Policy Design, Analysis, and Evaluation Commons^™

Child Care For Student Parents: A Critical Discourse Analysis Of Policy And Politics In Nys, Elizabeth M. Starks

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This policy analysis dissertation explores the complex and multifaceted challenges that exist within New York State’s early childhood care and education (ECCE) system by critically examining the amendment of one NYS social services law. Guided by Fairclough’s Critical Discourse Analysis, this study examines two research questions (under one overarching question):

1. What language and arguments are effective in making change in Early Childhood policy in NYS?
   1. What is the policy discourse surrounding the amendment of subdivision 1 of section 410-w social services law in NYS?
   2. What is the political discourse surrounding the amendment of subdivision 1 of section 410-w social services …

Plan Mano Dura: A Punctuated Political Act? Addressing Gang Violence In El Salvador, Carlos A. Arias

Hatfield Graduate Journal of Public Affairs

On July 23, 2003, Salvadoran President Francisco Flores introduced a punitive and militaristic gang-prevention measure, Plan Mano Dura (Plan Iron Fist), in an attempt to solve the gang phenomenon plaguing El Salvador. Although it turned out to be an abject policy failure, its future effects and significance would far outweigh its intended impact, essentially dictating how El Salvador would combat gang violence for the next 20 years and beyond. As such, it is essential to better understand how such an ineffective policy could arise as a policy approach. This paper examines whether Punctuated Equilibrium Theory (PET) can account for the …

It’S Time For A Change: A Proposal To Abolish Solitary Confinement From Canadian Prisons, Amy Rico

Bridges: An Undergraduate Journal of Contemporary Connections

Despite Canada’s reputation for being a leader in human rights, its treatment of prisoners requires a closer examination. In particular, prisoner and human rights advocates have widely criticized the use of solitary confinement in Canadian federal and provincial prisons as a form of torture. Solitary confinement imposes excruciating and demeaning conditions on prisoners, jeopardizing their mental and physical welfare. Following court decisions deeming solitary confinement unconstitutional, the federal government replaced the formal use of solitary confinement with structured intervention units. However, these units continue to be a reformulated version of the original practice, sustaining the torturous conditions subjected to inmates. …

From Misconception To Inclusion: Policy Pathways For The Integration Of Migrants And Social Cohesion In Egypt, Ghada Abdullah, Haytham Shoman, Riham Bahgat

Papers, Posters, and Presentations

Egypt is located at the crossroads of Africa, the Middle East, and Europe, with over 9 million migrants, including around 1.5 million migrants living in vulnerable situations (IOM, 2022) and around 992,000 registered refugees and asylum-seekers from 133 countries (UNHCR, 2025a) according to the latest available data. Public and policy discussions, however, remain shaped by the widespread stereotypes and confusion in distinguishing between migrants and refugees. This can promote exclusion, disinformation, and social tension. Misconceptions can hinder integration, limit access to services, and erode social cohesion in a country navigating economic constraints and adapting to ongoing demographic changes.

This policy …

Investigating The State Of Graduate Education In The Philippines: Challenges, Opportunities, And Policy Implications, Anne K. Candelaria, Eric Arthur N. Dio, Jovelyn G. Delosa

Political Science Department Faculty Publications

This study provides a comprehensive assessment of the graduate education sector, revealing that it is highly privatized, NCR-centric, and dominated by enrollment in Education and Business/Administration fields. The analysis confirms that the primary driver for this high demand, particularly in teacher education (which accounts for over half of all enrollment), is the use of graduate degrees as a key requirement for career advancement and promotion within agencies like the Department of Education (DepEd). This policy-driven demand, however, is linked to systemic issues, including the proliferation of “diploma mills” that undermine quality, extremely low on-time completion rates (averaging 18.77% for Master’s …

Steps In The Right Direction: The Pursuit Of Walkability Within The United States, Griffin Neuschaefer

Honors Projects

The benefits associated with walkability are well documented and observed across a number of disciplines. Benefits pertaining to the economy, physical and mental health, and safety are clearly associated with walkability and the implementation of walkable design within specific communities. Due to dominant practices pertaining to urban design within the United States and a history of increasingly single-use and low-density zoning, walkability and the use of walking as a form of transportation are rarely utilized to the same extent as similarly developed countries. This paper aims to evaluate the features of walkability related to the aforementioned benefits in order to …

The Hidden Struggle: Challenges Older Women Face In Nevada, Annie Vong

Student Research

In 2020, almost one in five Nevadans was over the age of 65.[1] However, within this age group, women outnumber men due to longer life expectancies[2] and migration patterns. Women over 65 years of age make up an estimated 18.1% of the female population in Nevada.[3] Of the male population in Nevada, 15.1% are over 65 years of age.[4] Older women are less likely to be married, are less likely to have completed a bachelor’s degree, are more likely to drop out of the labor force, and are more likely to be living in poverty in …

