Public Policy Commons^™

Race-Ethnic Neighborhood Segregation In The Southwest Megapolitan Triangle, Yanneli Llamas, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

Demography

This Fact Sheet analyzes race-ethnic neighborhood segregation in the Southwest Megapolitan Triangle, which consists of the Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise, NV; Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA; and Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs). Drawing from an original report by Brookings senior fellow, William Frey, this fact sheet illustrates the degree of residential segregation over time in the three MSAs.

Covid-19: Payment Protection Program (Ppp) Loan Impact In The Mountain West, Eshaan Vakil, Elia Del Carmen Solano-Patricio, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

Economic Development & Workforce

This fact sheet summarizes the impact of COVID-19 relief loans on small businesses in 5 Mountain West states: Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah. Using data reported by the Small Business Administration’s (SBA) Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), researchers at Brookings report, “across metro areas, COVID-19 relief loans are helping some places more than others.” This fact sheet explores the geographic distribution of PPP loans in 20 “very large,” “large,” “midsize,” and “small” metropolitan statistical areas (MSA) in the Mountain West.

Temporal And Spatial Analysis Of The Wage Gap For Women And Underrepresented Minorities In The Architecture, Engineering, And Construction (Aec) Workforce, Saba Nikkhah Manesh

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) industry has failed to solve persistent labor shortage problems or to fill the labor demand in the workforce by recruiting from untapped/underrepresented groups such as Women and Underrepresented Minorities (WUMs). There have been several studies on diversity and inclusion in the AEC industry, but the issue still persists, as the AEC industry has failed to solve these issues. If the industry better understands the status of wage gaps by gender and race, as well as how the industry has performed in terms of providing comparable wages for the workforce over time, along with the …

Covid-19: Metro Recovery Index In The Mountain West, Vanessa Booth, Katie M. Gilbertson, Elia Del Carmen Solano-Patricio, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

Economic Development & Workforce

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic and the economic recession that is developing as a result, researchers at the Brookings Institution created the “Metro Recovery Index dashboard,” an interactive data set that tracks changes in labor, real estate, and other economic indicators for metropolitan areas throughout the U.S. Using data from January – June 2020, this Fact Sheets highlights the impact of the COVID-19 recession on 13 Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs) in 5 Mountain West states: Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah.

Park Access And Quality In The Mountain West, Vanessa Booth, Olivia K. Cheche, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

Environment

This Fact Sheet synthesizes data presented in The Trust for Public Land ParkScore® Index. This document presents data for urban parks in the 15 Mountain West municipalities that rank in the top 100 cities nationwide. This document also describes the park amenity rankings for the 4 Nevada municipalities that rank in the top 100 nationwide.

Traffic-Related Pedestrian Deaths In The Sun Belt Region, Madison Frazee-Bench, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

Transportation & Infrastructure

This Fact Sheet presents data from Smart Growth America on the number of pedestrian fatalities in U.S. states and congressional districts. For the purpose of this fact sheet, the data included focus on the Sun Belt region between 2008 and 2017, highlighting areas with the highest rates of traffic-related pedestrian deaths.

Minority Owned Businesses In The Southwest Megapolitan Triangle, Yanneli Llamas, Madison Frazee-Bench, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

Economic Development & Workforce

This fact sheet presents the potential impact of COVID-19 on minority owned businesses, using data originally published by Brookings researchers Sifan Liu and Joseph Parilla in “Businesses owned by women and minorities have grown. Will COVID-19 undo that?” As noted in the original report, the coronavirus pandemic will shock a variety of industries and communities, but minority-owned businesses are likely to be hardest hit.

Downtown Population Growth In Southwest And Mountain West Metros, Peter Grema, Eshaan Vakil, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

Demography

Summarizing data from Brookings Metropolitan Policy Program’s May 2020 research brief “big city downtowns are booming, but can their momentum outlast the coronavirus?,” this fact sheet includes an overview of population growth in downtown and metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) between 1980 and 2018 in the Southwest and Mountain West regions of the United States. We focus on Mountain West states (Nevada, Arizona, Colorado, Utah, and New Mexico) in our analysis. In addition, we include the metros that comprise the Southwest Megapolitan Triangle (Southern California, alongside Las Vegas, NV, and Phoenix, AZ metropolitan statistical areas).

