Public Affairs, Public Policy and Public Administration Commons^™

Exploring African American Single Mothers’ Experiences With Child Welfare System, Paul J. Melbourne

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

African Americans are overrepresented in the child welfare system in New York City (NYC). They face racial and ethnic bias, complex procedures, and policies that govern child welfare. The main research question for this study explored the experiences of African American single mothers with the child welfare system. This qualitative study was guided by policy feedback theory; data were gathered from 10 African American single mothers who have had experiences with child welfare investigation within the past 10 years. Participants were interviewed using semistructured questions designed to capture their experiences with the child welfare system. The data were coded for …

Risk Management In Wastewater Treatment Policy Creation And Revision, Emily Silver

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The focus of this professional administrative study was risk management in the field of wastewater treatment. The emphasis was on the creation and revision of policies to help reduce overall agency risk factors. The guiding question for the study focused on what revisions to the client organization’s safety policy and personnel policies and procedures would decrease the agency risk. A combination of both safety and policy change theories provided the basis for the study’s conceptual framework. This blended approach allowed for a more thorough and comprehensive interpretation of the collected data. In this qualitative case study, data pertinent to risk …

Impacts Of Immigration Detention On Sub-Saharan Africa Asylum Seekers In The United States, Felix Vescovi Ogunsuyi

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Detaining asylum seekers has become an established practice in many countries. There is a large body of research suggesting that immigration detention causes asylum seekers harm. However, the focus of these studies has been on diagnosable disorders and mental health, with no descriptive understanding of how detention and resettlement are experienced and conceptualized by asylum seekers. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to examine how formerly detained asylum seekers from sub-Saharan African countries perceive the impact of detention on their resettlement experience in the United States. Ager and Strang’s conceptual framework of refugee integration was used as the study’s …

Impact Of The Covid-19 Outbreak On Adolescent Schoolgirls’ Education In Rural Sierra Leone, Mohamed Hassimiu Barrie

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Since 1990, Sierra Leone has experienced several major emergencies that required global attention: a decade-long rebel war, Ebola and COVID-19 outbreaks. Each disproportionately affected schoolgirls’ educations. In 2021, the government of Sierra Leone introduced the Radical Inclusion Policy to support the education of girls and lift a policy that banned pregnant girls from attending mainstream schools to allow thousands of schoolgirls who were impregnated during the Ebola and COVID-19 outbreaks to return to schools. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to explore the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on the education of adolescent schoolgirls in rural Sierra Leone, …

Georgia Public Fire Investigators’ Behavioral Approach To Fire Scene Investigation, Kyle R. Bradshaw

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Wrongful prosecutions for the crime of arson are occurring. An identified cause of this problem is the investigation processes used by public fire investigators. The purpose of this general qualitative study was to identify the targeted behaviors that influence public fire investigators when conducting fire scene investigation. Street-level bureaucracy theory indicates public fire investigators are street-level bureaucrats (SLBs). The intent of this study was to identify behavioral interventions that can be implemented to aid public fire investigators in their approach to fire scene investigation. Semistructured interviews were conducted with a purposeful sample of 10 public fire investigators in a metropolitan …

A Qualitative Analysis Of Lived Experiences Of Community Garden Participants In Local Food Deserts, Abigail Gwendolyn Brock

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Community gardens were designed to bring communities together while providing an area of comfort and solace, social interactions, and a physical place for those living in apartments or areas in which they are not able to garden. Often, community gardens are started by nonprofit organizations looking to solve problems that plague urban areas. An abundance of literature described and analyzed the role of community gardens in addressing food insecurities, but little has been done in understanding the experiences of participants in the garden. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to gather and identify the perceptions and thoughts of community …

Restorative Justice And Recidivism In Formerly Incarcerated Women, Alfeia B. Devaughn-Goodwin

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This study explored the experiences of nonviolent women offenders over the age of 50 of all ethnicities who were formerly incarcerated and their involvement with restorative justice and recidivism from a public policy perspective. Although there was prior research on reentry of ex-offenders, the problem was that few studies focused on the barriers and success factors of reentry services for older female ex-offenders 50 years or older. The purpose of the study was to explore restorative justice and recidivism in formerly incarcerated women who were nonviolent offenders in an East Coast state with a focus on the barriers and success …

Stay-At-Home Fathers: What Is Their Life Really Like? An Intimate Portrayal, Christi Ann Hosking

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

Reinforced by years of gender stereotypes is modern societies’ definition of masculinity, which has long been characterized by breadwinning and providing. Current literature has observed the growing trend which finds an increasing number of men engaged in the role of caregiver and the dynamic change in the home-work balance. Only a few studies looked at what life is like for a stay-at-home father and even fewer have allowed these fathers a unique voice for sharing their story. The purpose of this study was to gain an in-depth understanding of what day to day life was really like as a stay-at-home …

