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- Maine (32)
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Articles 1 - 30 of 73
Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences
The Disposal Mode Of Maine’S Waste Governance, Travis Blackmer, Brieanne Berry, Michael Haedicke, Cindy Isenhour, Susanne Lee, Jean Macrae, Deborah Saber, Erin Victor
The Disposal Mode Of Maine’S Waste Governance, Travis Blackmer, Brieanne Berry, Michael Haedicke, Cindy Isenhour, Susanne Lee, Jean Macrae, Deborah Saber, Erin Victor
Maine Policy Review
Maine’s materials management system is stuck in a disposal mode of waste governance. Despite significant investments in programs and policies designed to reduce the amount of waste the state buries each year, recent shocks and uncertainties have resulted in increased waste generation and disposal. This paper analyzes specific ways through which materials management in Maine has become locked in to a disposal mode of waste governance. We build a framework to help understand various forms of lock-in and how they might be unlocked. This framework is applied to the extended producer responsibility packaging law that is presently under the rule-making …
Comanagement In Maine: Integrating Fishermen’S Ecological Knowledge Into Government Oversight Of Fisheries, Anne Hayden
Comanagement In Maine: Integrating Fishermen’S Ecological Knowledge Into Government Oversight Of Fisheries, Anne Hayden
Maine Policy Review
Comanagement is the sharing of responsibility for management between fishermen and fisheries agencies. It shifts fishermen’s incentives to include longer term conservation goals, generates fine-scale information for management that would not otherwise be available, and develops fishing strategies that are consistent with conservation. Analysis of comanaged fisheries in Maine, for lobster, clams, river herring, and scallops, indicates that comanagement improves fisheries productivity and is more effective than standard, top-down, broad-scale fisheries management.
Community Science’S Contributions To Fostering Relational Values To Overcome Coastal Ecosystems Challenges, Kanae Tokunaga, Pauline Angione, Bill Zoellick, Gayle Bowness, Sheba Brown, Claire Enterline, Sarah L. Kirn, Abigail Long, Stephanie Sun, Aaron Whitman
Community Science’S Contributions To Fostering Relational Values To Overcome Coastal Ecosystems Challenges, Kanae Tokunaga, Pauline Angione, Bill Zoellick, Gayle Bowness, Sheba Brown, Claire Enterline, Sarah L. Kirn, Abigail Long, Stephanie Sun, Aaron Whitman
Maine Policy Review
This paper applies the emerging concept of ‘relational values’ – values people hold toward their relationships with nature and with each other – and brings attention to the role of community science in enhancing relational ecosystem values. We feature Gouldsboro Shore, Gulf of Maine Research Institute’s (GMRI) coastal flood monitoring, and river herring monitoring and restoration efforts as focal examples. Gouldsboro Shore activates community volunteers and high school students to support the management and resilience of their clam fishery in Gouldsboro, ME. GMRI’s flood monitoring provides a platform for coastal residents to report, monitor, and map coastal flooding in participating …
Is Aquaculture A Path To Community Resilience In Maine?, Benjamin J. Cotton, Caroline L. Noblet, Bruce Wyatt, Keith S. Evans, Mario F. Teisl
Is Aquaculture A Path To Community Resilience In Maine?, Benjamin J. Cotton, Caroline L. Noblet, Bruce Wyatt, Keith S. Evans, Mario F. Teisl
Maine Policy Review
Coastal towns across Maine face a number of challenges maintaining resilience, posing a threat in their response to disaster. Aquaculture has been presented as a potential solution for some coastal communities; however, the question of ‘fit’ is a source of debate within Maine. Decision-makers may seek further understanding of citizens’ perceptions of their community’s resilience and marine aquaculture, including preferences for supporting growth of the sector across the state's coastal region. To provide this information, we analyze data from a survey of Maine citizens. We assess residents’ perceptions of community resilience and whether marine aquaculture supports resiliency goals along the …
Facing A Care Crunch: Childcare Disruption And Economic Hardships For Maine Parents During Covid-19, Sarah F. Small
Facing A Care Crunch: Childcare Disruption And Economic Hardships For Maine Parents During Covid-19, Sarah F. Small
Maine Policy Review
Pandemic-related childcare center closures along with virtual schooling forced many Maine parents to juggle their paid work with care responsibilities, often with dire economic consequences. In this article, I examine changes in the state’s childcare landscape and illustrate how the childcare crisis during the COVID-19 pandemic affected Mainers’ economic wellbeing. Using Household Pulse Survey data, I show how care disruptions dampened Mainer’s incomes and their ability to work, placing many in precarious economic situations. I conclude with an investigation of the effectiveness of policy solutions like the Child Tax Credit and further policy suggestions to support childcare in the state.