Officer-Involved Deaths In Nevada 2013-2019, Madison Frazee-Bench, Yanneli Llamas, Elia Del Carmen Solano-Patricio, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

Criminal Justice

Between 2013 and 2019, 7,669 people were killed by police officers across the United States. Using data compiled by Mapping Police Violence, a non-profit research and advocacy project tracking incidents of police violence throughout the U.S., this fact sheet focuses on officer-involved deaths in the State of Nevada between January 2013 and December 2019.

Higher Education & Economic Mobility In Nevada, Ember Smith, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

Higher Education

Using methods from both the Opportunity Insights Project and the Brookings Opportunity Engines Project, this fact sheet examines Nevada’s public higher education system and attempts to measure the success of these institutions in creating economic mobility opportunities for lower- and middle-income students. Only colleges with over 200 students from each of the 1980-1982 birth cohorts are included in the Brookings Opportunity Engine’s analysis. This fact sheet follows suit and focuses on only those in Nevada: University of Nevada, Reno (UNR); University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV); Truckee Meadows Community College (TMCC); College of Southern Nevada (CSN); and Western Nevada College …

Covid 19: Unemployment Claims In The Mountain West, Katie M. Gilbertson, Madison Frazee-Bench, Marie A. Falcone, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

Economic Development & Workforce

The purpose of this fact sheet is to highlight the impact of the COVID-19 health crisis on unemployment claims in the Mountain West region. This fact sheet presents data gathered from Opportunity Insights and provides unemployment claims data for five Mountain West states (Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah) as of May 9, 2020.

Homelessness In The Mountain West, Yanneli Llamas, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

Demography

This Fact Sheet provides data on homelessness in the five Mountain West states: Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah. This information is adapted from the original U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness data, as reported in the Psy.D. Programs’ article, “The Places with the Most (and Least) Homelessness in America."

Covid-19: The Impact On Young, Low-Wage Workers Without College Degrees, Marie A. Falcone, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

Economic Development & Workforce

This Fact Sheet highlights select data from the Brookings Institution report “We can’t recover from coronavirus recession without helping young workers” released May 7, 2020 by Martha Ross and Nicole Bateman. In the context of the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, the report includes data on the long-term, near-term, and immediate-term risk for occupations held by young workers without college credentials. This Fact Sheet focuses on data pertaining to the employment demography of young workers without a college degree in Mountain West states (Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah).

Neighborhood Change In Las Vegas, Elia Del Carmen Solano-Patricio, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

Housing & Real Estate

This Fact Sheet analyzes indicators of demographic and economic change in Las Vegas neighborhoods and suburbs, provided by “American Neighborhood Change in the 21st Century,” a study published by the Institute on Metropolitan Opportunity (IMO) at the Minnesota Law School. Researchers reviewed data from the 2000 U.S. Census and the 2016 American Community Survey (ACS) for the top 50 largest metros in the U.S. The study reports levels of neighborhood change, including economic growth, poverty concentration, gentrification, and low-income displacement. Data pertaining to the Las Vegas metropolitan region are synthesized to measure indicators of economic viability and housing availability.

Metro Monitor 2020: Las Vegas & Reno, Elia Del Carmen Solano-Patricio, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

Economic Development & Workforce

This Fact Sheet presents changes in indicators of economic health for the State of Nevada using data provided by the Brookings Institution’s Metro Monitor analysis. Looking beyond gross domestic product (GDP) and job growth, researchers at Brookings’ Metropolitan Policy Program measure various indicators of economic well-being across 192 metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) for a 1-year period (from 2017-2018) and a 10-year period (from 2008-2018). Metro areas are classified by size: midsized metros (with populations between 250,000 and 500,000), large metros (with populations between 500,000 and 1 million), and very large metros (with populations over 1 million). For the purpose of …

Immigrants And Their Voting Power In Nevada, Elia Del Carmen Solano-Patricio, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

Demography

This Fact Sheet presents the number of both documented and undocumented immigrants in Nevada, synthesizing data provided by New American Economy (NAE), a bipartisan research non-profit organization. To estimate the total number of immigrants in the U.S. and across each of the 50 states, researchers reviewed various data sources including the U.S. Census, the American Community Survey, the Center for Migration Studies, and the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).

