Public Policy Commons^™

Squeezing The Public School Districts: The Fiscal Effect Of Eliminating The Louisiana Scholarship Program On State Education Expenditures, Corey A. Deangelis, Julie R. Trivitt

School Choice Demonstration Project

Eliminating the Louisiana Scholarship Program (LSP) was proposed as a way to improve the financial situation of the Louisiana Department of Education budget in the current fiscal environment. A study released by the School Choice Demonstration Project (SCDP) found that the net fiscal impact on the Louisiana Department of Education budget would likely be an overall cost increase. In this study, we consider the effects that the removal or reduction of the program would have on individual districts. Districts would receive additional revenue from the state for affected students, but districts would also incur additional costs to educate these students. …

Report Of The Informal Meeting On Mines Other Than Anti-Personnel (Motapm Or Anti-Vehicle Mines), Gichd, United Nations Mine Action Service, United Nations Office For Disarmament Affairs

Global CWD Repository

The United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA), the United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS) and the Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining (GICHD) jointly hosted an informal one day meeting to examine the humanitarian and developmental impact of anti-vehicle mines/mines other than antipersonnel mines (MOTAPM), discuss possible solutions and highlight the need for the international community to move forward and take specific action.

The meeting took place on Friday 6 November 2015 in Geneva. Upwards of 80 delegates attended the meeting, which included representatives from over 50 states, the United Nations, the International Committee of the Red Cross, non-governmental …

Victim Assistance In The Context Of The Use Of Explosive Weapons In Populated Areas, Hi

Global CWD Repository

The international process underway to develop a political declaration on preventing civilian harm from the use of explosive weapons1 in populated areas is making good progress. Meanwhile, the International Network on Explosive Weapons (INEW) and other national and international organisations are working alongside leading governments to ensure the declaration will be comprehensive and will effectively meet the expectations of those suffering from the consequences of explosive weapons use around the world.

Wishing to contribute to the political declaration drafting process, Handicap International, supported by the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, launched an initiative with a view to developing …

Communities Of Concentrated Poverty: A Proposal For Oregon, Sara A. Chopp, Beverly Stein

National Policy Consensus Center Publications

The following is a proposal for identifying, measuring, defining and addressing communities of concentrated poverty in Oregon. Based on information gathered from local, state, federal and international organizations and experts, we can best address communities of concentrated poverty in Oregon by:

1. Addressing Communities of Concentrated Poverty as Well as Individuals in Poverty—The negative effects of poverty are exacerbated for individuals who live in communities of concentrated poverty. Individuals who are not low-income but who live in communities of concentrated poverty also experience the adverse effects of poverty.
2. Designing Efforts That Focus on Race, Equity and Social Mobility—It is important to …

A Guide To Survey And Clearance Of Underwater Explosive Ordnance, Gichd

Global CWD Repository

This guide focuses on providing a collection of current policy and best practices used in survey and clearance of underwater explosive ordnance. Specific cases are used; they provide examples and analysis. It is not intended to be a comprehensive database of policies and practices; it provides national authorities and mine action organisations with guidance to better understand the issues and complexities of underwater EO survey and clearance operations.

Mine Detection Rats | Apopo: Efficiency And Effectiveness Study Using Mdr Capability, Gichd, Anti-Persoonsmijnen Ontmijnende Product Ontwikkeling

Global CWD Repository

As the laboratory rat is one of the most widely studied animals, the abundance of available research material on its olfactory capabilities is not surprising. However, very little information can be found on their mine/ERW detection abilities. Consequently, in late 2015, GICHD conducted a study of APOPO’s Mine Detection Rat (MDR) programs in Angola, Mozambique and Cambodia. The aim of the study was to focus on the operational efficiency and effectiveness of the MDR, as well as to determine compliance with the International Mine Action Standards (IMAS). Within the sector, MDR suffer from a negative perception of scent detection as …

Envisioning An Age-Friendly Belmont, Jan Mutchler, Ceara Somerville

Center for Social and Demographic Research on Aging Publications

The Belmont Council on Aging is a municipal office charged with “advocating on behalf of the seniors of Belmont and ensuring that their social, financial and healthcare needs are met." Services provided to seniors living in the community range from transportation support to nutrition services and social services, along with a range of programs and activities meant to enhance well-being and quality of life. Similar to many Councils on Aging, the Belmont COA also provides leadership in the community, as the community as a whole addresses the growing number and changing needs of senior residents.

