Public Affairs, Public Policy and Public Administration Commons^™

Using Deep Learning Algorithms To Give Bicyclists The “Green Wave” At Traffic Signals, Stephen Fickas

TREC Project Briefs

Led by Dr. Stephen Fickas of the University of Oregon (UO), transportation researchers are working to give bicyclists smoother rides by allowing them to communicate with traffic signals via a mobile app.

'There Are No Bathrooms Available!': How Older Adults Experiencing Houselessness Manage Their Daily Activities, Ellis Jourdan Hews

Dissertations and Theses

Older adults living unhoused encounter limitations and challenges that drastically decrease their wellbeing and quality of life. The purpose of my study was to understand how experiencing houselessness impacted older adults' ability to conduct their activities of daily living (ADLs) and instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs) within their communities. I conducted phone interviews with older adults aged 50 and older who experienced houselessness in the Portland metro area. The participants described the persons and places that shaped their community life when they were living unhoused, and they described how those entities intervened to alleviate barriers to daily activities. The …

Webinar: The Impact Of Ride Hail Services On The Accessibility Of Nonprofit Services, Dyana Mason

TREC Webinar Series

Nonprofit organizations are responsible for providing human services across the United States, often in partnership with government agencies. In this work, they address some of the most pressing social issues – including homelessness, poverty, health care and education. While many of these organizations consider location and accessibility crucial to supporting their clients – often locating services near bus or train stops, for example – little is known about the impact of new technologies, including ride hail services (also called Transportation Network Companies, or TNCs) like Lyft and Uber, on nonprofit accessibility. Do these services help fill gaps in client needs? …

Incarceration And Suicide: Do The Risk Factors Differ For Civilians And Veterans?, Rheannon Gail Ramsey

Dissertations and Theses

Suicide is one of the leading causes of death in United States jails and prisons. Many researchers have looked at suicides in prisons and what can potentially cause suicidal ideation but there are conflicting findings among civilian incarcerated populations and United States military veteran incarcerated populations.

The intent of this study is to examine which risk factors are most prevalent among adults in custody, with a focus on mental health and substance use or abuse and how these risk factors differ between incarcerated civilians and incarcerated veterans. Using survey data from the 2002 Survey of Inmates in Local Jails conducted …

Travelling For Abortion Services In Mexico 2016–2019: Community-Level Contexts Of Mexico City Public Abortion Clients, Laura E. Jacobson Mph, Biani Saavedra-Avendano, Evelyn Fuentes-Rivera, Raffaela Schiavon, Blair Darney

OHSU-PSU School of Public Health Faculty Publications and Presentations

Objective: To describe the community context of women who travel to access Mexico City’s public sector abortion programme and identify factors associated with travelling from highly marginalised settings.

Methods: We used data from the Interrupción Legal de Embarazo (ILE) programme (2016–2019) and identified all abortion clients who travelled from outside Mexico City. We merged in contextual information at the municipality level and used descriptive statistics to describe ILE clients’ individual characteristics and municipalities on several measures of vulnerability. We also compared municipalities that ILE clients travelled from with those where no one travelled from. We used logistic regression to identify …

The Relationship Between Regulation And Care Access In The Doula Industry, Charissa Billings

University Honors Theses

Birth doulas are unregulated service providers in the United States, who provide informational, emotional, and physical support before, during, and after birth. Currently, the United States has the highest maternal mortality rate amongst the most developed nations, as well as a serious racial gap, with Black women being twice as likely to die due to pregnancy-related complications when compared to White women. Birth doulas can help close the gaps with trained support and advocacy. Since over 40% of the births in the US are covered by Medicaid, providing birth doula services to Medicaid recipients could result in improved birth outcomes. …

The Effective Opening: Nonviolent Movements And How They Can Help To Enforce International Law Pertaining To Human Rights, Emmalyn A. Dewing

University Honors Theses

This thesis paper will examine the following question: How can nonviolent movements create enough pressure on human rights-abusing powers so that the enforcement of international law pertaining to human rights is more viable? Through the lens of this question, the paper will argue that one of the most effective ways to fully enforce international law pertaining to human rights is through the success of nonviolent movements whose goals align with it. This paper will further briefly argue that these movements can be helped by the international community through external support in the form of training and advice. To support this …

A Tale Of Two Narratives: The Role Of Storytelling In Racial Dialogue, Lane Cooper

