Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Torch (November/December 2010), Brandon Baldwin, Civil Rights Team Project

Torch: The Civil Rights Team Project Newsletter

No abstract provided.

Torch (October 2010), Brandon Baldwin, Civil Rights Team Project

Torch: The Civil Rights Team Project Newsletter

No abstract provided.

Women’S Health Disparities And Midwifery Care: Spotlight On Maine, Dorothy Hiersteiner

Publications from the Center for Women in Politics and Public Policy

With a large percentage of its population living in rural areas, Maine faces obstacles to providing adequate prenatal and maternity care to many women. The vast majority (96.2%) of Maine residents are non-Hispanic white, 1.2% are African American/black, 1.4% are Hispanic and 1.2% have other racial/ethnic backgrounds.

Torch (September 2010), Brandon Baldwin, Civil Rights Team Project

Torch: The Civil Rights Team Project Newsletter

No abstract provided.

A Comparison Of Maine’S Per Capita Spending, 1996-2006 To The Us And Other States, Ryan Boyd

Muskie School Capstones and Dissertations

The Great Recession of 2008-2010 is showing that the states and national government have spent too much. We need the vision of Thomas Friedman to move beyond our spending and planning habits of the past.1

In 2016, expenditures compared to 2006 will look very different, unlike the previous similarities of 1996 to 2006. This retraction, due to the recession and our government’s embracement of concerns about debt from policy wonks such as former US Comptroller David Walker, debt will have a significant affect on many populations of our society. Maine has been noted as being a state that looks after …

Torch (June 2010), Brandon Baldwin, Civil Rights Team Project

Torch: The Civil Rights Team Project Newsletter

No abstract provided.

Torch (May/June 2010), Brandon Baldwin, Civil Rights Team Project

Torch: The Civil Rights Team Project Newsletter

No abstract provided.

Torch (April 2010), Brandon Baldwin, Civil Rights Team Project

Torch: The Civil Rights Team Project Newsletter

No abstract provided.

Torch (March 2010), Brandon Baldwin, Civil Rights Team Project

Torch: The Civil Rights Team Project Newsletter

No abstract provided.

Torch (February 2010), Brandon Baldwin, Civil Rights Team Project

Torch: The Civil Rights Team Project Newsletter

No abstract provided.

The Maine Women's Advocate (2010 - Winter), Maine Women's Lobby Staff

Maine Women's Publications - All

No abstract provided.

Torch (January 2010), Brandon Baldwin, Civil Rights Team Project

Torch: The Civil Rights Team Project Newsletter

No abstract provided.

Educare: A Catalyst For Change, Lauren Sterling, Sheryl Peavey, Michael Burke

Maine Policy Review

Educare is a national model for providing center-based early childhood care and education, focused on improving student achievement for children growing up in poverty. The authors of this commentary describe development of Educare Central Maine in Waterville, scheduled to open in September 2010.

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.”

2010 Piscataqua Region Comprehensive Conservation And Management Plan (Ccmp), Piscataqua Region Estuaries Partnership

PREP Reports & Publications

In the fall of 2010, the Piscataqua Region Estuaries Partnership (PREP) completed an 18-month effort to understand current and future environmental issues affecting the Region’s estuaries, to establish realistic goals and objectives for the next 10 years, and to create effective action plans to systematically achieve the shared environmental goals of a broad base of Regional stakeholders.

With input from more than 150 individuals, representing 82 organizations, PREP compiled the 2010 Piscataqua Region Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan (CCMP) that lays the foundation for work over the next decade to protect and restore the Region’s estuaries and associated watersheds

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 …

Maine’S Paradoxical Politics, Kenneth Palmer

Maine Policy Review

Kenneth Palmer’s article, based on his 2009 University of Maine College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Maine Heritage Lecture, discusses the para­doxes of Maine’s politics that often draw national attention. He notes how these paradoxes have contrib­uted to the state’s having a “creative and effective political system.” Maine politics are dynamic in nature, with parties loosely hung together, governors winning by pluralities rather than majorities, and significant turnover both in members and parties in legislative districts. Palmer suggests that Maine’s political leaders find themselves as centrists, primarily because they want to find practical solutions to difficult problems.

Investing In Human Capital In Difficult Times: Maine’S Competitive Skills Scholarship Program, Sandra S. Butler, Luisa S. Deprez, John Dorrer, Auta M. Main

Maine Policy Review

The authors describe how the Competitive Skills Scholarship Program, administered by the Maine Department of Labor, aims both to meet the needs of Maine employers through improved access to a skilled labor force and to improve job prospects for low-income Mainers by providing access to educa­tion, training, and support. They note that many currently unemployed workers do not have the skills or experience to take advantage of the new job opportunities that are likely to arise, and that there is a demonstrated correlation between higher levels of education and training and both higher income and reduced unemployment. Preliminary data suggest …

Bite-Sized Democracy: The Virtues Of Incremental Change, Peter Mills

Maine Policy Review

In the Margaret Chase Smith Essay, Peter Mills draws on his long years of public service in both houses of the Maine Legislature to reflect on the values of gradual, incremental change in public policy.

Putting Equity Back In Reverse Mortgages: Helping Seniors Retire With Dignity, Andrew C. Helman

Maine Policy Review

Policymakers can help some seniors age in place through policies to strengthen private-sector reverse mortgages. In reverse mortgages, individuals who may be “house rich but cash poor” can use their home’s equity to receive regular income or get money through a credit line. Andrew Helman argues that state legislatures can help seniors avoid the “tricks and traps” of reverse mortgages by estab­lishing programs in which lenders who agree to play by rules that ensure the safety and security of such mortgages are placed on a “preferred” list for seniors seeking a loan. He observes that laying the groundwork now can …

Reinventing Maine Government: How Mainers Can Shape A Sustainable Government And A New Prosperity, Alan Caron, David Osborne

Maine Policy Review

In this commentary the authors highlight the challenges Maine faces. They suggest areas where the state could spend less, based on national comparative figures. They discuss what they call the “three ticking time bombs” in the state: the aging workforce, unfunded pension liabilities, and escalating costs of healthcare, and review what they consider to be inefficient structures in government at all levels. They argue that new thinking and new approaches are needed, and make a number of recommendations for “reinventing government” in Maine.