As a means of learning …

On Multiethnic Schools In Consociational Democracies: A Comparative Analysis Of Brčko District And Bosnia-Herzegovina, Jusuf Šarančić

Lawrence University Honors Projects

The 1995 Dayton Peace Agreement both ended the Bosnian War and created the consociational democracy that exists in Bosnia and Herzegovina to this day. The ethnic autonomy created by the Dayton Agreement has resulted in a frozen conflict between ethnic groups that has manifested itself in the country’s monoethnic education system. This study explores the short-term stability under consociationalism and the long-term stability under a multiethnic education system. Additionally, this study explains the importance of the country’s only multiethnic education system in Brčko District and how it came into existence.

The One Exhibition The Roots Of The Lgbt Equality Movement One Magazine & The First Gay Supreme Court Case In U.S. History 1943-1958, Joshua R. Edmundson

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

The ONE Exhibition explores an era in American history marked by intense government sponsored anti-gay persecution and the genesis of the LGBT equality movement. The study begins during World War II, continues through the McCarthy era and the founding of the nation’s first gay magazine, and ends in 1958 with the first gay Supreme Court case in U.S. history.

Central to the story is ONE The Homosexual Magazine, and its founders, as they embarked on a quest for LGBT equality by establishing the first ongoing nationwide forum for gay people in the U.S., and challenged the government’s right to engage …

The Crisis In Housing Has Deep Roots And Supply Alone Will Not Resolve It., Tom Dunne

Conference papers

Ireland is suffering a housing crisis which will not be easily solved. This is not the first generation to struggle with housing problems. A review of history shows that property markets have pronounced cycles and a continual struggle to provide affordable housing with much direct state provision and extensive subsidises for home ownership. Part of the current crisis results from the abandonment of direct provision of housing by the state but the gradual withdrawal subsidies for owner occupation, has also made a contribution to making home ownership less affordable for many.

A crucial part of dealing with the crisis is …

Ddasaccident812, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

On 17/05/2016 the operation manager of [Demining organization involved] has contacted us by telephone to inform about explosion of an IED in their worksite or the risk (Hazard) area 012 in the village of Tal Al-Rabiea /Daquq /Kirkuk and after the call, the in-charge person of Quality Assurance: [Name removed] and his assistant: [Name removed] we have moved toward the location in order to collect necessary information and taking the photos of the place of the incident. According to the information gained by the board it was found that the affected person: [the Victim] has intended to render some IEDs …

Plastic Pollution And The Global Throwaway Culture: Environmental Injustices Of Single-Use Plastic, Kristin L. Mcdermott

ENV 434 Environmental Justice

The global throwaway culture has created a cross-ecosystem plastic pollution injustice. The first to suffer this injustice will be the most vulnerable. Our oceans have become our dumpsters. The throwaway culture has created a disrespect of material goods that has turned the earth’s resources into rubbish after a single use. Eighty percent of the yearly 8 million tons of plastic that enter the ocean is single use plastic, such as plastic bottles, plastic shopping bags, or cigarette lighters.[1] Plastic has destroyed ecosystems, robbing impoverished communities of natural resources and of a healthy and safe living environment. First to suffer …

Implementation Of The Public Distribution System: An Empirical Analysis Of The Right To Food In An Urban Slum, Dipika Jain, Brian Tronic

Journal of Food Law & Policy

Malnutrition is one of the biggest problems facing India today. Thus, the functioning of the Public Distribution System (PDS) - which provides subsidized food to hundreds of millions of people is critically important. However, while numerous studies have evaluated the performance of the PDS in rural areas, there is a notable lack of research in urban slums, a rapidly growing population. Through interviews with PDS beneficiaries and other stakeholders, the present study examines the PDS in one slum in Delhi and finds numerous problems, including low quality grain, corruption, and the lack of an effective complaint mechanism. Although several states …

Sri Lanka National Mine Action Strategy 2016-2020, Ministry Of Prison Reforms, Rehabilitation, Resettlement, And Hindu Religious Affairs

Global CWD Repository

This national mine action strategy was developed with the active participation of all relevant stakeholders in Sri Lanka’s mine action programme, including:

• representatives from the Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL);

• Sri Lankan Army Humanitarian Demining Units (SLA HDUs);

• national and international non-governmental organisations (NGOs); and

• civil society organisations.

The Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining (GICHD) assisted with facilitating a four-day strategy and prioritisation workshop in Colombo in June 2015, bringing all key stakeholders together. The strategy is based on information gathered during that workshop as well as on follow-on meetings and discussions on specific topics. …

Advanced Training On Ammunition Identification And Disposal In Afghanistan, Gichd

Global CWD Repository

GICHD delivered an advanced level training course on ammunition identification and disposal in Kabul, Afghanistan on 16-29 April 2016. The focus of the course was to build on existing skillsets and improve the knowledge of the characteristics of NATO and other ammunition encountered in Afghanistan.

