Public Policy Commons^™

Beyond Bostock: Implications For Lgbtq+ Theory And Practice., Sean Mccandless, Nicole M. Elias

Publications and Research

The recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Bostock v. Clayton County is a landmark piece of case law that offers fundamental rights to LGBT persons. This essay reflects on how this case arrived at the Supreme Court and its implications for theory and praxis. The overall conclusion is that cautious optimism is warranted.

Gender In Emergency Services: Foundations For Greater Equity In Professional Codes Of Ethics, Sebawit Bishu, Sean Mccandless, Nicole M. Elias

Publications and Research

The lack of gender equity in the public sector is a critical issue, especially for emergency services. We explore the gendered nature of firefighting and policing at both professional and organizational levels. We assess gender equity by asking the following questions: (1) How have understandings of gender in emergency services evolved over time? (2) What are the normative implications of emergency services' lack of gender equity? We draw from feminist literature to critique the lack of progress and examine firefighting and policing histories along with the professional ethics codes of the U.S. Fire Administration and the International Association of Chiefs …

Submission To The Future Of The Media Commission, Brendan K. O'Rourke, Joseph K. Fitzgerald

Reports

Dr. Brendan K. O’Rourke is a Senior Lecturer at Technological University Dublin, where he focuses on learning in the area of discourses of the economy, in particular examining enterprise, policy and public discourses on the economy. His scholarly work has been widely published as chapters in edited volumes, encyclopedia / handbook entries and in over 20 peer-reviewed academic journals such the Critical Discourse Studies, Politics and Social Semiotics. More information on his work is available on www.brendankorourke.com . Dr. Joseph K. FitzGerald lectures in international strategy at Technological University Dublin and has published on topics such as how young men …

Catalyzing Change In Higher Education: Social Capital And Network Leadership In The Competency-Based Education Network, Bruce William Haupt Jr.

Theses and Dissertations--Education Sciences

Collaborative inter-organizational networks can be effective at catalyzing and supporting the generation and diffusion of new models and practices. With shared purpose, structure, and resources, network organizations can facilitate knowledge exchange and the growth of inter-organizational relationships. In this study, I sought to better understand how network organizations influence social capital and the spread of innovative practices. Of particular interest were the roles of national network and sub-national network organizations (sub-networks), and the interactive learning processes of network newcomers. I focused on the diverse array of colleges and universities involved in the Competency-Based Education Network (C-BEN), and their efforts to …

A Refined Experimentalist Governance Approach To Incremental Policy Change: The Case Of Process-Tracing China’S Central Government Infrastructure Ppp Policies Between 1988 And 2017, Huanming Wang, Bin Chen, Joop Koppenjan

Publications and Research

This article was originally published in Journal of Chinese Governance, available at https://doi.org/10.1080/23812346.2021.1898151

This work is distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs International License (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0).

Threat Assessment Team Activity And Outcomes In K-12 Public Schools: Integrating Methods To Better Understand School Safety, Jessica C. Smith

Theses and Dissertations

The use of threat assessment teams in schools is recommended as a violence prevention measure in K-12 public schools. The present study focused on the threat assessment process in the K-12 environment in Virginia and is the first to examine the association between threat assessment and school safety in tandem over time and the first to incorporate the views of K-12 threat assessment practitioners. Findings from this study demonstrate that while the number of threat assessments has increased overtime, threat assessment practitioners identified numerous concerns regarding threat assessment training, expressed doubts about fidelity to the recommended process, and revealed an …

A Sese Uta, Ia Tonu Tai: Local Government Management For Climate Change Adaptive Practices, Casuallen Iulieta Atuatasi

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

American Samoa remains highly vulnerable to the effects of climate change and has not developed the adaptive capacity to ensure resiliency. The current regulatory system influences the policy decisions of local policy leaders and therefore affecting the territory’s adaptive capacity to climate change impacts. The purpose of this general qualitative interview-based study was to investigate the current governance framework and describe the factors in the territorial relationship that impact policy action of local policy leaders on climate change issues. The research question examined what major aspects of the current regulatory framework impact the policy action of local policy leaders on …

Effect Of Political Party Affiliation On Refugee Admissions To The United States, Alison E. Bell

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The president determines the number of refugees to be admitted to the United States each year after consultation with Congress, but there is a gap in literature related to whether party affiliation affects refugee admissions. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of the political party affiliation of the president on refugee admissions and any moderating effect of Congressional majority affiliations. The eight research questions centered on the effect of the president’s party on the refugee ceiling and admissions, regional allocations and admissions, and the extent to which Congressional majority parties moderate these effects. Total global and …

