Public Policy Commons^™

Social Work In Practice, The Final Stretch, Madison M. Fernandez

Graduate Student Portfolios, Professional Papers, and Capstone Projects

This professional portfolio reflects what I have learned in the MSW program at the University of Montana.

Exiting Commercial Sexual Exploitation, Jeanne L. Allert, Sherri L. Wyatt

Dignity: A Journal of Analysis of Exploitation and Violence

This study presents one of the largest qualitative samples of exited female survivors of commercial sexual exploitation in the United States to date. One hundred and eighty-nine female survivors participated in a national survey. The participants described their motivations for exiting commercial sexual exploitation, the pathways they followed, the forces that hindered their exit and increased their recidivism, and the assistance they received that ensured a permanent exit. Some of the findings challenge popular narratives on recidivism rates and what keeps women in exploitation, revealing complex relational, behavioral, economic, and systemic influences. Participants spoke about the unanticipated value of incarceration, …

Investigating The Relationship Between Noun Classes And Plant Folk Taxonomy In Chasu Language Of Kilimanjaro Region In Tanzania, Peter Rabson Mziray

Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences

The current study investigates the relationship between noun classes and plant folk taxonomy in Chasu (G 22). The study focuses on two objectives: the first objective is to describe the plant folk taxonomy in Chasu and the second objective is to determine the relationship between noun classes and plant folk taxonomy in Chasu. Data were collected from rural villages in Same and Mwanga districts by using free listing, field interviews (jungle-walk-and-identify), and written texts containing Chasu plant names. The findings reveal that Chasu folk taxonomy reflects different ethnobotanical categories; including a unique beginner which is mmea/mimea ‘plant(s)’, and three life …

Urban Welfare Divergence: An Analysis Of The Factors Shaping Social Housing Policy In Berlin And Vienna, Grace Zheng

Claremont-UC Undergraduate Research Conference on the European Union

According to Eurostat, property prices across the 27 members of the EU surged by 47% between 2010 and 2022, while rents increased by 18% during the same period. To mitigate the housing crisis, many governments have turned to social housing—affordable housing that is either government-owned or regulated—as a solution. This paper seeks to answer the following question: Why has Vienna adopted significantly more generous income thresholds for social housing eligibility compared to Berlin? In 2024, the highest income threshold for a four-person household to receive a residential entitlement certificate in Berlin (€57,640) was nearly identical to the threshold for a …

Why Aren’T More People Calling 988 For Mental Health Crises?, Michiko Ueda, Colleen M. Heflin, Yanhong Liu, Qingyi Yu, Seethalakshmi Ramanathan

Center for Policy Research

When someone is in a mental health crisis, calling 911 has long been the default response. However, 911 call centers are not well-equipped to handle mental health emergencies, and law enforcement dispatch can result in unnecessary arrests, hospitalizations, or crisis escalation. The 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline launched in 2022 is a free, confidential alternative, yet awareness remains low and misconceptions persist. Using data from a 2024 national online survey of nearly 1,900 U.S. adults ages 18-50, this brief summarizes findings about awareness of 988, willingness to use it, and concerns about the service. Results show that only 22% of …

Community-Based Food Program Limits In Reducing Older Adult Food Insecurity, Madonna Harrington Meyer, Colleen M. Heflin

Population Health Research Brief Series

Older adults who are grappling with food insecurity may enhance their food supply through community-based programs that provide free and subsidized food. This complicated system, categorized by group meal programs, home-delivered meals, and food provided to be eaten off-site, is complex, expensive, and may be difficult for older adults to use. Based on the book, Food for Thought: Understanding Older Adults Food Insecurity, this brief describes three key limits of community-based food programs for older adults. First, the quantity and quality of community-based food programs vary markedly by where one lives. Second, the food may be of poor nutritional …

Cost Of Living For Older Adults (65+) In Mountain West Metropolitan Statistical Areas, 2024, Anirudh Polagani, Annie Vong, Mohit Pande, Olivia K. Cheche, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

Demography

This fact sheet explores 2024 cost of living data for adults over the age of 65 in the largest metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) across five Mountain West states: Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah. The data are sourced from the “Elder Index,” a dashboard that focuses on housing, healthcare, food, transportation, and miscellaneous expenses that collectively reflect the monthly expenses for those over the age of 65. This fact sheet focuses on five MSAs in the Mountain West: Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ; Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO; Las Vegas-Henderson- North Las Vegas, NV; Albuquerque, NM; and Salt Lake City-Murray, UT.

Native American Tribes And Federal Grant Funding In The Mountain West, Fy2023-2025, Isabelle G. Graham, Maisoon Faris, Dre Boyd-Weatherly, Olivia K. Cheche, William E. Brown Jr.

