Public Affairs, Public Policy and Public Administration Commons^™

Tummy Time In Infancy: Real-World Assessments And Associations With Developmental Outcomes In Early Childhood, Ketaki Inamdar

Theses and Dissertations

Tummy time or awake, supervised, prone play is an important developmental play position in infancy. Engaging in more than 15 minutes of tummy time per day is associated with a lower risk of plagiocephaly, lower body mass index, and achievement of higher motor scores in full-term and at-risk preterm infants. However, there are significant gaps in the measurement of tummy time in current literature. Conventionally used subjective parent reports have not been validated against gold standard direct observation, and the feasibility and real-world validity of objective solutions such as wearable sensors has not been examined in full-term and at-risk preterm …

Effect Of Living Arrangements On Cognitive Function In Chinese Elders: A Longitudinal Observational Study, Yanwei Lin, Qi Zhang, Tingxian Wang, Zhirong Zeng

Community & Environmental Health Faculty Publications

Objective To examine how living arrangement as a social contextual factor can affect Chinese elders’ cognitive function.

Setting and participants Our sample consists of 2486 Chinese elders from two waves (2014 and 2018) of the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey (CLHLS) that was administered in 22 of China’s 31 provinces using a multi-stage, disproportionate, purposive random sampling method. The CLHLS aims to better understand the determinants of healthy longevity in China and collects extensive data on a large population of fragile elders aged 80–112 in China.

Outcome measures Cognitive function was measured by the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE). Living arrangement …

Authentically Advocating: Public Relations' Role In Social Issues Management, Gabrielle Leigh Dudgeon

Theses and Dissertations--Communication

Now more than ever, organizations utilize public relations to build, maintain, and even strengthen relationships with internal and external stakeholders. Many public relations strategies and tactics serve to bridge an organization’s interests with those of their publics, while also building, maintaining, and strengthening trust. Social issues management is one of the tools that has the potential to build long-term trust and commitment. Public relations practitioners have recognized this opportunity, and most engage in social issues management in a variety of ways to strengthen their organizations while also contributing to society (Fall, 2006). This double-edge tool can create long- lasting impact …

Fig Leaves, Pipe Dreams, And Myopia: Too-Easy Solutions In Environmental Law, Albert C. Lin

University of Colorado Law Review

Much of environmental law and policy rests on an unspoken premise that accomplishing environmental goals may not require addressing the root causes of environmental problems. For example, rather than regulating risks directly, society may adopt warnings that merely avoid risk, and rather than limiting plastic use and reducing plastic waste, society may adopt recycling programs. Such approaches may be well-intended and come at a relatively low economic or political cost. However, they often prove ineffective, or even harmful, and they may mislead society into believing that further responses are unnecessary.

This Article proposes the concept of "too-easy solutions" to describe …

Domsetic Terrorism: Not Actually A Crime, But Desperately In Need Of A Federal Response, Rebecca K. Tucker

Lewis & Clark Law Review

Since the founding of the United States, the U.S. Government has dealt with national security threats, both external and internal. While there are federal laws in place to protect the nation against external actors, these instruments cannot be turned directly inward to address the rising threat of domestic terrorism. This Comment explains the issues with that approach and concludes by proposing specific solutions, focusing on the need for a coordinated response from the agencies and departments tasked with the investigation, intelligence, and prevention of domestic violent extremism and terrorism.

