Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

The Invisible Costs Of Privatizing Welfare: Administrative Burdens In Contracted Medicaid, Soyun Jeong

Electronic Theses & Dissertations (2024 - present)

Why do governments favor contracting out social services? Do private actors guarantee a better service experience for citizens? How should we understand the trade-off between efficiency and high-quality service delivery? These are the central questions that motivate this dissertation. Focusing on Medicaid, one of the largest social safety net programs in the United States, this dissertation investigates the impact of outsourcing Medicaid delivery to private health insurance companies. It explores how this privatized structure generates administrative burdens and shapes policy feedback effects. Theoretically, this project seeks to bridge the administrative burden and policy feedback literature by examining how burdensome policy …

Contributions Of Birthing People’S Prenatal Parasympathetic Nervous System Functioning And Postnatal Sensitivity On Infant Temperament, Amanda M. Flagg

Electronic Theses & Dissertations (2024 - present)

Grounded in developmental psychobiology, this research aimed to elucidate how birthing people’s physiological regulation during pregnancy may shape the early emergence of socioemotional development in early infancy. The present study examined how birthing people’s prenatal parasympathetic nervous system (PNS) activity, specifically baseline high-frequency heart rate variability (HF-HRV) and HF-HRV withdrawal, and postnatal sensitivity contributes to infant temperamental reactivity at six months of age. The study aimed to clarify early developmental mechanisms through which birthing people’s PNS shapes emerging infant temperament. Data were drawn from a longitudinal cohort of Black and African American birthing people, a population underrepresented in psychophysiological research, …

The Rights Of Nature Meaning-Making Experiments In Ecuador: A Pragmatist Inquiry, Lourdes Aguas Gonzalez

Electronic Theses & Dissertations (2024 - present)

Ecuador is the first and only country in the world to recognize nature as a subject of rights in its national Constitution, with the most court cases to date, and with a vibrant moral imagination regarding the more-than-human world. Building on the pragmatist tradition, my research examines three questions: What are the rights of nature in Ecuador? How is nature politically represented in Ecuadorian legal forums? And how can collective problem-solving experiments around the rights of nature in Ecuador inform moral inquiry? To answer these questions, I bring sociology in conversation with philosophy. My theoretical and methodological tools as a …

Exploring Identity And Belonging Through Housing Pathways: Resettlement Experiences Of Female Ukrainian Refugees, Stephanie M. Duncan

Electronic Theses & Dissertations (2024 - present)

Background: This dissertation examines the resettlement experiences of female Ukrainian refugees in Germany following the escalation of the Russia-Ukraine conflict in 2022, which displaced over 8.5 million Ukrainians, including 1.2 million to Germany by April 2024. Focusing on Munich, the study explores the interplay of housing pathways, identity, and belonging, emphasizing gendered challenges faced by women, particularly single mothers and caregivers, navigating trauma, systemic barriers, and cultural adaptation. Organized into three articles, this work employs a social justice lens to address structural barriers, such as discriminatory housing markets, economic exclusion, and limited access to resources, which disproportionately impact marginalized women, …

Essays On Robust Inference Under Multiway Clustering, Jiahao Lin

Electronic Theses & Dissertations (2024 - present)

The first chapter studies wild bootstrap-based inference for regression models with multiway clustering. Our proposed methods are multiway counterparts to the (one-way) wild cluster bootstrap approach introduced by Cameron et al. (2008). We establish the validity of our methods for studentized statistics. Theoretical results are provided, accommodating arbitrary serial dependence in the common time effects – an aspect excluded by existing two-way bootstrap-based approaches. Simulation experiments document the potential for enhanced inference with our novel approaches. We illustrate the effectiveness of the methods by revisiting an empirical study involving multiway clustered and serially correlated data.

