Public Policy Commons^™

Ipv At The Margins: Conceptualizing Gaps In The Survivor Safety Net For Lower-Income Black Women, Cristina Toppin

Honors Program Theses

This paper evaluates U.S. social and criminal justice policies in the context of intimate partner violence (IPV) against lower-income Black women in the U.S. Theories from the literature on IPV and gender-based violence (GBV) at-large, as well as the literature on inequity, are utilized to examine how entrenched racist, sexist, and classist ideas influence policymaking. It is argued that this process has resulted in policies that reinforce the higher rates of IPV against lower-income Black women as compared to their upper-income white peers. Two overarching research questions are addressed to support this argument. First, how have pejorative stereotypes against Black …

China-Africa Relations: The Northern Nigerian Textile Industry, Afolabi Toye

International Studies (MA) Theses

This project takes a critical look into China’s policy in Africa. The work assesses the significance and challenges of China-Africa cooperation focusing on Nigeria. The paper argued that analyzing the nexus between Beijing and Africa should not center on China’s investments and financial aid. Instead, it should reflect on the competitive hedge China enjoys through these investments in terms of direct access to each market sector of the African economy, and it impacts on local businesses. The study examines the impacts of China’s approach on the textile industry in Kano and Kaduna states in northern Nigeria, to provide an insight …

Workshop Outcomes Report: 1st International Workshop On Seismic Resilience Of Arctic Infrastructure And Social Systems, Majid Ghayoomi, Katharine Duderstadt, Alexander Kholodov, Alexander Shiklomanov, Matthew Turner, Elham Ajorlou

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Nonprofits And Government Agencies Addressing The Needs Of Mental Health Community, Wyatt Ulrich

School of Professional and Continuing Studies Nonprofit Studies Capstone Projects

Nonprofit organizations have been utilizing cross-sector collaboration to address problems that are not able to be solved on their own. A partner to make said collaboration can be with any organization, business, or volunteer who has the same goals as the nonprofit organization. Mental health nonprofit organizations specifically need more partners due to how little the world knows about mental health and mental illnesses. The government is one partner many mental health organizations aim to collaborate with. Government contracts have been known to help with the many challenges nonprofit organizations face like funding and services. Previous research has suggested this …

Collaborative Competition In Homeless Services: Three Essays On Federal-Local Partnerships, Andrew Alfred Sullivan

Theses and Dissertations--Public Policy and Administration

The United States’ federal government funds homeless services provided at the local level through the McKinney-Vento Act, encouraging collaboration among providers. This dissertation studies three aspects of homelessness: merging of local planning bodies, identification of homeless students, and the relationship between experiencing homelessness in high school and long-term educational outcomes.

The first chapter studies the effect of merging Continuums of Care (CoCs), local planning bodies for homeless services. While merging brings organizations into the same network and could make use of economies of scale, it brings service provision to a less-local level, taking away responsiveness to the community and inter-jurisdictional …

Systematizing Confidence In Open Research And Evidence (Score), Nazanin Alipourfard, Beatrix Arendt, Daniel M. Benjamin, Noam Benkler, Michael Bishop, Mark Burstein, Martin Bush, James Caverlee, Yiling Chen, Chae Clark, Anna Dreber Almenberg, Timothy M. Errington, Fiona Fidler, Nicholas Fox, Aaron Frank, Hannah Fraser, Scott Friedman, Ben Gelman, James Gentile, Jian Wu, Et Al., Score Collaboration

Computer Science Faculty Publications

Assessing the credibility of research claims is a central, continuous, and laborious part of the scientific process. Credibility assessment strategies range from expert judgment to aggregating existing evidence to systematic replication efforts. Such assessments can require substantial time and effort. Research progress could be accelerated if there were rapid, scalable, accurate credibility indicators to guide attention and resource allocation for further assessment. The SCORE program is creating and validating algorithms to provide confidence scores for research claims at scale. To investigate the viability of scalable tools, teams are creating: a database of claims from papers in the social and behavioral …

