Public Affairs, Public Policy and Public Administration Commons^™

Energy Equity In India’S Renewable Energy Transition: A Policy Design Agenda, Aritra Chakrabarty

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

India’s transition to renewable energy has prioritized large-scale, grid-based electrification, often overlooking energy equity, particularly in rural communities. Many households would benefit more from decentralized solutions than from grid extension, yet current policies neither guarantee equitable access nor address pre-existing social and economic inequalities in energy distribution. This dissertation examines the sensitivity of India’s renewable energy policies to energy equity, with a specific focus on gender equity in rural last-mile connectivity. The study is guided by the fundamental question: How can implementation of solar energy program alleviate the lives of rural communities? Using a mixed-method approach that combines policy …

Overcoming Obstacles To Equitable Energy Transitions And Promoting Energy Sovereignty For Us Tribal Nations, Don Lee

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

This dissertation explores the potential of equitable energy transitions guided by the tenets of energy justice with a focus on Tribal energy sovereignty through renewable energy development. It contributes to the literature on the social acceptance of energy systems, public perceptions of renewable energy transitions, the ramifications of US federal Tribal law on Tribal energy development and sovereignty, and the implications of conforming to capitalist logics in the energy justice literature.

To understand the importance of building reciprocal and collaborative relationships, our team of researchers and Tribal members collaborated on the development of a methodology to survey respondents in a …

Nh Ece Research Consortium 2024 Activity Timeline, Jess Carson, Evan England

New Hampshire Early Care and Education Research Consortium

The New Hampshire Early Care and Education (NH ECE) Research Consortium is a network of researchers and research users committed to strengthening the state's ECE landscape through the use of data. Discover what the Consortium accomplished during its first full year in this 2024 Activity Timeline.

Implementing Gross National Happiness In Bhutan As A Development Model And Governance Tool – Perspectives Of Policy Influencers, Tashi Dorji, Angus Morrison-Saunders, David Blake

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Bhutan’s development philosophy of Gross National Happiness (GNH) prioritises the collective wellbeing of its people over economic growth through a multidimensional index that informs policy. While GNH has received global recognition, persistent challenges in conceptual clarity and practical implementation are argued and debated. This qualitative study examines the role and utility of GNH as a development model and its implementation as a multifaceted governance tool in Bhutan. The findings reveal that GNH is conceptualised in diverse ways, ranging from personal happiness to a more generic communal philosophy. While its strengths lie in its culturally grounded framework, key limitations include a …

Trust On Trial: How U.S. Foreign Policy Eroded Public Trust, Rawan Al-Samarrie

Undergraduate Research Posters

Public trust in the U.S. government has declined sharply over the past several decades, falling from roughly 75% in the late 1950s to almost 15% today. This project examines how major U.S. foreign policy decisions, specifically during the Vietnam War, the post-9/11 Global War on Terror, and the ongoing conflict in Palestine, have contributed to this erosion of trust. Through qualitative analysis of historical records, public opinion data, and scholarly assessments of U.S. military actions and their global consequences, the research identifies recurring patterns in how government narratives, media framing, and revelations of human rights violations shape public perception. Findings …

Assessment Of Implementation And Enforcement Of Smoke-Free Laws And Policies Among Malaysian Smokers: A Mixed Method Approach, Gan Shiz Yee

Student Works (2020-2029)

Smokefree laws (SFL) and policies could deter smoking by strengthening anti-smoking norms, impacting cessation behaviour due to decreased social acceptability of smoking in public spaces. With socioeconomic status (SES) affecting smoking risk factors, disparities in health outcomes post-SFL implementation are likely. Furthermore, regional and international assessments show Malaysia’s poor performance due to ineffective smoking bans and enforcement. Local studies revealed inadequate SFL implementation and enforcement, leading to high secondhand smoke (SHS) exposure. Understanding these challenges and opportunities is crucial for improving policy implementation and enforcement to enhance public health outcomes. This study examined the association between SFL and quit intention …

Equal For Whom?: An Analysis Of Multicultural Policies In Norway And The Us Through The Lens Of Immigrant Unemployment, Jodie Boisvert

