Public Policy Commons^™

Victimes Ou Criminelles: A Historical And Comparative Analysis Of Sex Work Policy In France, Carver Wolfe

International Relations Honors Papers

This research examines the evolution of sex work policy in France from a regulatory regime during the nineteenth century to an abolitionist stance after World War II to the 2016 adoption of the Nordic model penalizing the purchase of sex. I investigate the ongoing debate between preservationists and abolitionists and examine the arguments raised by each side, making the case that abolitionism has adverse consequences for sex workers. I look at the nineteenth century’s regulatory regime of controlling prostitution through a chapter written in French. I then shift into an analysis of the state’s transition to abolitionism over the course …

Teaching To The Test Or Limiting Students?, Victoria Rivera

English Department: Research for Change - Wicked Problems in Our World

The purpose of this paper is to shine light on the way the school systems have been teaching and how it is affecting students in a negative way. It focuses mainly on teaching to the test and how it stops students from learning creatively and also does not let teachers teach the way they might want to. It also shows how this is a wicked problem and is more than a small school system issue. This impacts students, teachers, and the society we live in. The results of this research was that there were a lot of other authors that …

The Issue Of Unemployment Among People With Disabilities, Angelina C. Pagano

English Department: Research for Change - Wicked Problems in Our World

The rate of unemployment for people with disabilities continues to rise greatly above that of people without disabilities. The issue seems to be exacerbated by employer biases and concerns which are not supported in the face of evidence. A lack of employer education on disability related subjects causes this misconception among both employers and the public as a whole. To resolve the underlying problem of miseducation, an increase in the self-identification of people with disabilities is necessary to provide researchers with data to assist in the formation of a revised curriculum.

The Opioid Crisis Meets Covid-19 Pandemic, Hannah M. Westerman

English Department: Research for Change - Wicked Problems in Our World

Abstract: How have the COVID-19 pandemic and the Opioid Crisis have collided to create a negative effect on those who abuse drugs and other substances? These two wicked problems are now collectively making it more difficult for those to recover and overcome substance and drug abuse worsening the Opioid Epidemic. With no clear answer in sight can vaccines and more accessible rehab help to progress these wicked problems?

Corruption In Capsules: How It Is Legal For Companies To Put Harmful Ingredients In Vitamins And Dietary Supplements, Emily Leggiero

English Department: Research for Change - Wicked Problems in Our World

The vitamin and supplement industry has increased exponentially in profits as well as potential products on the market since the turn of the century. However, these products are not regulated, nor do they undergo any premarket clinical research or testing. Public health is compromised by vitamins and supplements that are available for American consumption that is disproportionately unregulated to their chemically similar counterparts. This wicked problem is facilitated through the combination of historical legislative definitions that has since been distorted for corrupt administrative gain through the allotment of corporate expenditures. Company disbursements are made to the same policymakers that create …

Obesity: A Growing Concern In America, Julie T. Garrity

English Department: Research for Change - Wicked Problems in Our World

No abstract provided.

Cancel The Behavior, Not The Person, Mckenna M. Wychunas

English Department: Research for Change - Wicked Problems in Our World

A wicked problem is one that is here to stay, no matter how many solutions are thought of. No matter the solution, it will always interfere with another wicked problem, leaving it in an endless cycle. Cancel culture will always exist, even if it becomes less intense, it will still be here. Though there are differing opinions on the topic of cancel culture, I have researched the negative side to canceling, and I have provided examples of real-life people that have been affected by it. Along with that, I have also given a variety of feasible solutions that could help …

Drug Addiction & Mental Health, Tyler Burkholder

English Department: Research for Change - Wicked Problems in Our World

Drugs have a serious effect on our mental health, and mental health has a major effect on drug abuse and addiction. There is a reason so many drug users usually need to keep going back to rehab. It is because drugs affect mental health to a point where you aren’t the same person during and even after drug addiction. Poor mental health also can be a major cause influencing people to start doing drugs. People with depression, anxiety disorders, mood disorders are more prone to drug use. That is why we need to make it a public policy to screen …