Supporting Shrinkage: Planning And Decision Making For Legacy Cities, Michael P. Johnson Jr., Justin Hollander, Eliza Whiteman Kinsey, George Chichirau, Charla Burnett

Public Policy and Public Affairs Faculty Publication Series

Supporting Shrinkage describes a new approach to citizen-engaged, community-focused planning methods and technologies for cities and regions facing decline, disinvestment, shrinkage, and social and physical distress. The volume evaluates the benefits and costs of a wide range of analytic approaches for designing policy and planning interventions for shrinking cities and distressed communities. These include collaborative planning, social media, civic technology, game design, analytics, decision modeling and decision support, and spatial analysis. The authors present case studies of three US cities addressing shrinkage and decline, with a focus on issues of social justice, democratization of knowledge, and local empowerment. Proposed as …

The Reacculturation Of Veterans Post Transition Assistance Program, Kyle Alan Hanlan

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

As many as 61% of veterans have sought reintegration services after the Transition Assistance Program (TAP) to help them cope with culture shock. TAP is not designed to address cultural transition. However, culture shock has resulted in disassociating behavior, unemployment, and homelessness in the veteran community. The purpose of this study was to identify the unmet reacculturation needs of post-active duty veterans in Chester County, Pennsylvania, who have utilized the United States’ Department of Defense’s TAP. Using an ethnographic approach, this study identified the extent that the TAP helps 13 post-active duty veterans obtain the autonomy stage of culture shock …

Professional Administrative Study Discretionary Service Effects Within The Uscis Violence Against Women Act (Vawa) Petition Process, Albert Anthony Hill

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The administration of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA)-based petition process does not allow discretionary consideration for sponsoring U.S. citizen spouses. This policy is harmful to U.S. citizens. Further, such policy undermines the efforts of USCIS in an equitable delivery of immigration benefits. The purpose of this study was to explore the experiences and perceptions of U.S. spouses with the petition process. A qualitative phenomenological case-study design was used to gain direct knowledge from 13 U.S. citizen spouses about their experiences with the petition process. A conceptual framework approach was used to answer if the current process provides an equitable …

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 …

The Relationship Between External Influences And State Education Policy Processes, Jessica Chrystal

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Political agendas and political attention often change based on media attention and business influence, ultimately impacting policies. Elementary and secondary education policies have evolved to improve academic rigor and increase global competitiveness. Common Core State Standards (CCSS) were established based on state-level elementary and secondary education student needs. The purpose of this quantitative content analysis was to explore how external factors influenced state-level policy actors during the formulation and implementation of one state’s CCSS. All policies follow the policy process, which often includes various actors influencing various phases. Agenda-setting and political embeddedness are two critical components in the policy process …

Perceptions And Experiences Of African American Americorps Program Participants, Dean Michael Hindenlang

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AmeriCorps, a voluntary public service program founded in 1993, has largely consisted of a nonminority middle-class group, generally 20 to 29 years old, who had the financial assistance of family while serving. African American participants may be experiencing AmeriCorps-based programs differently, in areas such as financial solvency, job readiness skills, and the ability to begin or return to college. This qualitative study was designed to reveal the perceptions and experiences of African American participants who have completed AmeriCorps service in a Midwest metropolis. Using the lens of critical race theory, which explored African American Corps members through a historical position …

Substance Abuse Disorders And Veteran Homelessness, Donald Rufus Williams

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Veterans constitute a significant proportion of the homeless population in the United States. Studies indicate that substance abuse is a major issue these veterans face that can result in homelessness. Despite improvement since 2009, substance abuse among this population remains a significant problem. The objective of this study was to gain a better understanding of the experiences of homeless and substance-abusing veterans to provide information to government agencies that may help them develop a practical approach for addressing the issue. The social cognitive theory and Lowry's dimension on federalism provided the theoretical framework for this study. A general qualitative research …

Faculty Candidates' Lived Experiences During The Preemployment Hiring Process, Janet Grayson Chappell

