Public Affairs, Public Policy and Public Administration Commons^™

The Meatpacking Industry Needs Stronger Worker Protections And Enhanced Oversight, India Luxton, Laura-Anne Minkoff-Zern

Center for Policy Research

Meatpacking plants are hazardous workplaces with high injury rates and poor working conditions, negatively impacting the health of the industry’s predominately immigrant and refugee workforce. The COVID-19 pandemic illuminated ongoing concerns in the industry, including the problems associated with consolidation and concentration, worker safety, and poor public health outcomes. This brief summarizes findings from a study that used data from 39 interviews with local, state, and federal officials and bureaucrats, worker advocates, and workers to analyze meatpacking policymaking and oversight during COVID-19. The authors find that a lack of industry oversight and decreased regulation contribute to unsafe environments, and injustices …

Bottom-Up Global Change: Stealth Action In A Decentralized World, Art Blaser, Trinity Huynh

Political Science Faculty Articles and Research

The climate justice and disability rights movements reflect a paradigm shift from a top-down approach to policy-making to one that emphasizes local efforts by non-state actors.

Political Polarization Harms Public Health, Shana Kushner Gadarian, Jay Van Bavel, Kai Ruggeri, Eric Knowles

Population Health Research Brief Series

Political polarization poses considerable risks to well-being. Both ideological polarization (“extremification” of policy positions and ideological orientations) and affective polarization (out-party hate) have increased over the past several decades with detrimental effects on public health. This brief summarizes the impacts of political polarization on public health in the U.S., highlighting the COVID-19 pandemic as a case study on the health risks of polarization. The authors show that, in the United States, one of the strongest predictors of COVID-19 prevention behaviors, such as social distancing and vaccination, was political partisanship. Gaps in these behaviors between Republicans and Democrats increased over the …

Integrated Coordinated Care Policies In Alameda County For The Unhoused Population, Stacey R. Perry

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Alameda County departments and organizations have continually provided varying services to members in the unhoused community to increase pathways to stabilization for those served, with little success for over 37 years. While there were studies that discussed the issues of high service utilization faced by unhoused behavioral health care recipients, there was little to no literature that discussed these issues in Alameda County, where the numbers of unhoused persons total more than 9,500. There was very little known as to what policy barriers, and conversely, facilitators and key stakeholders in clinical and penal institutions face in implementing integrated coordinated care …

Impacting Community Well-Being Through Effective Engagement Using The Seed Method, Carlin Rafie, Emily B. Zimmerman, Angelina Hargrove, Theodora Biney Amissah, Samantha Lee

Journal of Extension

Cooperative Extension can make a significant impact on health in the United States through effective community engagement that focuses on the complex socio-ecological factors that impact health. The Stakeholder Engagement in Question Development Method (SEED Method) employs community based participatory research principles to engage communities in research, problem-solving, and action planning. Projects employing the SEED Method engage community members from diverse backgrounds, create community capacity, result in tangible outcomes, and foment inter-organizational trust and networking. A SEED Toolkit is available on the Extension Foundation Campus site and provides implementation instructions, tools and timelines, and potential applications within Extension.

Waiving Physical Presence Requirements During The Covid-19 Pandemic Increased Wic Caseloads, Colleen Heflin, William Clay Fannin, Leonard M. Lopoo, Camille Barbin

Center for Policy Research

Following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the federal government relaxed the physical presence requirements for applicants of the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) to reduce the associated health risks for pregnant women, new mothers, and young children. Experts consider in-person application requirements an administrative burden that can constrain access to social services, but the causality of specific burdens on WIC has not previously been shown. This brief summarizes findings from a study that compared WIC caseload data collected across 738 counties in 10 U.S. states between January 2019 and May 2021 to determine how …

Concealed Cognitive Disabilities, Bullying In The Workplace, And The Americans With Disabilities Act, Craig Darrell Taylor

