Public Policy Commons^™

Mobile Health Technology In Developing Countries: The Case Of Tanzania, Shruti Modi

Pepperdine Policy Review

Mobile technology is one of the fastest growing industries. In rural parts of the world, mobile phones are more accessible than sanitation facilities and electricity. Mobile phones can be used to transmit health information, promote health awareness, track the spread of diseases, and ultimately decrease the prevalence of diseases. In particular, this study focuses on how mobile health technology, m-health, can reduce the spread of HIV/AIDS and malaria in Tanzania.

Financial Openness And Growth: 2000-2010, Amy Kennedy

Pepperdine Policy Review

In light of the recent financial crisis and economic downturn, policymakers are looking at other options to raise tax revenue. One such option proposed is a financial transaction tax which would tax various cross-border transactions such as banking or securities transactions. Yet, economic growth is arguably the better option for increasing revenue. One might further argue that a tax will lead to less revenue through reduced growth resulting from investors investing money in other tax free arenas. Therefore, this study looks at the relationship between financial openness and annual real GDP per capita growth to ascertain the effect of financial …

Can Clean Drinking Water And Sanitation Reduce Child Mortality In Senegal?, Catherine Bampoky

Pepperdine Policy Review

The purpose of this paper is to measure the impact of clean drinking water, modern sanitation facilities and hygiene on child mortality rates in Senegal. Diarrhea-related morbidity is still fairly common among young children and this disease is mainly due to poor hygiene and environmental factors. Although extensive research has been done on the determinants of child mortality in Senegal, they were mainly descriptive studies that did not focus on a policy-related variable on which public policies could have a direct intervention. Using dummy dependent variable models, I find that drinking water source and sanitation facility are not individually statistically …

Fourth Time's The Charm?: Modeling A Psychologically-Based Peace Iv Program In Northern Ireland, Cailin A. Rogers

The Macalester Review

Abstract: Social conflict has consumed Northern Ireland for centuries. The relationship between Catholic Nationalists and Protestant Loyalists has proved difficult to reconcile–current policy approaches have been unable to attain peace. This paper seeks to explore the gaps in policy created by ignoring the important distinction between the social identities Nationalists and Loyalists have created and which they continue to perpetuate. This paper examines Social identity theory in context of Northern Ireland and applies the psychology of disparate community identities to current policies and trends in Northern Ireland to suggest reasons for a lack of progress towards peace. Unfortunately, contemporary Northern …

Practicum Projects, Michael P. Johnson

Public Policy and Public Affairs Faculty Publication Series

Executive Summary LIFT-Boston, a local non-profit organization, entered into a collaborative partnership in September 2012 with McCormack Graduate School Public Policy Ph.D. students and faculty to develop and execute a research project. The goals of this endeavor were to assist LIFT-Boston in understanding the outcomes associated with its services and enable the organization to further pursue service goals. The primary research questions respond to the organization’s most fundamental questions. These include how the organization’s unique service model impacts clients across several objective and subjective dimensions of well-being. Secondary questions focus on how these impacts may translate into increases or decreases …

Managing Up: Managing Diversity In Challenging Times, Helen Levine

Commonwealth Compact

Commonwealth Compact is an organization formed to help make Massachusetts a location of choice for people of color and women in the belief that their contributions are vital to the region’s social and economic future. The need for an initiative such as Commonwealth Compact stems from a number of factors. As racial and ethnic diversity increases across the nation, business and civic leaders agree that it is critical to reverse the reputation that Massachusetts and Greater Boston, in particular, have not been seen as a welcoming, diverse place to live and work for people of color. Without a better reputation …

Sweden's Parental Leave Insurance: A Policy Analysis Of Strategies To Increase Gender Equality, Juliana Carlson

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Sweden's parental leave insurance is recognized internationally as the premiere parental leave policy addressing gender equality. Since 1974, when the policy changed from maternal to parental leave, policy makers have employed a variety ofstrategies including inducements, rules, and rights, to increase more gender-equal leave taking. Using Stone's (2006) strategy conceptualization, together with the gender systems approach (Crompton, 1999) which frames the gendered and socially constructed nature of earner/caregiver, this analysis examines how each of Sweden's incremental reforms in parental leave policy moved toward the goal of gender equality, with particular attention to father participation in caregiving.

