Public Policy Commons^™

The Defense Industrial Base For The 1990s, Murray L. Weidenbaum

Murray Weidenbaum Publications

Although the bottom is not about to fall out of the military market, a tough period of belt tightening has begun. The severity of these adjustments will vary based on the size and relationship of businesses to the defense industry. Ultimately, the military procurement process must be reformed. First, by streamlining the rules. Second, by upgrading the caliber of the people involved in the process. And finally, by changing the incentive structure facing the people who produce the equipment.

Earth Summit, Global Warming, And The Citizen: Economics, Science And Emotion, Murray L. Weidenbaum

Murray Weidenbaum Publications

A barrage of news stories, editorials, and even business advertisements is proclaiming that this is our last chance to save the planet. Examining the evidence for global warming, this paper finds a lack of convincing data to allow any conclusive analysis. Regarding the Earth Summit, it outlines six reasons why the conference is unlikely to achieve its stated goals.

The Relationship Between Teacher Salaries And Certain Wealth And Demographics Of Local Indiana School Corporations, Alan Lee Gold

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the relationship between teacher salaries and certain wealth and demographics of Indiana school corporations. Source data were obtained through the Indiana State Department of Education, the Indiana State Board of Tax Commissioners, the Indiana School Board Association, and the Indiana Education Employment Relations Board. Data collected were the teacher salaries, the demographic type, average dai1y memberships (ADM), assessed valuations (AV), General Fund tax rates, and Property Tax Replacement Credit amounts of all Indiana school corporations. The above data were obtained for the calendar years 1988, 1989, and 1990 and teacher salary data for the 1988-89, 1989-90, and …

Ddasaccident292, Hd-Aid

Global CWD Repository

To save time, breach lanes were reduced in width to 50cms. A Ghurkha deminer, walking in the ‘reduced width” lane activated a PMN (either a Chinese Type 58 copy of the PMN or an Iraqi copy). It seems that the TNT in the mine had cracked up causing a partial detonation.

Resource Law Notes Newsletter, No. 25, Spring Issue, Apr. 1992, University Of Colorado Boulder. Natural Resources Law Center

Resource Law Notes: The Newsletter of the Natural Resources Law Center (1984-2002)

No abstract provided.

The Case For Taxing Consumption, Murray L. Weidenbaum

Murray Weidenbaum Publications

The governments of most industrialized nations, especially in the European Community, use consumption taxes far more than the United States. Yet a low-saving, slow-growing economy such as the United States would benefit greatly from shifting the national revenue system from taxing income to taxing consumption. That change would provide a powerful incentive to increase the nation's saving and investment and, therefore, economic growth and living standards. This report examines the pros and cons of consumption taxation and also analyzes the major policy alternatives to structuring a new tax of that type.

Editor's Note, Padraig O'Malley

New England Journal of Public Policy

Today, much of public policy debate takes place in a social vacuum. This is partly because policy issues are often rather arbitrarily assigned to particular and seemingly unconnected disciplines that put a premium on maintaining their separate baronies of intellectual hegemony, and partly because of our own too-pervasive proclivity for compartmentalizing in order to simplify. One of the goals of the New England Journal of Public Policy is to invade, as it were, these baronies, to liberate the policy issues held hostage there and release them into a broader, more human context, one that accentuates the idea of connectedness as …

Homelessness Past And Present: The Case Of The United States, 1890-1925, Ellen Bassuk, Deborah Franklin

New England Journal of Public Policy

An examination of the professional, political, and popular literature on the nature and extent of homelessness from 1890 to 1925 affords a comparison of the economic and social characteristics of the homeless population at the turn of the century with that of today. The discussion covers the ensuing debates over the causes of homelessness, the various subgroups among the homeless during both periods, and the relative rates of homelessness, the context of extreme poverty and dislocation, and the prevalence of individual disabilities. Except for the growing numbers of homeless families over the past decade, the homeless populations during both eras …

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.

Homelessness, A. E. S.

New England Journal of Public Policy

Personal story from A.E.S., a member of the Portland (Maine) Coalition for the Psychiatrically Disabled.

Housing The Homeless Through Expanding Access To Existing Housing Subsidies, Barbara Sard

New England Journal of Public Policy

The premise of this article is that homelessness in America today is essentially a product of the lack of affordable housing for very low-income people. The article outlines this central income/housing gap analysis as the factual predicate of the goal to alleviate homelessness through securing subsidized housing resources for the homeless and imminently homeless. It explains why, based on the nature and number of annually available housing subsidies, expanding access to existing housing subsidies is a valuable, workable, short-term, at least partial solution to the immediate crisis of lack of affordable housing, albeit one which does not negate the acknowledged …

The Housing Affordability Slide In Action: How Single Mothers Slip Into Homelessness, Elizabeth A. Mulroy

New England Journal of Public Policy

This article presents the concept of a housing affordability slide toward homelessness, then analyzes how single mothers living in the Northeast experienced the stark reality of the slide in the summer of 1991. Discussion on critical elements of the slide includes a resource squeeze between high housing costs and low incomes, frequent residential mobility, limited locational choice, and multiple stress burdens. Single mothers speak in their own voices to explain their experiences of the slide and what its impact has been on them and their families. Policy recommendations cover linkage between family well-being and national urban policy and a court-ordered …

Diary, Susan M. Fowler

New England Journal of Public Policy

A personal story by Susan Fowler, a former resident of Fifty Washington Square, Newport, Rhode Island. She now lives in her own apartment in Newport with her two-year-old daughter and is "doing great." Her work has appeared in In the Heart of the City, a literary magazine produced by the residents of Fifty Washington Square.

