Public Affairs, Public Policy and Public Administration Commons^™

Civic Engagement In California: Why Do We Lag?, James Prieger, Kelly Faltis

School of Public Policy Working Papers

Civic engagement is vital for liberal democracy, the proper functioning of social, civic, and governmental institutions, and economic growth. This report examines citizen participation in political and social civic life in California. We begin by comparing the state to the nation at large, and find that California lags the nation in most forms of civic engagement. The data show that, on average, Whites were more engaged than Blacks, Hispanics, and Asians, and native citizens born in the US are more engaged than citizens born elsewhere and non-citizens. To analyze whether these factors determine why civic engagement differs in California, we …

Healthcare Reform Hangs In The Balance, Lawrence O. Gostin

O'Neill Institute Papers

In this timely new briefing, Professor Lawrence O. Gostin, University Professor and Faculty Director, O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law, Georgetown University writes:

Prior to Tuesday’s arguments, I believed that the Supreme Court would uphold the health insurance purchase mandate by a comfortable margin. But now I believe that health care reform hangs in the balance. Here are the key arguments on which the future of President Obama’s health care reform depends: a greater freedom, cost-shifting, the health care market, acts versus omissions, limiting principles, the population-base approach, and what is necessary and proper. If the Court strikes …

Assessing Deployment Risk And Resiliency Factors And The Adjustment Outcomes Of Police Officers Serving In Operation Iraqi Freedom And Operation Enduring Freedom, Paula Barrows

Theses and Dissertations

ASSESSING DEPLOYMENT RISK AND RESILIENCY FACTORS AND THE ADJUSTMENT OUTCOMES OF POLICE OFFICERS SERVING IN OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM AND OPERATION ENDURING FREEDOM By Paula Barrows Davenport, MS A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at Virginia Commonwealth University. Virginia Commonwealth University, 2012 Director: Dr. Janet R. Hutchinson Professor and Chair of the Department of Gender, Sexuality and Women’s Studies The goal of this exploratory study was to evaluate risk and resiliency factors from the Deployment Risk and Resiliency Inventory (DRRI) in predicting post-deployment adjustment outcomes among police officers who served in …

Industry Targeting Final Report. City Of Benbrook Economic Development Corporation., Institute Of Urban Studies

Institute of Urban Studies Publications - Archive

No abstract provided.

Community-Engaged Decision Support For Foreclosed Housing Acquisition And Redevelopment In Boston, Michael P. Johnson Jr.

Public Policy and Public Affairs Faculty Publication Series

This project develops decision tools and analytical methods to help non‐profit community development corporations (CDCs) acquire and redevelop foreclosed housing for neighborhood stabilization and revitalization. Interviews and direct observations at partner CDCs have helped us identify current practices, data and requirements for our decision models. Problem‐structuring methods through CDC focus groups have generated core operational and organizational objectives. Spreadsheet‐ and optimization based decision models generate policy and operational alternatives that address multiple resident and community outcomes. Our research will support efficient responses to the recent foreclosure crisis, especially in distressed neighborhoods, and suggest policy implications at local and national levels.

Bridging The Gap: Transitioning Information Literacy Skills For Student Success, Jennifer L. Fabbi, David Forgues

Library Faculty Presentations

Context: UNLV, University Undergraduate Learning Outcomes, Inquiry & Critical Thinking, Information Literacy, iSkills Assessment

Research Brief: "Serving Those Who Have Served- Managing Veteran And Military Student Best Practices", Institute For Veterans And Military Families At Syracuse University

Institute for Veterans and Military Families

This study focuses on the role of the academic institution and the military student management, as the successful management of “military students” brings benefits to the student, the academic institution, and the community. In practice, a combination of the expansion of online education and the implementation of the Post-9/11 GI Bill Veterans Benefits Program has resulted in an increase of military student presence on college campuses and in online educational programs nationwide. In policy, collaborating with various departments on and off campus, such as the Admissions Office, Registrar’s Office, Finance Department, Financial Aid Office, University Counseling Center, Asheville Veterans Administration …

Reducing Operating Costs By Optimizing Space In Facilities, Jared J. Maline

Theses and Dissertations

Facility maintenance and sustainment costs can represent a large portion of a company's or government's expenditures. The U.S. Government has a pressing need to reduce these costs and meet energy efficiency goals while remaining fiscally responsible. Research has shown that the government currently has little to no optimization standards or means of integrating such requirements into a decision making model. This is despite the fact that the data necessary to make educated decisions are already being collected through asset management and geospatial activities. This paper utilizes the Air Force's facility portfolio as a case study to better understand the problems …

Value Focused Thinking For Nation Building In Afghanistan: A Regional Perspective, Muhammad S. Riaz

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis is an effort to mathematically model the nation building effort that is underway in Afghanistan. The thesis examines this nation building effort from the perspective of a local person who understands Afghan culture better than a foreigner. The thesis employs value-focused thinking to categorize the factors that we need to focus on for nation building in descending order of priority. This research adds a new dimension to the models already available in the literature and is likely to be more readily embraced by the local people who are sometimes in conflict with American priorities.