Looking Forward While Being Pushed Back: How Accurate Were Economic Forecasts For Maine During The Pandemic?, Andrew Crawley, Angela Hallowell
Looking Forward While Being Pushed Back: How Accurate Were Economic Forecasts For Maine During The Pandemic?, Andrew Crawley, Angela Hallowell
Maine Policy Review
Economic forecasting is always a challenging process and how we understand the future often relies on what we have seen in the past. As COVID-19 case numbers began to increase, economies were forced to shutter and stay at home orders were implemented. In this paper, we compare our initial forecasts for output, employment, and tax revenue to actual values for 2020. Overall Maine’s economy was more resilient than our forecasts first predicted, with tax revenues far exceeding the initial projections. However, when the numbers are explored further it becomes clear that federal funds were a critical lifeline during turbulent times, …
The Comedy Of Maine’S Commons: Private Ownership As Economic Development, Michael Cianchette
The Comedy Of Maine’S Commons: Private Ownership As Economic Development, Michael Cianchette
Maine Policy Review
In Maine, we have managed to avoid the tragedy of the commons in several arenas. One way we have supplanted tragedy with comedy is through supporting and respecting private ownership of property. Some of this support is by necessity, as areas that might be publicly owned in other states—such as our expansive forests—are predominately privately owned in Maine. Other times, it is through a recognition that the private sector supports responsible public investment and is willing to financially support it through increased tax revenue. As Maine prepares for its next 200 years, policymakers should take heed of these examples. Government …
Reflecting On Maine’S Changing Productive Coastal Region, Teresa R. Johnson
Reflecting On Maine’S Changing Productive Coastal Region, Teresa R. Johnson
Maine Policy Review
This article reflects on Maine’s changing coastal region and blue economy. Much of Maine’s coastal economy is now considered to be overly dependent on a single commercial fishery, the iconic Maine lobster fishery. Marine aquaculture has grown in the last 10 years, with expansion expected both on land and sea. Marine renewable energy is also an emerging use but remains a frontier. These changes have been exacerbated by demographic changes characterized by youth out- and amenity migration. As community demographics and coastal uses continue to change following the region’s postproductive transition, policymakers must be proactive in considering potential conflicts emerging …
Declining Economic Opportunity And A Shrinking Safety Net: Consequences For Maine, Ryan M. Larochelle
Declining Economic Opportunity And A Shrinking Safety Net: Consequences For Maine, Ryan M. Larochelle
Maine Policy Review
Ryan LaRochelle discusses the consequences of declining economic opportunity and a shrinking social safety net for Maine. LaRochelle recommends that policymakers in Augusta recognize how precarious many Mainers’ economic situations are and take action.