Homeless Children Having Children, Yvonne M. Vissing

New England Journal of Public Policy

Homeless teenagers who have babies pose a significant population of concern for those in health and human services. This article explores demographic, structural, and economic changes for homeless young and single-parent families. It proposes that their homelessness is due to these barriers and the problems that result. Case studies illustrate the process of troubled teens becoming homeless women with babies. Policy recommendations for assisting these youngsters are offered.

Financing Mental Health Services For The Homeless Mentally Ill In New England, Margaret Stephens, Dominic Hodgkin

New England Journal of Public Policy

This paper examines how New England states pay for the mental health care of the homeless mentally ill. The focus is on how states choose providers, how they reimburse and monitor them, and how these arrangements may affect the incentives facing providers. Detailed case studies of Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Vermont regulations are included. The studies reveal important differences in how states choose and reimburse providers, for both the homeless and nonhomeless mentally ill. The states also differ in the extent to which they have contracted with nontraditional providers, which many believe to be a necessary approach, given the frequent …

Making The Homeless Disappear: Redefining Homelessness In Massachusetts, Sue Marsh

New England Journal of Public Policy

While unemployment rocked Massachusetts, housing costs remained at record levels, and the federal government continued its inattention to housing and human service programs, the numbers of homeless families sheltered by the commonwealth of Massachusetts declined. This article examines the changes over the last decade in the way Massachusetts provides shelter to homeless families. What has in fact changed for homeless families, Marsh contends, is whether the state of Massachusetts considers them homeless. An increasingly complicated and burdensome set of rules has become a highly effective gatekeeper that keeps the commonwealth's shelter expenditures down and homeless families out.

Aids And The Homeless Of Boston, James J. O'Connell, Joan Lebow

New England Journal of Public Policy

Homeless persons with AIDS and HIV infection face significant health hazards during the daily struggle for survival on the streets and in the crowded shelters of our cities. This article offers a historical perspective on the evolution of the AIDS epidemic within the homeless population of Boston and examines the demographics, risk behaviors, and survival statistics of that epidemic. The Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program is presented as a model of service delivery that offers quality health care to homeless persons with AIDS while addressing the special needs of those bound by the immediacy of the next meal …

The Manufacture Of Dependency: Shelterization Revisited, Kostas Gounis

New England Journal of Public Policy

Emergency shelters have been the most comprehensive and enduring response to homelessness in the United States, with New York City leading the way since the early 1980s. Shelters have emerged as a hybrid between a degraded type of "public housing" and a new form of "institutionalization." The persistence of shelter dependency, or "shelterization," is an intractable problem that frustrates policymakers and service providers. Popular among certain circles of professional pathologists is the view that shelterization is a form of "adaptation" to the violent, anomic, and generally antisocial environment of the shelter. This explanation of shelter dependency is theoretically flawed and …

A Single Man And Christmas, Steve Johnson

New England Journal of Public Policy

Steve Johnson is a resident of Fifty Washington Square, Newport, Rhode Island. His work has appeared in In the Heart of the City, a literary magazine produced by the residents of Fifty Washington Square.

The Story Of My Life, Betty Reynolds

New England Journal of Public Policy

Betty Reynolds is a resident of Fifty Washington Square, Newport, Rhode Island. Her work has appeared in In the Heart of the City, a literary magazine produced by the residents of Fifty Washington Square. She loves "to write short stories and poems."

Rural Homelessness In The Upper Valley, David Shumway

New England Journal of Public Policy

Rural Homelessness in the Upper Valley is about the problems and advantages small shelters in the Upper Connecticut River Valley have in working with the homeless. Unable to compete with urban shelters in pursuit of federal and state emergency shelter funding, Headrest, in Lebanon, New Hampshire, demonstrates that its smallness has been turned into offsetting advantages. The quality of Headrest's case management with homeless clients and sincere efforts to network and interact cooperatively with other social service providers, ecumenical groups, and other members of the community have led to significant new community initiatives. Details of recent Upper Valley successes in …

The Pendulum Swings: How Changes In Federal And State Policy Have Affected The Status Of Homeless People With Mental Illness In Ohio, Kim Bryant