Exploring The Factors That Influence Female Offending In The U.S. And Mexico, Dana Villasenor

CMC Senior Theses

Hollywood has painted a picture of the criminal woman as a sexy, sneaky, and often psychotic female fatale. This is because men run Hollywood. Much like movies, research on why women offend had historically focused on men as their stellar. However, towards the turn of the century and with the disproportionate rise in female incarceration, literature caught up to the fact that women and men do not experience the same socialization, standards, or reality and, therefore, have different reasons for and ways of offending. This research explores those reasons for women in the U.S. and Mexico and paints the picture …

A General Model Of Good Executive Leadership In Policy Contexts, Thad Williamson

Interdisciplinary Journal of Leadership Studies

This commentary stipulates a general model of policy leadership, encompassing decision-making, implementation, and evaluation. The model stresses attaining clarity about the nature of the issue being addressed, the values at stake, and the possible outcomes of alternative courses of action. While focused on the context of elected executives in municipal government, the stipulated model has broader applicability to other contexts. The article contends that following the model may both improve the effectiveness of political leaders and help build consensus (or compromise) among distinct political actors.

Maximize “West End Opportunity” In America: Alternative Policy Options To Address Perceived Drawbacks Of Tax Increment Financing (Tif) & Opportunity Zones, Justin Avert, Samuel C Kessler

Commonwealth Policy Papers

In March 2021, the Kentucky General Assembly passed House Bill 321 (Acts Chapter 203) authorizing the creation of a tax increment finance (TIF) district within the West End of Louisville. Designed to spur community-wide economic development, it set up a public-private nonprofit partnership. Known as the West End Opportunity Partnership (WEOP), this 21-seat board include community representatives and has sole control over any fund disbursement. Funds can be used towards a broad array of investments including small business loans, financing affordable housing units, home improvements, etc.

Residents within the district have expressed opposition to the TIF, skepticism towards the board …

Intersectionality Analysis Of The Impact Of Anti-Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting Policies In Indonesia And Egypt, Nadiah Atsil Gustina, Laras Ayu Nareswari

Jurnal Politik

Indonesia and Egypt are the two countries with the highest prevalence rates of Female Genital Mutilation / Cutting (FGM/C) in the world. Several policies have been issued in order to reduce the number of cases of female circumcision, but they have not shown significant results. Therefore, the authors want to explain why the implementation of the anti-FGM/C policy has not succeeded in reducing the number of female circumcisions in Indonesia and Egypt. The authors argue that the leading cause of these problems is that the anti-FGM/C policies in both countries neglect the socio-cultural aspects of society, and both countries share …

Cub Plastic Shipping Bag Recycling Program, Samuel M. Arkin, Ethan J. Bruemmer

Student Publications

We implemented a plastic shipping bag recycling program at Gettysburg College. Recycling bags contribute towards contamination within the college's single-stream recycling or end up directly in the landfill via traditional trash collection. The production of plastic bags relies on the continued production of fossil fuel extraction. Plastic bag recycling can decrease fossil fuel extraction and waste entering landfills. To curb Gettysburg College’s generation of waste, we placed four bins in various locations throughout the Center Union Building (CUB) in order to collect plastic shipping bags over a 4.5-week period. We made three hypotheses: that our bins would collect shipping bags …

Policies For Digital Banking : Part - I, Ishrat Husain Dr.

Faculty Research - Newspaper and Magazine Articles

The State Bank of Pakistan has recently granted five licences for Starting digital banks that would provide the whole range of banking services through digital platforms or electronic channels from the comfort of homes and offices without making trips to brick-and-mortar branches of the banks. Two types of banks – digital retail banks and digital full banks – have been allowed both in the conventional as well as Islamic variants. The minimum capital requirement for digital banks is much lower than those for banks that are operating branches. A diverse range of applicants including domestic commercial banks, microfinance banks, electronic …

Thawing Interests: The Arctic In U.S. Grand Strategy, Benjamin S. Murray

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

The thawing Arctic is subject to increasing activity, attention, and a renewal of interests in the region from around the globe. National interests have compelled strategic planning in the Arctic region and are connected to global geopolitics. A concept of grand strategy is distilled from theories of past authors, understood within the modern context. That concept includes a terminological framework consisting of interests and threats to inform an ends, ways, and means design of strategy, composed of all instruments of state power, blending policy with strategy, and across the peace-war continuum. Then fundamental precepts of existing U.S. grand strategy are …

Policy Analysis: School Clustering Policy, Sajid Ali, Aisha Naz Ansari

Institute for Educational Development, Karachi

No abstract provided.