Guns And Their Place In The Us, Jacob Garibaldi

English Department: Research for Change - Wicked Problems in Our World

Creating this paper was a wicked problem due to how deep of an issue the gun debate is in the United States. In the discussion of guns, there is a side that wants to abolish them, a side that believes in the right of the second amendment, and a middle ground where we can have guns in society with added in legal measures. Surely enough, those that are in opposition to firearms are persuaded due to the acts of violence and crime committed with them. Then there are those that use them in a way of self-defense. Through this paper, …

College Students And Burnout, Alexandra Malc

English Department: Research for Change - Wicked Problems in Our World

This article covers the topic such as burnout in an academic environment. Burnout is a common experience many students face throughout their four plus years in college, and it has serious ramifications. This is a serious issue that affects a student’s social life, academic life, and personal life. There is a severe lack of resources on campus, and the goal of this paper is to bring awareness to this. Students deserve to be heard and seen on their issues, and burnout is a huge one. This article also gives suggestions on how to heal from burnout, along with preventing it …

Save The Rich, Connor Harris

English Department: Research for Change - Wicked Problems in Our World

The problem of medication pricing and lobbying in the healthcare industry has caused millions of people within the United States to not be able to afford medications essential to their lives. Pharmaceutical companies are taking advantage of the need people have for certain drugs by setting the sale price far higher than it costs to produce. My suggested solution is to make lobbying illegal in the United States so that pharmaceutical companies would not have control over government officials who pass laws to help or hurt the issue of medication pricing. Illegalizing government lobbying will take away the incentive politicians …

Impact Of Whitetail Deer Overpopulation With Hunting On The Decline, Matthew J. Lamprinos

English Department: Research for Change - Wicked Problems in Our World

The whitetail deer is a key species for Pennsylvania’s forests, but their ecological balance has been disturbed by unregulated growth and urban sprawl. The deer population in Pennsylvania has exploded since the 1880’s causing a wide range of damage on the ecosystem, and humans. To reduce deer populations to sustainable levels, the Pennsylvania Game Commission relies heavily on hunters to dedicate time in the fall to go out and fill the tags the they issue. Hunter participation all around the world is decreasing for a variety of reasons. Fewer hunters out in the field causes revenue losses for the Game …

The Struggle Of Mental Health Within College Students, Skyler R. West

English Department: Research for Change - Wicked Problems in Our World

One in five college students have thoughts of committing suicide daily. We often wonder what may lead to thoughts like this. This essay uses a subjective approach to broaden the knowledge of readers regarding mental health problems within college students. In this essay, readers discover the statistical findings of factors like alcohol, nicotine, schoolwork and athletics factoring into a student's psychological destressed mental state. Without having available and anonymous resources accessible to them, students are not able to get the help they need.

Physician Burnout: Stress Within The Health Care System, Aidan Hauser

English Department: Research for Change - Wicked Problems in Our World

As our nation’s healthcare system expands, more stress and responsibility are placed on our physicians and frontline healthcare workers. The pressures of the daily job often prove extremely damaging to the employee’s mental and physical health. Physician and worker burnout is a growing epidemic that is damaging our care providers more and more every day. Burnout effects not only workers, but all of those surrounding them as well. This plague is not going to be repaired by one single change, but it is clear that many adjustments must be made to reform our healthcare system.

Mental Health And Covid-19, Haley Thiel

English Department: Research for Change - Wicked Problems in Our World

The recent pandemic has taken a toll on everyone’s mental health. Transitioning to full freedom and opportunity to lockdown with no human interaction was a huge adjustment. The global pandemic especially hit home to college students and had a significant impact on universities. In this paper we discuss and analyze how the pandemic has shifted college students mental health and the negative toll it had. We will examine how anxiety, depression, and other general mental health disorders have skyrocketed in college students during the pandemic. The need for reform and attention on college campuses to preserve students mental health is …

Police Body Cams Reducing Police Brutality, Shane M. Secrest

English Department: Research for Change - Wicked Problems in Our World

This paper shows 3 main reasons of how police worn body cameras being equipped on every single police officer in the country will be effective in reducing police brutality issues. The research is based of 3 sub points being officer, suspect and community safety, the educational value that can be gained from police worn body cameras, and how police worn body cameras can benefit the US court system. Each subpoint is broken down with how and why police worn body cameras would benefit each area.