New England Journal of Public Policy

Public policy in the problem areas of homelessness and mental illness has been reactive, rather than proactive, for the past thirty to forty years. As a result of this approach, federal and state policies have swung, like a pendulum, from one extreme to the other, taking the homeless mentally ill population on a most difficult ride. Public policies concerning these issues must become proactive, even if it means a complete overhauling of federal and state social service systems. Only with proactive policies will mentally ill individuals, and all people, have the housing, food, and health care they need, and the …

Homelessness, Alcohol, And Other Drug Abuse: Research Traditions And Policy Responses, Gerald R. Garrett

New England Journal of Public Policy

Although homeless alcoholics and other drug abusers more often elicit public scorn than sympathy, ironically they enjoy a celebrity status as research subjects. This article provides an overview of research literature on the homeless and their alcohol and drug problems. The evolution of public policies concerning control, rehabilitation, and treatment of homeless substance abusers is also traced with special attention to the interaction between scientific literature and policy responses over the past century. Although homeless populations today are more diverse than their counterparts in earlier decades, the analysis suggests that the policies and programs developed in response to the crisis …

Two Nations: The Homeless In A Divided Land, Shaun O'Connell

New England Journal of Public Policy

The works discussed in this article include: Chain Reaction: The Impact of Race, Rights, and Taxes on American Politics, by Thomas Byrne Edsall with Mary D. Edsall; Why Americans Hate Politics, by E. J. Dionne, Jr.; A Far Cry from Home: Life in a Shelter for Homeless Women, by Lisa Ferrill; Scandal: The Culture of Mistrust in American Politics, by Suzanne Garment; Songs from the Alley, by Kathleen Hirsch; Culture Wars: The Struggle to Define America, by James Davison Hunter; Rachel and Her Children: Homeless Families in America, by Jonathan Kozol; Parliament of …

Shelter The American Way: Federal Urban Housing Policy, 1900-1980, Ronald Dale Karr

New England Journal of Public Policy

American urban housing policy has featured subsidies for the suburban middle class and parsimonious spending for the urban poor. The outlines of this policy took shape during the Progressive Era: acceptance of the capitalistic market economy, support for the deserving poor needing temporary help, toleration of racial segregation, and the designation of overcrowding as the single most important urban problem. Progressive housing reformers championed stricter housing codes and model tenements, but housing conditions for the urban poor showed little improvement.

The U.S. government avoided direct involvement in housing until the early 1920s, when it promoted local zoning legislation. Under the …

Indemnified In A January Soup Kitchen Line, Ray Hall Jr.

New England Journal of Public Policy

Poetry by Ray Hall, Jr., a contributor to Pile of Papers; Stack of Karma, a collection of poetry published by the Portland Coalition Press. Reprinted with permission.

Classification And Its Risks: How Psychiatric Status Contributes To Homelessness Policy, Anne M. Lovell

New England Journal of Public Policy

This article examines the extent to which psychiatric classification in public policy research contributes to the equation of homelessness and mental illness. Surveys that measure psychiatric status of homeless persons are reviewed to understand whether they contribute to biased rates of mental illness among homeless persons. The relationship between psychiatric classification and the concept of need is examined and alternatives to current classification are proposed. Classification is discussed particularly in relation to policies of segmentation for "single" homeless adults.

Victimization And Homelessness: Cause And Effect, Pamela J. Fischer

New England Journal of Public Policy

The literature on the contemporary homeless population is reviewed to examine the association of victimization with homelessness. Although few studies have specifically focused on victimization, findings derived from studies investigating pathways to homelessness, prevalence of health, mental health, and substance-use disorders, and demographic profiles and life histories suggest that victimization both causes homelessness and is an outcome of losing housing. Causal sequences ending in homelessness most frequently involve domestic violence, which mainly affects women, although other types of abuse may extrude individuals from their established housing. Once they become homeless, the risk of violence escalates for people living on the …

From Lemons To Lemonade: An Ethnographic Sketch Of Late Twentieth-Century Panhandling, Louisa R. Stark

New England Journal of Public Policy

A rise in the number of panhandlers on the streets of this country has given rise to the promulgation of ordinances outlawing this activity. Although there has been a great deal of press and litigation revolving around such public policy, little is known about homeless panhandlers. This article reviews the rather limited information about what is known of the sociodemographics of panhandling. Strategies used by panhandlers in pursuing their occupation are described, along with their own perceptions of their occupation. Services available to this population are discussed, along with some suggestions for resolving the problems associated with panhandling on America's …

State Government's Response To Homelessness: The Massachusetts Experience, 1983-1990, Nancy K. Kaufman

New England Journal of Public Policy

When Governor Michael S. Dukakis reentered the State House in January 1983, he focused his inaugural address and priorities for his incoming administration on solving the problem of homelessness. This article describes the policy approach taken during his two successive terms as governor from 1983 to 1990, outlines the various steps taken to rally public and private support and resources on preventing the problem and on finding long-term, permanent solutions designed to solve it, and points to some of the lessons learned during these years of experimentation and innovation.