Who Are You Protecting?: A Feminist Analysis Of Gay And Trans Panic Defense Bans, How They Are Defined, And Who They Protect, Tyler S. Sesker

Undergraduate Honors Theses

As of April 2022, sixteen U.S. states ban Gay panic and Trans panic criminal defenses. These state-law prohibitions stemmed from several high-profile murder trials, focusing on the identity of the decedent, including the killings of Matthew Shepard and Latisha King. Between 1970 and 2020, criminal defenses interrogating the gender identity or sexual identity of victims of violence were used at least 104 times, with nearly a third of those cases resulting in reduced criminal charges and penalties. Today, in thirty-four states, the same tactics remain legal. Applying a feminist and outsider legal lens, this study engages in a textual analysis …

When And How Does Anti-Semitism Occur? The Different Trigger Mechanisms Associated With Different Types Of Criminal And Non-Criminal Hate Incidents, Matteo Vergani, Dan Goodhard, Rouven Link, Amy Adamczyk, Joshua D. Freilich, Steven Chermak

Publications and Research

We used data from an Australian community register to build a database containing 673 incidents, including both criminal and non-criminal anti-Semitic acts that occurred between October 2013 and September 2017. We conducted bivariate and multivariate analyses to explore the differences in the types of incidents associated with different trigger events. Using time series methods, we found a significant increase in criminal (but not in non-criminal) incidents during the 2014 Israel–Gaza conflict. During Jewish religious festivals, we found a significant decrease in criminal incidents, and a significant increase in non-criminal incidents. After the establishment of the neo-nazi group Antipodean Resistance, we …

Organizational Practices And Second-Generation Gender Bias: A Qualitative Inquiry Into The Career Progression Of Us State-Level Managers, Maria J. D’Agostino, Helisse Levine, Meghna Sabharwal, Ai C. Johnson-Manning

Publications and Research

Ely and Meyerson’s gendered organizations framework reconceptualizes traditional gender differences defined by biology and lack of structural opportunities, to a complex set of social relations in the workplace. We apply this framework to second-generation gender bias to further understand impediments to women’s career progression in the public sector workplace. In-depth interviews of state-level administrators in U.S. public sector agencies indicate that “narratives” perpetuate second-generation gender bias that is deeply ingrained in organizational practices and policies, especially for women and women of color. This framework can be applied to future studies examining the gendered nature of organizations in different workplace settings. …

Does Democracy Justify Zoning?, Michael Lewyn

Scholarly Works

One common argument for restrictive zoning is that zoning is more democratic than allowing landowners to build what they please. This article critiques that claim, suggesting that free markets are equally democratic because they allow for self-rule. Moreover, zoning is less democratic than other forms of government decisionmaking, because zoning hearings are often sparsely attended, and commenters at public meetings are unrepresentative of the public as a whole.

Barriers To Charitable Nonprofit Access And Advocacy Amid A Pandemic: A Case Study Of The Louisiana State Legislature, Stephanie M. Riegel, Steven W. Mumford

Political Science Faculty Publications

Research has long established nonprofit organizations’ vital role advocating for the needs of vulnerable populations before legislative policymakers. In the best of times, it is difficult for 501(c)(3) charitable nonprofits employing grassroots advocacy to mobilize vulnerable constituencies to compete with 501(c)(4) and 501(c)(6) advocacy and special interest groups. The latter organizations inherently have greater flexibility and resources to lobby lawmakers directly, permitting greater access to influencing the policy agenda. Through a multi-method case study of the 2020 regular session of the Louisiana State Legislature, this article demonstrates how the COVID-19 pandemic’s unique contextual conditions made legislative advocacy more difficult than …

A Unified Health Information System Framework For Connecting Data, People, Devices, And Systems, Wu He, Justin Zuopeng Zhang, Huanmei Wu, Wenzhuo Li, Sachin Shetty

Information Technology & Decision Sciences Faculty Publications

The COVID-19 pandemic has heightened the necessity for pervasive data and system interoperability to manage healthcare information and knowledge. There is an urgent need to better understand the role of interoperability in improving the societal responses to the pandemic. This paper explores data and system interoperability, a very specific area that could contribute to fighting COVID-19. Specifically, the authors propose a unified health information system framework to connect data, systems, and devices to increase interoperability and manage healthcare information and knowledge. A blockchain-based solution is also provided as a recommendation for improving the data and system interoperability in healthcare.

