Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Public Policy Commons™

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Walden University

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

2017

Articles 1 - 30 of 102

Full-Text Articles in Public Policy

Sustained Education Access For Homeless Youth: Case Study Of U.S. Transitional Living Programs, Heather Hall Jan 2017

Sustained Education Access For Homeless Youth: Case Study Of U.S. Transitional Living Programs, Heather Hall

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Without interventions to address homelessness among youth, the risk of homelessness for future generations is great. As a result, the federal government has invested in funding Transitional Living Programs (TLPs), though it is not clear whether these programs have achieved the intended outcomes of helping youth transition from homelessness to being able to sustain employment and avoid poverty through access to educational and workforce programs. Using the broad conceptualization of democratic governance as the foundation, the purpose of this case study was to assess whether access to educational programs through TLPs benefitted homeless youth in terms of program success. Data …

Go to article

Evaluating The Impact Of Integrated Care On Service Utilization In Serious Mental Illness, Heidi C. Waters Jan 2017

Evaluating The Impact Of Integrated Care On Service Utilization In Serious Mental Illness, Heidi C. Waters

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Serious mental illness (SMI) affects 5% of the United States population and is associated with increased morbidity and mortality. Use of high-cost healthcare services is common, including hospitalizations and emergency department (ED) visits. Integrating behavioral and physical healthcare may improve care for consumers with SMI, but prior research findings have been mixed. This quantitative retrospective cohort study addressed the impact of integrated care on physical health and ambulatory care sensitive (ACS) utilization via a program evaluation of an integrated health clinic (IHC) at a community mental health center (CMHC). The research questions assessed whether there was a predictive relationship between …

Go to article

Attack At Fort Hood: Experiences And Suggestions For Security, William P. Moravits Jan 2017

Attack At Fort Hood: Experiences And Suggestions For Security, William P. Moravits

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In the past 8 years, at least 4 lone wolf terrorists have targeted military bases or recruiting centers in the United States and research suggests attack on the US military are increasing globally. The problem was that research had not addressed the lived experiences of survivors of lone wolf attacks or how they could inform procedures regarding a sense of security for military men and women. The purpose of this research was to establish a need to address threats to the security of the military from these attacks, to provide a rich description of survivors' experiences of the attack at …

Go to article

How Do Counterterrorism Policies Influence Domestic Terrorism On Military Installations, Leona Rena Monroe Jan 2017

How Do Counterterrorism Policies Influence Domestic Terrorism On Military Installations, Leona Rena Monroe

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The Department of Defense (DoD) utilizes risk management to develop antiterrorism practices and policies on military installations. However, there is a gap in understanding the impact these practices have on the culture and relationship among military personnel and their civilians. Using Schneider and Ingram's conceptualization of social construction of target populations, the purpose of this ethnographic qualitative study was to understand the nature of the relationship between antiterrorism programs, culture, and risk management on a single military installation. Using a snowball sampling strategy, data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 12 participants who were either a civilian or military person …

Go to article

Three Factors Leading To The Failure Of Communications In Emergency Situations, James E. Burroughs Jan 2017

Three Factors Leading To The Failure Of Communications In Emergency Situations, James E. Burroughs

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The failure of communications, particularly related to interoperability, between police and firefighters responding to dangerous situations has resulted in death or injury to themselves or those they strive to protect. Using Grebner's and Shannon and Weaver's conceptualizations of communications theory as the foundation, the purpose of this general qualitative study was to evaluate, from the perspective of first responders, what barriers exist that may impede opportunities for interoperability of communications systems. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with a purposive sample of 18 experienced first responders from the states of California, New York, and Texas. Interview data were deductively coded …

Go to article

Promoting Policy Advocacy In Nursing Via Education, Carolyn Sue Jurns Jan 2017

Promoting Policy Advocacy In Nursing Via Education, Carolyn Sue Jurns

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Nurses have a professional, ethical, and social responsibility to advocate for optimal healthcare and an optimal professional environment. However, nurses often default on that responsibility. Leadership at a national nursing organization's state affiliate (SNO) perceived a need to optimize its members' policy advocacy. To meet that need, the Policy Advocacy Toolkit for Nurses (PATN) was developed for this doctoral project. The evidence-based PATN relied on established theories and frameworks, notably Knowles' adult education theory and Kingdon's multiple streams approach; research specific to this project; evidence from other researchers, healthcare organizations, and government websites; and input from a statistician, nursing education …