Elections & Governance

This fact sheet presents state-level data on the impact of a federal government-wide funding freeze affecting Native American Tribes, focusing on the Mountain West states of Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah. The data are derived from the Brookings Institution’s “A federal grant freeze could disrupt over $24 billion to Native American communities and undermine US obligations to Tribes” brief, which reports data from USAspending. The original report provides data on the federal government’s obligations, outlays, and remaining balances owed to Native American Tribes for all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia.

Nh Ece Research Consortium Spring 2025 Convening Summary & Action Steps, Evan England, Jess Carson

New Hampshire Early Care and Education Research Consortium

The inaugural NH ECE Research Consortium convening in May 2025 welcomed nearly 50 attendees from 29 organizations for a half-day session connecting over research and data. Attendees participated in three activities using the Ecocycle Planning framework. The group sorted NH ECE activities and approaches into three main areas: (1) things we value in which we already invest (or plan to), (2) things we value in which we do not invest, and (3) things that need to change or are already changing. Reflections in each area are summarized here in hopes that the synthesis supports our shared and ongoing efforts to …

Adapting To Inflationary Pressures: Household Coping Strategies In Urban Egypt (2016– 2025), Mohamed Mohamed Ashraf Kamal

Theses and Dissertations

Over the past decade, Egypt has faced persistent economic challenges including repeated currency devaluations, high inflation rates, subsidy reforms such as the gradual reduction of food and energy subsidies, and the ripple effects of global crises that have significantly impacted household well-being, especially in urban areas. These pressures have eroded purchasing power and heightened food insecurity, especially among low- and middle-income families. Although substantial attention has been paid to macroeconomic indicators, there remains a critical gap in understanding how households adapt on a daily basis to manage financial stress and sustain their livelihoods. This inquiry is especially timely, as household …

The Limits Of Snap In Addressing Older Adult Food Insecurity, Colleen M. Heflin, Madonna Harrington Meyer

Population Health Research Brief Series

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is designed to address the economic roots of food insecurity. However, SNAP participation rates among older adults substantially lag behind those of other age groups. Based on the book, Food for Thought: Understanding Older Adults Food Insecurity, this brief describes how SNAP is not well designed for older adults in three respects: (1) the high levels of administrative burden associated with eligibility, certification, and benefit-determination processes, (2) the low value of SNAP benefits compared with the high costs associated with redeeming them, and (3) the high levels of state variation in SNAP policies …

Public K-12 School Start Times In The Mountain West, 2020-2021, Olivia K. Cheche, William E. Brown Jr.

K-12 Education

This fact sheet presents data on public K-12 school start times in the Mountain West states of Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah as of the 2020-2021 school year. The data are derived from the “School start time: Average public K–12 school start time and percentage distribution of public school start time, by state: 2020–21” report originally published by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). This fact sheet highlights the average public K-12 school start times and distribution of public K-12 school start times for each Mountain West state.

Foster Kinship Program Evaluation, Eduardo Cabral-Terrazas, Jamilah Mcgrue, Andrea Rangelova, Jeffrey Vanderlaan

Public Policy and Leadership Theses & Dissertations

Foster Kinship, a Nevada-based nonprofit, operates under the belief that “When children cannot be with their parents, they should be with their family” (Foster Kinship, 2022). It supports kinship caregivers, who often take in children during a crisis, in navigating the foster care system. The organization’s Kinship Navigator Program offers training, case management, and licensing support to kinship caregivers, enabling them to access financial assistance and other benefits. However, many caregivers who complete the training do not finish the licensing process, limiting placement stability and access to resources for the children. Understanding why kinship caregivers trained through the Foster Kinship …

Nh Ece 2025 Data Snapshot Infographic, Harshita Sarup, Jess Carson, Tyrus Parker

New Hampshire Early Care and Education Research Consortium

The NH ECE 2025 Data Snapshot infographic provides easy access to data describing and explaining the early care and education landscape in New Hampshire. Learn about Granite Staters' need for child care, the high prices that families face, the low wages earned by child care workers, and the high operating costs of care. The infographic also offers a policy snapshot featuring the reach of the NH Child Care Scholarship Program.

Foster Care In Nevada, 2019-2023, Mallory Constantine, Olivia K. Cheche, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

Demography

This fact sheet examines data for foster youth populations in Nevada, with a particular focus on foster care bed availability and placements within the state. The data are sourced from the report “Division of Child and Family Services – Data Book as of June 30, 2023,”1 a database from the Division of Child and Family Services (DCFS) within Nevada’s Department of Health and Human Services.