University Honors Theses

Storytelling is a tactic often used in intergroup dialogues as a means for highlighting the human aspect of intractable identity-based conflict. In the U.S., racial dialogues are a popular method for addressing racism and exposing the systems that enable its survival. However, stories told by People of Color during these dialogues are often met with denial, dismissiveness, and even complete silence by their White counterparts. This then leads to cognitive and emotional distress for the tellers and a lack of action from the listeners. Using a theoretical analysis, this paper reviews the narrative conflict around racism and applies psychological research …

Cost Of Oregon Evictions Report (Updated), Lisa K. Bates, Marisa Zapata, Jacen Greene, Stefanie Knowlton

Homelessness Research & Action Collaborative Publications and Presentations

Earlier this year, PSU’s Homelessness Research & Action Collaborative used a calculator developed by the University of Arizona and estimates of how many renter households are at risk of eviction to evaluate the downstream community costs of evictions in Oregon during the pandemic. In light of the state eviction moratorium that is set to expire this month and the CDC moratorium that expires at the end of July, the center is once again looking at the number of households at risk of eviction and the downstream costs.

The data gathered from emergency shelters, inpatient and emergency medical services, child welfare, …

The Development Of Community Relations With Low-Socioeconomic Status, Black Communities And Provisional Equity Of Fire And Emergency Medical Services, Claire R. Rutgers

University Honors Theses

The history of the fire service is unique and provides the opportunity for national growth and evolution through local level models of engagement with the Communities fire departments are tasked to serve. There is a specific project in realigning the narratives and improving the relational dynamic between fire service personnel and low-SES Black Communities. The investigation of the relational gap between low-SES Black Community members and fire and emergency medical services (EMS) personnel is conducted through historical investigation and quantitative analysis, situated in distinct moments of amplification that serve as a lens through which the dynamic can be understood. The …

Migrant Success: Sanctuary Law And Resources For Migrants In Portland, Oregon, Jessica Risney

University Honors Theses

The purpose of this thesis is to determine how Oregon's 1987 sanctuary policy impacts the lives of undocumented migrants to Portland. These migrant communities have diverse backgrounds and needs that require the existence of nonprofit organizations dedicated to community engagement and legal assistance, as well as law enforcement community programs to provide key resources for all residents, including noncitizens. Through the analysis of multiple peer-reviewed articles and other sources on the implementation of sanctuary policy and the lives of undocumented migrants in the United States, this study identifies that laying the foundation for an increase in community safety and expanding …

Webinar: Electric Bus Deployment: Cost And Environmental Equity, Cathy Liu

TREC Webinar Series

This presentation introduces an innovative spatiotemporal analytical framework and web-based visualization platform developed by researchers at the University of Utah to assist transit agencies in identifying optimal deployment strategies for a battery-electric bus (BEB) system by using a combination of mathematical programming methods, GIS-based analysis, and multi-objective optimization techniques. The framework allows transit agencies to optimally phase in BEB infrastructure and deploy the BEB system in a way that can minimize the capital and operational cost of the BEB system while maximizing its environmental benefits (i.e., emission reduction).

Neoliberalism, Civic Identity, And Resistance: An Ethnographic Case Study Of A Community Development Organization, Erin Layne Elliott

Dissertations and Theses

Research on the marketization of the nonprofit sector and how it has come to operate in more business-like ways has been well documented in recent years. This research has largely focused on how marketization has pervaded the nonprofit sector, yet little research has been done on how business-like values and modes of acting are manifesting in nonprofits. Even less understood are the impacts marketization may have on foundational civic values in the nonprofit sector. As marketized discourses proliferate, concerns have been raised about threats to nonprofit autonomy and the sector's important civic role. This dissertation aims to fill this gap …

Understanding Financial And Human Resource Capacity Challenges Among Small Nonprofits In Oregon: How To Overcome Challenges Unique To Size And Urban-Rural Divide, Anindita Mukerjee

Dissertations and Theses

Nonprofit and voluntary organizations are part of the political economy that add to the services of public and private sectors by addressing civic interests, participation in democracy and providing social programs that improve quality of life. This sector is mostly comprised of small organizations whose impact is more than their budget size. At the advent of this study, information existed about the needs and capacity challenges of Oregon nonprofits in general but lacked specifics on smaller organizations, especially differentiating the urban rural distinction. The aim of this research was to explore the financial and human resource capacity of small nonprofit …

Parking Spaces To People Places, Shawn Canny, Natalie Knowles, Arva Hussain, Ann Le, Megan Doherty, Elizabeth Cox

