Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Selection Bias In College Admissions Test Scores, Jesse Rothstein, Melissa Clark, Diane Schanzenbach

Diane Whitmore Schanzenbach

Data from college admissions tests can provide a valuable measure of student achievement, but the non-representativeness of test-takers is an important concern. We examine selectivity bias in both state-level and school-level SAT and ACT averages. The degree of selectivity may differ importantly across and within schools, and across and within states. To identify within-state selectivity, we use a control function approach that conditions on scores from a representative test. Estimates indicate strong selectivity of test-takers in "ACT states," where most college- bound students take the ACT, and much less selectivity in SAT states. To identify within- and between-school selectivity, we …

Ddasaccident661, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

At 11:30 hrs on 15th Dec 2009, [the Victim] the Team Leader of the EOD -01 was working as a deminer and trying to identify the actual mined area. While he was excavating on a signal by a pick, he hit the mine and it caused to the accident. As [the Victim] was not well prepared and fully dressed with PPE, he has got severe injures to face, eyes and forehead.

Strengthening Security And Oversight At Biological Research Laboratories, Michael Greenberger

Michael Greenberger

With the advent of the Anthrax attacks in the fall of 2001, this Nation has been confronted with a serious policy conundrum. On the one hand, we have strengthened programs that encourage the use of our best scientific resources to develop countermeasures to the weaponization of highly dangerous biopathogens. On the other hand, research on those countermeasures requires the use of the very biopathogens we seek to defeat. There have been many mishaps in the handling of those pathogens, which raises the frightening prospect that the research may be as (or more) dangerous than the potential bioterrorist acts themselves. Indeed, …

Ddasaccident765, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

The deminer was instructed by his Section Leader to move the UXO and place the item concerned in the demolition pit, which was located 21 metres away from the deminer’s working area / lane. On the way to the demolition pit the deminer accidentally dropped the UXO and according to the Section Leader, the deminer dropped the UXO directly on to stone that was in the ground and subsequently the UXO detonated. Timings for the accident were recorded as follows:

Venture Philanthropy In 2009: Developments In The Field Since "Virtuous Capital", Annika Many

Master in Public Administration Theses

This study will examine the evolution of the field of venture philanthropy since the late 1990s and will provide an updated guide to the types of organizations utilizing venture philanthropy strategies across the United States and internationally. The purpose of this research is to investigate how the field has changed as it has matured, to identify the key players and learnings of organizations across the field, and to develop a framework for the types of organizations that have been the most successful in implementing the venture philanthropy model.

Deliberative Democracy And Inequality: Two Cheers For Enclave Deliberation Among The Disempowered, Christopher F. Karpowitz, Chad Raphael, Allen S. Hammond Iv

Communication

Deliberative democracy grounds its legitimacy largely in the ability of speakers to participate on equal terms. Yet theorists and practitioners have struggled with how to establish deliberative equality in the face of stark differences of power in liberal democracies. Designers of innovative civic forums for deliberation often aim to neutralize inequities among participants through proportional inclusion of disempowered speakers and discourses. In contrast, others argue that democratic equality is best achieved when disempowered groups deliberate in their own enclaves (interest groups, parties, and movements) before entering the broader public sphere. Borrowing from each perspective, the authors argue that there are …

That Could Be Me: The New Voices Of Poverty In Idaho, Stephanie Witt, Lisa Wennstrom, Carole Nemnich

Research and Reports

In fall of 2009, Boise State University Radio aired a series of stories highlighting the impacts of the changing economy on ordinary Idahoans. The stories were part of a larger project funded in part by the National Center for Media Engagement. The project culminated in a community roundtable held in September of 2009 at which advocates and policy makers discussed the stories, the larger context of poverty here in Idaho, and made policy recommendations. The Public Policy Center at Boise State University was contracted by Boise State Radio to prepare this short white paper. The paper is divided into three …

Recommendations For National Action Plans On Victim Assistance, Hi

Global CWD Repository

Handicap International has drawn up these recommendations to support stakeholders involved in creating and updating National Action Plans on Victim Assistance throughout the period 2010-2014 in accordance with the Cartagena Action Plan and other international humanitarian and human rights standards. These stakeholders include countries affected by mines/explosive remnants of war (ERW), survivors, disabled persons’ organizations (DPO) and other civil society representatives, international organizations and countries committed to international cooperation.

Torch (December 2009), Brandon Baldwin, Civil Rights Team Project

Torch: The Civil Rights Team Project Newsletter

No abstract provided.