Reshaping The Narrative, Crystal Little Owl

Graduate Student Portfolios, Professional Papers, and Capstone Projects

No abstract provided.

Potential For Policy Conflict Among Alligator Hunters In Texas, Usa, Christopher Serenari, Elizabeth N. Pratt, Abigail Meeks, Elena C. Rubino, Kristy L. Daniel

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Policy termination is a tool to ensure that antiquated or underperforming policies are updated or replaced. Understanding how terminating a policy might be received by core wildlife constituencies, such as hunters, is a critical insight to provide agencies and managers with the tools to make wildlife policy changes a more seamless process. However, this critical but negative policy approach is often overlooked in favor of investigating positive policy preferences (i.e., preferences for new policy). To help fill this gap, we applied the potential for conflict index (PCI₂) to data from a survey of 318 spring American alligator ( …

The Future Of Universal Basic Income: The Impact Of Organizational Strategies On Alleviating Poverty And Maximizing Outcomes, Anna Mathews

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Universal basic income is gaining traction, with pilot programs being conducted all over the world. These programs are all organized differently, from their sources of funding to their eligibility criteria. This research draws correlations between organizational strategies of UBI programs and the outcomes their recipients experience. Specifically, it analyzes three contemporary UBI programs within the United States: the Stockton Economic Empowerment Demonstration (SEED), Alaska Permanent Fund Dividend (APFD), and the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians per capita payments (EBCI). The research assesses the physical health, mental health, and economic outcomes of the participants in each case study, in order to …

The Erasure Of Sex: The Global Capture Of Policies On Sex By Gender Identity Activists And The Effects On The Rights Of Women And Girls, Feminists From Europe, Asia, North America, Latin America, And Africa

Dignity: A Journal of Analysis of Exploitation and Violence

This article reviews the goals, history, and impact of the new gender identity politics. Based on the Yogyakarta Principles, these new ideas and policies will profoundly affect the rights of women and girls worldwide. The Principles are a document from an international meeting about sexual orientation and gender identity in 2006. In 2017, the document was updated to the Yogyakarta Principles Plus 10. The Principles recommend legal changes by states worldwide, resulting in the erasure of sex as a legal and cultural category. These principles have been widely used to lobby for legal changes resulting in profound structural …

Affordable Housing: A National Crisis Fueled By The Coronavirus • A New Jersey Perspective, Latino Action Network Foundation

Center for Urban Policy Research

The Latino Action Network Foundation [LANF], its sister organization the Latino Action Network [LAN] and longtime ally, the Fair Share Housing Center [FSHC], have collaboratively monitored affordable housing issues in New Jersey for more than a decade. As part of its ongoing work, LANF sponsored a housing roundtable on September 10, 2021, to assess the affordable housing situation in the state and offer policy recommendations. At that time, a coalition of advocates, including the three organizations named above, were fresh from a legislative victory that safeguarded tenants unable to pay their rents during the pandemic and gave them a degree …

A New Lens: Using The Policy, Systems, And Environmental Framework To Guide Community Development, Caroline Backman, Clea Rome, Laura Ryser, Rebecca Sero, Debra Hansen

Journal of Extension

Extension is uniquely positioned to deliver data-driven solutions to complex community issues with University applied research, particularly through crises like COVID-19. Applying the Policy, Systems and Environmental (PSE) framework to community development is an effective, innovative approach in guiding Extension leaders to create, document, and share long-term transformative change on challenging issues with stakeholders. Beyond the public health sector, applying a PSE approach to community development provides leverage points for population-level benefits across sectors. This article describes current public health approaches, methodologies, and how the PSE framework translates to other programs with four examples of high-impact, systems level Extension projects.

The Effects Of “No Pro Homo” Policies On Lgbtq+ Perceptions In The American South, Isabella L. Brocato

Honors Theses

Five states in the American South currently have “no pro homo” policies in place, while an increasing number of bills targeting discussions about sexuality and gender identity in public schools are being introduced to House floors around the country. Although there is extensive research on the ways in which these policies put the physical and mental well-being of LGBTQ+ students at risk, there is little to no research about how they shape public perceptions of the LGBTQ+ community collectively. With inspiration from Kenneth and Mamie Clark’s social science study cited in Brown v. Board of Education (1954), this study works …

Our Streets: Increasing Equity In Active Transportation Planning Through Community Outreach, Jordan Hoy