By not offering a formal IMAS explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) qualification and associated testing protocols, the course curriculum allowed flexibility. On the first day the program was customised to the assessed needs of the attendees, based on the feedback from interviews with them all. As a result the curriculum allowed, for the practicing of alternative …

A Guide To Cluster Munitions, Gichd, Convention On Cluster Munitions

Global CWD Repository

Since the CCM entered into force in 2010, much expertise has been acquired by States Parties and partner organisations. This expertise addresses challenges in treaty compliance and best practices that have been developed within the sector to support effective and efficient implementation of the Convention.

This new edition of A Guide to Cluster Munitions features updated information on the Convention’s key obligations such as stockpile destruction and cluster munitions clearance. It features comprehensive descriptions and illustrations of the types of cluster munitions in contaminated areas. It also explores good practices in risk education and victim assistance, as well as other …

How Code Enforcement Mitigates Hoarding In The Community, Jason Gibilisco

Master's Projects

No abstract provided.

Exchange Patterns And Relations In Collaborative Governance., Charles Wharton Kaye-Essien

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Collaborative governance has received considerable attention in recent years. From environmental resource management to public safety, collaborative governance continues to play a vital role in regional problem solving. In spite of this increasing popularity previous attempts to model the political, economic, and demographic determinants of collaboration have in most cases produced inconsistent results, thereby undermining the ability to generalize from such findings. Additionally, our understanding of the relational patterns that emanate from collaborative agreements remains fairly rudimentary. The main objective of this research is to address some of the gaps in the literature and improve our understanding of collaborative governance …

Afghan National Mine Action Strategic Plan 2016-2020, Gichd

Global CWD Repository

This is the first mine action strategic plan to be developed in consultation with all relevant mine action implementing partners, including the United Nations, government line ministries, international donors and other stakeholders. It sets out clearer path for mainstreaming development into mine action, an aspiration reflected in the Plan's following five goals: facilitating development; engaging with other sectors; taking action to reduce the impact of mines and ERW; taking action to mitigate the consequences of mine and ERW accidents; mainstreaming gender and diversity.

Age-Friendly Yarmouth Needs Assessment Report, Jan Mutchler, Ceara Somerville, Maryam Khaniyan, Molly Evans, Mai See Yang, Lindsey A. Baker, Hayley Gleason

Center for Social and Demographic Research on Aging Publications

Communities throughout the nation are pursuing new strategies to promote health and quality of life among their residents. In 2014, the Town of Yarmouth joined the Age-Friendly Network through the World Health Organization and embarked on a five-year process to evaluate the community’s age-friendly features, plan for improvements, and implement change. The primary purpose of this report is to describe findings developed as part of the initial needs assessment phase of Yarmouth’s age-friendly initiative.

An Independent Review Of The Mine Action Sector In Cambodia, Gichd

Global CWD Repository

Cambodia is one of the oldest and most established mine action programmes in the world. Because of its extensive landmine and Explosive Remnants of War (ERW) contamination and the early response that was provided 25 years ago with the assistance of the international community, the country's mine action sector has developed a robust and qualified capacity of national professionals and has benefited from the assistance of an extensive number of international organizations as well as the massive support from international development partners.

As a State Party to the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention (APMBC), Cambodia has demonstrated a strong commitment in …

Jesus With A Kalashnikov: Examining Marxist Elements In Liberation Theology And Soviet Influence On Its Origins, Todd "Cameron" Swathwood Jr

Senior Honors Theses

Liberation theology emerged as a prominent feature of religion and politics in the 1960s. Since the beginning, detractors have noted the overtly Marxist tendencies within this ideology. This thesis introduces the core concepts and presuppositions of liberation theology itself, and then focuses on specific and varied allegations concerning any influence the Soviet Union may have had on its formation and propagation. Particular weight is lent to the testimony of Lieutenant General Ion Mihai Pacepa, formerly the head of Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceauşescu’s national intelligence service and the highest-ranking defector ever received from the Soviet Bloc. Pacepa has shared his insider …

Eating In East Harlem: An Assessment Of Changing Foodscapes In Community District 11, 2000-2015, Cuny Urban Food Policy Institute At The Cuny School Of Public Health And Health Policy, Nicholas Freudenberg, Melissa Fuster, Diana Johnson, Marissa Sheldon, Michele Silver, Apoorva Srivastava, Janet Poppendieck, Ashley Rafalow, Nevin Cohen

Publications and Research

The report analyzes changes in five domains -- food retail, food insecurity and food benefits, institutional food, food and nutrition education, and diet-related health conditions -- in East Harlem from before the election of Michael Bloomberg through the first two years of the de Blasio Administration. Its goal is to assess the ways in which food environments in East Harlem have improved, stayed the same, or worsened in this 15-year period in order to inform setting food policy goals for the next 5, 10 or 15 years.