9th Meeting Of The States Parties To The Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention (2008), Apmbc

Global CWD Repository

The 9MSP was a formal meeting of the 156 States which have accepted the 1997 Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on their Destruction. It was held in accordance with Article 11 of the Convention and pursuant to the decisions of the 2004 First Review Conference and the 2007 Eighth Meeting of the States Parties (8MSP).

The 9MSP was particularly significant in the life of the Convention. It was the first meeting in which States Parties’ requests for extensions of Article 5 deadlines were considered. It was also the last opportunity …

Important Or Impotent? Radical Right Political Parties And Public Policy In Germany And Austria, Marcella J. Myers

Dissertations

Across Western Europe throughout the 1990s radical right political parties emerged and gained some electoral success. Since that time, particularly in the face of the popularity of the National Front in France and the Freedom Party in Austria, many studies have been conducted examining the voting behavior, party membership and ideologies of these parties, and what the parties mean to democratic governments. Largely unexamined are the effects of radical right political parties on public policy. This study attempts to evaluate the effect of radical right parties on public policy by using a most similar, case study research design, relying heavily …

Re-Visioning The Future Of Work: Towards A New Mindset, Colin C. Williams

Colin C Williams

No abstract provided.

A Fateful Year For Climate Change, William J. Antholis

Brookings Scholar Lecture Series

Since 1979, 20% of the polar ice cap has melted away. While the public is aware of climate change, the urgency to action is not there. Climate change is also an issue of national security, but enforcement of the the Kyoto and Copenhagen treaties is hampered.

The Obama Administration's Challenges After The 'War On Science': Reforming Staffing Practices And Protecting Scientific Integrity In The Executive Branch, Justin Vaughn, José Villalobos

José D. Villalobos

In this article, we examine the difficult leadership position President Barack Obama inherited as he took office with respect to science and technology policy making and implementation, particularly following the Bush administration and years of the so-called "war on science." We contend that the Obama administration's challenge is not only to take substantive policy action, but also to reform certain administrative practices, particularly in light of the previous administration's practice of the politics of strategic vacancies, a managerial technique that rearranges an agency's ideological inclinations not through the usual forms of active politicization (i.e., by filling the appointee ranks with …

Ddasaccident668, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

On 17 Nov 2009 at 09:15 hrs when [Name removed] the land owner was trying to cultivating his land, he has discovered an AT (M-19) mine. Luckily the mine has not exploded. Later on the mine handed over to ISAF for destruction.

Ddasaccident596, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

The clearance operation on mentioned task was started by [Demining group] DT-12 on 1st of November 09. On 10th of November 09 at 07:40, while the second break period started, the team leader of the team asked a deminer for his scraper and then walked down to a clearance lane without informing any other team members of his intention. On 07:42 Team leader initiated a POMZ mine causing him to receive the injuries that led to his death. He ignored his job description and the [Demining group] SOPs. He may have been thinking that this POMZ is of no danger, …

Ddasaccident620, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

On 5th Nov 2009 at 08:45 am deminer [Victim No.1] was working in his clearance lane: he was removing excavated soil from the target spot that suddenly his excavation tool touched a mine and caused it to go off. As a result of the accident, the deminer got severe injuries to his face, eyes and left hand (lost his one eye).

Youtube: Spotlight On Policy, Dr. Greg Hill On Educational Attainment, Greg Hill

Gregory C. Hill

In this episode of SPOTLIGHT ON POLICY, Dr. Greg Hill, Assistant Professor of Public Policy and Administration discusses educational attainment measures for the Boise MSA and Idaho. Spotlight on Policy is a production of the Public Policy Center at Boise State University. http://ppa.boisestate.edu/centerppa/

Evaluating Economic Development Programs Using Matched Employee‐Employer Data In A Quasi‐ Experimental Framework, Henry C. Renski

Henry C Renski

In the wake of shrinking public coffers, policy makers are demanding greater accountability from their economic development initiatives. In a discipline known for ‘claiming anything that falls,’ attempts to objectively evaluate economic development programs have been stymied by ill-suited data sources and methods. Survey research is expensive and responding firms have an incentive to lie about the effectiveness of subsidies. Publicly available data on employment, wages, and other outcomes are highly aggregated and lack the power to capture impacts from anything other than the most dramatic, large-scale initiatives. Confidential employee- and establishment-level (micro) data holds considerable promise for more rigorous …

Nineteen Years Of Public Opinion: The Boise State University Annual Public Policy Survey, Gregory Hill, Andy Bourne, Seth Grigg, Stephanie L. Witt

Research and Reports

Evidence suggests that public opinion has a significant and measurable impact on legislative, executive, and citizen interaction. The state of Idaho is no exception. In this white paper, we examine a sample of the opinions of Idahoans, as expressed in the Public Policy Survey, over the past nineteen years.