Towards A Psychological Science Of Abolition Democracy: Insights For Improving Theory And Research On Race And Public Safety, Cynthia J. Najdowski, Phillip Atiba Goff

Psychology Faculty Scholarship

We call for psychologists to expand their thinking on fair and just public safety by engaging with the “Abolition Democracy” framework that Du Bois (1935) articulated as the need to dissolve slavery while simultaneously taking affirmative steps to rid its toxic consequences from the body politic. Because the legacies of slavery continue to produce disparities in public safety in the U.S, both harming Black people and the institutions that could keep them safe, psychologists must take seriously questions of history and structure in addition to immediate situations. In the present article, we consider the state of knowledge regarding psychological processes …

Understanding Factors Impacting Volunteer Firefighters' Work, Family, And Volunteer Balance To Serve, Christopher Schultz

West Chester University Doctoral Projects

The volunteer fire service in the United States is experiencing a decline, presenting the opportunity to study factors impacting current and former volunteer firefighters' ability to serve. A qualitative case study of volunteer fire service organizations in southern New Jersey and eastern Pennsylvania was undertaken through semi-structured interviews with 13 volunteer fire service members to understand this phenomenon. The findings of this study reveal that volunteer firefighters balance their time commitments through prioritization and self-regulation. The findings also indicate that volunteer firefighters are uncertain whether their communities understand the fire service delivery model serving their communities, the potential challenges the …

A Comprehensive Analysis Of The Pennsylvania Wine Industry With Actionable Recommendations For Industry Improvement And Growth, Seth Porter

West Chester University Doctoral Projects

Local wine industries are vital engines of agricultural economic growth, rural development, and sustainable long-term tax base creation. While the Pennsylvania wine industry has made admirable progress, the industry still has a poor collective reputation, high variance in product quality differential, and a perceived regulatory environment that creates negative externalities for local wine, agricultural production, and auxiliary enterprises. This comprehensive analysis attempts to diagnose and remedy all primary public policy, regulatory, state, non-profit, and non-state private actions that have impeded the Pennsylvania wine industry. A methodology of grounded theory qualitative processes, furthered by texting mining and document analysis techniques, were …

Assessment Limitations And The Disparate Impact Of Tax Policy On Minoritized Communities, Michael Fouassier

West Chester University Doctoral Projects

Public policies that limit assessment increases have created a system where more valuable homes are taxed at lower rates than less valuable homes. This tax regressivity is found not only between neighborhoods but also within neighborhoods such that lower-value homes in wealthier areas are also taxed at higher rates. The research presented in this dissertation, just one line of inquiry that adds to the ongoing discussion of tax equity, provides evidence that minoritized communities will not experience the greatest benefits of assessment caps. The legislative intent of New York State Senate Bill S7000A was to protect homeowners. What has occurred, …

The Lived Experience: Collective Realities Of Black Maternal Healthcare, Rhonda Parham

West Chester University Doctoral Projects

Maternal health has become an increasingly important public health issue in the United States due to the country elevated levels of maternal mortality rates. As the patient experience which entails a wide variety of interactions between patients and the healthcare system becomes more associated with patient outcomes, it is important to explore how the patient experience is affecting maternal health outcomes. This study consists of in-depth interviews to investigate their experience receiving maternal healthcare in Southeastern Pennsylvania. The study aims to figure out what are black women experiences while receiving maternal healthcare in southeastern Pennsylvania and are those experiences negative. …

Catastrophe Is Not The End But The Beginning: Two Centuries Of Evolution In Us Disaster Law And Policy, Donovan Finn

School of Marine & Atmospheric Sciences Faculty Publications

Comprehensive history of the evolution of federal disaster law and policy in the United States including hazard mitigation, disaster recovery, civil defense, economic recovery, and other aspects of the federal disaster management structure. Empasizes practical, political, legal and policies influences and implications related to the dynamic and ever-changing process by which hazards and disasters are managed in the United States.

Financial Sustainability Of Florida Cities: Comparative, Retrospective Modeling For Prospective Municipal Financial Health, Terry Henley

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

The Great Recession produced rising debt, deficits, and exposed vulnerabilities for municipalities in a globalist economy. The two-month COVID recession in 2020 accelerated these burdens; a lagging downturn recently added pressures of reduced economic activity, record inflation, and rising costs in 2022. This dissertation studies how local financial sustainability (FS) and financial condition (FC) approaches can work in concert towards a set of indicators with internal and external categorization to explain municipal financial health (MFH). Unassigned fund balance plus select formal stabilizations measure MFH, are conceptually supported in having retrospective (FC) and prospective (FS) value as an intergenerational resource and …

Moving From Harm Mitigation To Affirmative Discrimination Mitigation: The Untapped Potential Of Artificial Intelligence To Fight School Segregation And Other Forms Of Racial Discrimination, Andrew Gall

Catholic University Journal of Law and Technology

No abstract provided.