Queer Survival Amidst Hiv/Aids, Covid-19 And Homelessness, Julia Young

Pitzer Senior Theses

The treatment and survival of a society's marginalized peoples reveal the true impacts of a pandemic. An analysis of homeless queer youth during the HIV/AIDS and SARS-CoV-2 crises lays bare the systemic failure of the United States government to provide equitable healthcare.

I compare the HIV/AIDS and COVID-19 pandemics in queer homeless youth to demonstrate the dangers of disease moralization via a sociocultural analyses of disease stigma and responsibility politics. Utilizing syndemic theory I draw on the synergistic relationship between disease and illness to describe the unique challenges queer homeless youth face. A syndemic framework is applied to address common …

Vaccine Diplomacy Game: The Race For Soft Power, Isaac Antwiboasiako

Articles

This article examines the motivations and dynamics of the donors and suppliers of the covid-19 vaccines to the global south countries in the context of public diplomacy to wield soft power. Thus, it investigates how the West and East use the vaccines as a public diplomacy tool to influence public opinion in other nations or continents in order to either enhance their global image and reputation or exert some form of international influence or have new allies. The article argues that covid-19 vaccines are a soft power asset; therefore, the manufacturing nations may use them to shape their target foreign …

Which Transportation Technologies Do We Want?, Michael Lewyn

Scholarly Works

A review of Todd Litman's book, New Mobilities- Smart Planning for Emerging Transportation Technologies

Umass Boston Bike Share Survey Instrument And Dataset, Philip Troped

Exercise and Health Sciences Faculty Publication Series

This site contains the survey instrument and survey data that were collected in the fall of 2014 from students, faculty, and staff at the University of Massachusetts Boston. These data were used for a manuscript to be published in PLOS ONE in 2022. The publication is entitled, “Correlates of bike share use and its association with weight status at an urban university” and the authors are Lawrence H. Stahley, Sarah M. Camhi, Julie A. Wright, and Philip J. Troped.

Workforce Development Strategies That Impact Reentry Of Released Females In New York City, Shonae L. Mills

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Formerly incarcerated women often find it difficult to reintegrate into their communities after release. For this population, adjustment to changes directly impacts their reentry success in all areas of life. Previous research has identified significant gaps in social services for formerly incarcerated females (FIFs). Service providers' perspectives about practices and policies to address the problem are inadequate, and as a result, service provisions suffer. Therefore, this qualitative study was used to examine the shared experiences of 15 workforce development professionals who assist FIFs during their reentry process to evaluate and assess the most effective methods or policies that assist this …

The Examination Of Small Chicago Nonprofit Organizations In The Voluntary Implementation Of The Sarbanes-Oxley Legislation, Patricia A. Owens

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractNonprofit organizations (NPOs) do not have a mandated requirement for implementing the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX) of 2002; however, small Chicago NPOs had voluntarily implemented SOX provisions. The passage of SOX impacted the manner in which NPOs govern, provide disclosures, and audit their records. It was not known what the experiences, including facilitators or barriers, had been in that effort. The accountability mechanism theory by Ostrower and Stone provided the framework for this study. The key research questions focused on what major SOX provisions were most useful to implement and the experiences faced in the voluntary implementation of the SOX provisions. …

Exploring Infant Massage As Standard Nonpharmacological Treatment For Neonatal Opioid Withdrawal Syndrome, Christine Ann Perez

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The opioid epidemic in the United States has increased opioid use in women of reproductive age, leading to in utero exposure causing withdrawal symptoms in newborns known as neonatal opioid withdrawal syndrome (NOWS). State perinatal quality collaboratives (SPQCs) have been used in hospitals with quality initiatives (QIs) to improve standardization for NOWS; however, there remains a gap in knowledge in interventions to support the mother-infant dyad such as infant massage. This general qualitative research study explored the process and experiences of implementing infant massage as a standard practice for NOWS to inform national, state, and local policy. Participants in the …