Torch (November 2009), Brandon Baldwin, Civil Rights Team Project

Torch: The Civil Rights Team Project Newsletter

No abstract provided.

A Guide To The International Mine Action Standards 2010, Gichd

Global CWD Repository

IMAS are standards issued by the United Nations to guide the planning, implementation and management of mine action programmes. They are a framework for the development of national mine action standards. This handbook contains all IMAS in brief, explains the purpose of the IMAS and the requirements of the different standards in a clear way, serving as a quick reference for mine action practitioners to understand core IMAS issues.

Linking Mine Action And Development | States Affected By Mines/Erw, Gichd

Global CWD Repository

Mine action programmes often are not linked early and strongly enough with key development actors. Despite the availability of extensive research documenting the need for greater coordination between mine action and development organisations, concrete guidance for practitioners and policy-makers on how to link mine action with development has been lacking. In response, the Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Development has published guidelines on how to ensure mine action promotes development in mine-affected countries. More specifically, the guidelines seek to:

• Increase awareness that landmines and other remnants of conflict block development in many affected countries

• Strengthen coordination between mine action and …

Ddasaccident601, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

On 1st Nov 2009, at 02:45 pm during the rest time, [the Victim] a deminer of mentioned team found an unknown item and tried to touch it. According to the investigation report, the item was a rifle Grenade of 40mm which was exploded as a result of irresponsible action of the victim deminer. As it was the break time of the team and the deminer was without visor and PPE, therefore, he lost his right hand, left eye and sustained jaw and leg fracture.

An "Act Of God": Race, Religion, And Policy In The Wake Of Hurricane Katrina, Seneca Vaught

Seneca Vaught

This essay addresses how characterization of Hurricane Katrina as an “act of God” exposed historical racial cleavages and policy challenges in post-Katrina America. Act-of-God rhetoric not only stemmed from religious history but was also largely informed by America's racial legacy. Usage of the term often absolved individuals and institutions from personal responsibility and economic liability, especially when the specter of race could be invoked. The term also revealed generational ideological differences within the Black community itself, posing significant questions about the discourse of race and religion in post–civil rights America.

Tobacco Use Policymaking And Administration In Bhutan, Michael S. Givel

Michael S. Givel

No abstract provided.

Employment In Construction And Distribution Industries: The Impact Of The New Jobs Tax Credit, John H. Bishop

John H Bishop

Excerpt] The New Jobs Tax Credit (NJTC) offers a tax credit of fifty percent of the first $4200 of wages per employee for increases in employment of more than two percent over the previous year. Economic theory predicts that such a tax credit should stimulate employment, decrease hours worked per week, and reduce product prices of the subsidized industries. A time series analysis of the construction, retailing, and wholesaling industries finds strong support for these hypotheses. Our results suggest that the NJTC was responsible for 150,000-670,000 of the more than 1-million increase in employment that occurred between mid-1977 and mid-1978 …

The Status And Future Of Government Documents, James T. Shaw

Criss Library Faculty Proceedings & Presentations

Depository libraries have traditionally enjoyed a pretty sweet deal—we receive free copies of documents in return for space, processing, and staff to help people use them. Depository libraries have served as key players in two areas of public policy: 1) public access to government information for the needs of today; and 2) widespread distribution of documents helps them survive to form a historical record.

Ddasaccident708, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

The 39-year-old [the Victim], a MACC member from Mozambique, died after an anti-tank mine exploded at approximately 8am yesterday in a minefield near Yeri, some 10 kilometres south-east of Nicosia.

Keeping National Health Insurance (Nhi) Accessible For All. 台北時報論壇, Chiehwen Ed Hsu

Chiehwen Ed Hsu

Media reports say that Taiwan Health Insurance Bureau and the Department of Health are proposing an amendment to the health insurance laws to require every returned overseas Taiwanese who has been abroad for more than six months be resident in Taiwan for four months before he or she becomes eligible to re-enroll in the National Health Insurance (NHI) program. The proposed amendment arose from a small portion of overseas Taiwanese who are have allegedly played medical tourists, returning to Taiwan for medical treatments under the NHI plan. The amendments’ proponents urged “restoring equality” in the NHI. However, the proposal could …