Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Editor's Note, Padraig O'Malley

New England Journal of Public Policy

When you receive this issue of the New England Journal of Public Policy, we should be crossing the threshold from millennium mania to millennium madness. The former has concerned itself almost exclusively with the etiquette of millennium rites, where one ought to be on the occasion itself — embracing the starlit grandeur of the ancient pyramids, as if to remind ourselves that some things preceded the outgoing millennium and even exceeded the achievements of our own: in the silence of a Tibetan monastery to contemplate in serenity the philosophical implications of the momentous transition and reflect perhaps on the …

Welfare Reform: Lessons From New England, Richard M. Francis, Thomas J. Anton

New England Journal of Public Policy

This article examines state welfare policy choices following the passage of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act. Using data from national studies and an intensive study of policymaking in New England, the authors demonstrate that states have acted independently rather than uniformly in response to devolution. Because states did not respond as predicted, and for reasons that were not anticipated, scholars must develop new approaches to understanding state policymaking. This study argues that accounting for state policy choices requires an understanding of the context of policymaking. Conventional analyses of welfare reform have ignored the institutional structures through which …

The Mechtech Program: An Education And Training Model For The Next Century, Robert Forrant

New England Journal of Public Policy

The small-firm metalworking industry is routinely characterized by cutthroat competition and fierce privacy. Yet, since the late 1980s, the members of the western Massachusetts chapter of the National Tooling and Machining Association have participated in an education, training, and technology diffusion network characterized by a high degree of interfirm cooperation. Hundreds of workers and managers have take part in group training sessions and seminars. The reconstruction of the skill base is central to the MechTech apprenticeship program through which apprentices spend four years in participating firms, exiting the program as licensed machinists, tool and die makers, or moldmakers. In an …

Race, Class, And The Distribution Of Radioactive Waste In New England, Douglas J. Anderton, John Michael Oates, Michael R. Fraser

New England Journal of Public Policy

Objective. Inequity in the distribution of environmental burdens among social groups, for example, minority and disadvantaged segments of the population, is an important topic in policy research. This research has largely focused on hazardous waste facilities and Superfund sites. Yet federal mandates to the states raise similar concerns over the social distribution of low-level radioactive waste facilities (LLRWFs). This study seeks to provide the first evaluation of equity in the distribution of LLRWFs within a state.

Methods. We use data from the 1990 Census to compare selected characteristics of tracts with low-level radioactive waste facilities to tracts without, tracts nearby …

University Reporter - Vol. 04, No. 01 - September 1999, University Of Massachusetts Boston

1996-2009, University Reporter

No abstract provided.

Making Family Leave More Affordable In Massachusetts: The Temporary Disability Insurance Model, Jillian P. Dickert

Publications from the Center for Women in Politics and Public Policy

The passage of the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) in 1993 was a milestone in the development of America’s basic labor standards. But many realized that the Act—which guaranteed 12 weeks unpaid leave for employees of large businesses—was only a cautious first step. The US continues to lag far behind most other nations in providing paid time off for employees needing to care for family members or their own non-work-related illnesses.

States have begun to examine ways to expand both federal and state family and medical leave policies to make them accessible to more workers. State Temporary Disability Insurance …

Research To Practice: Working It Out: Workplace Experiences Of Individuals With Hiv And Individuals With Cancer, Sheila Fesko

Research to Practice Series, Institute for Community Inclusion

This brief describes the experiences of individuals with these illnesses, underlines similarities and differences between the two groups, and provides strategies for disclosure, support, and personal advocacy in the workplace.

Economic Currents: The State Of The State Economy, Alan Clayton-Matthews

Public Policy and Public Affairs Faculty Publication Series

Nascent signs of imbalance are appearing in the Massachusetts economy. Wage rates and housing prices are beginning to rise at an unsustainable pace as a result of labor shortages and strong consumer demand. At the same time, the manufacturing sector continues to suffer from the economic crisis in Asia.

Addressing The Inadequacies Of Information Available On The Internet: The Prospect For A Technical Solution, Alan I. Goldman

Critical and Creative Thinking Capstones Collection

In the past ten years the Internet has been the carrier and transmitter of vast amounts of information. Most of it has never been subjected to peer review or even casual review and has therefore been the source of misinformation. Additionally, there is need for more researchers to utilize critical thinking techniques of evaluating the credibility of sources.

This paper chronicles my critical and creative thinking processes and results regarding these three areas of the information problems that are prevalent on the Internet. The first area is the problem of bad, biased or incorrect information including hoaxes and scams. I …

Policy Brief: Provisions In The Workforce Investment Act Describing The Interplay Between Workforce Investment Systems And Vocational Rehabilitation Programs, Robert Silverstein

Policy Briefs Series, Institute for Community Inclusion

This brief identifies the sections in Title I of the Workforce Investment Act that specifically reference the state VR program, individuals with disabilities, and organizations representing individuals with disabilities.