Segregating Cities, Separating Environments: A Look At The Relationship Between Redlining And Polluting Facilities In Philadelphia, Natalie Chartove

Scripps Senior Theses

This thesis explores the relationship between federal redlining policy and the siting of air polluting facilities, using a dual approach of geospatial analysis and historiography on Philadelphia as a case study. Geographic Information System (GIS) tools are applied to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) data on air polluting facilities and the Home Owners’ Loan Corporation (HOLC) Residential Security Maps. This analysis is used to determine the number of facilities within redlined neighborhoods and their patterns of density. Findings suggest that higher concentrations of polluting facilities are present in those neighborhoods ranked lowest by the HOLC, while neighborhoods ranked highest show remarkably …

Who Are You Protecting?: A Feminist Analysis Of Gay And Trans Panic Defense Bans, How They Are Defined, And Who They Protect, Tyler S. Sesker

Undergraduate Honors Theses

As of April 2022, sixteen U.S. states ban Gay panic and Trans panic criminal defenses. These state-law prohibitions stemmed from several high-profile murder trials, focusing on the identity of the decedent, including the killings of Matthew Shepard and Latisha King. Between 1970 and 2020, criminal defenses interrogating the gender identity or sexual identity of victims of violence were used at least 104 times, with nearly a third of those cases resulting in reduced criminal charges and penalties. Today, in thirty-four states, the same tactics remain legal. Applying a feminist and outsider legal lens, this study engages in a textual analysis …

The Examination Of Small Chicago Nonprofit Organizations In The Voluntary Implementation Of The Sarbanes-Oxley Legislation, Patricia A. Owens

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractNonprofit organizations (NPOs) do not have a mandated requirement for implementing the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX) of 2002; however, small Chicago NPOs had voluntarily implemented SOX provisions. The passage of SOX impacted the manner in which NPOs govern, provide disclosures, and audit their records. It was not known what the experiences, including facilitators or barriers, had been in that effort. The accountability mechanism theory by Ostrower and Stone provided the framework for this study. The key research questions focused on what major SOX provisions were most useful to implement and the experiences faced in the voluntary implementation of the SOX provisions. …

Exploring Infant Massage As Standard Nonpharmacological Treatment For Neonatal Opioid Withdrawal Syndrome, Christine Ann Perez

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The opioid epidemic in the United States has increased opioid use in women of reproductive age, leading to in utero exposure causing withdrawal symptoms in newborns known as neonatal opioid withdrawal syndrome (NOWS). State perinatal quality collaboratives (SPQCs) have been used in hospitals with quality initiatives (QIs) to improve standardization for NOWS; however, there remains a gap in knowledge in interventions to support the mother-infant dyad such as infant massage. This general qualitative research study explored the process and experiences of implementing infant massage as a standard practice for NOWS to inform national, state, and local policy. Participants in the …

Faculty Perceptions Of Safety And The Impact Of Online Classroom Modalities During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Mary E. Ogidigben, Ernesto R. Rivera, Robert S. Keyser

The Kennesaw Journal of Undergraduate Research

The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has affected a number of institutions – one of which is Kennesaw State University (KSU). In the fall 2020 semester, KSU implemented safety protocols following the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as well as the University System of Georgia (USG) guidelines. A cross-sectional survey was sent out for faculty to complete at their own will regarding their thoughts on how the new guidelines are affecting their work as well as their safety while on campus. The survey consisted of 18 Likert-scale questions and eight free response questions. The survey results showed that 60.42% of …

How Community-Based Solutions Affect Households Headed By Single Mothers In An Urban Food Desert, Christie Will Ross

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Limited access to affordable and nutritious foods is a growing problem in the United States, leading to a rise in obesity, diabetes, and heart disease as well as poor academic performance. With this has come the rise of urban food deserts, specific geographic areas with limited access to affordable, healthy, and nutritious foods within a 1-mile radius, which impacts low-income and minority communities at a greater rate than the rest of US society. Single mothers represent the largest demographic impacted by urban food deserts yet are the least represented in research. The purpose of this narrative study, using the human …

Stakeholder Success Measures Of A Safe Parking Pilot Program For Individuals Sheltering In Vehicles, Obiageri Constance Aginam

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The Safe Parking Pilot Program was a crisis response to the recent increase in vehicular homelessness in a Northern Californian city. The city identified issues of unsheltered individuals due to the increase housing cost and unaffordable housing. The city partnered with faith-based organizations to provide safe locations for individuals sheltering in vehicles. The current research aimed to evaluate benchmarks and metrics to measure the safe parking pilot program. The purpose of the study was to help the city leaders and the key stakeholders identify measures of success and how they might improve the program in one Northern Californian city. Semistructured …