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This qualitative study uniquely explores the perceptions of individuals with concealable cognitive disabilities (CCDs) regarding Titles I–III of the Americans with Disabilities Act and its amendments (ADAAA). The research addresses a significant gap in understanding this population’s views on workplace experiences, particularly in the context of harassment, privacy, self-identification, and labeling. Using Schneider and Ingram’s social construction framework to examine societal power dynamics, the study analyzed interviews with eight participants, employing rigorous thematic coding. The analysis revealed four key themes: social construction (perception in the workplace and the power of employment protections), disability (cognitive disabilities and the challenges of disclosure …

Policy Outcomes Of Culturally Integrated Health Care For African Americans, Victoria Aderin

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Despite advancements in integrated care, persistent health care disparities and systemic barriers continue to contribute to poor health outcomes among African Americans. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the implementation of culturally integrated behavioral health care within the context of African American experiences, focusing on health care access and quality through a public policy lens. The study was informed by Ostrom's institutional analysis and development framework, health equity framework developed by the nonprofit organization Education Training & Research, and Hankivisky's intersectionality-based policy analysis. To gather data, semistructured interviews were conducted with 20 African American adults who receive …

Performance-Based Funding Models And Student Outcomes At Community And Technical Colleges, Victoria Ichungwa

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Performance-based funding (PBF) models have become increasingly prevalent in higher education. While designed to improve student outcomes, their effectiveness, particularly at community and technical colleges (CTCs), remains uncertain. Given CTCs' crucial role in providing equitable education, understanding PBF’s effectiveness is imperative for equitable funding. In this study the relationship between the Student Achievement Initiative (SAI) model and student outcomes at the Washington State CTCs was examined. Existing research on PBF is limited, often focusing on 4-year institutions and lagging outcomes using proxy data. These gaps were addressed by examining student outcomes for the 34 Washington State CTCs using secondary archival …

Forecasting The Promotion Rate For Women In The U.S. Senior Foreign Service, Jodi Wynn Erickson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Despite efforts worldwide to increase diversity, women continue to be underrepresented in the most senior leadership and management positions. The aim of this study was to provide insight into whether specific variables increased female representation at the most senior levels of the U.S. Foreign Service. A quantitative correlational study was completed using an autoregressive integrated moving average model in SPSS. Following that, time series forecasts were run in SPSS and AI generated in Google Gemini and Microsoft Copilot, to create a forecast for the female promotion rate in the Senior Foreign Service (the equivalent of the Senior Executive Service) within …

Relationship Between Social Media And Acts Of Domestic Terrorism And Extremism, Winford Rochelle Craig

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

After 9/11, domestic terrorism began to evolve in the United States and technological advances and the usage of social media (SM) increased exponentially. During the same era, technological advancement intensified and SM became one primary method of communication between extremists. SM has infiltrated into multiple segments of society, and became a method of transference of ideology, to the population of the United States. Domestic violent extremism (DVE) groups used SM to indoctrinate, train, and recruit individuals throughout the United States. The purpose of this quantitative study was to explore the relationship between the increased usage of SM and the rise …

Impacts Posed By Recreational Marijuana Legalization : A Global Comparison In Jurisdictions With Different Marijuana Control Policies, Weizhou Zhu

SOC 605 Comparative Social Policy Research Project - Student Works

As marijuana legalization is adopted by more and more countries, there have been a lot of debates about its benefits and downsides. Around the world, the majority of countries maintain their illegality, a few are fully open, while some decriminalize or do not enforce the prohibition laws. However, few studies have examined the different impacts brought by district cannabis control policies. This study uses the systematic review method to investigate the impacts of marijuana legalization in 5 domains and compare them on a global basis. A total of 51 articles published between January 2019 to June 2024 were selected. Policy …

Latinos In Massachusetts Selected Areas: Methuen, Phillip Granberry, Michelle Borges, Florita Coto Tristán

Gastón Institute Publications

This is a publication of the Mauricio Gastón Institute for Latino Community Development and Public Policy.