Go to article

Paralleled Support Models For Young Adults With Intellectual And Developmental Disabilities, Lucy Ellen Klym Jan 2017

Paralleled Support Models For Young Adults With Intellectual And Developmental Disabilities, Lucy Ellen Klym

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In the State of Indiana, for students over the age of 14 who have been diagnosed with intellectual or developmental disabilities, the transition from special education to Medicaid waiver oversight should occur seamlessly, but gaps in integrated and aligned goal development strategies remain. As a consequence, students who need adult-based support may not be receiving the full scope of services to which they are entitled. Using common-pool resource theory as a foundation, the purpose of this explanatory case study of transitional services to Indiana Medicaid was to understand, from the perspective of disability support service staff, the barriers to effective …

Go to article

Environmental Relocation Policy As Experienced By One Eastern Missouri Dioxin-Contaminated Community, Susan Annette Olsen Jan 2017

Environmental Relocation Policy As Experienced By One Eastern Missouri Dioxin-Contaminated Community, Susan Annette Olsen

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Research on environmental relocation is scant and narrow, focusing on a few aspects of permanent relocation and social impacts of natural disasters. As a result, little is known about the long term social impacts of the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) environmental relocation policy. A combined conceptual and theoretical framework of Walter's placeways; Ullberg's disaster memoryscapes; Richardson's remembrance and memorialization; Dynes' social capital; and, Norris, Stevens, Pfefferbaum, Wyche, and Pfefferbaum's work on community resilience guided this phenomenological study with the purpose of better understanding competing and complementary roles of each of these constructs in the context of environmental relocation of one …

Go to article

Eliminating Direct Ground Combat Definition And Assignment Rule: Internal Preparations For Implementation, Steven Justi Jan 2017

Eliminating Direct Ground Combat Definition And Assignment Rule: Internal Preparations For Implementation, Steven Justi

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Decades before the elimination of gender restrictions in the U.S. military, ground combat was an equal opportunity issue for women. Direct combat units, such as infantry and artillery, are now open to female enlistment. The purpose of this study was to examine the efforts, challenges and/or successes, of incorporating women into a U.S. Army combat brigade in a single state. The frame-critical approach was used to outline the competing arguments between supporters and opponents of women in combat. The research questions guiding the study included how gender integration is perceived with regards to strength and survivability of the unit, and …

Go to article

An Exploration Of Efforts To Combat Human Trafficking In A Small Community, Shirley Konneh Jan 2017

An Exploration Of Efforts To Combat Human Trafficking In A Small Community, Shirley Konneh

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Human trafficking is a global crime that violates the rights of people by holding them in captivity and coercing them into sexual slavery or strenuous labor. It has become a growing phenomenon on Cape Cod, Massachusetts with no signs of stopping. Using John Kingdon's work on multiple policy streams as the primary theoretical foundation, the purpose of this case study was to identify the perceived barriers to implementing existing Massachusetts's policies targeting human trafficking on Cape Cod as experienced by social service providers and law enforcement. Data were collected from 6 participants through e-mail interview. These data were inductively coded …

Go to article

The Adequacy And Perceived Impact Of Nigeria's Health Policy, Kennedy Magoma Ongwae Jan 2017

The Adequacy And Perceived Impact Of Nigeria's Health Policy, Kennedy Magoma Ongwae

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

From 2004 to 2015, the health sector in Nigeria was substantially underfunded despite the existence of a federal health policy committing 15% of the national budget to health care financing. The purpose of this narrative and phenomenological study was to explore the nature and significance of economic claims made in this policy. The central research question examined the extent to which these economic claims were perceived to be realistic, attainable, and successful in meeting their intended policy objectives and impact. The study's conceptual framework combined Kingdon's ambiguity and multiple streams theory, Roe's narrative policy analysis, and Skocpol's policy feedback theory. …

Go to article

Attracting, Recruiting, And Retaining Qualified Faculty At Community Colleges In Sierra Leone, Gloria Betts Jan 2017

Attracting, Recruiting, And Retaining Qualified Faculty At Community Colleges In Sierra Leone, Gloria Betts

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This case study was designed to explore policies that were in place to attract, recruit, and retain qualified faculty for 4 community colleges in Sierra Leone. The research was necessitated by the apparent inability of Sierra Leone educators to train and retain faculty possessing the required academic credentials. The research questions were designed to address the policies and strategies used to attract and recruit faculty, better prepare faculty, improve the quality of classroom instruction, and retain qualified faculty at community colleges. The literature review yielded results about the benefits of community colleges in developing countries, thus reinforcing the need for …

