Public Affairs, Public Policy and Public Administration Commons^™

Car-Less Cities, Maryam Moeinian

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

The rapid growth of world population along with the sprawl growth of towns and suburbanization, has affected the human life and its surrounding nature dramatically. The fact is this level of growth is not sustainable with the current patterns of development. Most cities all around the world are designed in a way that encourages car dependency which is harming the environment and human health.

During the past decade, urban planners formulate new principles of land use development to preserve the environment and protect public health, safety and general welfare of the citizens. These concepts are characterized by some movements such …

Practical Models For Interpreting Traffic Speed Deflectometer Data, Setare Ghahri Saremi

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

For more than 30 years, FWDs have been the most viable device for structural pavement evaluation. During the last decade, several moving deflectometers have been introduced, among those, traffic speed deflectometer has been proven as the most utilized device. Since TSD can measure the deflection parameters of pavement at traffic speeds up to 50-60 mph (80-95 kph), it overcomes FWD shortcomings. However, the analysis of the data collected with TSD is in its infancy.

Since TSD measures the vertical component of pavement velocity (a.k.a. deflection velocity), relationships to convert deflection velocities to deflections for further analyses are needed. Computer software …

Comparisons Of Accessibility To Public Transit Stations By Ridesourcing And Its Competitors, David Hoblí­K

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This Thesis assesses the role of ridesourcing as a mode of first and last mile transport. Review of ridesourcing and taxi business models has been provided as well as a comparative review of laws and regulations regarding ridesourcing and taxi. A potential accessibility gravity based model and logit mode choice model have been applied to compare ridesourcing with other possible modes for first and last mile transport that serve a transit station in Prague, Czech Republic and a transit station in El Paso, Texas. Based on the results, recommendations for ridesourcing companies and local authorities and transportation systems managers are …

A Quality Control Performance-Based Methodology For Pavement Management Systems, Edgar Daniel Rodriguez Velasquez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Transportation Asset Management is a decision-making process, which allocates available resources for operating, maintaining, enhancing, and expanding transportation infrastructure while considering its entire life cycle. Transportation infrastructure includes different types of assets and pavements are one of the main assets due to its social, economic, and environmental impacts to society. Transportation agencies implement Pavement Management Systems to support the pavement management process. While implementing and operating a Pavement Management System, one of the costliest procedures is collecting pavement condition data from the field. Good quality for pavement condition data is required to select the right preservation treatments, estimate the associated …

Utilization Of Digital Image Correlation Technique In Asphalt Testing, Alejandra Escajeda

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Over 90% of the roads in the United States are paved with hot mix asphalt (HMA). These asphalt pavements include many mix types, such as permeable friction course (PFC), stone mastic asphalt (SMA) and conventional dense graded mixes. The performance of the HMA is an important factor in pavement design programs used by many departments of transportation. The type of HMA selected not only influences the performance of the pavement structure, but also the pavement's life cycle cost. The performance life of an HMA mix is to be studied further with experimental data in order to contribute and expand on …

Geospatial Relationship Of Intelligent Compaction Measurement Values With In-Situ Testing For Quality Assessment Of Geomaterials, Luis Alberto Lemus

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The implementation of Intelligent Compaction (IC) in the construction of transportation infrastructure as a tool for quality control of compacted geomaterials has attracted the attention of a number of highway agencies. Compaction quality has been conventionally assessed using density, and to a less extent, modulus-based spot measurements at selected locations along the roadway section. While spot measurements do not provide a thorough rendition of the level of compaction of the roadway, IC technology is effective in meeting full coverage requirements. IC roller measurements are accelerometer-based measurements recording machine-ground interaction assumed to be indicative of the stiffness of the compacted geomaterial. …

Environmental Injustice And Racial/Ethnic Heterogeneity In Houston, Texas, Michel G. Loustaunau Garcia

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This Thesis seeks to contribute to distributive environmental justice (EJ) research by analyzing racial/ethnic and intra-ethnic disparities in potential health risks from exposure to hazardous air pollutants (HAPs) in Harris County, the most populous county in Texas. Previous EJ research in this urban area has not examined intra-ethnic heterogeneity in exposure to air pollutants or attempted to compare social disparities in exposure to air pollution caused by vehicular (mobile) and point (stationary) sources. The goal of this study is to determine how the EJ implications of cancer risks from inhalation exposure to HAPs from mobile and stationary sources differ across …

Impact Of Highway Work Zones On Traffic Crashes: A Case Study In Michigan, Qadri Hafez Shaheen