Journal of Multicultural Affairs

Norway and the United States boast diverse and equal societies. Both have attempted to implement multicultural policies to facilitate immigrants' integration into the host society. Engaging with the theories of racism, xenophobia, and multiculturalism, this paper analyzes the immigrant unemployment outcomes from Norway and the United States from 2015-2020 to identify patterns and anticipate causal relationships from these patterns. Standardized data from both countries show that immigrants from Global South countries have far worse employment outcomes than immigrants from Global North countries. The xenophobic and racist histories of both countries could explain this. This paper analyzes the multicultural policies of …

Promoting And Developing Industrial Organic Clusters In Egypt: Case Study Of Damietta Furniture Cluster, Nermen Abdelmoula

Theses and Dissertations

This study examines the development of industrial clusters in Egypt, with a specific focus on the Damietta Furniture Cluster, an organic industrial cluster known for its rich tradition in furniture craftsmanship. These industrial clusters, which are primarily composed of micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs), are characterized by the geographical concentration of interconnected firms and institutions, play a critical role in fostering economic growth, innovation, and competitiveness, particularly in emerging economies. The research explores the key factors affecting the development of the Damietta Furniture Cluster, identifies the challenges it faces, and provides policy recommendations to enhance its growth and global …

The Texas Electorate's Views Of Health Care As A Human Right, Community Health Centers, And Certain Matters Of The Health Care Safety Net, Scott Elphingstone

Graduate Liberal Studies Theses and Dissertations

In a country in which the government does not recognize a right to health care,social safety nets are the last hope for persons without insurance or other means to pay for needed care. In United States, community health centers, hospital emergency rooms, and private charities comprise that safety net. Community health centers offer a practicable alternative for politicians and citizens who want to help improve the lives of persons who struggle to access health care. This dissertation reviews the political history of community health centers from their founding as part of the War on Poverty in the 1960s through Democratic …

To Define And Protect The Best Interest Of The Child, Nadia Abdulbaki

Honors Program Theses and Research Projects

Domestic violence is a prevalent crisis that has detrimentally impacted the well-being of individuals on a personal, communal, and global scope. Domestic violence is characterized as generational violence where exposed children have a heightened risk of becoming the perpetrators of or being perpetrated by violence. Using the Texas Family Code and supporting scholarly documents, the adverse effects exposure to violence has on children, and the current law regarding child custody in parental separation for cases of domestic violence was investigated. Research determined that continued exposure to violence is influenced by the judicial ruling of full or partial child custody to …

From Boom To Bust: The Perils Of Pro-Cyclicality In Fiscal Policy, Muhammad Nadeem Sarwar, Shagufta Shabbar, Zeeshan Hashim

CBER Conference

This paper delves into the intricate dynamics of fiscal policy, particularly in the context of developing economies, exemplified by Pakistan. While fiscal stimuli are commonly deployed to counter economic crises and foster growth, their implementation often results in increased public debt, inflation, and a host of macroeconomic challenges. Our study examines Pakistan as a case study, analyzes a) if the fiscal policy is procyclical, acyclical or counter cycle, b) how shocks in GDP and fiscal policy are received by key macroeconomic indicators including public debt, CPI, exchange rate, and money market rate etc. and c) what are the political economic …

Unlocking The Power Of Data: Enhancing Public Policy Through Advanced Data Infrastructure And Language Model Analysis, Zahid Asghar

CBER Conference

Data is the fundamental building block for advancements in artificial intelligence (AI), general AI (GAI), machine learning (ML), and large language models (LLMs). This study emphasizes the critical need for robust data infrastructure, arguing that without it, countries cannot fully benefit from technological advancements in various economic sectors. Governments possess vast repositories of both structured and unstructured data across multiple domains such as the judiciary, parliaments, and civil bureaucracy. However, these potential goldmines remain untapped due to inadequate data management capabilities and a lack of appreciation for the necessity of high-quality data. The research identifies key issues in public data …

4th Annual International Conference Proceedings: Rethinking Economics In The Contemporary World, Centre For Business And Economic Research (Cber), School Of Economics And Social Sciences (Sess)

Conference Proceedings

The School of Economics and Social Sciences (SESS), through the Department of Economics and the Center for Business and Economics Research (CBER), opens the call for papers for its fourth international conference: Rethinking Economics in the Contemporary World.