The second chapter studies jackknife …

Gendered Images In Online Political Advertising Videostyles: A Case Study Of 2024 Taiwan Presidential And Parliamentary Elections, Chia-Heng Chang

Electronic Theses & Dissertations (2024 - present)

Despite the increasing visibility of female politicians in Taiwan, the resurgence of the #MeToo movement ahead of the 2024 presidential and parliamentary elections underscores the enduring influence of patriarchal norms and gender stereotypes within Taiwanese society. Prior research in political communication has documented how gendered expectations shape voters’ perceptions of politicians’ appearances, behaviors, and perceived competence in addressing political issues. These expectations, in turn, inform how candidates strategically construct their public personas during electoral campaigns. This dissertation contributes to this body of scholarship by analyzing how Taiwanese political candidates perform gender through political advertising. Integrating the videostyle framework, gender schema …

Can Financial Inclusion-Based Interventions For Poverty Alleviation Build Sustainable Livelihoods? Voices From Mutual Solidarity Groups (Muso) In Haiti., Meera R. Bhat

Electronic Theses & Dissertations (2024 - present)

Scholars, policymakers, changemakers, and social workers have attempted to define, understand, and eradicate poverty. Its endurance raises the prospect that these efforts may be incomplete or faulty. This thesis will probe this concern by examining poverty and poverty alleviation programs through the lens of a holistic intervention-based framework known as the Sustainable Livelihoods Framework (SLF). The first paper introduces the SLF and uses it to undertake a conceptual analysis comparing demand and supply driven poverty alleviation interventions that are based on financial inclusion. Next it uses the SLF as a methodological tool to compare financial inclusion programs, as operationalized by …

Age-Of-Acquisition (Aoa) Effects Reflect An Orthographic Processing Advantage For Early-Acquired Words, Madison L. Martell

Electronic Theses & Dissertations (2024 - present)

Age-of-acquisition (AoA) effects, the processing advantage for words learned early in life, are well-documented across various tasks. While various theories attempt to explain these effects, the underlying mechanisms remain debated. This dissertation examined the role of orthographic processing in AoA effects through three experiments emphasizing orthographic rather than semantic processing. In Experiment 1, participants completed an eye-tracking and proofreading task to detect spelling errors in sentences containing early- versus late-acquired words, followed by a spelling dictation task to assess individual differences in spelling ability. Experiment 2 employed a spelling dictation task to test whether early-acquired words show better spelling accuracy …

Part 2: Defense, The Port, And Tourism: The Pillars Of The Economy, Dragas Center For Economic Analysis And Policy, Old Dominion University

State of the Region Reports: Hampton Roads

There was (mostly) good news to report about the pillars of the Hampton Roads economy in 2024. More defense spending flowed into the region in 2024, and defense spending is likely to increase in 2025 and 2026. The Port of Virginia experienced gains in traffic in 2024, but tariffs has created headwinds in 2025. The hotel industry’s growth has slowed, and increasing uncertainty may undermine prospects for growth in 2025 and 2026.

Part 3: Heads Carolina, Tails Somewhere Else, Dragas Center For Economic Analysis And Policy, Old Dominion University

State of the Region Reports: Hampton Roads

From 2021 to 2024, Hampton Roads grew more quickly and created jobs at a faster pace than the previous decade. Even after accounting for the impacts of inflation, real Gross Domestic Product (GDP), wages, and incomes were higher than 2019. The region’s economic performance relative to other metropolitan areas, however, has left much to be desired. One reflection of Hampton Roads economic performance has been the continued outmigration of residents to other locales in the Commonwealth and, in some cases, other states.

Part 6: Reflections On The State Of The Region Report, Dragas Center For Economic Analysis And Policy, Old Dominion University, James V. Koch

State of the Region Reports: Hampton Roads

In this chapter, Dr. James V. Koch, founding Director of the Dragas Center for Economic Analysis and Policy, reflects on the first 25 years of the State of the Region: Hampton Roads report. Dr. Koch provides insights on where the report has impacted the region. He also asks what the future may hold for the report.

Part 1: Change Is The Only Constant: The Economy Of Hampton Roads, Dragas Center For Economic Analysis And Policy, Old Dominion University

State of the Region Reports: Hampton Roads

We discuss how the region’s economy performed in 2024 and provide an assessment of the prospects for growth in 2025 and beyond. Rapid and significant changes in trade, immigration, tax, and expenditure policies will impact the economy of the region, state, and the nation in the coming years in unforeseen ways. We can, however, leverage historical data and experience to make informed judgements about the state of the regional economy and how it may fare over the coming year.

Part 4: The Economic Impact Of Norfolk International Airport, Dragas Center For Economic Analysis And Policy, Old Dominion University

State of the Region Reports: Hampton Roads

Airports such as Norfolk International Airport (ORF) serve as economic engines connecting cities and regions to other localities and generate economic activity that would not otherwise occur in their absence. ORF set a record for commercial service passengers in 2019 before witnessing a dramatic fall in traffic in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Arrivals and departures quickly recovered, and ORF set a new passenger traffic record in 2024. This chapter explores the economic impact of ORF on the economy of Virginia.