Education’S Fiscal Cliff, Real Or Perceived?, Larry D. Maloney, Meagan Batdorf, Jay F. May, Michelle Terrell

School Choice Demonstration Project

What would an education fiscal cliff do to public charter school funding, not to mention overall public education funding? And what role, if any, did federal funds play in averting a funding disaster for all public education? This research team currently is looking for answers to these questions. A new research project has been funded to evaluate the revenues provided to traditional public schools and public charter schools during the FY11 school year, and a report on the findings in 30 states and the District of Columbia will be released in spring 2014. Prior to the release of this report, …

People And Place: Understanding The Processes, Outcomes And Impacts Of Interventions Of The Fairmount Corridor Initiative, Center For Social Policy, University Of Massachusetts Boston

Office of Community Partnerships Posters

Through a 5 year grant, the Center for Social Policy (CSP) serves as a strategic learning and evaluation partner to The Boston Foundation (TBF). TBF’s investment and people and place-based initiatives seek to make sustainable, positive change through community and economic development in neighborhoods along the Fairmount-Indigo transit line in Boston. From 2010-2012, the Center team worked closely with Mattapan United and Millennium 10 (in Codman Square/Four Corners) to identify community priorities for neighborhood change. From 2013-2015, the Center team is evaluating these neighborhood change efforts, as well as other initiatives aimed at increasing economic well-being for neighborhood residents. The …

Sam Gen Ms 01 Jean Byers Sampson Papers Finding Aid, John D. Knowlton, Susannah Clark

Search the Manuscript Collection (Finding Aids)

Description:

Jean Byers Sampson was a 1944 graduate of Smith College. Early in her post-Smith career, she conducted and wrote the 1947, “A Study of the Negro in Military Service,” which contributed to President Harry Truman’s decision to desegregate the armed forces. Sampson moved to Maine in the early 1950s with her husband, Richard Sampson, a Bates College mathematics professor, and she played a unique and critical role in the state until her death in 1996. Over the course of her life in Maine, she served as the founder of the first chapter of the NAACP in Maine, local and …

A Guide On Transitioning Mine Action Programmes To National Ownership, Unmas

Global CWD Repository

This guide focuses on transitioning mine action programmes1 to national ownership. The GICHD and United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS) commissioned case studies of transition in nine mine/ERW-affected countries to provide the evidence base for this guide. The case studies document programme implementation in very different environments – from least developed to developing countries and from low to very high levels of landmine/ERW contamination. Regardless of context, mine action programmes in all nine countries have achieved significant progress in clearance, stockpile destruction, Mine Risk Education (MRE) and even victim assistance. Many lives have been saved, the survivors helped and the …

Handover Of Released Land | Common Procedures And Good Practices, Gichd, Gender In Mine Action

Global CWD Repository

This report is based on the findings of eight country case studies. The research was carried out by GMAP and the GICHD.

It includes handover procedures and policies and standards. It also consolidates good practice and lessons learnt, assesses whether gender considerations are taken into account, and presents general recommendations.

Falkland Islands Malvinas Exploitation Report 2013, C. King Associates Ltd.

Global CWD Repository

A series of three reports were published by the Demining Programme Office in the Falkland Islands (Malvinas).

This publication reports on exploitation work that was carried out on SB-33, SB-81 and P4B mines during Phase 1 of clearance operations. This work was conducted on the following items:

• C3B anti-tank mines recovered from SA064
• An SB-33 anti-personnel mine discovered outside the mine rows of SA064
• Components of booby traps recovered from SA064

The findings from this work were intended to assess the condition of the ordnance in order to:

• Establish the general condition of the mines
• Indicate their ability to function, …

Demining Programme Office In The Falkland Islands - Technical Support 2013, Colin King

Global CWD Repository

A series of three reports were published by the Demining Programme Office in the Falkland Islands (Malvinas).

This publication reports on exploitation work that was carried out on SB-33, SB-81 and P4B mines during Phase 1 of clearance operations. This work was conducted on the following items:

• C3B anti-tank mines recovered from SA064
• An SB-33 anti-personnel mine discovered outside the mine rows of SA064
• Components of booby traps recovered from SA064

The findings from this work were intended to assess the condition of the ordnance in order to:

• Establish the general condition of the mines
• Indicate their ability to function, …

Demining Programme Office In The Falkland Islands - Technical Support 2013, Fenix -. Insight Ldt.

Global CWD Repository

The aim of this report is to outline the findings from exploitation work provided within the Falkland Islands demining programme during the third phase of clearance. The findings from this work were intended to assess the condition of the ordnance in order to: establish the general condition of the mines; indicate their ability to function; and to highlight significant change in their characteristics. Work was carried out by Colin King, technical director of Fenix Insight Ltd, from 19 – 22 March 2013.