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Infrastructure in the US is severely aged and outdated. This presents a seemingly paradoxical problem in the field of construction management: In order to fix and make roads and highways more safe, construction zones must become inherently less safe in the process. There is a high cost to taxpayers and drivers, as work zones experience a significant amount of crashes and fatalities each year. To mitigate some of the factors that contribute to these crashes, this paper attempts to deliver guidelines on how to update relevant crash data, identify relevant factors, and create recommendations accordingly. The research focused particularly on …

Participatory Gis As A Tool For Stakeholder Engagement In Building Resilience To Sea Level Rise: A Demonstration Project, Juita-Elena (Wie) Yusuf, Pragati Rawat, Carol Considine, Michelle Covi, Burton St. John Iii, J. Gail Nicula, Khairul A. Anuar

School of Public Service Faculty Publications

This article describes a participatory geographical information system (PGIS) demonstration project used as part of the stakeholder engagement efforts undertaken by the Citizen Engagement Working Group of the Hampton Roads Sea Level Rise Preparedness and Resilience Intergovernmental Planning Pilot Project. The PGIS demonstration project was conducted in the Little Creek/Pretty Lake case study area in the Hampton Roads region of southeastern coastal Virginia. PGIS served as a deliberative and participatory mechanism to obtain local knowledge from residents about the location of valued assets within the community and locations challenged by increased flooding and sea level rise. The PGIS application, using …

Engagement Factors Impacting First-Year Persistence Of Hispanic And Non-Hispanic Students In Idaho Community Colleges, Kimberly May Scheffer

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Although minority students are enrolling in community colleges at increasing rates, these students also leave at higher rates than their non-minority counterparts. The purpose of this quantitative study was to understand the relationship between selected antecedents of educational engagement and student persistence and to examine how persistence varied for first-year Hispanic and non-Hispanic students in Idaho community colleges. Drawing from Kahu's holistic approach, which conceptualizes students' engagement as arising from an interrelationship between institutional and student characteristics, this study surveyed 132 first-semester Idaho community college students. A MANOVA was used to identify the relationship between variables representing aspects of student …

A Global Perception On Contemporary Slavery In The Middle East North Africa Region, Kimberly Anne Pavlik

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Although human trafficking continues to be a growing problem around the world, there are scarce quantitative methodologies for evidence-based research because it is hard to gather reliable and comparable data on human trafficking. It is also difficult to track patterns in human trafficking on a regional or global scale because the victims are a vulnerable population. Using Datta and Bales conceptualization of modern slavery as the theoretical foundation, the primary purpose of this study was to establish a baseline measurement of trafficking predictors in the Middle East North Africa (MENA) as well as understand the statistical relationship between measurements of …

Psychological Consequences Of The Boko Haram Insurgency For Nigerian Children, Paul Adebayo Adepelumi

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Studies have examined the causes and impacts of terrorism in Nigeria; however, no known research has documented the psychological impacts of witnessing ongoing Boko Haram terrorist violence based on the lived experiences of Nigerian children. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to examine the psychological consequences of the Boko Haram insurgency based on the lived experience of Nigerian children exposed to terrorism in Nigeria. The study's theoretical framework combined Piaget's theory of cognitive development and punctuated equilibrium theory. The central research question examined the adverse psychological effects of the Boko Haram insurgency for Nigerian children residing in Nigeria. …

Cultural Integration In Organizational Partnership With Statutory And Quasi Implications, Adeline Ukachi Emihe

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The current academic literature is inadequate on the possibility of applying a typological model of effective cultural integration within the context of public-private partnerships, particularly when governments collaborate with multinational corporations. Using Schein's organizational cultural framework as the foundation, the purpose of this case study of a partnership between a West African government and a multinational petroleum corporation is to understand clearly how synergistic cultural integration coupled with statutory requirements could catalyze public-private partnership success. Data for this study came from interviews with American or Nigerian individuals who were familiar with the partnership in the West African country, a review …

Relationship Between Policy Expectations And Education Outcomes In A Midwestern School District, Latonya Latamore

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

A financially secure public school district can provide children with an educational foundation that will eventually transition them into self-sufficient employed adults. These adults will become tax-paying citizens who will contribute to their local economies. The problem with one midwestern public school district is that a history of financial insecurity has affected the district's ability to provide students with all of the programs to which they are entitled. Using Baumgartner and Jones' conceptualization of punctuated equilibrium as the theoretical foundation, the purpose of this quantitative study was to determine the relationship between aspects of the Local Financial Stability and Choice …

The Adoption And Diffusion Of The Air Taxi/Air Charter Travel Innovation, Joseph Paul Leader