Structural Racism And Mass Shooting Events In Mountain West Cities, 2015-2019, Mohit Pande, Nicole Diaz Del Valle, Olivia K. Cheche, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

Criminal Justice

This fact sheet presents data on the link between social and demographic metrics of principal cities in four Mountain West metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs): Phoenix, AZ; Tucson, AZ; Denver, CO; and Las Vegas, NV. This fact sheet also reports the number of people affected by mass shooting events (MSEs) as originally reported in “Association Between Markers of Structural Racism and Mass Shooting Events in Major US Cities,” published by The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) Surgery. The original article derives data from 865 MSEs across 51 MSAs in the United States.

How Far-Right Populism Harms Ethnic Minorities’ Health: The Case Of The United States, Dina Rosenberg

Working Papers Series

Public health is a political issue, and the health of ethnic minorities is a key component of it. We argue that far-right populism, whether grassroots or elitist, harms the health of immigrants and minorities. Anti-minority attitudes and policies—such as health chauvinism promoted by far-right populists—along with hate rhetoric and ensuing personal and institutional discrimination create a climate of hostility that negatively affects health outcomes in underprivileged communities. We hypothesize that immigrants and ethnic minorities living in such a climate are more likely to experience health problems and underutilize healthcare. To test this, we leverage the significant variation between U.S. states …

The Effects Of Family Cohesion On The Relationship Between Trauma And State-Level Social Policy Provision In The United States, Brandon Kendall Ross Fielding

Dissertations and Theses

This dissertation examines how childhood trauma and family cohesion interact to shape state-level social policy generosity in the United States. The study begins with a multilevel quantitative analysis using data from the National Survey of Children’s Health and the State Safety-Net Generosity Index to assess how individual-level experiences of trauma and family support relate to state-level welfare generosity. Two trauma indices--one focused on adverse childhood experiences and bullying, and the other on food-related hardship--are used to explore how trauma influences attitudes toward public assistance, and whether family cohesion moderates this relationship. Results from marginal effects analyses indicate that family cohesion, …

Having A Home To Come Home To: How Subsidized Housing Impacts Unhoused Pregnant Women, Stephanie O. Porvaznik

Master's Projects and Capstones

Community based organizations (CBOs) lead the charge in the fight to end housing insecurity and often must make up where local governments fall short. San Francisco is an example of a municipality that has a long history of addressing instances of housing insecurity for its residents, and where CBOs step in to provide housing support for populations with unique and special circumstances. One CBO that operates in San Francisco that I was interested in studying was the Homeless Prenatal Program (HPP), and the Jelani House, a housing subsidy that is funded and operated by the HPP for pregnant women who …

Climate Change Behind Prison Walls: Environmental Justice, Prison Abolition, And Social Welfare, Mia Moody

Student Theses 2015-Present

Unbeknownst to many, human rights violations occur on a large scale behind prison walls. This paper examines some of these violations, especially those exacerbated by climate change, through an environmental lense in order to emphasize the need for social welfare-based solutions in the abolition of the prison industrial complex. It also seeks to illustrate the connection between the environmental justice movement and the prison abolition movement so that marginalized peoples may be free from shouldering disproportionate effects of environmental hazards and imprisonment. This paper is introduced with a brief overview of the human rights violations occurring in prisons. Using quantitative …

How Does Snap Access Prior To Pregnancy Affect Maternal And Infant Health Outcomes?, Sarah Hamersma, Mitch Mcfarlane

Center for Policy Research

Consistent access to healthy food even before pregnancy can play a role in maternal and child health. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) provides food assistance to low-income individuals, including those who do not yet have children (often classified as Able-Bodied Adults Without Dependents, or ABAWDs). Our study uses ABAWD work requirement waivers – which vary within and across counties over a 15-year-period – as a measure of SNAP access for childless women. We use this variation to investigate pre-pregnancy SNAP access and the health of mothers and their infants. Using rich, population-wide Vital Statistics data combined with county-level SNAP …

The Affordable Care Act: Analyzing Rates Of Healthcare Claim Denial, Lauren Sitter

Political Science Theses and Capstones

The United States healthcare industry is an integral aspect of every American’s life. The Affordable Care Act (ACA) in 2010 reformed the healthcare system by expanding coverage to millions of Americans and eliminating claim denials due to pre-existing conditions. It requires participating states to submit transparency data. Despite these reforms, coverage denials continue and vary by plan category, metal level, and among different states. I analyze data from The Kaiser Family Foundation (2023) and The CommonWealth Fund to test the correlation between claim denial and a variety of variables, including state political culture, plan type, metal level, and out-of-pocket costs. …

A Systematic Review Of Effective School-Based Interventions Against Bullying In The United States, Jessica Lopez Lopez

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Bullying remains a persistent issue within the United States (U.S.) educational system, affecting–among other things–students’ well-being, academic performance, and mental health. This mixed-methods systematic review was purported to address gaps in previous literature by identifying effective school-based interventions against bullying implemented between 2017 and 2024 in the U.S. Using a purposive sampling method, this review screened three electronic databases: APA PsycNET, ERIC, and JSTOR to garner relevant studies. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines were employed to ensure rigorous selection and analysis of relevant articles. There were four studies in this systematic review (n=4). The …