Clearance Of M16 Anti-Personnel Mines In Chile, Erik Tollefsen

Global CWD Repository

This report responds to a request for advice on safe and efficient procedures for clearance of M16 bounding fragmentation type anti-personnel mines in a minefield in the Picton Islands.

Following an invitation from Colonel Mendoza from CNAD, the GICHD Director, Ambassador Stephan Husy, visited Chile from the 20 to 29 January 2012. The GICHD Director had visited Chile previously when he focused on the minefields in the north of the country. Accompanying the GICHD Director was Ms Aurora Martinez, the GICHD focal point for Spanish speaking countries and specialist on information management. Mr Erik Tollefsen, the GICHD advisor on EOD, …

From The Welfare State To The Enabling Society, Peter Hicks

Population Change and Lifecourse Strategic Knowledge Cluster Discussion Paper Series/ Un Réseau stratégique de connaissances Changements de population et parcours de vie Document de travail

Current information and communications technology is only now starting to be used in the world of social and employment policy and analysis. The full use of that technology will transform policy-making, social research and analysis, the design of social programming and the way in which it is governed. On all fronts, the changes will be deep and highly beneficial – including for individual well-being and government treasuries.

Today’s welfare state policies came to maturity some fifty years ago in the pre-computer age and are reaching the end of their useful lives. The transformed system which will replace it is referred …

On Dumpster Diving, Lars Eighner

New England Journal of Public Policy

Lars Eighner became homeless in 1988 after leaving a job he had held for ten years as an attendant at a state hospital in Austin, Texas. He lives in a small apartment in Austin and continues to scavenge. This article was originally published in the Fall 1990 issue of The Threepenny Review. Reprinted with permission.

This article originally appeared in a 1992 issue of the New England Journal of Public Policy (Volume 8, Issue 1): http://scholarworks.umb.edu/nejpp/vol8/iss1.

Examining Mainecare’S Coverage Options Under The Affordable Care Act, Erika C. Ziller Phd, Trish Riley

Population Health & Health Policy

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) was designed to achieve nearly universal access to health coverage in the United States—in part by standardizing Medicaid eligibility across the country so that each state’s program would cover individuals with incomes below 138% of the federal poverty level (FPL), or $15,856 for an individual and $32,499 for a family of four in 2013 (see Figure 1).i However, in June 2012, the U.S. Supreme Court determined that states could not be required to broaden Medicaid and retained the decision as a state option. States that choose to participate may do so by amending their state …

Ddasaccident805, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

Whilst the Team leader was at the CP reporting the find, the three deminers – [Victim No.1], [Victim No.2] and [Victim No.3] - moved from their lanes to view the PMN. It was at this stage that [Victim No.1] stepped on the missed PMN. The missed mine was located approximately 1.5 metres from the marked PMN.

Women's Actions And Reactions To Male Migration: A Case Study Of Women In San Juan Guelavía, Oaxaca, Mexico, Julie Boyles

Dissertations and Theses

Using a mixed methods, interdisciplinary case study approach, this research project explores the benefits, risks, and challenges of male migration for women who reside in San Juan Guelavía, Oaxaca, Mexico. In a unique approach in the field of migration studies, this project considers not only women whose husbands have migrated--absent husbands--but also the impact of male migration on women whose husbands have returned as well as women whose husbands have never left--anchored husbands. Women with returned husbands and even women with anchored husbands feel the threat, worry, and fear that male migration could, at an unknown point in the future, …

Aging In Hingham: A Community Affair, Jan Mutchler, Caitlin Coyle, Hayley Gravette

Gerontology Institute Publications

The purpose of this needs assessment is to investigate the needs, interests, and opinions of mature residents of Hingham, Massachusetts, relating to their aging experiences and needs for age-related services. This assessment was undertaken by the Gerontology Institute of the McCormack Graduate School at UMass Boston on behalf of the Town of Hingham Department of Elder Services (hereinafter referred to as the Department of Elder Services). The focus of this report is on Hingham residents aged 60+ (referred to here as “Seniors”) and residents aged 45-59 (referred to here as “Boomers”). Information about these two age groups was obtained both …

International Campaign To Ban Landmines-Cluster Munition Coalition Annual Report 2013, Icbl-Cmc

Global CWD Repository

2013 has been a challenging year with use, or alleged use, of antipersonnel landmines and cluster munitions. In addition to strong condemnation, the CMC and the ICBL played a crucial and unique role in ensuring all of the confirmed and alleged instances of use were brought to light and kept on states’ agenda, investigated, widely condemned and that pressure would be put on the states in question to halt use of these weapons.