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The inefficient use and knowledge of direct, on-demand air taxi/air charter flights in the United States was the topic of this dissertation. The general problem studied was the inefficient use of air transportation options by business travelers in the United States. The specific problem was how business travelers in the United States learn of and thereby elect to embrace a newer air travel option. Using Rogers's diffusion of innovations theory as the framework, the dissemination of air travel choices made by business travelers using ImagineAir air taxi service in the United States was explored via a qualitative case study research …

The Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement And The Changing Face Of Free Trade Agreements: The Resultant Social, Political, And Economic Consequences, Joseph Heyliger

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Little is known about the impact of nontrade issues on developing countries entering trade agreements. The Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA) represents an attempt to set high-standard trade rules for participating countries in the Asian-Pacific region that require the inclusion of wide-ranging nontrade issues in the TPPA. This general qualitative study explored the economic, social, and political consequences for developing countries by including nontrade issues in Free Trade Agreements (FTAs). The overarching research question addressed whether nontrade issues in FTAs detract developing countries from achieving their trade goals. This study was guided by the theory of comparative advantage propounded by Ricardo …

Wild Horse Country: The History, Myth, And Future Of The Mustang, Seth J. Dettenmaier

Human–Wildlife Interactions

No abstract provided.

Predicting The Probability Of Negotiation In Civil Conflicts: An Empirical Investigation Of Intrastate Conflicts Between 1989 And 2008, Ilker Kalin

Wayne State University Dissertations

Since the end of Cold War, more civil conflicts have been settled by negotiated settlements, as compared to previous eras. While the extant literature has offered various explanations of this trend by examining the costs and types of war, scholars’ primary focus has been on researching the determinants of conflict resolution. Yet, what brings the parties of civil conflicts to the negotiation table in the first place has remained largely unexplored. In particular, previous scholarship has failed to grasp negotiation as a process and costly choice in itself. This dissertation lays out the conditions paving the way for negotiations in …

Place Over Politics: Power, Strategy, Terrain, And Regime Type In Interstate War Outcomes, 1816-2003, Connor Joseph Sprayberry Sutton

Wayne State University Dissertations

While the study of war occurrence is among the primary considerations of the field of international relations, only recently has attention turned towards the study of war outcomes. This attention is best represented by the democratic victory proposition, which suggests that democracies win the majority of their wars by virtue of being democratic. However, elements of this study are currently incipient. In turn, this dissertation generates a novel set of variables to measure the impact of terrain on war outcomes, including measures of spatial extent, topographic heterogeneity, and land cover heterogeneity. These metrics are generated for all 94 interstate wars …

Social Media Usage By Municipal Elected Officials For Open Government Community Engagement, Sarah Stoeckel

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

As public administration has evolved with the technological advances in today's society, it can be challenging to ensure the demands of the public are being met in terms of efficiency, effectiveness, and engagement. Nonetheless, a focus on community remains at the forefront of public administration. When looking at technology and the community, the tool known as social media emerges. Social media has allowed people to interact in new ways and therefore, has allowed the government to interact with citizens in ways they have not been able to in the past. In addition to attempting to modernize public administration, there has …

Airships In U.N. Humanitarian And Peace Operations: Ready For Service?, Walter Dorn, Nic Baird, Robert Owen

Journal of Aviation/Aerospace Education & Research

This study examines whether the United Nations should take steps in the near future to exploit the operational characteristics of lighter-than-air (LTA) and hybrid aircraft in support of its peace and humanitarian operations. Continued progress in the development of LTA transport system makes this a timely issue. At the same time, this progress highlights persistent challenges to the conduct of reliable and safe LTA operations, particularly in the face of bad weather and threats from groups hostile to the UN mission. The report examines this issue in four sections: (1) the potential advantages of LTA operations; (2) their disadvantages; (3) …

Elevating People: Planning For Equitable Travel To Marquam Hill, Reed Broderson, Jennifer Davidson, Madison Levy, Stephanie Lonsdale, Maria Sipin, Rob Zoeller

Master of Urban and Regional Planning Workshop Projects

Plan581, a team of urban planning graduate students at Portland State University, presents the Elevating People plan and its Transportation Equity Lens to help guide OHSU’s future transportation investments. Together, the plan and lens are aimed at improving travel to Marquam Hill by identifying Priority Communities and advancing transportation equity through internal and regional efforts.

Queets Village Relocation Vision: A Community Vision For A Safe Future Queets, Sachi Arakawa, Ayano Healy, Steve Rosen, Thomas Scharff, Victor Tran, Nate White

Master of Urban and Regional Planning Workshop Projects

This document constitutes the Queets Village Relocation Vision. It is a community-informed vision plan for the relocation of the Lower Village of Queets, WA, a part of the Quinault Indian Nation. The Lower Village is to be relocated out of the tsunami inundation zone. The vision plan addresses the adaptations and changes needed for the safe and culturally appropriate development of housing, infrastructure, and community buildings outside of the tsunami inundation zone.