Educational Factors Predicting Middle-Income Trap And International Competitiveness Index In Southeast Asia, Masatoshi Hara

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The middle-income trap (MIT) refers to the state that middle-income economies have found it challenging to upgrade to reach the high-income stage over an extended period. Overcoming the MIT has long been discussed as an important social issue, notably in Southeast Asia. One major problem in addressing the MIT is directly linked to fewer job opportunities and an unstable income. Promoting industrialization has been the most efficient way to solve the problem. However, little previous research has been conducted on the influence of the enrollment rate in secondary education on the MIT and the international competitive index (ICI) in connection …

Addressing Work-Induced Stress And Depressive Symptoms In Police Officers, Demetrius Markey Latham Jr

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Police officers across the nation face a significant issue as it relates to work-induced stress and depressive symptoms. Specifically, the problem is the lack of preventative mental health services available to officers. This study aims to explore the perceived presence of work-induced stress and depressive symptoms in patrol officers employed by the Field Police Department (Pseudonym; FPD). To gather these data, the potential research participants were offered the ability to take an online anonymous survey. The results indicated that many of the survey participants were suffering from work-related stress and depressive symptoms. The research results further displayed many of the …

Legislative Factors That Influence The Creation Of Sex Offender Laws In Pennsylvania, Julie E. Wagner

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractNonviolent sexual offenders are known to have lesser risk of reoffense than their violent sexual offender counterparts; however, both categories of sexual offenders are contained within the same registry in Pennsylvania, without indication of the differences in the nature of their crimes. It was not known why Pennsylvania’s laws require all sex offenders to be listed in one homogenous group. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to identify the factors legislators use to determine how a sex offense crime is categorized in legislative decisions in Pennsylvania. Social construction theory served as the theoretical foundation for the study. Data …

The Political Astuteness Of The New Mexico Registered Nurse, Gloria Sue Doherty

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The United States spends the most per capita of all the developed countries on healthcare but demonstrates the worst healthcare outcomes. National agencies have turned to Registered Nurses (RNs) to improve healthcare outcomes through participation in healthcare policy development. Although the recommendation for participation in policy development exists, RNs, including those in the U.S. state of New Mexico have not participated at high levels. The purpose of this quantitative cross-sectional study was to measure the political astuteness of RNs in New Mexico and to determine to what extent nursing leaders have been successful in diffusing Institute of Medicine recommendations. Rogers’s …

Transition From Fragility To Sustainable Development: Case Study Of Darfur In Sudan, Anthony Chukwudi Nweke

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractDespite adopting the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), especially SDG-16, to transition the Sudan’s Darfur Region out of fragility, limited progress has been made in achieving peace and long term development. Prior studies investigated the reasons for the slow pace focusing on the factors driving fragility. None have examined the different visions of development organizations as a barrier to multi-stakeholder collaboration to achieve the SDGs. The purpose of this qualitative exploratory case study was to explore how development organizations’ perceptions of SDG-16 affect their collaboration as multi-stakeholders to implement the SDGs. The research question examined how the development organizations’ …

Understanding The Influence Of Social Integration On The Formerly Homeless, Donna L. Wickes

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

As the number of homeless people in the United States continues to grow, it is apparent that the current strategies are not meeting expectations and need to be reevaluated. Studies by industry experts highlighted the need to address the impact of social integration on long-term housing sustainability. The purpose of the qualitative study was to understand from the perspective of housed, formerly, homeless individuals, how socially focused interventions could influence their sense of community and increase their social integration. Durkheim’s social theory and McMillan and Chavis’ psychological sense of community (PSOC) framework were used to guide the qualitative, phenomenological approach …

Mobile Forensics: The Perception Of Privacy, Charlsea Young

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Technology companies like Apple pride themselves on protecting its consumers’ data, which they express within their mission statement and by also encrypting their mobile devices. This encryption stalled an investigation conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation in 2016, resulting in them taking Apple to court. There has been a lack of information about mobile forensic examiners perceptions on issue they face in the mobile forensic field. The purpose of this research study was to address the perceptions mobile forensic examiners experience when dealing with encryption, privacy, and national security concerns. This qualitative phenomenological study included interviews with 10 mobile …

Indigenous Women: Violence, Vulnerability And Cultural Protective Factors, Christina M. Agloinga