Covid-19: The Impact On Small Businesses In Nevada, Madison Frazee-Bench, Caitlin Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

Economic Development & Workforce

This Fact Sheet presents data on the number of small businesses (fewer than 250 employees) considered at risk due to the COVID-19 outbreak. The data collected originates from the Brookings Institution, and reports the economic effect of COVID-19 on small businesses in states and counties throughout the nation. Understanding this data can help policymakers and business owners alike make strategic decisions about navigating this crisis. This Fact Sheet focuses specifically on the State of Nevada and its 17 counties.

Spatial Analyses Of Temporary Assistance For Needy Families: Its Responsiveness To Labor Market Performance And Policies During The 2008 Recession, Vicky Albert, Jaewon Lim

Social Work Faculty Research

The major economic downturn of the Great Recession led many families with children to depend on cash assistance from the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program. In order to capture TANF caseload growth rates relative to their labor market performance, we developed a responsiveness index which revealed that many of the western and midwestern states were quite responsive to the recession. Using Exploratory Spatial Data Analysis (ESDA) tools, we found the presence of strong spatial clusters in unemployment rate and in TANF maximum aid. Several states in the western region were surrounded by neighboring states with higher growth in …

Preserving Nevada's Higher Education Governance Entity: A Case Study, Deanna Cooper

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to understand the preservation of Nevada’s higher education governance entity through the theoretical framework of punctuated equilibrium theory, which may provide useful information to Nevada’s state policymakers as they seek to address the state’s educated workforce needs via postsecondary governance reform. This study sought to explore the Nevada legislative policymaking process, why policy actors responded as they did and the context in which they responded by examining the life cycle of three unique higher education governance reform bills. Interviews with 12 policy actors and review of over 150 public documents revealed three …

The Las Vegas Metropolitan Revolution: A Case Study Of Public Policy In The Nevada Legislature, Caitlin J. Saladino

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The purpose of this qualitative case study is to explain the dynamics of metropolitan policymaking in Las Vegas, Nevada. This study utilizes advocacy coalition framework to show how underlying beliefs among policy actors, and within the coalitions they form, impact decisions made at the level of the Nevada Legislature. As the newest metropolitan region to emerge among the top 30 metros in the United States, a case study exploring Las Vegas offers a unique contribution to existing literature in public policy and urban affairs. In the wake of economic downturn in the Great Recession and the adoption of a new …

Political Parties And Demographic Transformation In Nevada, Elia Del Carmen Solano-Patricio, Caitlin Saladino, William E. Brown

Demography

This Fact Sheet presents projections of demographic change in Nevada’s political party coalitions using data provided in the report “States of Change: How Demographic Change is Transforming the Republican and Democratic Political Parties.” Using the composition of the two parties’ electorate in the 2016 presidential election as a baseline, researchers explore age, race, and education characteristics of voters in 14 U.S. swing states to predict the demographic makeup of voting groups in future elections. This Fact Sheet makes comparisons to other swing states, but focuses primarily on Nevada data.