Although East Harlem is blessed with a multitude of organizations and individuals dedicated …

Exploring Transnational Economic, Social, And Political Participation Of Mexican Immigrants In Oregon, Anabel López Salinas

Dissertations and Theses

Using a mixed methods approach and expanding on the literature on immigrants' transnational civic engagement, this research explores the paths and barriers to Mexican immigrant civic, economic, political, and social engagement in both immigrants' communities of origin in Mexico and communities of residence in Oregon, a relatively new destination for Mexican immigrants. The majority of the adult Mexican population only arrived to the state of Oregon over the last 15 years. Today Latinos represent the largest racial-ethnic minority, twelve percent of the state population, with Mexicans making up 90 percent of this Latino population. Most of the Mexican immigrants in …

How Endogeneity Matters In Framing Legalization: A Case Study Of Urban Self Help Groups In Ethiopia, Bisrat Kabeta

Sustainability and Social Justice

The future of an estimated 20,000 Self Help Groups (SHGs) in Ethiopia is uncertain because they lack legal status and, therefore, are unable to access funds and service for their members. The Government of Ethiopia (GoE) does not recognize the SHGs as unique development groups, but only offers to register them as Micro and Small Enterprises (MSEs) or cooperative societies, which are solely economic entities that serve more narrow functions than SHGs do. There has not been any coherent explanation for why the SHGs need a formal status, but should not register as anything but SHGs. From May to August …

Sustainable Development Goals Worth Sharing, Erika Simpson

Political Science Publications

The international community has agreed upon another set of goals for the next 15 years. On the table are no less than 169 objectives and 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The new aspirations are summarized and the merits and demerits of further elaboration and measurement including country-specific deadlines and targets are discussed. The hefty budget to achieve all 17 goals is estimated at more than $4 trillion US a year. North American policy-makers need to be aware of humankind’s shared aspirations as they consider the new and expensive SDGs. Foreign aid is one of the instruments of North American foreign …

How Has The Louisiana Scholarship Program Affected Students? A Comprehensive Summary Of Effects After Two Years, Jonathan N. Mills, Anna J. Egalite, Patrick J. Wolf

School Choice Demonstration Project

Louisiana, a state whose educational performance has lagged behind national averages for decades, began its experiment with publicly financed scholarships for students to attend private schools in 2008. The pilot version of the Louisiana Scholarship Program (LSP) was expanded statewide with the passage of Act 2 of the 2012 Louisiana state legislative session. Nearly 10,000 students applied to the expanded program in 2012-13, with roughly 5,000 applicants receiving scholarships. The program has continued its rapid expansion every year since then, with nearly 7,500 scholarships awarded in the 2014-15 school year.

The Effects Of The Louisiana Scholarship Program On Student Achievement After Two Years, Jonathan N. Mills, Patrick J. Wolf

School Choice Demonstration Project

The Louisiana Scholarship Program (LSP) is a statewide initiative offering publicly-funded vouchers to enroll in local private schools to students in low-performing schools with family income no greater than 250 percent of the poverty line. Initially established in 2008 as a pilot program in New Orleans, the LSP was expanded statewide in 2012. This paper examines the experimental effects of using an LSP scholarship to enroll in a private school on student achievement in the first two years following the program’s expansion. Our results indicate that the use of an LSP scholarship has negatively impacted both ELA and math achievement, …

The Impact Of The Louisiana Scholarship Program On Racial Segregation In Louisiana Schools, Anna J. Egalite, Jonathan N. Mills, Patrick J. Wolf

School Choice Demonstration Project

The question of how school choice programs affect the racial stratification of schools is highly salient in the field of education policy. We use a student-level panel data set to analyze the impacts of the Louisiana Scholarship Program (LSP) on racial segregation in public and private schools. This targeted school voucher program provides funding for low-income, mostly minority students in the lowest-graded public schools to enroll in participating private schools. Our analysis indicates that the vast majority (82%) of LSP transfers have reduced racial segregation in the voucher students’ former public schools. LSP transfers have marginally increased segregation in the …

The Competitive Effects Of The Louisiana Scholarship Program On Public School Performance, Anna J. Egalite

School Choice Demonstration Project

Given the significant growth rate and geographic expansion of private school choice programs over the past two decades, it is important to examine how traditional public schools respond to the sudden injection of competition for students and resources. This article uses 1) a school fixed effects approach, and 2) a regression discontinuity framework to examine the achievement impacts of the Louisiana Scholarship Program (LSP). This targeted school voucher program has provided public funds for low-income students in low-performing public schools to enroll in participating private schools since the 2012-13 school year. The main findings of the competitive effects analysis reveal …