The Heterogeneous Effects Of Cannabis Dispensaries On Crime: The Importance Of Foot Traffic, Thomas Lebesmuehlbacher, Justin Roush, Rhet A. Smith

Hunt Institute Working Paper Series

This paper pairs exact dispensary locations with city block level crime data to study the impact of medical cannabis dispensaries on crime in the state of Florida from 2016-2019. Leveraging a Florida state law that requires broadly uniform security provisions across dispensaries, we capture important dispensary heterogeneity by incorporating customer volume and local non-dispensary foot traffic with smartphone geopositional data. We use not-yet-operational dispensary locations as a control group and a geo-spatial difference-in-differences framework and find reductions in larceny, vehicle burglary, and motor vehicle theft following the opening of high-volume dispensaries. We fail to find evidence of similar deterrent effects …

تأثير الرضا الوظيفي على استمرار الموظفين الإماراتيين في العمل في القطاع الخاص, وضحه سعيد القايدي

Theses

The Impact of Job Satisfaction on the Continuation of Emirati Employees to Work in the Private Sector

Despite the significant attention given by the government of the United Arab Emirates to the localization n of national talent in the private sector through its support for various government programs and initiatives aimed at enhancing the participation of Emiratis in the labor market across different economic sectors, and the notable success of these programs and initiatives, which have contributed to an increase in the number of Emiratis joining the private sector to nearly 100,000, the most prominent challenge that may affect the …

Latinos In Massachusetts Selected Areas: West Springfield, Phillip Granberry, Michelle Borges, Florita Coto Tristán

Gastón Institute Publications

This is a publication of the Mauricio Gastón Institute for Latino Community Development and Public Policy.

Latinos In Massachusetts Selected Areas: Attleboro, Phillip Granberry, Michelle Borges, Florita Coto Tristán

Gastón Institute Publications

This is a publication of the Mauricio Gastón Institute for Latino Community Development and Public Policy.

Latinos In Massachusetts Selected Areas: Taunton, Phillip Granberry, Michelle Borges, Florita Coto Tristán

Gastón Institute Publications

This is a publication of the Mauricio Gastón Institute for Latino Community Development and Public Policy.

Latinos In Massachusetts Selected Areas: Milford, Phillip Granberry, Michelle Borges, Florita Coto Tristán

Gastón Institute Publications

This is a publication of the Mauricio Gastón Institute for Latino Community Development and Public Policy.

Latinos In Massachusetts Selected Areas: Leominster, Phillip Granberry, Michelle Borges, Florita Coto Tristán

Gastón Institute Publications

This is a publication of the Mauricio Gastón Institute for Latino Community Development and Public Policy.

Latinos In Massachusetts Selected Areas: Watertown, Phillip Granberry, Michelle Borges, Florita Coto Tristán

Gastón Institute Publications

This is a publication of the Mauricio Gastón Institute for Latino Community Development and Public Policy.

Latinos In Massachusetts Selected Areas: Marlborough, Phillip Granberry, Michelle Borges, Florita Coto Tristán

Gastón Institute Publications

This is a publication of the Mauricio Gastón Institute for Latino Community Development and Public Policy.

Commercial Truck Drivers' Perceptions About The Influences Of Safety Regulations On Retention, Akeisha Arnett

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The persistent shortage of commercial truck drivers remains a prominent concern in the industry. There is a potential for the shortage to exacerbate, possibly reaching an estimated 50,000 drivers, due to the need for more adequately qualified candidates. The purpose of this qualitative study was to improve the understanding of how commercial truck drivers who have worked in the industry for at least 1 year perceived the relevance of the U.S. Department of Transportation’s (DoT) safety regulation 49 CFR Part 395 on the number of allowed active driving hours potentially impacts their retention decisions. The research questions focused on the …

Co-Producing Learning Space In A Prison-University Partnership, Ross E. Little

Journal of Prison Education Research

This article explores a classroom co-produced by learners serving prison sentences, undergraduate criminology students and a pair of lecturer-facilitators. This space, in a high security prison for men serving life sentences (‘HMP Lifer’), provides a good example of ethical praxis and moral sight working in combination to mitigate against moral and ethical blindness. It is a mechanism by which pedagogical concerns, and some human-centred ones, can be realised in an unconventional context.

