individual from one standard deviation below the mean poverty rate to one standard deviation above the mean poverty rate (from the inner city to the suburbs) lowers the average poverty spell by 20 to 25 percent. This effect is equal in magnitude to the effect of changing the household head from female to …

Senseless Kindness: The Politics Of Cost Benefit Analysis, Louis E. Wolcher

ExpressO

This essay identifies a social phenomenon that the Russian-Jewish novelist and war correspondent Vasily Grossman calls "senseless kindness." Emerging without prior warning from certain face-to-face encounters between human beings, the striking reversal of preferences that characterizes this phenomenon can be used to cast a critical light on the practices of Cost Benefit Analysis ("CBA"). Not only does senseless kindness highlight the troubling theoretical problem of determining the "correct" ex ante—the point in time at which CBA measures people's preferences—it also points towards the possibility of a more general critique of CBA's indifference to how preferences are formed and expressed. The …

Maine Women's Insider (April 2006), Maine Women's Lobby Staff

Maine Women's Publications - All

No abstract provided.

Performance Measurement: Managing And Using Home And Community-Based Services Data For Quality Improvement, Maureen Booth Mrp, Ma, Julie T. Fralich Mba

Disability & Aging

The Data Management and Use Series represents the third in a group of papers synthesizing the ideas and practices of states as they improve the quality of home and community based services (HCBS) and supports for older persons and persons with disabilities.

Reporting: Managing And Using Home And Community-Based Services Data For Quality Improvement, Taryn Bowe, Maureen Booth Mrp, Ma, Stuart Bratesman Mpp, Julie T. Fralich Mba

Disability & Aging

The Data Management and Use Series represents the third in a group of papers synthesizing the ideas and practices of states as they improve the quality of home and community based services (HCBS) and supports for older persons and persons with disabilities.

Data Quality And Analysis: Managing And Using Home And Community-Based Services Data For Quality Improvement, Julie T. Fralich Mba, Maureen Booth Mrp, Ma, Robert G. Keith Phd

Disability & Aging

The Data Management and Use Series represents the third in a group of papers synthesizing the ideas and practices of states as they improve the quality of home and community based services (HCBS) and supports for older persons and persons with disabilities.

Flexible Work Arrangements: A Definition And Examples, Workplace Flexibility 2010, Georgetown University Law Center

Memos and Fact Sheets

Workplace Flexibility 2010 defines a “flexible work arrangement” (FWA) as any one of a spectrum of work structures that alters the time and/or place that work gets done on a regular basis. A flexible work arrangement includes:

1. flexibility in the scheduling of hours worked, such as alternative work schedules (e.g., flex time and compressed workweeks), and arrangements regarding shift and break schedules;

2. flexibility in the amount of hours worked, such as part time work and job shares; and

3. flexibility in the place of work, such as working at home or at a satellite location.

Our research indicates …

When Policy Meets Practice: The Untested Effects Of Permanency Reforms In Child Welfare, Amy D’Andrade, J Berrick

Faculty Publications

The Adoption and Safe Families Act (P.L. 105-89; ASFA) passed into federal law in 1997. ASFA emphasized child protection over family preservation, and introduced reforms intended to increase the likelihood and the speed with which children in the child welfare system attain a permanent home. This article details two provisions of the law, concurrent planning and reunification exception, and explores challenges in their implementation. These provisions have the potential to shift the nature of how child welfare services are delivered, and which families will receive them. An examination of implementation in the state of California suggests there is a need …

Rehabilitating A Rogue: Libya’S Wmd Reversal And Lessons For Us Policy, Dafna Hochman

The US Army War College Quarterly: Parameters

No abstract provided.