University Reporter - Vol. 03, No. 09 - May 1999, University Of Massachusetts Boston

1996-2009, University Reporter

No abstract provided.

University Reporter - Vol. 03, No. 09 - May 1999 - Calendar, University Of Massachusetts Boston

1996-2009, University Reporter

No abstract provided.

Economic Currents: The State Of The State Economy, Alan Clayton-Matthews

Public Policy and Public Affairs Faculty Publication Series

Even as we are experiencing the full effect of the Asian crises that began in the summer of 1997, the United States and Massachusetts economies are displaying a surprising robustness.

University Reporter - Vol. 03, No. 08 - April 1999 - Calendar, University Of Massachusetts Boston

1996-2009, University Reporter

No abstract provided.

University Reporter - Vol. 03, No. 08 - April 1999, University Of Massachusetts Boston

1996-2009, University Reporter

No abstract provided.

Housing For All: Addressing The Housing Needs Of Massachusetts' North Shore Residents, Theresa Mason, Elaine Werby, Caroline Coscia, Lisa Ward, Donna Friedman

Center for Social Policy Publications

The aim of this report is to support North Shore efforts to build a regional approach to housing.

The report explores the housing needs of people who are caught in the squeeze between low incomes and high housing costs. The report has two goals:

1. to provide information for understanding the need to expand below market rate housing;
2. to illustrate that need by providing detailed documentation on the situation in Gloucester, Peabody, and Salem.

The report is not intended to propose solutions, but to provide groundwork for solutions.

University Reporter - Vol. 03, No. 07 - March 1999 - Calendar, University Of Massachusetts Boston

1996-2009, University Reporter

No abstract provided.

University Reporter - Vol. 03, No. 07 - March 1999, University Of Massachusetts Boston

1996-2009, University Reporter

No abstract provided.

University Reporter - Vol. 03, No. 06 - February 1999, University Of Massachusetts Boston

1996-2009, University Reporter

No abstract provided.

University Reporter - Vol. 03, No. 06 - February 1999 - Calendar, University Of Massachusetts Boston

1996-2009, University Reporter

No abstract provided.

Institute Brief: Recreation In The Community, Maria Paiewonsky, Susan Tufts

The Institute Brief Series, Institute for Community Inclusion

Recommendations from community recreation providers on how to include youth with disabilities in recreation programs.

Tools For Inclusion: Networking: A Consumer Guide To An Effective Job Search, Cecilia Gandolfo

Tools for Inclusion Series, Institute for Community Inclusion

Based on an ICI training workshop, this brief teaches job seekers with disabilities how to become more proactive in their job search.

Research To Practice: The Successes And Struggles Of Closing A Facility-Based Employment Service, John Butterworth, Sheila Fesko

Research to Practice Series, Institute for Community Inclusion

A brief overview of findings from the Conversion to Integrated Employment monographs.

Institute Brief: Quality Employment Services: Will You Know It When You See It?, David Hoff

The Institute Brief Series, Institute for Community Inclusion

Guidelines and steps for people with disabilities to evaluate agencies in order to receive services that best meet their individual needs.

Economic Currents: The State Of The State Economy, Alan Clayton-Matthews

Public Policy and Public Affairs Faculty Publication Series

The state and national economies are now feeling the brunt of the global economic crisis. So far, the pattern of events in the Commonwealth has mirrored that of the nation. This is not surprising, since the source of the problem — the global slowdown and financial uncertainty — is an external shock that affects all the nation’s regions through international trade and financial markets.

University Reporter - Vol. 03, No. 05 - January 1999, University Of Massachusetts Boston

1996-2009, University Reporter

No abstract provided.

University Reporter - Vol. 03, No. 05 - January 1999 - Calendar, University Of Massachusetts Boston

1996-2009, University Reporter

No abstract provided.

Research To Practice: Barriers To Transition Planning For Parents Of Adolescents With Special Health Care Needs, Jaimie Ciulla Timmons, James P. Mcintyre Jr., Jean Whitney-Thomas, John Butterworth, Deborah Allen

Research to Practice Series, Institute for Community Inclusion

An examination of the transition planning experiences and concerns of family members of young adults with special health care needs.

University Reporter - Vol. 03, No. 04 - December 1998 - Calendar Of Events, University Of Massachusetts Boston

1996-2009, University Reporter

No abstract provided.

University Reporter - Vol. 03, No. 04 - December 1998, University Of Massachusetts Boston

1996-2009, University Reporter

No abstract provided.