Faculty Perceptions Of Safety And The Impact Of Online Classroom Modalities During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Mary E. Ogidigben, Ernesto R. Rivera, Robert S. Keyser

The Kennesaw Journal of Undergraduate Research

The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has affected a number of institutions – one of which is Kennesaw State University (KSU). In the fall 2020 semester, KSU implemented safety protocols following the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as well as the University System of Georgia (USG) guidelines. A cross-sectional survey was sent out for faculty to complete at their own will regarding their thoughts on how the new guidelines are affecting their work as well as their safety while on campus. The survey consisted of 18 Likert-scale questions and eight free response questions. The survey results showed that 60.42% of …

How Community-Based Solutions Affect Households Headed By Single Mothers In An Urban Food Desert, Christie Will Ross

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Limited access to affordable and nutritious foods is a growing problem in the United States, leading to a rise in obesity, diabetes, and heart disease as well as poor academic performance. With this has come the rise of urban food deserts, specific geographic areas with limited access to affordable, healthy, and nutritious foods within a 1-mile radius, which impacts low-income and minority communities at a greater rate than the rest of US society. Single mothers represent the largest demographic impacted by urban food deserts yet are the least represented in research. The purpose of this narrative study, using the human …

The Evolving Challenges, Issues Of Cybercrime, Law Enforcement Personnel, Preparedness, And Training, Eileen Victoria Martin

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Cybercrime is an escalating phenomenon recognized by law enforcement personnel and others as a serious ever-increasing problem. The need is critical to equip police with cybercrime preparedness to combat and eradicate the problem. Cyber-attacks have negatively impacted the growing epidemic needing constructive solutions. The police personnel’s experiences provided essential cybercrime preparedness, acquired in diverse locations, and applied in the workplace with preventive cybercrime recommendations. Moustakas provided the overall design with theoretical underpinnings of the cybercrime phenomenon with a scientific design. The sample size was eight participants who met the inclusion criteria with the underlying principles of Kolb’s experiential learning theory …

Stakeholder Success Measures Of A Safe Parking Pilot Program For Individuals Sheltering In Vehicles, Obiageri Constance Aginam

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The Safe Parking Pilot Program was a crisis response to the recent increase in vehicular homelessness in a Northern Californian city. The city identified issues of unsheltered individuals due to the increase housing cost and unaffordable housing. The city partnered with faith-based organizations to provide safe locations for individuals sheltering in vehicles. The current research aimed to evaluate benchmarks and metrics to measure the safe parking pilot program. The purpose of the study was to help the city leaders and the key stakeholders identify measures of success and how they might improve the program in one Northern Californian city. Semistructured …

Caregiver Perceptions Of The Helping Families In Mental Health Crisis Act, Odinakachi Chigewe

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Caregivers often experience increased stress when raising children who have a mental illness. Awareness of the various challenges caregivers face enables the offering of improved support. The Helping Families in Mental Health Crisis Act of 2016 (HR2646) improves and raises the profile of mental health within the government chart. This qualitative phenomenological study was guided by questions aimed at identifying caregiver perceptions of The Act and understanding caregiver input and opinions on the impact of this policy. Howlett’s five stream framework of the policy process and Kingdon’s multiple streams model provide the theoretical framework for this study. Individual telephonic interviews …

Value Co-Creation Paradigm Framework For Integrating Evidence-Based Practices In Child Welfare, Georgina Horton

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractAlthough there has been increased utilization of evidence-based practice (EBP) in child welfare services, it has not been comprehensively incorporated or fully embraced by key decision makers. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to explore a value co-creation (VCC) paradigm as a viable framework for collaboration between stakeholders in child welfare, and to explore what attitudes are necessary to enable child welfare stakeholders. The VCC paradigm framework comprising three elements (engagement platforms, experience domains, and capability ecosystems) was used to guide the study. Data were collected from semi structured, in-depth interviews with four key decision makers in the …