Cowlitz County Heritage Plan: Final Heritage Plan, Mary Benedetto, Dan Dias, Donette Miranda, Margaret Raimann, Tracy Schreiber

Master of Urban and Regional Planning Workshop Projects

WHP2 is a group of five graduate students from Portland State University (PSU) pursuing Master of Urban and Regional Planning degrees. PSU’s program is unique in that it features a client-centered workshop project in place of a final thesis. For our workshop, we spent January through May of 2018 working with our client—the Cowlitz County Historic Preservation Program—to develop a Heritage Plan (Plan). As a relatively new Certified Local Government, they have chosen to be at the forefront of community-led and community-focused historic preservation. This choice brings its own challenges and opportunities and we have explored how they can best …

North Pdx Connected: Final Report, Taylor Campi, Mohammed N. Hotak, Hector Rodrigues Ruiz, Leeor Schweitzer, Mike Serritella

Master of Urban and Regional Planning Workshop Projects

North PDX Connected is an active transportation improvement plan for North Portland focusing on the N Willamette Blvd corridor. Based in community input, the plan seeks to improve safety and comfort for people walking, biking, and taking transit along the corridor and to ensure equitable engagement and distribution of impacts. The enhanced corridor will help connect neighborhoods in North Portland to each other and to the rest of the city.

Three Essays On Public Finance And Public Policy: Financial Disclosure And Policy Reinvention In U.S. State And Local Governments, Jinhai Yu

Theses and Dissertations--Public Policy and Administration

This dissertation consists of three essays. The first essay, or Chapter 2, advances the literature by examining the conditional effects of lobbying on the relationship between policy learning and policy reinvention. Scholars have consistently shown that learning of successful policies in other states leads to higher likelihood of policy adoption. This essay extends this finding two ways. First, policy learning can also lead to more comprehensive adoption of successful policies. Second, the effect of policy learning on policy comprehensiveness is conditional on lobbying by interest groups, an alternative source of information about policy success. To test these hypotheses, I conduct …

A Multidimensional Poverty Index For The United States, Nate Kratzer

Theses and Dissertations--Public Policy and Administration

A multidimensional poverty index for the United States is designed, evaluated, and defended as a useful measurement tool for policymakers to evaluate poverty. Chapter 1 presents a normative case for the index. Chapter 2 reviews the literature on poverty measures. Chapter 3 constructs the proposed index. Chapter 4 is a statistical examination of the internal structure of the index. Chapter 5 explores the index across states, over time, and among population subgroups, as well as presenting policy applications.

Three Essays On Financial Collaboration In The Government And Nonprofit Sectors, Saerim Kim

Theses and Dissertations--Public Policy and Administration

The primary objective of this dissertation is to study the management of public and nonprofit resources and financial risk. Governments will be able to use its findings to continue to provide public services in collaboration with other sectors, including the nonprofit sector. Nonprofit financial self-sufficiency and sub-award grant mechanisms between the government and nonprofit sectors are two primary areas to be examined. This dissertation consists of three essays. The first investigates how the diversification of nonprofit revenue portfolios influences extreme revenue risks; the results show that the chance of extreme revenue loss increases when revenue sources are highly correlated to …

Three Essays On Local Public Finance, Thomas Daniel Woodbury

Theses and Dissertations--Public Policy and Administration

This dissertation seeks to develop the subject of local public finance in a manner consistent with the political economy of local governments. For ease of description, each essay will be discussed briefly.

The first essay is titled "The Provision of Generalized Local Public Goods Financed by Distortionary Taxation." This essay models the provision of a local public good that is simultaneously utilized as a public consumption good and a public intermediate good. Since the public good can simultaneously enter both utility and production functions, it is considered a "generalized public good." This is done to model the provision of infrastructure …

Using Psychological Theories To Understand Citizen Attitudes Toward Government Performance And Collaborative Behaviors In The Public Sector, Jue Young Mok

Theses and Dissertations--Public Policy and Administration

There have been various approaches to studying the effectiveness of government performance in public administration. While some have focused on broad organizational factors, others have taken an individual level approach by applying concepts and methods from psychology and behavioral economics. This three-essay dissertation continues this latter approach by examining the role of cognitive mechanisms in explaining citizen attitudes toward government performance as well as collaborative behaviors in the public sector.

The first essay explored the role of detailed versus abstract mental construals in understanding the relationship between expectations of public service performance and attitudes toward a government. Type of thinking, …