The development of technology, the immediate effects of climate change, complex geopolitical situations, substantial migration, rapid urbanization, increasing income inequality, the emergence of digital economies, and global health crises have all amplified uncertainties and accelerated changes in the economic landscape, underscoring the imperative for better insights and new perspectives in economics profession. This year's conference recognizes the new paradigms and shifts in …

The National Defense Authorization Act V. The Bill Of Rights, David W. Bolton

Liberty University Journal of Statesmanship & Public Policy

The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) is an annual renewal of authorization for the Pentagon to spend money separately appropriated in an appropriations bill. Authorizations contained within this controversial document have grown from permission to spend funding on military munitions to allowing the use of indefinite detention and certain ‘advanced interrogation’ techniques by the members of the armed forces against those actively or perceived to be seeking to dismantle the integrity of the American governmental structure. In 2011, it was signed into law in the middle of the night on New Year's Eve by President Barack Obama. For the purposes …

Trashed At Cedar Point: A Waste Management Analysis, Alexander Waltrich

Honors Projects

Cedar Point has a waste problem that can be solved by implementing a more sustainable waste management policy. This project addresses the impacts of waste management policies on the environment, economy, society, and their temporal viability. I propose and analyze three waste management alternatives: Status Quo, Pilot Recycling Program, and Waste Reduction Plan. Through literature evaluation and alternative assessment I recommend that Cedar Point consider implementing a Waste Reduction Plan.

The Impact Of Student Engagement Activities On Future Climate Change Adaptation: The Case Of Student Simulation Models, Bassel Mostafa Elkalaf

Future Journal of Social Science

This paper explores the critical role of student engagement in addressing the growing challenges of climate change, with a focus on the Model United Nations (MUN) as a case study. As climate-related security threats increase globally, educational platforms that prepare youth for effective leadership in climate politics are more essential than ever. MUN, a widely practiced student activity simulating global policy-making, provides a valuable opportunity for students to deepen their understanding of the interconnectedness between climate change, peace, and security. By participating in MUN simulations, students engage in debates, develop innovative solutions, and practice diplomatic skills, all while exploring the …

Addressing The Cliff-Effect Problem In Massachusetts Legislation To Expand Affordable Quality Child Care And Early Education: Policy Brief #1, Randy Albelda, Alan Clayton-Matthews, Anne Douglass, Christa M. Kelleher, Songtian Zeng, Laurie Nsiah-Jefferson

Publications from the Center for Women in Politics and Public Policy

The goal of this brief is to explain the cliff effects that currently exist in Massachusetts Senate Bill 2707 and a method for mitigating the abrupt cliffs. Senate Bill 2707 is a slightly amended version of Senate Bill 301 filed in early 2023 and expanding access to childcare financial assistance is a core aim of the legislation. The key eligibility and financial assistance parameters remain the same. It is referred to here and accompanying tables and figures by its original number—Senate Bill 301—for easy tracking. The effects analyzed in this brief are based on the Early Education Cost and Usage …

An Exploration Of Refugee Policy Using Social Construction Theory & The Narrative Policy Framework, Daniel S. Amoruso

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Social Construction Theory and Narrative Policy Framework are cohesive products to assess policymaking by examining social construction variables and the formation of narratives. Although I use each independently and together, using them in conjunction helps to ascertain the difference between what someone does and says. Often, there is a substantive disconnect between the two. As with many policy arenas, interest in refugee policy has ebbed and flowed over the past ten years as the United States fluctuates from Democrat to Republican and back to Democrat administrations. Various administrations, media outlets, and separate communities often portray refugees differently; some favorably toward …

How Does Fracking-Related Information Influence Fracking Risk Perceptions? Examining The Roles Of Ideology And Information On Fracking Risk Perceptions, James Ivey

Political Science Undergraduate Honors Theses

Hydraulic fracturing (“fracking”) in the United States has created an economic boom that has helped fuel an ongoing policy conflict between environmental sustainability and human health versus energy independence, expansion of national security, and future economic prosperity. With little federal regulation regarding fracking, policy decisions associated with fracking have fallen to state and local jurisdictions, making the attitudes of officials and lawmakers at the local level the center of many debates regarding fracking and related policies. This paper examines how ideology and information regarding fracking interact to shape risk perceptions associated with fracking. Specifically, this paper uses a survey experiment …

Introducing A Practitioner's Framework For Mobilizing Collective Action, Matthew Paul Bond