Risk Or Contra-Political Correctness With Distrust Towards Muslims In The U.S. Military, Benedict Uzoma Iheanacho

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Muslims are viewed by many in the United States with great anxiety and distrust. This mistrust encompasses Muslims in the U.S. military, especially since 9/11. The trust deficit has implications to U.S. security and military readiness in a global threat environment. Whereas the notion of Islamophobia has generated significant literature in modern public policy, there is a dearth of research on public perception towards Muslims serving in the U.S. military. The purpose of this study was to explore the experiences and perspectives of non-Muslim U.S. military personnel on the mistrust towards Muslim military personnel in the post-9/11 era. Theories of …

Perceptions Of Implicit Bias In New York City Healthcare System During Covid-19, Kiesha Jackson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Implicit bias has been identified as a significant problem that hinders effective healthcare delivery. The purpose of this qualitative exploratory phenomenological study was to examine whether implicit bias influenced healthcare services for African Americans with comorbidities aged 30 and over living in New York City during the COVID-19 pandemic. Current studies show healthcare disparities, revealing barriers with healthcare delivery; however, they do not disclose a patient’s lived experience qualitatively, which constituted a gap in the literature. The frameworks of the behavioral model of health services use, and social construction and policy design guided this study. Research questions addressed (a) whether …

Improving Racial Diversity In The Americorps Saint Louis Emergency Response Team (Ert), Michael Mclemore

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

There is currently a significant lack of racial diversity in the fields of environmental conservation and emergency management. The purpose of this qualitative study was to identify sustainable recommendations to address the lack of racial diversity amongst members of the AmeriCorps Saint Louis Emergency Response Team (ERT). Trend analysis of the racial makeup of past ERT memberships identified a far less diverse ERT in its earlier cohorts, while illustrating improved racial diversity over the past 10 years. As a result of interviews with ERT administrators, alumni, team leaders, and current members recommendations were identified that aim to sustainably increase African …

San Diego Residents’ Perceptions Of The Illegality Of Cyber-Bullying Among Middle-Schoolers, Nadine Stokely

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The teenage suicide rate in the United States has drastically increased as a result of continuous cyber-bullying behavior among adolescents. Little is known about San Diego County residents’ perceptions regarding the possible federal criminalization of cyber-bullying among middle-schoolers. The purpose of this study was to explore to what degree San Diego County residents believe that acts of cyber-bullying committed by middle-schoolers should be deemed a criminal offense. The theoretical foundation for this qualitative study was based on the theory of legislation. The research question focused on understanding San Diego County residents’ perceptions concerning the possible federal criminalization of cyber-bullying harassment …

Brazilian Alliance Perspectives: Towards A Brics Development–Security Alliance?, Zhen 'Arc' Han, Mihaela Papa

Political Science & Global Affairs Faculty Publications

Scholars studying BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) have traditionally argued that it is a development-focused partnership and not a military/security-based alliance. Yet BRICS members have been deepening their security integration, and Russia and China have been creating an alliance in the background. Although BRICS middle powers have traditionally demonstrated an aversion towards alliances, Brazil actively deepened security cooperation among BRICS members during its BRICS presidency in 2019. How does Brazil view alliances in contemporary power competition? This study examines Brazil’s perceptions by introducing and analysing a new data set of Brazilian expert discourses on alliances since 1990 …

Three Essays On Governance, Inequality, And Social Equity, Sarah Ausmus Smith

Theses and Dissertations--Public Policy and Administration

Comprised of three essays, my dissertation is linked by a common focus: the relationship between state or local governance arrangements and inequality or facets of social equity. I draw upon a range of literatures to motivate my research questions and inform my methodologies—welfare and social policy, public economics, intergovernmental relations, public finance and management.

In the first essay, I ask: does localizing welfare governance impact geospatial access to the social safety net? This is an important question because proximity is highly salient to program utilization. I geocode the location of human services nonprofits from tax filings in eight states using …