What Does The Future Hold For Maine’S Lobster Industry?, James Acheson, Ann Acheson
What Does The Future Hold For Maine’S Lobster Industry?, James Acheson, Ann Acheson
Maine Policy Review
The Maine lobster industry is one of the most successfully managed fisheries in the world. Catches have been at record high levels since the 1990s due to favorable environmental factors, regulations enacted over a period of years, and the conservation ethic of fishermen. The industry faces problems that threaten its future: shell disease, climate change, increased regulations to protect right whales, and economic uncertainty. Several approaches could help protect the lobster industry, including enacting lower trap limits, expanding markets for live and processed lobster, and increasing in-state processing capacity. The latter two are already underway, but prospects for lower trap …
Maine’S Changing Demographics: Implications For Workforce, Economy, And Policy, Amanda K. Rector
Maine’S Changing Demographics: Implications For Workforce, Economy, And Policy, Amanda K. Rector
Maine Policy Review
The fundamental purpose of any policy is to safeguard and improve the well-being of people. The understanding of any policy decision, therefore, must start with an understanding of demographics. This article reviews Maine’s demographics using data from the 1820 and 1920 censuses and comparing them to recent population estimates. The author finds trends that persist over time as well as ways in which Maine’s demographics have changed over the past 200 years. As 2019 ended and 2020 began, Maine saw its largest challenges as being related to the current demographic situation: slow population growth, limited available workforce, and increased demand …
Institutional Challenges To Workforce Development In Maine, Thomas Remington
Institutional Challenges To Workforce Development In Maine, Thomas Remington
Maine Policy Review
The problem of workforce development in Maine has become acute. An important factor for understanding the issue of workforce development, in Maine and nationally, is rising economic inequality. High inequality impedes the working of labor markets, and over time, reduces opportunity and mobility. In Maine, as elsewhere, income gaps have widened between rich and poor while the middle class has been shrinking. Moreover, the gap between high-income and low-income counties has been growing. Meantime, many good-paying jobs are going unfilled. Comprehensive institutional solutions can help overcome these problems by matching supply and demand in the labor market, but they are …
Attracting New Maine Residents: The Effects Of Educational Attainment And Age On Interstate Mobility, Paul Leparulo
Attracting New Maine Residents: The Effects Of Educational Attainment And Age On Interstate Mobility, Paul Leparulo
Maine Policy Review
Maine faces population issues that pose considerable headwinds to the state’s economic growth and prosperity. Restoring a more robust growth path will require attracting new residents to the state. This article examines some of the factors that cause individuals to relocate across state lines. I quantify the relationship between educational attainment, age, and interstate mobility and find that having a bachelor’s degree or higher has a large, positive, statistically significant effect on the probability of making an interstate move. The effect is strongest for people in their twenties (the youngest age in the restricted sample) and diminishes with age. The …
How Well Is Maine Doing? Comparing Well-Being Across Maine Counties, Angela Daley, Andrew Crawley, Muntasir Rahman, Jake Demosthenes, Erin Lyons
How Well Is Maine Doing? Comparing Well-Being Across Maine Counties, Angela Daley, Andrew Crawley, Muntasir Rahman, Jake Demosthenes, Erin Lyons
Maine Policy Review
Maine has experienced major challenges over the last decade including recession, stagnant recovery, and industrial and population decline. But by some measures, Maine is still seen as one of the best in the United States for well-being. In this paper, we critique the notion of what well-being is and how it is measured. Based on the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s Better Life Initiative, we then propose and construct an index to compare well-being across Maine counties. Our work gives new insights on the types of challenges counties are facing and provides policymakers a new way of empirically understanding …
The Proposed Park In Maine's North Woods: Preferences Of Out-Of-State Visitors, Ryunosuke Matsuura, Sahan T. Dissanayake, Andrew G. Meyer
The Proposed Park In Maine's North Woods: Preferences Of Out-Of-State Visitors, Ryunosuke Matsuura, Sahan T. Dissanayake, Andrew G. Meyer
Maine Policy Review
The proposal to create a new national park and national recreation area in northern Maine has met with much support and also much opposition from within Maine. Over 90 percent of overnight visitors to Maine recreation sites come from out of state but currently there is no information about out-of-state visitors’ preferences for the proposed park. Our research contributes to filling this information gap by identifying preferences and willingness to pay (WTP) for the proposed park from survey respondents from seven neighboring states. A majority of the 532 respondents stated that they would be likely to visit the new park, …
The Trans-Pacific Partnership’S Potential Economic Impact On Maine, Catherine Reilly Delutio, Philip A. Trostel
The Trans-Pacific Partnership’S Potential Economic Impact On Maine, Catherine Reilly Delutio, Philip A. Trostel
Maine Policy Review
The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) is a free-trade agreement (FTA) between 12 Pacific-Rim countries. If passed, it would be the largest FTA in which the United States participates. Catherine Reilly deLutio and Philip Trostel assess the potential impact of the TPP’s tariff reductions and quota increases on Maine’s economy. The results suggest that the TPP would likely generate slight increases in overall measures of Maine’s economy. The benefits would be relatively small and spread across the population.