Graduate Doctoral Dissertations

INTRODUCING A PRACTITIONER’S FRAMEWORK FOR MOBILIZING COLLECTIVE ACTION December, 2024 Matthew P. Bond, B.A. University of North Carolina Greensboro, M.S., University of Massachusetts Boston, M.P.A., Suffolk University, Ph.D., University of Massachusetts Boston Directed by Christian Weller Social dilemmas are situations in which individual and collective incentives are at odds, leading to suboptimal collective outcomes that make all individuals worse off. Modeling policy problems stuck in stasis as social dilemmas reveals new solution pathways that promise progressive change. The solution to a social dilemma is collective action, yet since the introduction of the collective action problem in the 1960’s, a solution …

Right Turn On Red: Energy-Saving Measure Or Unsafe Maneuver?, Bruce Appleyard, Anurag Pande, Joseph Gibbons, Shams Tanvir, Megan Honey, Nell Ahangarfabrik, Mario Carbajal, Madison Swayne

Mineta Transportation Institute

There is a growing interest in prohibiting right turn on red (RTOR) policies in the name of pedestrian and bicycle safety but there is not enough research on the subject to help agencies make informed decisions. When Congress passed the Energy Policy and Conservation Act of 1975, they included a provision requiring states to permit right turns on red lights as an energy-saving measure to receive federal assistance for mandated conservation programs. Since 1980, all states have permitted right turns on red as a general rule. More research is needed to help guide state policies that can support jurisdictions in …

Social Network Analysis: How Social Media Groups Can Influence Policies Among Hispanic Families, Valeria Gurr

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020 impacted the entire world in various ways. On March 15, 2020, education in Nevada was significantly impacted when the Governor announced the closure of public schools due to the pandemic. When the schools were closed, students were forced to stay home and receive their education through virtual instruction. This transition to distance education affected the Hispanic/Latino(a) communities in pronounced ways and highlighted issues such as limited access to the Internet, technology, lack of hardware devices, as well as language barriers and more. This study uses social networking analysis techniques to examine the nature of …

“Before, We Didn’T Eat Manioc Flour”: Historical And Social Transformations In Food Techniques Among Indigenous Peoples Of The Rio Negro Basin In The Brazilian Amazon, Lorena França

Tipití: Journal of the Society for the Anthropology of Lowland South America

Manioc flour is currently considered one of the main foods consumed by Indigenous peoples in the Northwest Amazon. It is fundamental both to the traditional diet and to adding an "Indigenous flavor" to urban dishes. This article presents an analysis of historical sources that position manioc flour as an important trading commodity since the 19th century and shows how its internal consumption seems to have grown in recent decades. This significance contrasts with the role of manioc flour in mythic narratives about the origin of foods, where it is either not mentioned among the Tukano peoples or referred to as …

“Nós Vamos Lutar Por Eles”: A Defesa Do Povo “Isolado” Pirititi Pelos Waimiri Atroari, Amazonas E Roraima, Brasil, Silvia Melo Futada, Glenn H. Shepard Jr., Walter Nicanor Fontoura Blos, Antônio Carlos Andrade Do Nascimento, Marcelo De Sousa Cavalcante, Associação Comunitária Waimiri Atroari

Tipití: Journal of the Society for the Anthropology of Lowland South America

Os Pirititi são um grupo indígena “isolado” pouco conhecido, que ocupa um território altamente ameaçado na divisa entre os estados do Amazonas e Roraima (Brasil), e tem majoritariamente rejeitado todo tipo de contato e encontro. Os Waimiri Atroari já tiveram conflitos com os Pirititi no passado, mas nas últimas décadas assumiram a responsabilidade de defender os Pirititi e seu território, em processos de reconhecimento oficial, elaborando estratégias, organizando atividades e investindo seu tempo e recursos da associação comunitária. Diante da lentidão das respostas do Estado brasileiro às invasões e outras ameaças aos Pirititi, os Waimiri Atroari tornaram-se os principais protagonistas …

(Un)Worlding With Karipuna’S Shadowy Alliances: The Mirangã And The Isolados, Hanmin Kin