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The disproportionate rates of violent crimes, historical oppression, and cultural assimilation disrupted the traditional practices and belief system within Alaskan Native communities, thus changing the influence of protective factors that support balance and equality for women. Identifying protective factors provided by cultural practices that support resiliency provides an increased understanding of how cultural strengths can combat distorted stereotypes within the criminal justice system. This study included characteristics of a phenomenological, narrative, and ethnographic study. The social constructionist framework and the social construction of target populations theory was used to explore how traditional cultural practices can influence the current gender identity, …

Nonprofit Employees’ Responsibility To Provide Ethical Solutions To Prevent Workplace Bullying, Tionette M. Burton

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractWorkplace bullying is not illegal in the United States and is not classified with other forms of harassment, making it hard for organizations to adopt appropriate prevention and solution methods. Human resource employees have been identified as key contributors in preventing workplace bullying in organizations by using ethics-based strategies. The purpose of this case study was to explore the perceptions of human resource employees or employees with human resource duties regarding their responsibility to use duty-based ethical approaches to prevent workplace bullying and the practicality of its implementation. Duty-based ethics formed the theoretical approach for this study. Duty-based ethics, founded …

Impact Of New York State Clean Energy Policy Initiative On Renewable Energy Generation, Barry Braimahsaliu Omo-Ikirodah

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The New York State renewable portfolio standard program failed to reach its successive targets and did not meet estimated percentage capacity in all program years. The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine the relationship between 6 predictors variables (policy standard and objective, resources and incentive, inter-organizational communication and enforcement activities, characteristics of the implementing agencies,economic,social, and political conditions and disposition of implementers) and implementation performance. Pressman and Wildavsky Implementation theory provided the framework for the study. Data were collected from 251 anonymous participants from the Qualtrics survey audience residents of New York City’s 5 counties. Multiple linear regression …

Non-Governmental Organisations' Impact On Educational Policy In Rural Ghana, Sarah Ayikai Okine

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Abstract Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have become an increasingly important factor in education globally. The social structure in developing countries such as Ghana has created a need for government to work with NGOs in the educational system to reach out to children and provide quality basic, primary education, especially in rural communities. However, there are still challenges in the discharge of their duties due to challenges in collaboration with all stakeholders. This case study addressed the perception of stakeholders regarding NGOs’ influence on Ghana’s educational system to better understand the influence and impact of NGOs on education in Ghana’s rural communities. …

A Photovoice Study On Growing Up Female In Foster Care, Kim Parker-Maneja

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractApproximately 440,000 children lived in state-supervised foster care across the United States in 2019; of those children, 48% were female. Many studies have examined how foster care impacts youth who age out of care, as many are ill-prepared to navigate the challenges of independence and make responsible adult decisions after transitioning. However, only a handful of studies prioritized the female youth's voice to understand their experiences growing up in the foster care system. This study introduced photovoice, a participatory methodology, to collect data from 11 former female youth 19-25 years old. Manchanda's upstream concept and Rappaport's empowerment theory were used …

Role Of Nigerian Labor Force Demand In Domestic Child Trafficking, Muideen Adegboyega Salami

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractChild trafficking, especially internal trafficking of children, is increasing despite efforts by Nigerian federal, state, and local governments and agencies and other local and international organizations. Internal child trafficking has denied many Nigerian children access to quality education and human rights protections. The purpose of this generic qualitative study was to investigate the perceptions of law enforcement officers and bureaucrats regarding the influence of domestic labor demand on internal child trafficking in Nigeria. The labor market segmentation theory and routine activities theory provided theoretical foundations to explore the demand or pull factor of internal child trafficking in Nigeria. Data were …

An Examination Of The Absence Of A Comprehensive Smokefree Law In Georgia On College And University Campuses, Nakki Price

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractCigarette smoking is the number one preventable cause of death and disability in the United States. Although there are policies that govern the use of tobacco products, there are jurisdictions that do not employ these policies. Comprehensive smokefree laws govern private-sector entities and prohibit smoking in public places, specifically restaurants, bars, and workplaces. While states have the authority to implement these laws, some include exceptions that limit the intention of the law. Colleges and universities are specific communities for learning and serve as housing for students and an employer for the greater community. There is a gap in the literature …

Exploring The Need For Sustainable Reform Of Local Government To Build Administrative Capacity In Jamaica, Mario Antonio Perez Woode