Go to article

Researchers', Stakeholders', And Investors' Perceptions Of U.S. Stem Cell Research Policy, Dorothy King-Moore Jan 2017

Researchers', Stakeholders', And Investors' Perceptions Of U.S. Stem Cell Research Policy, Dorothy King-Moore

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Federal support and funding for human embryonic stem cell (hESC) research in the United States lags behind stem cell programs in many countries because of the divisive debate over hESC research and the continually evolving federal policies that have hindered research efforts. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore the perceptions of stem cell researchers, stakeholders, and investors in the United States about the effects of the current federal stem cell policy on stem cell research in the United States, the moral disagreement with stem cell research, and their recommendations to improve stem cell research policy in the …

Go to article

Leader - Member Exchange And Performance In Nonprofit Human Services Organizations, Charles A. Archer Jan 2017

Leader - Member Exchange And Performance In Nonprofit Human Services Organizations, Charles A. Archer

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Success of nonprofit human services organizations depends upon the ability to cultivate high quality performance among staff members. Employees of such organizations experience lower job satisfaction when managers disregard their opinions or treat them as unimportant. The purpose of this qualitative, exploratory case study was to explore employees' perspectives on the quality of their relationships with their supervisors and impacts of that perception on job performance. The central research questions regarded how employees understood those relationships and their impact on their work success. Using the framework of leader-member exchange (LMX) theory, which centers upon the employee-supervisor relationship, data were collected …

Go to article

Combat Service And Posttraumatic Stress Disorder As A Violent Crimes Predictor In Oef/Oif Veterans, Rachel L. Ivory Jan 2017

Combat Service And Posttraumatic Stress Disorder As A Violent Crimes Predictor In Oef/Oif Veterans, Rachel L. Ivory

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

There is an established link between posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and criminal activity. Of every 100 veterans who served during Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF)/Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF), 11 to 20 percent are diagnosed with PTSD each year. Previous research has documented that veterans are incarcerated at higher percentages compared to nonveteran inmates, though little published research examines incidence of PTSD relative to violent crime. Using Agnew's general strain theory as the foundation, the purpose of this correlational study was to examine combat service, PTSD, and specific violent crimes as defined by the FBI as murder and nonnegligent manslaughter, forcible rape, …

Go to article

Agent-Based Overlapping Generations Modeling For Educational Policy Analysis, Connie Hou-Ning Wang Jan 2017

Agent-Based Overlapping Generations Modeling For Educational Policy Analysis, Connie Hou-Ning Wang

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Educational systems are complex adaptive systems (CAS). The macroeffects of an educational policy emerge from and depend on individual students' reactions to the policy. However, educational policymakers traditionally rely on equation-based models, which are deficient in reflecting the work of microbehaviors. Using inappropriate tools to make policies may be a reason why there were many unintended educational consequences in history. A proper methodology to design and analyze policies for complex educational systems is agent-based modeling (ABM). Grounded in the theories of CAS and computational irreducibility, ABM is capable of connecting microbehaviors with macropatterns. The purpose of this study was to …

Go to article

Executive Director Experiences With Consumer Operated Service Provider Governing Board Members, Merideth Mccallick Erickson Jan 2017

Executive Director Experiences With Consumer Operated Service Provider Governing Board Members, Merideth Mccallick Erickson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Consumer Operated Service Providers (COSPs) are programs that are directed and administratively controlled by mental health consumers for their peers. As such, many mental health consumers have been placed in the position of serving on a COSP and often with unclear descriptions and no training. As a result, there is often a disconnect between the will of the board and the vision of the executive director, leading to tension and the possibility of failed mission. Using servant leadership as the guide, the goal of this case study was to explore the experiences of executive directors who operate Consumer Operated Service …

Go to article

Achieving Sustainability In Hazard-Prone Territories: A Case Study, Denise J. Roberts Jan 2017

Achieving Sustainability In Hazard-Prone Territories: A Case Study, Denise J. Roberts

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Achieving sustained economic growth and development has been an area of concern for policy-makers in the Anglophone Caribbean since the transition from colonial rule to self-governance. To date, the researcher did not find any research that has explicitly examined the role of policy-making effectiveness as a strategy for achieving the goals of sustainable development. This qualitative multiple case study of Barbados and Grenada was conceptualized from the perspective of critical theory from the World Commission on Environment and Development to explore and understand why sustainability has not been sufficiently realized and how sustainable development may be pursued in territories that …