Master's Projects and Capstones

ABSTRACT Significant research has demonstrated that active transportation infrastructure is essential for the growth and livability of San Francisco: it increases access to economic opportunities, promotes overall improved public health, encourages mobility without contributing to roadway congestion, prevents traffic injuries and fatalities, and supports the sustainability goals of the city. Despite the fact that communities of color will benefit the most from active transportation infrastructure development, historical disenfranchisement in tandem with a lack of diverse representation within public participation contributes to an inequitable distribution of walking and biking investments throughout the city of San Francisco. While research shows that Black …

Essays On Socioeconomic Shocks And Policies In Agriculture, Wilman Iglesias

Department of Agricultural Economics: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The three chapters of this doctoral dissertation estimate the responses of agricultural productivity, production value of agriculture, and crop supply to some external shocks and policies. Using unique panel datasets for Colombia and the United States, this research provides new insights regarding the responsiveness of agriculture to some socioeconomic effects and related market policies. Chapter 1 studies the impact of armed conflicts in rural areas on legal agricultural productivity in Colombia by using a production function that includes violence shocks such as the forced intra-national displacement of the rural population from 1995 to 2017. Chapter 2 investigates the effect of …

A Review Of Nepali Diaspora And Their Role In Nepal’S Development And Lessons For Developing Countries, Ambika P. Adhikari

Himalayan Research Papers Archive

United Nations data shows that the size of global diaspora had reached 281 million in 2020, and it continues to grow. Diasporas have contributed significantly to the development of their native lands through remittance, technology and knowledge transfer, philanthropy, and diplomacy. Many countries have designed policies to engage the diaspora more deeply by providing concessional citizenship and visa regimes, and attractive investment opportunities. Yet, there is room for improvement in policies and programs to enhance these prospects.

Since the 2010s, the size and expanse of Nepali diaspora has grown dramatically, the numbers perhaps reaching 800,000 in 2022 in the more …

Structural Violence & Small Victories: Political Epidemiology Of Hiv Among Msm In Nigeria, 2000-2010, Debbie A. Dada

Harvey M. Applebaum ’59 Award

No abstract provided.

Improving Energy Stewardship At Michigan Technological University’S Athletic Complexes, Cynthia L. Pindral

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Athletics departments are showcases for universities, serving as a public face and recruitment outlet that communicates university identity to the world. This applied research project examines the state of electrical energy infrastructure at Michigan Technological University with special attention to the Athletic Department and reports on the process for energy decisions in both settings. I take a qualitative research approach analyzing University documents and conducting interviews with informants in Athletics Administration, Facilities, and MTU’s Office of Sustainability and Resilience. Four major barriers to efficiency emerged: (1) lack of University-wide climate action goals, (2) staffing issues due to a large number …

The Threat Of Social Media To Society And National Security: A Call For Social Media Policy And Legislation, Frank Hernandez

Helm's School of Government Conference - 2021-2024

In the Constitution, We the People affirm ourselves to domestic tranquility, our common defense and general welfare to secure the blessings of Liberty. As such, statesmen are charged with developing policy to ensure social media is safe, accessible and usable to all. Currently, social media companies and use of their platforms pose a threat to national security and the societal fabric of our nation. No longer just a communication tool to bring communities and people together, social media is now leveraged to disrupt and diminish faith in our democratic republic, its people, systems and institutions. Citizens, public and private organizations, …

A Comparative Analysis Of Energy Policy And Markets In Ohio, Iowa, And Minnesota And Respective Impacts On Renewable Energy Development, Sara Honeck

Honors Projects

With the climate crises worsening it is important that governments adopt effective policies to support renewable energy development. This is imperative considering the greenhouse gas emissions that fossil fuels, the conventional energy sources, emit. With a lack of direction from the federal government since the early 2000s, the states have been mostly left to support renewables with their own policy development. Between the three midwestern states of Iowa, Ohio, and Minnesota, Ohio lags far behind in terms of renewable energy growth while Iowa and Minnesota are national leaders. A state such as Ohio has likely seen less growth due to …

Designed Generalization From Qualitative Research, Ian H. Falk, John Guenther

The Qualitative Report

In our earlier work on generalizing from qualitative research (GQR) we identified our two-decade struggle to have qualitative research outcomes formally “listened to” by policy personnel and bureaucratic systems in general, with mixed success. The policy sector often seems reluctant to acknowledge that qualitative research findings can be generalized, so impacts tend to be informal or simply ignored. The “official” methodological literature on generalizing from qualitative research is epitomized by Lincoln and Guba’s (1985) still oft quoted, “The only generalization is: there is no generalization” (p. 110). We now understand there are many alternative possibilities for generalizing. In this paper …