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The lack of touch points of interaction during the preemployment hiring process for faculty candidates at public and/or for-profit institutions raised social quality concerns. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to discover the lived experiences of faculty candidates regarding the preemployment hiring process and social quality. Schuler’s social validity theory provided the framework for the study aiding to identify and address if there is adequate information, participation, transparency, and communication with the four mechanisms. The research questions helped discover and explore the faculty candidates’ perceptions toward the preemployment hiring process and incorporate specific suggested enhancements for a better …

A Case Study Of Cutback Management And The Great Recession In A Rural Municipality, Diana L. Menhennick

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Municipalities in Michigan get their power from the state of Michigan who responded to the Great Recession with austerity policies impacting the relationship between local and state government. Evidence points toward the use of cutback management as a long-term coping tool when addressing fiscal shortages. A single case study design documented a rural city manager’s experience in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan using a semistructured interview and 10 years of archived public documents (2006 2016). The participant was selected using random sampling from 11 counties. Cutback management asserts that policymakers will address budget deficits by using initiatives in the short …

Perspectives Of Syrians In The Diaspora On The Foundational Factors Contributing To The Assad Regime Of State Repression (2000-2011), Ribhi I. Salhi

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Researchers from different social science backgrounds have studied the various practices of state repression but seldom acknowledge that state repression is a rival system between the government regimes and their dissidents. However, rival systems can lead to competing forces that will serve either the interest of the regime or their dissidents. Researchers also have not often used the perspectives of opposition groups in the diaspora to study state repression. Focusing on the rise and entrenchment of the Assad regime in Syria (from 2000-2011), this study aimed to discover and explore the various perspectives of Syrians in the United States about …

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 …

Understanding Postamnesty Youth Violence In The Niger Delta Region Of Nigeria, Joel Dimiyen Bisina

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The experience of youth with violence in the Niger Delta (ND) of Nigeria and the negative consequences to the nation are well-documented in the literature. Youth violence poses a significant threat to national security, economic survival, and Nigeria’s unity and regional peace stabilization. Literature on youths’ experiences with postamnesty violence in the ND is scant. Postamnesty represents the period immediately after the disarmament and demobilization of combatant youth following the proclamation of the presidential amnesty program in Nigeria’s ND. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to bring an understanding to postamnesty youth violence (PAYV) through the lived experiences …

African American Fathers’ Experiences Of Alienation From Their Children Due To Texas Family Code, Fatima Tremale Thomas-Moody

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Throughout the years, Texas Family Code: Title 5. The Parent-Child Relationship and the Suit Affecting the Parent-Child Relationship has the coined termed best interest of the child. In fact, it has created an unintentional indoctrination to parental alienation therefore, leaving little to no access for courts to rectify and resolve the parent-child relationship. Arguably, researchers have suggested that the legal system engages in gender ideologies that contributes to parental alienation. The purpose of this study was to examine the lived experiences of African American noncustodial fathers’ interaction and how Texas family code possession order impacts the father-child relationship. Social construction …

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 …

Delinquent Behavior And Recidivism Among Juveniles In The Southeastern United States, Anthony Bernard Essix Jr.

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In the United States, juvenile delinquent behavior has continued to rise despite attempts by the legal system and policymakers. Much of the research contributing to the understanding of juvenile delinquency and recidivism has been focused on risk factors believed to push an individual to show signs of delinquency. Limited research has been conducted to explain how policies affect juvenile behaviors. The current study examined risk factors that contribute to juvenile delinquency to determine if a factor may have been overlooked in prior juvenile studies. Based on anomie and strain theory, a qualitative method of general inquiry was used to gain …

Deterrence And Response Improvements For A Large-Scale Cyberterrorism Attack, Harrison Cunningham