Front Matter: The State Of The Region, Hampton Roads 2025, Dragas Center For Economic Analysis And Policy, Old Dominion University

State of the Region Reports: Hampton Roads

Cover, Front Matter, Table of Contents, Sponsors, and other materials for the 2025 The State of the Region Report authored by the Center for Economic Analysis and Policy at Old Dominion University.

Part 5: Silver Tsunami For The Third Sector, Dragas Center For Economic Analysis And Policy, Old Dominion University

State of the Region Reports: Hampton Roads

Affordable housing is only one of several societal stressors predicted to have nationwide impacts in conjunction with what has been dubbed the “Silver Tsunami,” a significant demographic shift occurring in the United States. According to Pew Research, every day, 10,000 members of the baby boomer generation—born between 1946 and 1964—reach retirement age. The implications of this demographic shift will impact every facet of life in Hampton Roads. This chapter explores how an aging population impacts nonprofits in Hampton Roads.

The State Of The Region: Hampton Roads 2025, Dragas Center For Economic Analysis And Policy, Old Dominion University, Vinod Agarwal, Josh Andrews, Andrea Barcenas, Leora Friedman, James V. Koch, Feng Lian, Anna Makhorkina, Melody Nguyen, Terry Parker, Mohamed Rahoui, Kara Sullivan, Jay Walker, Liam Ward, Robert Mcnab

State of the Region Reports: Hampton Roads

This is Old Dominion University’s 26th annual State of the Region: Hampton Roads report. While it represents the work of many people connected in various ways to the university, the report does not constitute an official viewpoint of Old Dominion University, its president, Brian Hemphill, Ph.D., the Board of Visitors, the Strome College of Business, or the generous donors who support the activities of the Dragas Center for Economic Analysis and Policy.

This year’s report provides an opportunity to reflect on the region’s economic performance since the COVID-19 pandemic and ask how changes in federal trade, immigration, civilian employment, and …

Part 7: Hampton Roads' Collaborative Spirit Produces Regional Results, Dragas Center For Economic Analysis And Policy, Old Dominion University, Drew Lumpkin

State of the Region Reports: Hampton Roads

In this chapter, Drew Lumpkin, lead author, examines how collaboration has improved in Hampton Roads over the last two decades. He highlights specific examples of regional collaboration and how these efforts have changed the conversation in Hampton Roads.

Empirical Vulnerability Function Development Based On The Damage Caused By The 2014 Chiang Rai Earthquake, Thailand, Patcharavadee Hong, Masashi Matsuoka

Institute for Innovation & Entrepreneurship Publications

Seismic hazards in Thailand are frequently overlooked in disaster management planning, leading to insufficient research and significant economic losses during earthquake events. The 2014 Chiang Rai earthquake exposed critical vulnerabilities in Thailand's building practices due to widespread non-compliance with building codes and limited preparedness. This exposure prompted the development of empirical vulnerability functions using loss data from 15,031 damaged residences. The study analyzed government compensation records, which were standardized using replacement cost metrics. Three distinct models were developed through probabilistic and possibilistic modeling approaches. Residual analysis demonstrated the superior performance of the possibilistic approach, with the Possibilistic-based Vulnerability Function achieving …

Career And Technical Education: Evaluating The Benefits Of Partnerships Among Schools And Organizations, Rosalynn Tennie

Doctor of Education Dissertations

Employers are experiencing skill gaps when hiring employees. Employability skills are taught in high school through Career and Technical Education (CTE) courses. High school students receive hands-on experience through work-based learning opportunities such as internships with the help of organizations in the community. The partnership between schools and organizations is vital to the success of internships. This study investigated the lived experiences of organizations that offered internships to high school students. The study focused on a school district in the northeastern central region of North Carolina. The primary method of data collection used in the study was interviews. The interviews …

Equity In Gifted Education: Examining District Practices And Strategies To Identify Underrepresented Students Through Renzulli's Three-Ring Conception Of Giftedness, Kenneth M. Jackson