Go to article

U.S. Army Drill Sergeants' Response To Sexual Harassment And Sexual Assault Of Gay, Lesbian, And Bisexual Recruits, Marin Vesselinov Nikolov Jan 2017

U.S. Army Drill Sergeants' Response To Sexual Harassment And Sexual Assault Of Gay, Lesbian, And Bisexual Recruits, Marin Vesselinov Nikolov

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Even with the repeal of the 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' (DADT) policy, the U.S. Army has seen increased cases of sexual harassment; sexual assault; and discrimination of gay, lesbian, and bisexual (GLB) service members by other service members. Despite this trend, few studies have explored the experiences of victims of sexual harassment and sexual assault of GLB recruits before, during, and after the repeal of the DADT policy. Using the bystander effect as the theoretical construct, the purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore the experiences and interactions with a sample of 11 drill sergeants (DSs) who witnessed GLB …

Go to article

Decision Processes, Synergism, And Shared Governance In A California Community College District, Howard Teruo Kubota Jan 2017

Decision Processes, Synergism, And Shared Governance In A California Community College District, Howard Teruo Kubota

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Many California community colleges face difficult decisions when implementing the State's shared governance mandate on institutional planning and budgeting processes. Using Allison and Zelikow's rational, organizational, and political decision models as the foundation, the purpose of this narrative study was to explore decision processes used by a successful community college district in California to understand its success with the State's mandated institutional planning and budgeting processes. Data were collected through semistructured interviews with 10 individuals representing a board of trustees, 3 administrations, 3 academic senates, and a faculty association. Data were inductively coded and then subjected to Ollerenshaw and Creswell's …

Go to article

A Quantitative Examination Of The Impact Of Protective Orders On Teen Dating Violence, Sonia Ann Layne Jan 2017

A Quantitative Examination Of The Impact Of Protective Orders On Teen Dating Violence, Sonia Ann Layne

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Teen dating violence is a national epidemic with prevalence similar to levels of adult dating and domestic violence. Some states order of protection laws currently fails to protect most teen victims experiencing dating violence. The purpose of this experimental, quantitative study was to determine to what extent domestic violence statutes impact the reporting of teen dating violence in states that provide statutory protection of teen dating violence victims. The advocacy coalition framework was used for the study's theoretical foundation. The research questions focused on differences between the strength of state's advocacy coalition programs, and the prevalence of female teens reporting …

Go to article

Emergency Managers' Perceptions Of All-Hazards Pandemic Planning Effectiveness In North Texas, Timothy Goss Jan 2017

Emergency Managers' Perceptions Of All-Hazards Pandemic Planning Effectiveness In North Texas, Timothy Goss

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

All-hazards pandemic planning is the foundation of current emergency management planning doctrine, yet there is limited information and limited studies related to its effectiveness in mitigating pandemics. The North Texas emergency management community handles incidents of West Nile Virus, H1N1 influenza, and a recent Ebola incident. Despite efforts to mitigate these threats, reported cases and deaths are still occurring from both influenza and West Nile virus. The purpose of this case study was to assess the risk perceptions of emergency planners in a small emergency operation center in North Texas using the cultural theory of risk perception as the theoretical …

Go to article

Perceptions Of Ethnic Federalism And The Ethiopian Diaspora Community In The Us, Kassaw Tafere Merie Jan 2017

Perceptions Of Ethnic Federalism And The Ethiopian Diaspora Community In The Us, Kassaw Tafere Merie

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Diaspora communities are becoming an essential part of socioeconomic and political developments of their homeland countries. The problem addressed by this study is that after ethnic federalism was implemented in Ethiopia, the Ethiopian diaspora in the US is divided along ethnic lines, causing human resource management and law enforcement challenges within the communities in the host country. The purpose of this study was to describe the impacts of Ethiopia's ethnic-based federalism on its diaspora residing in a US metropolitan area. The theoretical framework was based on Teshome and ZáhoÅ?ík's theory of ethnic federalism and Safran's theory of diaspora. The key …

Go to article

Determining Cost-Effectiveness And Learning Impact Of Government-Funded Counterterrorism Training Programs, Ira D. Jones, Jr Jan 2017

Determining Cost-Effectiveness And Learning Impact Of Government-Funded Counterterrorism Training Programs, Ira D. Jones, Jr