Value Co-Creation Paradigm Framework For Integrating Evidence-Based Practices In Child Welfare, Georgina Horton

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractAlthough there has been increased utilization of evidence-based practice (EBP) in child welfare services, it has not been comprehensively incorporated or fully embraced by key decision makers. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to explore a value co-creation (VCC) paradigm as a viable framework for collaboration between stakeholders in child welfare, and to explore what attitudes are necessary to enable child welfare stakeholders. The VCC paradigm framework comprising three elements (engagement platforms, experience domains, and capability ecosystems) was used to guide the study. Data were collected from semi structured, in-depth interviews with four key decision makers in the …

Risk Or Contra-Political Correctness With Distrust Towards Muslims In The U.S. Military, Benedict Uzoma Iheanacho

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Muslims are viewed by many in the United States with great anxiety and distrust. This mistrust encompasses Muslims in the U.S. military, especially since 9/11. The trust deficit has implications to U.S. security and military readiness in a global threat environment. Whereas the notion of Islamophobia has generated significant literature in modern public policy, there is a dearth of research on public perception towards Muslims serving in the U.S. military. The purpose of this study was to explore the experiences and perspectives of non-Muslim U.S. military personnel on the mistrust towards Muslim military personnel in the post-9/11 era. Theories of …

Perceptions Of Implicit Bias In New York City Healthcare System During Covid-19, Kiesha Jackson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Implicit bias has been identified as a significant problem that hinders effective healthcare delivery. The purpose of this qualitative exploratory phenomenological study was to examine whether implicit bias influenced healthcare services for African Americans with comorbidities aged 30 and over living in New York City during the COVID-19 pandemic. Current studies show healthcare disparities, revealing barriers with healthcare delivery; however, they do not disclose a patient’s lived experience qualitatively, which constituted a gap in the literature. The frameworks of the behavioral model of health services use, and social construction and policy design guided this study. Research questions addressed (a) whether …

San Diego Residents’ Perceptions Of The Illegality Of Cyber-Bullying Among Middle-Schoolers, Nadine Stokely

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The teenage suicide rate in the United States has drastically increased as a result of continuous cyber-bullying behavior among adolescents. Little is known about San Diego County residents’ perceptions regarding the possible federal criminalization of cyber-bullying among middle-schoolers. The purpose of this study was to explore to what degree San Diego County residents believe that acts of cyber-bullying committed by middle-schoolers should be deemed a criminal offense. The theoretical foundation for this qualitative study was based on the theory of legislation. The research question focused on understanding San Diego County residents’ perceptions concerning the possible federal criminalization of cyber-bullying harassment …

Three Essays On Governance, Inequality, And Social Equity, Sarah Ausmus Smith

Theses and Dissertations--Public Policy and Administration

Comprised of three essays, my dissertation is linked by a common focus: the relationship between state or local governance arrangements and inequality or facets of social equity. I draw upon a range of literatures to motivate my research questions and inform my methodologies—welfare and social policy, public economics, intergovernmental relations, public finance and management.

In the first essay, I ask: does localizing welfare governance impact geospatial access to the social safety net? This is an important question because proximity is highly salient to program utilization. I geocode the location of human services nonprofits from tax filings in eight states using …

Evaluation Of Aquatic Plant Survey Methods For Efficacy In Invasive Species Detection, Izaac Cooper

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Aquatic invasive plants can often be ecologically devastating to ecosystems where they are introduced. This devastation has been widely apparent in the United States, including many locations in New York State over many decades, following anthropogenic transport of species from their native ranges. Due to the difficulty involved in eradicating these plants once they have become fully established, there is keen interest in strategies for early detection to assist with prevention and monitoring to mitigate future management costs. Invasive species detection research aims to find methods for detecting new invaders more effectively. I evaluated three detection methods for their effectiveness …

From Dissenting-Voice To Democratic Bureaucracy : Three Essays On Bureaucratic Whistleblowing, Minsung Michael Kang

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Public administration scholars have long believed that bureaucratic whistleblowers help make bureaucracies more democratic, effective, and accountable. With these firm convictions, the U.S. federal government has introduced a series of whistleblower protection systems to balance administrative power and external political accountability of public organizations. Building on this intellectual history of public administration scholarship on whistleblowing, this dissertation aims to: 1) understand bureaucratic whistleblowing at the theory-level, 2) examine the effects of whistleblower protection laws on bureaucrats at the individual-level, and 3) investigate how whistleblowing outcomes can reshape bureaucracies at the organizational-level.