Tuition Prices Are Through The Roof, Zara Zerman

English Department: Research for Change - Wicked Problems in Our World

Tuition prices have increased at a rate that is making it difficult and impossible for students to not accumulate debt. Education is a necessity for society because it gives students opportunities to pursue any career they have interest or desire in. There are many discussions and conversations about the higher education system being too expensive but there have not been any changes or solutions to make college more affordable for students. Loans, federal aid, and other scholarships that help students with the cost of college will never be enough to help with the overwhelmingness of tuition prices and student debt. …

Lower Tuition, Eliminate Debts, And Enjoy Your Education, Damon Dejesus

English Department: Research for Change - Wicked Problems in Our World

College students live in a world where financial struggles and hardships take away from a lot of their freedoms after graduation. The ongoing student debt issues have crippled many of their freedoms and put limitations on the various luxuries they should be able to enjoy after completing the long journey of getting a degree. Through a few simple yet effective methods I think that there are ways to combat this wicked problem, things such as lowering the price of tuition, distributing more financial aid to students, and reducing the rate of interest attached to loans that some students may be …

Bridging The Gap, Jerenita Sokan

English Department: Research for Change - Wicked Problems in Our World

Relationships are very important in our everyday life, especially in the medical field. Doctors tend to be the determining factor for many patients when it comes to life or death, and the patient requires a positive doctor patient relationship for many reasons. A good relationship is very important to foster trust thus creating a welcoming environment leading to more people taking steps to get help. However, when the doctor patient relationship is broken negative results are yield. Today the relationship between African American women and doctors is one that is broken and drifting further away from what is viewed as …

United States Judicial System Failures And Solutions, Braden P. Barker

English Department: Research for Change - Wicked Problems in Our World

For years, the American judicial system has unfairly punished the American people. These actions have led to serious societal consequences. We have prisons that sentence people to harsh punishment for nonviolent offenses, an overfunded and militarized police force, and racial biases that lead to the tragic killings of black people at the hands of the police that are intended to protect and serve us. This essay looks to diagnose the United States judicial system’s woes. More importantly, we take a look at what steps can be taken immediately to begin reversing the negative impact of these issues.

Student Debt Crisis, Celia Diloretto

English Department: Research for Change - Wicked Problems in Our World

Student debt has been dated back to 1965 when the federal government began guaranteeing student loans. Today in 2021 student debt is now a crisis. Solutions have been trialed and errored when trying to forgive student debt, but no one solution seems to work right for students with outstanding debt today. Here are some of the effects student debt can cause and why debt needs to be prevented for future students.

The Ultimate Struggles Of A Classroom, Jackson R. Luneburg L

English Department: Research for Change - Wicked Problems in Our World

Abstract: In a time where classrooms need more development as a whole to be more sustainable for kids that might have learning disabilities, We will look into universal design techniques that teachers could use to help children succeed in their environment. Having some sort of adaptability in the classroom is important for all students. By changing the ways we teach some tools teachers can use will be more comforting for the student with a learning disability to learn at quicker and faster paces. Design and having structure is very effective to student learning efficiency. Looking at new ways to innovate …

U.S. Prisons And System Reform, Darian Reimels

English Department: Research for Change - Wicked Problems in Our World

Prison systems, specifically in the U.S., are a wicked problem. For years prisoners have been treated inhumanely inside and outside of prison, with everyone looking at them with a judgmental eye. This essay aims to point out and bring light to these issues within the prison system. Specifically, it focuses on how inmates are treated during and after serving their sentence, and solitary confinement. To better understand and explain the problems to you, extensive research was done. Articles were read, organizations were researched, and a documentary was watched to gather the information needed to write this essay. The results showed …

Erasing Student Debt: Slowly But Surely, Roberta Harris

English Department: Research for Change - Wicked Problems in Our World

Furthering your education intends to be the golden ticket when forming the basis of a successful life. Investing in college can have both positive and negative effects regarding where it leads a student in life. Positive aspects include increased job opportunities, higher salaries and wages, as well as a better quality of living. However, rising college costs bring debatable questions as to how students can become better equipped to face this path in life. In order to resolve the student debt crisis, there is need for educators to develop a better system in communicating financial literacy and life skills their …