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Since September 11, 2001, money and resources have been allocated at unprecedented levels in order to prevent future attacks on the United States. In the interest of preventing a similar type of incident, counterterrorism initiatives were funded using public funds with little or no oversight as to measuring the effectiveness of these programs. The purpose of this quantitative study was to determine if there was a statistically significant difference in the dependent variable - the level of awareness of participants (the ability to identify terrorism threats) who attended counterterrorism training that was solely lecture based and one that combined both …

Go to article

Elements Impacting The Integration Of The National Network Of Fusion Centers With The U.S. National Security Strategy, Nicholas Klem Jan 2017

Elements Impacting The Integration Of The National Network Of Fusion Centers With The U.S. National Security Strategy, Nicholas Klem

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The National Network of Fusion Centers (Network) represents one of the post-9/11 era organizational efforts to strengthen the security of the homeland through collaboration, analysis, and information sharing. These entities have been subjected to criticisms and have been noted in studies as being deficient in certain areas suggesting that the Network has been experiencing problems with integrating the U.S. national security strategy. Using the multiple streams framework, the purpose of this phenomenological study was to identify and understand elements that have been impacting the Network's integration with broader national security efforts as well as identify items contributing to negative perceptions …

Go to article

A Document Analysis Of Two States' Child Protective Services Agency Permanency Policies, Barbara Christine Liston-Garcia Jan 2017

A Document Analysis Of Two States' Child Protective Services Agency Permanency Policies, Barbara Christine Liston-Garcia

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

U.S. Child Protective Services Agencies (CPSA) have had mixed success in achieving stable, permanent placements for foster care children. To address the adverse effects of unstable placements on foster care children's emotional well-being and physical development, the Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997 was enacted to better ensure permanency, safety, and well-being of children in foster care. Using Stone's policy paradox as the framework, the purpose of this qualitative document analysis was to explore whether policy constructs contributed to the success or failure of promoting permanency for foster care children. Data was used from 2 states, representing those most …

Go to article

The Effect Of Rules On Racially-Influenced Policing And Police Uses Of Force, Joe D. Mazza Jan 2017

The Effect Of Rules On Racially-Influenced Policing And Police Uses Of Force, Joe D. Mazza

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Public opinion polls have shown the public lacks confidence in U.S. police to use appropriate amounts of force and treat racial minorities fairly, which undermines police legitimacy and the quality of life of all citizens. Although rules have been shown to positively constrain police uses of force, researchers have not demonstrated the effect of rules on racially influenced policing (RIP). In 2005, the RIP directive which prohibits officers from using race as a factor in taking discretionary actions was promulgated in New Jersey. The purpose of this study was to determine through the theoretical lens of Lipsky's street-level bureaucrat theory …

Go to article

Policing The Mentally Ill In Coronado, Ca, Jennifer Susan Ayres Jan 2017

Policing The Mentally Ill In Coronado, Ca, Jennifer Susan Ayres

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The growing number of individuals suffering from mental illnesses and their inability to access intervention methods has adverse effects on the criminal justice system. These impairments increase the likelihood that police officers will have negative attitudes about persons with mental illnesses. This study sought to understand whether police officers' empathy, education, experience outside of work as well as on the job, and officers' training in the field of mental health all related to police officers' attitudes relating to persons with mental illness. The purpose of this study was to expand the body of knowledge and determine how factors such as …

Go to article

Impact Of The Zambian Agricultural Policy On Grain Trade, Onesphore Karuho Jan 2017

Impact Of The Zambian Agricultural Policy On Grain Trade, Onesphore Karuho

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The agricultural sector in Zambia is supported through the government use of public expenditure programs to spur the production and subsidize the consumption of key grains to stabilize prices. Previous research has documented the effects of public spending on agriculture in terms of food prices and food security. The effects of government spending on the trade of key grains, however, is not well understood. As such, there is a gap in knowledge regarding the impact of agricultural policy on the agricultural trade. The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of Zambian agricultural policy on grain trade. A …

Go to article

Reducing Health Disparities In African American Communities Through Church And Federal Partnerships, Shelia Lassiter Hill Jan 2017

Reducing Health Disparities In African American Communities Through Church And Federal Partnerships, Shelia Lassiter Hill

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Despite the passage of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) in 2010, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention identified persistent disparities in health care resources as the primary causes of mortality among minority populations. An underexplored resource for affected African American populations is the church, which is not a recognized stakeholder in the implementation of current health care policy. The purpose of this phenomenological case study was to gather perspectives from African American parishioners who lacked sufficient health care insurance on the roles the church could play. Qualitative data management software was used to organize the data …

Go to article

Next Last