The Effect Of Multiple Interventions On Environmental Attitudes And Behaviors, Jeremy P. Kinne

Theses and Dissertations

New federal mandates require federal entities to reduce resource usage across the board. Additionally, commercial enterprises are evaluating methods of reducing resource consumption to reduce costs and become more ecologically friendly. In response, researchers have begun to evaluate the intentions and behaviors of individuals to determine how to encourage individual participation in reduction methods. This study used a quasi-experimental design of non-equivalent groups to evaluate the effects of Computer Based Training and persuasive speech on individual environmental attitudes and behavior. Using the Theory of Planned Behavior model to determine intentions and behaviors, this study utilized surveys to evaluate the relative …

Why The Affordable Care Act's Individual Purchase Mandate Is Both Constitutional And Indispensable To The Public Welfare, Lawrence O. Gostin

O'Neill Institute Papers

Integral to the Affordable Care Act's (ACA’s) conceptual design is the individual purchase mandate, which requires most individuals to pay an annual tax penalty if they do not have health insurance by 2014. Despite the vociferous opposition, the mandate is the most “market-friendly” financing device because it relies on the private sector. Ironically, less market-oriented reforms such as a single-payer system clearly would have been constitutional.

It is common sense for everyone to purchase health insurance and thus gain security against the potentially catastrophic costs of treating a serious illness or injury. However, Congress’ method of ensuring that everyone has …

Flawed Privatisation Approach, Ishrat Husain Dr.

Faculty Research - Newspaper and Magazine Articles

There has been a hiatus in the privatisation of state-owned enterprises for the last five years. Recently, the Privatisation Commission has announced a capital market transaction roadmap. Under this programme, sales of public shares will take place through initial public offerings (IPOs), secondary public offerings (SPO), global depositary receipts (GDR) and follow on public offering (FoPo). The main objective is to raise funds for meeting fiscal deficit and mobilise foreign exchange to fill in the widening gap in the balance of payments. Will these transactions achieve the stated objective? The companies for which local markets will be accessed are PPL, …

Judicial Reforms And Economic Growth, Ishrat Husain Dr.

Faculty Research - Newspaper and Magazine Articles

Growth rates in Pakistan since 2008 have declined to almost half of the level achieved in the preceding four years. The investment ratio in 2010-11 has been the lowest in the history of Pakistan. Most of the discussion on the stagnation and decline of the economy has rightly focused on fiscal deficits, energy shortages, inflation, and high interest rates. But the relationship between the rule of law and investment and business development is not much talked about in popular discourse. In the absence of a conducive legal environment, uncertainties created by other factors such as political instability, security, law and …

Economic Impact Of Pace University New York City, Rebecca Tekula Phd, Anna-Kay Sinclair Mpa

Wilson Center for Social Entrepreneurship

No abstract provided.

Transfer Of Juveniles To Criminal Court Is Not Correlated With Falling Youth Violence, Jeffrey A. Butts

Publications and Research

Though it may seem that transferring youth to criminal court should lower youth violent crime, this analysis shows no relationship. This databit looks at the transfer rate and violent crime declines in the six states that reported juvenile arrests to the FBI.

Geneva International Centre For Humanitarian Demining, Cisr Journal

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

The Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining’s mission is to serve as a leading center of mine-action excellence, and to help States Parties implement the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-personnel Mines and on Their Destruction (also known as the Anti-personnel Mine Ban Convention or APMBC), the Convention on Cluster Munitions and other relevant instruments of humanitarian law. GICHD bridges the gaps between research, lessons learned and practice. It promotes evidence-based policies and develops standards, making mine action faster, cheaper, safer, more effective, sustainable and inclusive.

Norwegian People’S Aid, Cisr Journal

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Norwegian People’s Aid is the humanitarian organization of the Norwegian Confederation of Trade Unions (also known as LO). NPA is a politically independent organization but often takes political stances internationally in an effort to meet its strategic goals of “the just distribution of power and resources” and “the protection of life and health for all.”

At Issue: Weapons Of War, Cisr Journal

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

The methodology of war has changed throughout history, from the trench warfare of World War I and the use of nuclear weapons in World War II to the drone technology of today.

Director's Letter, Cisr Journal

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

I don’t believe in sitting still. When you work with survivors and leaders from the global landmine-action community, how could you? I’m inspired on a daily basis by their courage, fortitude and resilience—characteristics I saw recently during a trip to Iraqi Kurdistan.