Tying The Knot: The Importance Of Financial Literacy Education In Maine, David M. Leach
Tying The Knot: The Importance Of Financial Literacy Education In Maine, David M. Leach
Maine Policy Review
David Leach discusses the importance of financial literacy and describes the Downeaster Consumer Guides, a series of publications on credit cards, debt collection, auto buying and financing, credit reports and scores, home buying and financing, consumer scams, student loans, consumer credit, elder financial protection, and high-interest loans published by Bureau of Consumer Credit Protection.
Impact Investing And Community Development, Ronald Phillips
Impact Investing And Community Development, Ronald Phillips
Maine Policy Review
The growing and worldwide practice called “impact investing”—investing capital for a social as well as financial return - is increasingly challenging private investors and managers of wealth, university endowments, mutual funds, foundations, pension funds, and individuals to direct capital in ways that contributes to the good of society. With roots in the 1960s civil rights era, the multi-billion dollar U.S. Community Development Corporations (CDCs) and Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) industry can serve as a major vehicle for impact investors. CDCs/CDFIs raise and deploy private and public capital to benefit marginalized populations and regions of the country aspiring for economic …
The Economic Implications Of Maine’S Changing Age Structure, James Breece, Glenn Mills, Todd Gabe
The Economic Implications Of Maine’S Changing Age Structure, James Breece, Glenn Mills, Todd Gabe
Maine Policy Review
The authors analyze the major implications of Maine’s aging population on the state’s workforce and economy. They note that there are steps that can be taken to partially mitigate the negative impacts and capitalize on the opportunities associated with an aging population.
Ripples From The East Coast Stream: Contributions From Migrant Hispanic Workers To Maine’S Wild Blueberry Industry, Vaishali Mamgain
Ripples From The East Coast Stream: Contributions From Migrant Hispanic Workers To Maine’S Wild Blueberry Industry, Vaishali Mamgain
Maine Policy Review
Interviews with 46 Hispanic migrant workers in the wild blueberry industry in Maine revealed they harvest different crops in several states and come to Maine at the end of the “East Coast Stream.” Although workers varied in productivity (and hence income), overall the group earned good income and contributed significantly to the Maine economy as workers and consumers. Based on these findings, governmental laws and policies are discussed in terms of their potential impact. A consideration of Maine’s aging population and interviews with employers demonstrate these workers’ importance: without them employers say, the wild blueberry industry would not be competitive.
Economic Development And Maine’S Sustainability Solutions Initiative, Caroline L. Noblet, Kathleen P. Bell, Charles Colgan, Mario Teisl
Economic Development And Maine’S Sustainability Solutions Initiative, Caroline L. Noblet, Kathleen P. Bell, Charles Colgan, Mario Teisl
Maine Policy Review
The authors discuss how Maine’s Sustainability Solutions Initiative (SSI) can contribute to economic development in the state. SSI research is covering five of the seven targeted technology areas identified in recent reports as being important for economic development in the state (forestry and agriculture, environmental, information, composites, marine and aquaculture). The authors note how the broad scope of research carried out through SSI provides opportunities to catalyze new commercial opportunities. As important, SSI is providing many students with a unique learning environment that will prepare them for the new knowledge-based economy.
Attraction And Retention—Maine’S Challenge, Ed Cervone
Attraction And Retention—Maine’S Challenge, Ed Cervone
Maine Policy Review
In the Margaret Chase Smith Essay Ed Cervone, Presdent/CEO of the Maine Development Foundation, discusses Maine’s demographic challenges in attracting and retaining population if the state is to grow its economy and sustain that growth. He makes recommendations for attracting a larger, younger, and more diverse population.