There are two areas to the discussion. Firstly, the effects of incorporating students from outside the prison into the classroom space, such as enhanced proximity, the reduction of …

New Local Government It Employees’ Onboarding Perception Of Barriers, Solutions, And Expected Outcomes For Service Delivery Engagement, Ursula White-Oliver

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Employee onboarding and socialization experienced by local government information technology (IT) employees is an industry issue among those without prior public sector employment. This study entailed an evaluation of the onboarding process by gathering perspectives from a local government IT department to help an organization understand onboarding and socialization needs and desires of new employees. The purpose was to address public IT employees’ experiences and what they thought needed to change about their experiences. Surveys of employees and personal individual interviews with thirty-one managers and subject matter experts from across the organization were used to provide data about transitioning to …

Estimating The Economic Impact Of A Natural Disaster On The Workforce Resiliency: An Analysis Of The Virginia Beach - Chesapeake - Norfolk Metropolitan Statistical Area, Robert M. Mcnab, Yin-Hsuen Chen, George Mcleod

Presentations, Lectures, Posters, Reports

In this paper, we explore the potential economic impacts associated with a major hurricane making landfall in Hampton Roads. We estimate the direct damages from a Florence-like Category 3 hurricane with a 3.6 feet tidal offset are estimated at $15.6 billion, equivalent to 10% of the 2022 regional GDP. If we apply existing flood insurance rates to these projected damages, we estimate that the total economic impact would exceed $12 billion with a short-term loss of more than 76,000 jobs. The job losses are concentrated in sectors that provide services to households which would bear the brunt of damages during …

How Can We Improve Educational Experiences For Refugee Students In Poland?, Iwona B. Franczak, Amy C. Lutz

Center for Policy Research

Schools play an important role in safety and stability for refugee students, including the Ukrainian school-age children who fled the war after Russia’s invasion in 2022. This brief summarizes findings from a study that used data from 24 interviews conducted in 2022 with teachers and mothers of Ukrainian refugee children attending elementary schools in Poland to examine the impact of forced migration on academic progress and socio-emotional well-being of refugee students. The authors find war and forced migration disrupt children’s school routines, but that schools can foster positive outcomes by teaching in the children’s native language, using cultural assistants, and …

Gender Ideology And Gender Equality Policy Adoption, Wendell Christopher Lewis

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Gender-based violence threatens the social and economic security of countries. Gender equality policies, which address the ideological and material relations of gender equality that support gender-based violence, are being stymied by antigender coalitions. Little is known of the concept called gender ideology used by this coalition to facilitate policy intractability of gender equality policies. This mixed-method study was intended to fill the theoretical and methodological gaps in the literature using the narrative policy framework to explore the concept of gender ideology and policy intractability during the National Gender Policy debate in Trinidad and Tobago between 2010-2018. The research questions focused …

Giving Our “Paper Tiger” Real Teeth: Fixing The U.S. Military’S Plans For Contested Logistics Against China, Zachary S. Hughes

Joint Force Quarterly

This article explores the growing concerns about the U.S. military’s ability to deter or win a conflict with China in the Western Pacific, focusing on the role of logistics in future military success. China’s advanced missile systems pose a significant threat to the U.S.'s traditional deployment strategies, leading the Marine Corps, Army, and Air Force to adopt dispersed operations to enhance survivability. These strategies have proven logistically unsustainable due to their high resource demands and coordination challenges. The article also highlights technological innovations, such as sea-based resupply, additive manufacturing, alternative energy sources, and AI, which offer potential logistical improvements. However, …

Exploring Determinants Of Transit Recovery After The Covid-19 Pandemic, Udit Khandelwal

Dissertations and Theses

The COVID-19 pandemic significantly disrupted public transit systems across the US, resulting in substantial declines in ridership and revenue. At the same time, ridership has increased to different levels in cities. This thesis explores the determinants of transit recovery in American cities post-pandemic. It analyzes data from the National Transit Database (NTD) and employs a two-stage least squares (2SLS) regression model first laid out by Taylor et al. (2008) for data from 2000. Similar to the results of that paper, the thesis finds strong correlation between transit ridership and variables for transit supply and urban and demographic characteristics for 2019 …