Asian American Perspectives On Immigration Policy, Van C. Tran, Natasha K. Warikoo

Publications and Research

Despite the rapid growth in both documented and undocumented Asian Americans, their attitudes toward immigration policy are not well understood. Drawing on data from the 2016 National Asian American Survey, this article examines both interracial and intra-Asian differences in views toward immigration. Relative to other racial groups, Asians are as likely to support legal migration, but less likely to support undocumented migration. We document significant diversity among Asians. As labor migrants, Filipinos support a congressional increase in annual work visas. As economic migrants, Chinese and Indians support an increase in annual family visas. As refugees, Vietnamese are least supportive of …

Pornography, Its Harms, And A New Legal Strategy: Research And Experience In Japan, Seiya Morita, Caroline Norma

Dignity: A Journal of Analysis of Exploitation and Violence

In this article we describe pornography’s harms in Japan, which are known about from surveys and research, and from the outreach and consulting activities of Japanese feminist-abolitionist groups. Among these are the Anti-Pornography and Prostitution Research Group (APP) and People Against Pornography and Sexual Violence (PAPS). We then propose a renewed classification scheme for pornography’s harms that centrally considers the experiences of victims in Japan. Lastly, we consider various legal approaches to addressing the myriad harms we describe and suggest possibilities for a new legal strategy. The article’s research comes from Japanese-language materials produced by the above-mentioned activist groups, as …

Are Binge Drinking Disparities By Sexual Identity Lower In U.S. States With Nondiscrimination Statutes That Include Sexual Orientation?, Naomi Greene, Renee M. Johnson, Joanne Rosen, Danielle German, Joanna E. Cohen

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Purpose Studies examining binge drinking disparities by sexual identity focus on intra- and inter-personal minority stressors experienced by lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) populations. State-level statutes are powerful tools that can reduce health disparities. We examined how state-level nondiscrimination statutes that include sexual orientation as a protected ground (i.e., inclusive statutes) are associated with binge drinking disparities between LGB and straight adults. Methods We combined data from the 2015-2018 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), the Movement Advancement Project (MAP), and administrative data sources for information on binge drinking, sexual identity, nondiscrimination statutes, and individual and state-level factors. We included …

Music Making Connections, Laura M. Breslin

English Department: Research for Change - Wicked Problems in Our World

The Covid-19 pandemic has made mental health issues sky rocket. Many people are suffering from anxiety, depression, OCD and many other mental health problems now more than ever. Without the in-person interactions, many people are eager to be able to hug friends and family again. People are also eager to see their favorite music artist live in concert again. In this paper, we discuss how music can help your mental health, how to prevent contracting the coronavirus, and ways you can help speed up the process of getting life back to normal.

Stranger Citizens: Migrant Influence And National Power In The Early American Republic, John Mcnelis O’Keefe

OHIO Open Faculty Textbooks

Stranger Citizens examines how foreign migrants who resided in the United States gave shape to citizenship in the decades after American independence in 1783. During this formative time, lawmakers attempted to shape citizenship and the place of immigrants in the new nation, while granting the national government new powers such as deportation.

John McNelis O'Keefe argues that despite the challenges of public and official hostility that they faced in the late 1700s and early 1800s, migrant groups worked through lobbying, engagement with government officials, and public protest to create forms of citizenship that worked for them. This push was made …

Asian American Voting During The 2020 Elections: A Rising, Divided Voting Group, Vi Nguyen

CMC Senior Theses

Asian Americans continue to be an untapped force within American politics. Despite their status as the fastest-growing racial or ethnic group in the United States they have had surprisingly low political participation rates.[1] But 2020 represented a watershed moment. Campaign outreach and voter participation increased, and Asian Americans assumed new prominence on the national stage. Nonetheless, the 2020 elections also demonstrate historical divides within the community and a lack of cohesion as a voting group.

This thesis investigates Asian American voter behavior during the 2020 election and links trends within this year's elections to assess Asian American panethnicity. It …