Master of Urban and Regional Planning Workshop Projects

In partnership with the Portland Bureau of Planning and Sustainability (BPS), we sought to better understand how off-street parking space could accommodate economic activity in East Portland, the city’s most economically and racially diverse neighborhood. We focused on two different neighborhoods based on equity considerations and interest: the Rosewood and the Jade Districts. The goal was to better understand these areas with granularity but also to juxtapose them looking for similarities and differences that could guide our recommendations for using parking spaces and serving the community. This project was exploratory in nature. Our research questions and resulting deliverables were dynamic. …

The European Union: Data Protection For Economic Competition And Regional Security, Matthew D. Wurst

Hatfield Graduate Journal of Public Affairs

The collection and use of personal data is being increasingly scrutinized by governments and the European Union (EU) has been attempting to handle the development of data protection based progressive protections to protect its citizens data and right to privacy. With the reemergence of Russia in challenging the state of affairs within Europe, their illegal seizure of the Crimea from Ukraine demonstrated the lengths Russia will go to in order to preserve its sphere of influence. Furthermore, Russia’s use of cyber tactics and hybrid warfare has caused many in Europe to become more concerned for their security. When viewed through …

Masthead: Spring 2021, May Swihart

Hatfield Graduate Journal of Public Affairs

No abstract provided.

Message From The Editor, May Swihart

Hatfield Graduate Journal of Public Affairs

No abstract provided.

Peak-Load Pricing In Portland: Theory, Application, And Recommendations For Central Business District Pricing Policy, Camille N. Mikkelsen

Hatfield Graduate Journal of Public Affairs

In order to make good microeconomic policy in the public sector, non-rivalrous goods and joint costs need to be addressed. One field where non-rivalrous goods and joint costs are important to consider is in the economics of peak-load pricing and transportation policy. This concept is often applied to electrical utilities, but not often applied as a way to relieve the burden of downtown traffic congestion during peak traffic times or to increase city revenues. This paper discusses the theory of peak-load pricing as it applies to “central business districts” (CBDs). It demonstrates successful and unsuccessful examples of peak-flow …

Economic Primer & Policy Analysis: Rent Control Policies & Oregon Sb-608, Gabrielle A. Brown

Hatfield Graduate Journal of Public Affairs

Rent control policies are controversial. They create significant winners and losers and raise serious questions about the prioritization of certain segments of society with others and economic concerns with moral ones. With such dynamics, it is a given that there are no easy answers, at least not to those not given to ideological posturing. The fact is that housing is both an economic system and a human one, with very real ramifications for those involved, which just happens to be everyone.

In 2019, the State of Oregon passed SB-608, a bill intended to address two primary concerns: rental cost growth …

Foreword: Mark O. Hatfield's Legacy, Anthony Miranda

Hatfield Graduate Journal of Public Affairs

In 46 years of public service, Mark Hatfield never lost a political campaign. Despite being campaigned against from the political right and left, the people of Oregon elected and reelected him 11 times. Today, a good portion of Oregon’s infrastructure bears the Hatfield name. This Journal shares that honor, and we believe that to the best of our abilities it should share his courage and conviction. To advocate for things which may not be popular, or even practicable, but can move us forward as a society.

Security Concerns Vs. Monied Interests?: The Role Of Agenda Setting In Homeland Security, Andrew Christopher Ziegler

Hatfield Graduate Journal of Public Affairs

This paper applies public policy concepts such as agenda setting, resource allocation, lobbying, and campaign rhetoric to the field of homeland security. The analysis examines the allocation of resources among the U.S. federal government’s five broad homeland security priorities during the fiscal years of 2012-2017. An overemphasis on border security has led to a disproportionate allocation of resources among these various priorities. The uneven distribution is the summation of electoral ambitions, campaign contributions, and corporate lobbying. This analysis highlights the negative consequences that are a direct result of an unbalanced allotment, cumulating in a slow and uncoordinated federal response to …

The Political Economy Equilibrium Of Environmental And Trade Policies In The U.S., Linda Allen

Hatfield Graduate Journal of Public Affairs

The U.S. has incorporated environmental policies into its all free trade agreements since it negotiated the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) in the early 1990s. The inclusion of environmental policies represented a major shift in trade policy but the environmental policies have not drastically changed in subsequent trade agreements over the past 25 years despite the continued involvement of environmental constituencies and policymakers. The punctuated equilibrium model provides the analytical framework for understanding the factors that gave rise to the drastic policy shift under NAFTA as well as the subsequent policy stasis, in order to inform future policymaking efforts. …