Doctor of Education Dissertations

This mixed methods study explored the effectiveness of a large South Carolina school district’s gifted identification practices, with particular attention to how well these practices support the identification of students from underrepresented populations. Framed by Renzulli’s (1978) Three-Ring Conception of Giftedness, the research investigated the extent to which the district’s procedures identify students using the model’s core indicators: above-average ability, creativity, and task commitment. Seven district practitioners, including teachers and administrators, participated in quantitative surveys, follow-up qualitative interviews, and a focus group. Findings revealed significant concerns about the overreliance on standardized academic measures, the exclusion of creativity and task commitment …

Afrofuturism–It's A Different World: Exploring Tools For Culturally Relevant Black Student Leadership Development, Richard D. Brown

Doctor of Education Dissertations

This dissertation explored culturally relevant strategies for Black student leadership development within university multicultural centers, focusing specifically on student leaders affiliated with Black identity-based organizations. Conducted in partnership with a large public land-grant university in the United States Midwest, this study recognizes that traditional student leadership development programs often fail to address the varied cultural realities of Black students. A mixed methods sequential explanatory design approach was used, combining survey data with qualitative interviews and analyzed using a phenomenological lens. Guided by the McKinsey 7S Framework, this study identified strengths and gaps in organizational strategy, structure, systems, style, staff, skills, …

Preparing The Built Environment In Grenada For Future Sea Level Rise And Extreme Precipitation Events, Rocco D. Boyd, Meagan P. Duncan, Alivia D. Markham, Adelle K. Novak, Blaizen B. Bloom, Ashawne Edwards, Jai S. Lewis, Hans-Peter Plag

CCPO Publications

[Introduction] Communities across the globe are being affected by climate change in numerous ways. However, those most often affected, especially by sea level rise, are those small island nations that are pressed for space already; this includes the island of Grenada. Grenada is located in the southern portion of the Caribbean and is bordered by the Caribbean Sea (West) and the Atlantic Ocean (East). The planning and development authority (PDA) has been identified as the main stakeholder involved in this case study, but recommendations will be made to all parties involved to best accomplish our mission.

Key stakeholders were initially …

Multi-Model Estimate Of Antarctic Ice-Shelf Basal Mass Budget And Ocean Drivers, Benjamin K. Galton-Fenzi, Richard Porter-Smith, Sue Cook, Eva Cougnon, David E. Gwyther, Wilma G. C. Huneke, Madelaine G. Rosevear, Xylar Asay-Davis, Fabio Boeira Dias, Michael S. Dinniman, David Holland, Kazuya Kusahara, Kaitlin A. Naughten, Keith W. Nicholls, Charles Pelletier, Ole Richter, Hélène Seroussi, Ralph Timmerman

CCPO Publications

Societal adaptation to rising sea levels requires robust projections of the Antarctic Ice Sheet's retreat, particularly due to ocean-driven basal melting of its fringing ice shelves. Recent advances in ocean models that simulate ice-shelf melting offer an opportunity to reduce uncertainties in ice–ocean interactions. Here, we compare several community-contributed, circum-Antarctic ocean simulations to highlight inter-model differences, evaluate agreement with satellite-derived melt rates, and examine underlying physical processes. All but one simulation use a melting formulation depending on both thermal driving (T^⋆) and friction velocity (u^⋆), which together represent the thermal and ocean current forcings at the …

Improving Understanding And Connections For Preparedness, Mitigation, Response, And Recovery For Tornado And Straight-Line Wind Events In Virginia: Summary Of The Inaugural Virginia Tornado And Straight-Line Wind Summit, Wie Yusuf, Monica Arul, Joshua Behr, Kaleen Lawsure, An Huy Pham, Henry Attivor

School of Public Service Faculty Publications

Background

The Virginia Tornado and Straight-Line Wind Summit, the first of its kind in the Commonwealth, was held on October 15, 2025 in Isle of Wight County, Virginia. The Summit had several goals, including:

• Understanding Virginia’s wind risk and learning the science behind it.
• Hearing lessons learned from emergency managers who have experienced extreme wind events.
• Learning about practical steps to prepare, mitigate, and respond to severe wind events.
• Learning best practices for timely and actionable communication with the public before and after events.
• Strengthening interagency coordination and connecting with others to share resources, align priorities, and coordinate resilience planning. …