Risk And Protective Factors For Recidivism Among Juveniles Who Have Offended Sexually, Andrew Spice, Jodi L. Viljoen, Natasha Elkovitch, Mario J. Scalora, Daniel Lee Ullman

University of Nebraska Public Policy Center: Publications

Literature on risk factors for recidivism among juveniles who have sexually offended (JSOs) is limited. In addition, there have been no studies published concerning protective factors among this population. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship of risk and protective factors to sexual and nonsexual recidivism among a sample of 193 male JSOs (mean age = 15.26). Youths were followed for an average of 7.24 years following discharge from a residential sex offender treatment program. The risk factor opportunities to reoffend, as coded based on the Estimate of Risk of Adolescent Sexual Offense Recidivism, was associated with …

Factor Structure And Construct Validity Of The Psychopathic Personality Inventory In A Forensic Sample, Valerie M. Gonsalves, Julia E. Mclawsen, Matthew T. Huss, Mario J. Scalora

University of Nebraska Public Policy Center: Publications

A wealth of research has underscored the strong relationship between PCL-R scores and recidivism. However, mounting criticism cites the PCL-R's cumbersome administration procedures and failure to adequately measure core features associated with the construct of psychopathy (Skeem, Polaschek, Patrick, & Lilienfeld, 2011). In light of these concerns, this study examined the PPI and the PPI-R, which were designed to measure core personality features associated with psychopathy (Lilienfeld & Andrews, 1996; Lilienfeld & Widows, 2005). Study one examined the PPI relative to the PCL-R and examined its factor structure. The instruments shared few significant correlations and neither the PCL-R nor the …

Absence Of Evidence And Evidence Of Absence In The Effects Of Same Sex Marriage Laws On Rates Of Opposite Sex Marriage: Mutual Reinforcement Of Research, Scholarly Growth And The Classroom, Alexis Dinno

Community Health Faculty Publications and Presentations

This presentation will explore the question of whether legal recognition of same sex marriages affects state- rates of opposite sex marriages in the U.S., with attention given to statistical methods for equivalence testing.

Unicef 2012 Annual Report, Unicef

Global CWD Repository

2012 was a year of recognizing results for children. As the Millennium Development Goals deadline approaches, we have cause to celebrate declining poverty rates, the near eradication of polio, increased immunizations, more girls attending school, improved access to clean water and nutrition, and more children surviving and thriving beyond their fifth birthdays than ever before.

But results are no excuse for rest. Too many children continue to struggle, clinging to the lowest rungs of the development ladder: a boy missing out on a vaccination because he lives in a remote, hard-to-reach community; a girl denied her rightful place in the …

Programs For Vulnerable Populations Leahy War Victims Fund, Usaid-Leahy

Global CWD Repository

Established in 1989, the U.S. Agency for International Development’s (USAID) Leahy War Victims Fund (LWVF) works to increase the availability of and access to a wide variety of programs benefiting people with disabilities in conflict-affected countries.

Social Construction And Political Decision Making In The American Prison System(S), Jeremiah Olson

Theses and Dissertations--Political Science

With over two million inmates, the United States’ prison population is the largest in the world. Nearly one in one hundred Americans are behind bars, either in prisons or pre-trial detention facilities. The rapid growth in incarceration is well-documented. However, social science explanations often stop at the prison gates, with little work on treatment inside prisons. This black box approach ignores important bureaucratic decisions, including the provision of rehabilitative services and the application of punishment.

This dissertation offers a systematic analysis of treatment decisions inside the American prisons. I use a mixed methods approach, combining multiple quantitative datasets with environmental …

Demographic Analysis Of Recovery Act Supported Jobs In Massachusetts, Quarters 1 And 2, 2011: Final Report, Carol Hardy-Fanta, Monica Lamboy, David Merwin, Paige Ransford, Meryl Thomson, Christian Weller

Publications from the Center for Women in Politics and Public Policy

Since 2009, researchers have analyzed the economic and employment impact of ARRA spending and tax policies. The current report is possible due to the efforts of Massachusetts policymakers who went beyond federal reporting requirements to require additional reporting on the number of workers who received ARRA-funded pay. ARRA workers’ demographic characteristics were also collected as part of the Massachusetts’ ARRA reporting requirements to allow for transparency and determine the fiscal policy’s impact on the state and local economy. The Massachusetts Recovery and Reinvestment Office (MassRRO) makes available much of these data on their website (www.mass. gov/recovery), including highlights for each …