Barriers Individuals And Families Experience Utilizing Anti-Poverty Programs, Miranda C. Dube'

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

This proposed study aims to explore the barriers experienced by residents of the High Desert communities. Using a quantitative method approach, the proposed research will employ surveys to provide a comprehensive understanding of the outcomes experienced by the High Desert residents. Participants will be selected within the High Desert communities, aged 18 years or older, who have or are currently experiencing poverty. The findings from this proposed study would contribute to bridging gaps in understanding the barriers residents of the High Desert experience. By identifying factors that suppress successfully utilizing anti-poverty programs, this research proposal would aim to inform the …

Psychological Treatment Behind The Walls:Insights From The Inside, Rogelio Serrano

Psychology Division Scholarship

Repeated eras of mass incarceration, criminalization of marginalized communities, and substance use policies have created a revolving door of justice involved populations. The ever-increasing prison population has repeatedly become the largest contingency of mental health clientele for an overburdened mental health system. Those who work with formerly incarcerated individuals in the community often don’t know the unique set of challenges faced by practitioners within the system. Increased understanding and coordination of care can offer opportunities for sustained recovery and reduced levels of recidivism. In this presentation participants will learn about the unique insights on mental health treatment that can be …

Community-Driven Policy Solutions To Police Accountability, Rashawn Ray

Brookings Scholar Lecture Series

George Floyd’s death shifted public opinion as 76% of Americans agreed that incidents such as the killing of Floyd are signs of racism within law enforcement. While police reforms such as implicit bias training and body-worn cameras gained public support, they insufficiently address the structural, cultural, and organizational components of policing that can obstruct accountability and contribute to racial disparities in policing. In this lecture, Brooking Senior Fellow Rashawn Ray presents interview, survey, social media, and virtual reality data with police officers, activists, and civilians, and demonstrates state- and city-level databases on police reform legislation. Ray posits that evidence-based policy …

Promoting Equity: Embracing Food Justice In The Transformation Of The Food Systems For Bipoc Communities, Frank Yeboah Adusei

Journal of Extension

The food justice movement addresses systemic food inequities impacting BIPOC communities, rooted in civil rights and environmental justice movements. It advocates for fair access to culturally relevant food, combating food deserts, and promoting food sovereignty. Recognizing intersectionality, it emphasizes collaboration to dismantle systemic barriers. This study aims to understand BIPOC communities' challenges and effective strategies, stressing the importance of collaborative efforts for lasting systemic change. Extension professionals face challenges but can contribute through equity-focused strategies, community engagement, and partnerships, advancing food justice and fostering inclusive food systems.

The Jamaica Now Leadership Council: A Study Of Stakeholder Participation In The Revitalization Of Downtown Jamaica, Queens, Melva M. Miller

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Urban revitalization in the United States has often been characterized by uneven community development, where marginalized communities bear the costs while receiving limited benefits. This dissertation examines how the dynamics of stakeholder participation impacts the practice of Community Economic Development (CED), focusing on the Jamaica Now Leadership Council (JNLC) as a case study. Formed to oversee the Jamaica Now Neighborhood Action Plan, the JNLC represents a model of inclusive, stakeholder-driven urban development aimed at addressing historical disinvestment and promoting equitable economic growth in Downtown Jamaica, Queens.

The study explores how power dynamics, stakeholder histories, and role expectations shape participation in …

Lessons For Public Policy From The Covid-19 Pandemic, Olga Shvetsova

Political Science Faculty Scholarship

In the early 2020s, as the COVID-19 pandemic unfolded, governments, bureaucracies, and health practitioners around the globe faced unforeseen tasks and responsibilities. The novelty and intensity of the crisis spurred innovation and experimentation in public policy, health policy, and crisis management. However, the pandemic also revealed bottlenecks and adverse incentives within policy framework and healthcare systems. From this experience, critical lessons emerged: the paramount importance of swift and well-informed policy responses and the ability to optimize ongoing policy response as the crisis unfolds.

More Police Spending Is Linked To Higher Opioid Overdose Mortality Rates, Michah W. Rothbart, Zoe Lindenfeld, Amanda I. Mauri, Diana Silver

Population Health Research Brief Series

In the United States, over 100,000 people die from drug overdoses every year. County fiscal policies, particularly police spending and revenue generated from fines and forfeitures, not only shape the resources available for health interventions but may also influence how those resources are used to prevent overdoses. This brief highlights findings from a study that used data from the U.S. Census of Governments to examine how counties use of extractive policing practices (fines and forfeitures) as well as spending on health and policing were related to opioid overdose deaths from 2017 to 2020. Findings show that higher county-level police spending …