A Comprehensive Parcel-Level Dataset On Farmland Assessment: Addressing Grid-Cell Data Bias Estimation, Wai Yan Siu, Man Li, Arthur J. Caplan

ODU Articles

Grid-cell data are increasingly used in research due to the growing availability and accessibility of remote sensing products. However, grid-cell data often fails to represent the actual decision-making unit, leading to biased estimates in socio-economic analysis. To this end, this paper presents a comprehensive parcel-level dataset for Salt Lake County, Utah, spanning from 2008 to 2018. This dataset combines detailed spatial and temporal data on land ownership, land use, and preferential farmland tax assessments under the Greenbelt program. Compiled from multiple geospatial sources, the dataset includes nearly 200,000 parcel-year observations, providing valuable insights into landowner decision-making and the impact of …

Essays On Innovation And Labor Market Benefits, Kyoungah Noh

Electronic Theses & Dissertations (2024 - present)

The first chapter examines the impact of bank failures on team-based innovation, focusing on the persistence of inventor teams under credit supply constraints. Using U.S. patent and FDIC data from 2000 to 2012, this paper presents three main findings. First, bank failures significantly reduce both the number of team patents and the number of inventors with collaborators. Second, negative banking shocks decrease the likelihood that inventor teams remain together for projects in subsequent periods. However, team-specific factors, including geographic proximity, prior collaboration experience, and smaller team sizes, mitigate the adverse effects of bank failures and help preserve the stability of …

Why Should I Stay? Canadian Black Youth And Public Libraries, Amber Matthews

STEMPS Faculty Publications

This study used narrative inquiry and critical approaches to race to explore Black youth perceptions of public libraries and community-based programs. The study was conducted in Ontario with youth aged 13 to 24 and parents of youth. Data was drawn from semi-structured interviews with youth and parents and an arts-based qualitative tool. Libraries were identified as safe and welcoming community spaces. However, youth feel poorly represented and seek youth programs with a race-conscious and inclusive approach. Core recommendations include equitable approaches to representation, strengthening relationships with partner organizations, and addressing performative approaches to inclusion.

Exploring Lis Curriculum: Agency, Identity, Practices, Holly Hebert, Amanda Harrison, Rene Burress, Kelly Pryde, Lauren Hays, Fei Yu, Elizabeth Burns, Cari Cusick

STEMPS Faculty Publications

The practices of LIS educators provide agency and identity for developing LIS professionals. It is essential that LIS programs interrogate their curricula to best prepare emerging LIS professionals. The Curriculum SIG will present three projects that explore practices and curriculum for LIS training.

Dr. Amanda Harrison, Dr. Rene Burress, Kelly Pryde, Dr. Cari Cusick, and Dr. Lauren Hays, will present “Teaching Accessibility in a Library and Information Science MLS program.” LIS students must develop knowledge, skills, and awareness to create inclusive, accessible libraries (American Library Association, 2018; IFLA Standing Committee of Libraries Serving Disadvantaged Persons, 2005; Jaeger et …

Addressing Anti-Black Racism In Library And Information Science Curriculum, Amber Matthews

STEMPS Faculty Publications

This paper explores the development of the graduate course Anti-Racism in Library and Information Science that was piloted at Western University in 2022 and 2023. The one-semester (13-week) course was designed with Black-led community organizations and students contributed to anti-racist information and memory work through experiential learning partnerships. The course used critical Library and Information Science (LIS) literature alongside Black Canadian scholarly perspectives that were grounded in anti-oppression and anti-racism frameworks. The course goals were for students to develop an understanding of how race and other structural inequities inform lived experiences and tools to support collaborative community-led projects. The LIS-tailored …

Part 3: Virginia's Workforce: Understanding Apprentices, Dragas Center For Economic Analysis And Policy, Old Dominion University

State of the Commonwealth Reports

This chapter examines the state of apprenticeship programs in the United States and Virginia, assessing their role in the labor market. We begin with an overview of national apprenticeship policy, tracing major laws and initiatives that have influenced the system’s evolution and expansion. We then review trends in apprenticeship participation, highlighting the states that lead in registrations and program growth. The discussion pivots to Virginia, where we analyze current occupation, wage and demographic data, and regional apprenticeship examples that connect education and industry. Finally, we consider whether apprenticeships represent a sustainable and scalable solution to the Commonwealth’s workforce challenges.