Azerbaijan National Agency For Mine Action, Cisr Journal

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

In 1994, hostilities between Armenian forces and the Azerbaijani military ceased. Although a lasting peace agreement is still being negotiated, this ending marked the beginning of a long process of landmine and unexploded-ordnance removal in the region bordering Armenia. In 1999, the Government of Azerbaijan and the United Nations Development Programme signed an agreement that established the Azerbaijan Mine Action Programme to deal with landmine and unexploded ordnance clearance. The implementing agency of the Azerbaijan Mine Action Programme is the Azerbaijan National Agency for Mine Action, which is responsible for the planning, coordination, management and monitoring of all mine-action activities …

Organization Of American States, Cisr Journal

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

The Organization of American States was established in 1948 with the signing of the Charter of the OAS in Bogotá, Colombia. The OAS was created to help the member states attain “an order of peace and justice, to promote their solidarity, to strengthen their collaboration, and to defend their sovereignty, their territorial integrity, and their independence.”

The Halo Trust, Cisr Journal

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

In 1988, following the withdrawal of Soviet Forces from Afghanistan, Guy Willoughby established The Hazardous Area Life-support Organization Trust—commonly known as The HALO Trust—a nonprofit organization dedicated to clearing explosive and hazardous remnants of war.

The Humpty Dumpty Institute, Cisr Journal

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

In 1998, a group of business entrepreneurs came together with a desire to tackle some of the world’s leading humanitarian problems. They developed the Humpty Dumpty Institute as a way to find creative solutions to global issues, such as explosive remnants of war and food security.

The Marshall Legacy Institute, Cisr Journal

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

The Marshall Legacy Institute is a Virginia-based nonprofit organization formed in 1997 to extend the vision of Nobel Peace Prize laureate George C. Marshall by alleviating suffering and promoting hope, growth and stability in war-torn countries. For many nations, a primary obstacle to achieving sustainable progress is the deadly legacy of landmines that halt agricultural production, slow development, impede the return of refugees, and kill and injure innocent citizens.

Life Line Consultancy And Rehabilitation, Cisr Journal

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

At the age of 14, Kamel Saadi became a landmine survivor and amputee. On 16 March 1979, Saadi was enjoying a barbecue picnic with family and friends near Umm Qais, an area along the Jordanian-Israeli border contaminated with landmines from Jordan’s conflicts with Israel during the 1960s and 1970s. While walking along a hilly pathway, he stepped on a rock concealing a landmine that caused severe damage to his foot; eight hours later, doctors amputated his left foot.

Peacetrees Vietnam, Cisr Journal

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

In 1969, Jerilyn Brusseau’s brother, American Daniel Cheney, died when his helicopter was shot down over Vietnam’s southern provinces. Brusseau vowed that when the war was over she would work for reconciliation. Gathered with friends around the breakfast table one Sunday morning, the group decided on an avenue to build bridges of reconciliation between the United States and Vietnam: “We wanted to take the spirit of ‘citizen diplomacy’ fostered by 18 previous international PeaceTrees programs in other countries to a deeper level, by working with the Vietnamese people in removing landmines and planting trees.”

Peer-Support Training For Nonliterate And Semiliterate Female Ex-Combatants: Experience In Burundi, Cameron Macauley, Monica Onyango, Eric Niragira

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

In September 2011, 25 female veterans of Burundi’s civil war were trained to become peer-support workers. The five-day training, funded under a grant from the Stavros Niarchos Foundation and conducted by James Madison University’s Center for International Stabilization and Recovery, was the first of its kind to offer peer-counseling skills to nonliterate and semiliterate women.

World Education, Inc., Cisr Journal

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

After nearly a lifetime of work as an educator in China and throughout the world, Welthy Honsinger Fisher returned to India to continue her work in education at the request of Mahatma Gandhi in 1947. She founded the Literacy House, a small school providing basic education and agricultural training for disadvantaged adults. Observing that literacy training was needed to empower men and women worldwide, in 1951, she and others founded World Education, an international nonprofit dedicated to world literacy.

Somalia Famine: Terrorism And Landmines Hinder Aid, Cisr Journal

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Drought, rising food prices, famine and conflict have forced thousands of Somalis to flee to neighboring countries or become internally displaced. Aid agencies continue delivering food, but the ongoing conflict between al-Shabab and Somali government forces makes additional help difficult. The landmine threat further exacerbates the crisis, contributing to food insecurity, endangering refugees and threatening aid agencies trying to reach those in need.

Second Conference On Psychosocial Rehabilitation For Landmine Survivors And Persons With Disabilities, Reykhan Muminova

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

The Ministry of Labour and Social Protection of the Population of the Republic of Tajikistan, the Tajikistan Mine Action Centre and the Afghanistan Disability Support Programme hosted the second Regional Psychosocial Rehabilitation Conference in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, 19–20 October 2011. This conference attracted high-level officials from key Afghan, Iranian and Tajik ministries and departments, as well as organizations working with landmine survivors, persons with disabilities and in psychosocial rehabilitation programs.