Home Care Workers In Maine: Increasingly Essential Workers Face Difficult Job Conditions, Sandra S. Butler
Home Care Workers In Maine: Increasingly Essential Workers Face Difficult Job Conditions, Sandra S. Butler
Maine Policy Review
As the population in Maine ages, the need for home care workers is increasing. Turnover is high in this field and the longitudinal Home Care Retention Study (HCWRS; n = 261) reported herein examined predictors of turnover and work experiences of home care aides in Maine. Younger age, lack of health insurance and poorer mental health were among the predictors of termination for the 90 study participants who left their jobs. In telephone interviews, they spoke of low wages, inconsistent hours, unreimbursed mileage and poor communication with employers in describing why they had left their jobs. A follow-up inquiry with …
Maine’S Food-Related Workforce: Characteristics And Challenges, Valerie J. Carter
Maine’S Food-Related Workforce: Characteristics And Challenges, Valerie J. Carter
Maine Policy Review
As described in this article, people who produce, process, transport, sell, prepare, and serve food are a key part not only of the food system but the economy overall. In Maine, by a conservative estimate they are almost 17 percent of the total workforce and range from farmers and fishermen to truckers, cooks, waitstaff, and cashiers. Some work in food-related enterprises, while others perform food-related tasks in other kinds of organizations, such as schools or hospitals. Although the food-related workforce is diverse, the author points out that the majority of workers and entrepreneurs are poorly paid; many work only part-time; …
The Renaissance Of A Food-Based Economy In Skowhegan, Amber Lambke
The Renaissance Of A Food-Based Economy In Skowhegan, Amber Lambke
Maine Policy Review
This case study discusses the example of Skowhegan, Maine, which is seeing the rebirth of a local food-based economy, focused on the development of a local grist mill and farmer’s market
Micmac Farms: From Community Garden To Four-Season Farm And Retail Outlet, Jane Caulfield
Micmac Farms: From Community Garden To Four-Season Farm And Retail Outlet, Jane Caulfield
Maine Policy Review
This short case study describes how Maine’s Micmac tribe is developing “Micmac Farms” from a community garden to a four-season agricultural business.
Economic Assessment Of Children’S Health And The Environment In Maine, Mary E. Davis
Economic Assessment Of Children’S Health And The Environment In Maine, Mary E. Davis
Maine Policy Review
Reducing children’s exposure to environmental toxins is important for both moral and economic reasons. Mary Davis discusses the economic impact of environmentally related childhood illnesses in Maine, focusing on disease categories with fairly strong evidence connecting environmental pollution to childhood diseases: lead poisoning, asthma, neurobehavioral disorders, and cancer. Lead poisoning and neurobehavioral conditions are the most expensive because they lead to chronic diseases that are largely incurable and not easily treated. She concludes that state funding for initiatives aimed at reducing childhood exposure to environmental pollutants “would be money well spent.”
Prospects For A Rim County Population Rebound: Can Quality Of Place Lure In-Migrants?, David Vail
Prospects For A Rim County Population Rebound: Can Quality Of Place Lure In-Migrants?, David Vail
Maine Policy Review
David Vail asks whether population will rebound in Maine’s rural “rim” counties and whether investing to enhance “quality of place” can attract large numbers of rural settlers. Review of the evidence suggests that Maine’s rim counties are not experiencing a population rebound and that rural counties vary greatly in their ability to hold onto existing residents or attract new ones. Vail argues that quality-of-place investments should not be considered as a core development tool for rural areas, but that they can complement traditional rural economic policy measures. Since it is difficult to stimulate a major population movement to Maine’s rim …
Land Use Planning On A Grand Scale: A Decision Maker’S Perspective, E. Bart Harvey Iii
Land Use Planning On A Grand Scale: A Decision Maker’S Perspective, E. Bart Harvey Iii
Maine Policy Review
The author of this commentary, who served as a commissioner on the Maine Land Use Planning Commission (LURC) discusses the ground-breaking 400,000-acre concept plan by Plum Creek Corporation for development of the Moosehead Lake region in Maine. The highly-contested plan approved by LURC involves rezoning for hundreds of acres to allow for single family homes and resorts, and sets aside significant acreage in conservation.
The Early Childhood Workforce, Julie Dellamattera
The Early Childhood Workforce, Julie Dellamattera
Maine Policy Review
Julie DellaMattera describes how the strongest predictors of high-quality care and early education are the educational preparation of early educators, their continued training, compensation, and recognition of their professionalism. She presents information on the current patterns of educational preparation and poor compensation of early educators and offers recommendations to improve training and compensation. DellaMattera notes the need to also change public perceptions of those who work in the field of early care and education so that they are respected for their specialized knowledge.