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The lack of labor and financial resources in local Jamaican governments’ corporation negatively impacts senior management government officials’ sustainability efforts. Grounded in Buchanan’s and Tullock’s public choice theory, the purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to explore the lived experiences and perceptions of 20 randomly selected Jamaican senior management government officials from two local government corporations concerning the financial and human resource capacity issues. Data were collected using semistructured interviews, government documents, and public and government legislative data. The data were analyzed using the Smith and Osborn interpretative phenomenological analysis, and the Moustakas modified van Kaam 7-step analysis method. …

Undergraduate Education Value: A Comparative Analysis Of China And The United States, Alexandra Allman

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Within the international higher education community there is not a system nor gold standard to identify the value of higher education institutions (HEIs). For the current research, the definition of value was determined through quantitative methods considering utility and cost. The research problem underscored the importance of valuing undergraduate education in the United States and China, from a comparative perspective. A credible link was established that provided evidence to preserve the value indicator as an international standard within the HEI community. The study's purpose was to define the value of undergraduate education and create an international standard through a comparative …

The Poverty-Conflict Nexus And The Activities Of Boko Haram In Northeast Nigeria, Emmanuel Tiku Agbormbai

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Abstract:

In recent years Northeast Nigeria has experienced violence carried out by Boko Haram. Previous research studies on the conflict in Northeast Nigeria have not focused on the experiences and perceptions of those affected by the conflict. This study was an exploration of the poverty-conflict nexus and the activities of Boko Haram in Northeast Nigeria as seen through the experiences and perceptions of those impacted by the violence. Benet’s polarities of democracy was used as the theoretical framework to examine those experiences and perceptions. The research questions addressed how the people of Northeast Nigeria attacked by Boko Haram perceive the …

Socially Constructed Journalism And Lone Wolf Terrorists - A New York City Experience, Adrienne Pascal

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractJournalistic reporting normalized radical lone wolf terrorist activities compromising public and national safety. The purpose of this research was to explore news reports of four radical lone wolf events that occurred in New York City (NYC) between 2010 and 2017 to identify political slant toward societal normalization of radical lone wolf behavior. The framework of this phenomenological study was Borum’s four-stage pathway mindset model of terrorism combined with Berger and Luckmann’s social construction theory. The central research question addressed how socially constructed journalism stories of lone wolf terrorist events in NYC aligned with liberal to conservative political newsprint continuums. Data …

The 2009 Niger Delta Amnesty: Evaluation Of A Policy Failure, Christian Obidiche Eze

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In 2009, the federal government of Nigeria under then-President Musa Yar’adua established the Presidential Amnesty Program (PAP), which became their flagship program in combating militancy and turning repentant ex-militants into positively contributing citizens. This is a multi-dimensional problem that involves governmental ineptitude, exploitation by multinational oil companies, and lack of sustainable developmental measures as primary drivers of instability in the Niger Delta. There are arguments that the 2009 PAP Program brought about little positive change in the region. This program brought about peace initially in the region until early 2016, when there was a brief but very destructive return to …

Collaborative Governance In Public Education Through Democratic Management Of Polarities, Michele Greene

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In a democratic society the use of inter- and intraorganizational collaboration as a pragmatic approach to addressing social issues germane to sustaining that democracy is a challenge, especially in the realm of public education reform. The Common Core State Standards Initiative, an attempt at collaboration to reform public schools initially adopted by more than three fourths of U.S. states, created an ongoing response that included proponents and opposers. The opposition in Pennsylvania led to the State reneging on its original commitment to the Common Core State Standards created by the initiative. Research revealed a gap regarding the ability of the …

The Impact Of Community Churches And Barbershops On Preventive Care Utilization Among African American Men, Quiante Chappell Hager

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Preventive health care screening plays an essential role in reducing chronic diseases and mortality rates; yet, even as health care access has increased, African American men’s utilization of preventive screenings remains low in rural areas. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to investigate why African American men are not utilizing preventive care services and ascertaining the impact that social determinants may have on their utilization of these services. The theoretical framework of this research study comprised the social-ecological modal and health belief model to investigate the barriers to preventive care utilization in the African American community. Twelve African …

Exploring Factors That Prepare Nigeria Police Officers For Performance Improvement, Lanre Ogunlowo

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Police officers in Lagos State, Nigeria lack information on how to prepare for performance improvement that may enhance their knowledge on the requisite skills needed to protect lives and property. The purpose of the study was to understand this problem, and the central research question for the study was used to address how police officers may enhance their knowledge on the requisite skills necessary to protect lives and property in Lagos State, Nigeria. This qualitative exploratory case study used human competence model as extension of behavioral engineering system and recruited 15 participants. Yin’s five steps of (a) data compilation, (b) …