Covid-19: Economic Recovery, Twitter, And Public Perception Of Las Vegas, Mary Blankenship, Caitlin Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

Economic Development & Workforce

This Fact Sheet analyzes responses posted on Twitter following an interview conducted by CNN reporter Anderson Cooper, who interviewed Carolyn Goodman, Mayor of the City of Las Vegas, concerning the re-opening of the Las Vegas economy during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Covid-19: Projected Job Loss In Mountain West States, Marie A. Falcone, Caitlin Saladino, William E. Brown

Economic Development & Workforce

This Fact Sheet highlights Mountain West data from the Economic Policy Institute (EPI) report titled, “States are projected to lose more jobs due to the coronavirus: 14 million jobs could be lost by summer.” The original data source provides figures on the estimated job loss from private sector employment in retail, leisure, and hospitality. This Fact Sheet examines the data for large metropolitan Mountain West states (including Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah) with projected job loss in the coming months due to the coronavirus.

A City On The Front Lines Of An Epidemic: The Opioid Crisis In Las Vegas, Elia Del Carmen Solano-Patricio

Calvert Undergraduate Research Awards

Advanced Undergraduate Winner

While addiction to opioids kills more Americans every year, the purpose of this report is to assess the extent of the problem in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, and to propound ways in which local policy can help. A geospatial analysis of opioid demand nationally, regionally, and locally explains how the epidemic is diffusing, where divides exist in terms of access to treatment, and the differential effects of opioids driving this crisis. By tracking opioid-related prescriptions, hospital admissions, and deaths, the results show that opioid demand in the Las Vegas metro has decreased but remains well above …

Nevada’S Secret Killer: Opioid Deaths, Vanessa Marie Booth

Calvert Undergraduate Research Awards

Emerging Scholars Winner

Presented in this study is an analysis of the Nevada opioid crisis and how a viable solution can impact its severity. It does so in a public policy environment while synthesizing outside sources to support the presented claims. The scope of this study is to present a problem, cause, solution scenario on how to solve this policy problem. This study also takes into consideration Nevada’s current economic state amid the coronavirus (COVID-19). In addition, this analysis also addresses the history behind the opioid epidemic across the United States and how it is impacting Nevada in present times. …

Hospital Bed Capacity In Nevada Counties, Yanneli Llamas, Caitlin Saladino, William E. Brown

Health

This Fact Sheet shows data on hospital bed capacity within Nevada’s 17 counties, as originally published by High Country News on March 19, 2020. The original data source includes maps and charts compiled by Megan Lawson of Headwater Economics. The data include information from the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Commerce.

Covid-19: Hospital And Intensive Care Unit (Icu) Bed Capacity In The Mountain West, Ember Smith, Kaylie Pattni, Caitlin Saladino, William E. Brown

Health

Utilizing the Harvard Global Health Institute’s (HGHI) COVID-19 projections, this fact sheet examines the potential hospital and ICU bed shortages in the Mountain West region: Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada, and Utah.

2021 Graduate Program Rankings For Unlv & Unr, Madison Frazee-Bench, Marie A. Falcone, Caitlin Saladino, William E. Brown

Higher Education

This Fact Sheet presents the 2021 U.S. News and World Report graduate program rankings for the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) and the University of Nevada, Reno (UNR). The rankings for 2021 are important when taking into consideration that both UNLV and UNR achieved Carnegie R1 status in 2018. This status marks their place in the top 130 research universities in the country.

The Re-Enrollment Tendencies Of "Some College, No Degree" Students In The U.S., Marie A. Falcone, Caitlin Saladino, William E. Brown

Higher Education

This Fact Sheet highlights information from a National Student Clearinghouse Research Center report titled, “Some College, No Degree: A 2019 Snapshot for the Nation and 50 States.” The data on re-enrolled college students in Mountain West states (Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada, and Utah) show the percentage of individuals who re-enrolled at an academic institution other than their initial college or university.

The Urban Heat Island Effect In Nevada, Ember Smith, Kaylie Pattni, Caitlin Saladino, William E. Brown

Environment

This fact sheet explores the temperature difference between Nevada cities and their undeveloped surrounding areas using reports by the Urban Land Institute, Climate Central, National Public Radio (NPR), and various governmental organizations. We investigate what “urban heat islands” are, their effects, the correlation between heat and income, and factors that contribute to rising temperatures in Las Vegas, North Las Vegas, Henderson, and Reno.