Tipití: Journal of the Society for the Anthropology of Lowland South America

This ethnographically inspired article investigates the ways in which the Karipuna Indigenous people in Rondônia defend their land in the Western Brazilian Amazon against forces of deforestation and dispossession. I focus on the Karipuna’s plurivalent and collective forest spirits called the mirangã, through life experience accounts of two survivors from the “pre-contact” era who embody the Karipuna-mirangã connection. Through an analysis of the onto-epistemological entanglements in which the mirangã and my interlocutors are situated, I articulate another front of the Karipuna’s multi-faceted resistance: the struggle of worlding vis-à-vis the non-indigenous world. This process also reveals the association (from …

La Escucha De Los Soplos: Chamanismo Y Proposiciones Ontológicas Sobre El Lenguaje En El Alto Río Negro, Amazonas, Danilo Paiva Ramos

Tipití: Journal of the Society for the Anthropology of Lowland South America

La región del Alto Río Negro-AM es considerada una de las áreas con mayor intensidad de multilingüismo en Brasil e incluso en el mundo. Hay un total de 23 pueblos indígenas que hablan lenguas de las familias lingüísticas arawak, tukano y hup, yuhup, dâw y nadëb. El presente trabajo busca analizar, desde un enfoque comparado, cómo un sistema regional multilingüe y multiétnico se compone no sólo de exogamia lingüística, sino también de la articulación ontológica entre endoexogamia lingüística y dialogismo chamánico. Comienza con el estudio del antropólogo tukano João Rivelino Barreto sobre el arte del diálogo chamánico tukano para describir …

We Will Not Be Saved: A Memoir Of Hope And Resistance In The Amazon Rainforest, Theodor Borrmann

Tipití: Journal of the Society for the Anthropology of Lowland South America

Review: We will not be saved: a memoir of hope and resistance in the Amazon rainforest, by Nemonte Nenquimo and Mitch Anderson. London: Wildfire, 2024. 368 pp., plates.

Ratting On The Coca Spirit Or Mastering Exchange? Andoque Negotiations Of Power And Commodification Between Forest And Market, Eliran Arazi

Tipití: Journal of the Society for the Anthropology of Lowland South America

Asserting the importance of analyzing Indigenous involvement in the extraction and trade of nonhuman entities against the backdrop of Amazonian perceptions of personhood, this article investigates the risks and opportunities that coca commercialization by the Andoque of Northwest Amazonia, Colombia, holds for the Andoque’s relationships with the coca spirit, other nonhuman entities, and non-Indigenous agents. Considering the triangular relational dynamics between coca producers, urban consumers, and nonhumans as an inflection of Amazonian mastery dynamics within the context of market economic exchange, I analyze the Andoque’s statements and practices relating to this activity through the etic distinction between gifts and commodities …

Bahsé Ahpose: O Adocicamento Das Águas E Dos Peixes Como Regeneração Da Vida No Alto Vaupés, Noroeste Amazônico, José Carlos Almeida Cruz, Justino Sarmento Rezende, Thiago Mota Cardoso

Tipití: Journal of the Society for the Anthropology of Lowland South America

Nas paisagens etnográficas do Noroeste Amazônico brasileiro se encontra o Rio Vaupés, na Terra Indígena do Alto Rio Negro, no Município de São Gabriel da Cachoeira. Nessas paisagens, os povos do Vaupés fazem o Bahsé Ahpose, o adocicamento das águas e dos peixes na prática do tinguijamento. O conhecimento desse ritual e sua prática resulta do encontro de conhecimentos cosmológicos e cosmopolíticos na vida dos povos do Vaupés. Esse rito se realiza pelos diálogos dos kumuã (xamãs), para quem o adocicamento faz parte da fórmula presente na taxonomia de todas as “rezas” benéficas e está sempre presente nelas. Realiza-se o …

Jean Langdon: Transformations And Perspectives From Half A Century Of Research About Shamanism, Isabel Santana De Rose

Tipití: Journal of the Society for the Anthropology of Lowland South America

This text reviews some of Jean Langdon’s most important classical and contemporary writings about shamanism, highlighting her key contributions to the area, as well as her relevance to the anthropology of health and Indigenous health policies. The paper also reflects on Langdon’s influence in the discussions surrounding gender and female agency in ethnographies of lowland South America. Jean Langdon was one of the pioneers in the revival of the research on shamanism in the 1980s. During a period when male anthropologists largely dominated studies on this topic, she highlighted the complexity and diversity of Indigenous shamanisms, proposing that they should …