Transportation Network Companies, Proposition 22, And The Future Of Labor Relations In The United States, Nate Midgley

Hatfield Graduate Journal of Public Affairs

While the victory of Proposition 22 (Prop 22) in the November 3^rd, 2020 California State election came as a shock to many observers, Transportation Network Companies (TNCs) such as Uber and Lyft, the architects and beneficiaries of the ballot measure, have a long track record of subverting regulatory attempts. From this historical perspective, the novelty of Prop 22 is not related to the means employed in its victory, but in the sheer scale of effort involved. In other words, Prop 22 represents an escalation of a familiar framework of regulatory subversion by the TNCs, whose success at the …

Violent Conflict And National Development In Nigeria, Adeleke Adegbami Dr, Julius Olaniyi Adeoye Dr

Hatfield Graduate Journal of Public Affairs

Conflict is inevitable in any organization, however, the dimension at which violent conflicts are being perpetrated in Nigeria is unprecedented. It is to this extent that this study examines the causes, the perpetrators, and the effects of violent conflict on the people and national development in Nigeria. This is with a view to establishing development challenges in Nigeria and proffer pragmatic solutions. The data for the study were gathered from primary and secondary sources. The study revealed that violent conflict in Nigeria could not be dissociated from bad governance manifesting in inequality, injustice, unemployment, and poverty among others. Furthermore, the …

Webinar: Eliminating Cash Options For Public Transit Fares: Costs, Benefits And Equity Impacts, Aaron Golub

TREC Webinar Series

Many transit agencies plan to automate their fare collection and limit the use of cash, with the goals of improving boarding and data collection while lowering operating costs. Yet about 10% of adults in the United States lack a bank account or credit card, and many either rely on restrictive cell-phone data plans or don’t have access to internet or a smartphone. This webinar will present part of a larger research project exploring these issues in the cities of Denver, Colorado, and Eugene and Portland–Gresham, Oregon. In this part, we explore the tradeoffs between reducing cash acceptance, ridership and the …

Transportation And Gentrification: Impacts On Low-Income Black Households In Portland, Steven Howland

PSU Transportation Seminars

Portland’s Black population has been heavily impacted by gentrification in the historic Albina community. Nearly half of Portland’s Black population lives in the area east of 82nd Ave, known as East Portland. This has had substantial impacts on both Black households that can continue living in Albina and those living in East Portland. The suburban-esque built environment of East Portland makes it difficult to get around and reach basic necessities. Those living in Albina have taken on exorbitant rents. Both groups suffer from a geographic divide that has made it difficult to rely on family and friends for basic needs …

Applying An Equity Lens To Automated Payment Solutions For Public Transportation, Aaron Golub, John Macarthur, Anne Brown, Candace Brakewood

TREC Final Reports

Many transit agencies plan to automate their fare collection and limit the use of cash for payment, with the goals of improving boarding and data collection while lowering operating costs. Still, about 10% of adults in the United States lack a bank account or credit card, and many either rely on restrictive cell-phone data plans or don’t have access to internet or a smartphone, making it very challenging for these riders to ride. In light of these potential challenges, this project was developed by a group of transit agencies and consultants interested in the barriers faced by riders, and what …

Oregon Walks Pedestrian Crash Report: Causes, Effects, And Recommendations, Ashton Simpson, Scott Kocher, Brandon Summers

PSU Transportation Seminars

Perhaps you’ve seen a public meeting about pedestrian safety (or infrastructure projects) deteriorate into speculation about texting pedestrians or drunk drivers. What do the data say? The Oregon Walks Pedestrian Crash Report reviews police reports and available information for all 48 fatal pedestrian crashes in Portland from 2017-2019. The authors will summarize their most notable findings relating to infrastructure, other systemic factors, equity and the information that the public receives about crashes. Participants may wish to review the report or articles describing it to prepare for a robust discussion: You’re Driving Too Damn Fast, Willamette Week, March 17, 2021 Oregon …

The Mode Less Traveled: Exploring Bicyclist Identity In Portland, Or, Christopher Johnson

Dissertations and Theses

This study explores bicyclist as a social identity in Portland, OR and a relatively under researched topic in the existing literature about transportation mode choice. The results indicate that bicyclists in Portland do have an understanding of what it means to be a bicyclist and particularly the normative behaviors associated with that social identity. Results also indicate that barriers to entry into this social group are quite low but the path to becoming someone who regularly chooses bicycling as a mode of transportation is not straightforward and is fraught with barriers that could easily discourage new group members. Bicyclists in …