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

A successful large-scale cyberterrorism attack has never been conducted against the United States, yet cyberterrorism is a real and evolving threat. The United States assumes a largely defensive posture toward the thousands of daily cyberattacks conducted against the country, allowing cyberterrorists to probe and execute cyberattacks with broad impunity. The United States would most likely respond to a successful large-scale cyberterrorism attack within a framework of regulations concerning physical acts of terrorism since no policy exists on how to respond to major cyberterrorism attacks. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the perceptions of U.S. terrorism and cybersecurity …

Asian American Voting During The 2020 Elections: A Rising, Divided Voting Group, Vi Nguyen

CMC Senior Theses

Asian Americans continue to be an untapped force within American politics. Despite their status as the fastest-growing racial or ethnic group in the United States they have had surprisingly low political participation rates.[1] But 2020 represented a watershed moment. Campaign outreach and voter participation increased, and Asian Americans assumed new prominence on the national stage. Nonetheless, the 2020 elections also demonstrate historical divides within the community and a lack of cohesion as a voting group.

This thesis investigates Asian American voter behavior during the 2020 election and links trends within this year's elections to assess Asian American panethnicity. It …

Twin Threats: The Short-Sighted Us Response To Global Climate Change And Pandemics, Bryan Williams

CMC Senior Theses

This thesis examines the failure of the United States government to mitigate global climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic by comparing poor public reactions and governmental administration between the two threats. Using developmental constructs to serve as a framework for assessing public reactions to climate change and pandemics, this thesis implements a content analysis study of American news media from 2000 to 2020; it identifies the rhetoric embedded in communications that has directed the US public’s focus of attention and shaped public opinion on these issues. The results indicate significantly less focus of attention on human health issues than economic …

Establishing An Institutional Framework For The Handicrafts Clusters In Egypt/ إنشاء إطار مؤسسي لتجمعات الحرف اليدوية في مصر, Dina Elkhishin, Mariam Walid, Nada Kassem, Noheir Khairy

Papers, Posters, and Presentations

The Egyptian handicrafts sector, which employs more than a million Egyptians, and contributes to local economic growth and to the export market, has a lot of potentials but faces numerous challenges. Aware of the potential of the sector, the Egyptian government is currently focusing on the development of handicrafts, mostly organized as clusters. Nevertheless, artisans face numerous challenges, some of which are related to access to financial resources and raw materials, access to markets especially international ones, access to marketing opportunities, access to technical know-how, among others. Whilst handicrafts production is mostly cluster-based in Egypt, it is highly informal. One …

Combating The High Prevalence Of Obesity Among Egyptian Households: A Pilot Study: Port-Said Households/ مكافحة السمنة في المجتمع المصري: دراسة تجريبية في بورسعيد, Asmaa Sedky, Marwa Gaber, Noha Magdy, Shaimaa El Safoury

Papers, Posters, and Presentations

Obesity is a major public health issue in Egypt and its repercussions are not only limited to the health dimension but also extend to affecting the productive capacity of the citizens. This adversely affects the overall fundamentals of the Egyptian economy. Moreover, there is a current political interest in promoting the health and well-being of the citizens which is reflected in the recent 100 Million Seha massive campaign that measured the weight and height of millions of Egyptians.

By applying the decision-making rule which has to do adhere to the equity, administrative, and political criteria, we recommend adjusting the Egyptian …

Neither “Post-War” Nor Post-Pregnancy Paranoia: How America’S War On Drugs Continues To Perpetuate Disparate Incarceration Outcomes For Pregnant, Substance-Involved Offenders, Becca S. Zimmerman

Pitzer Senior Theses

This thesis investigates the unique interactions between pregnancy, substance involvement, and race as they relate to the War on Drugs and the hyper-incarceration of women. Using ordinary least square regression analyses and data from the Bureau of Justice Statistics’ 2016 Survey of Prison Inmates, I examine if (and how) pregnancy status, drug use, race, and their interactions influence two length of incarceration outcomes: sentence length and amount of time spent in jail between arrest and imprisonment. The results collectively indicate that pregnancy decreases length of incarceration outcomes for those offenders who are not substance-involved but not evenhandedly -- benefitting white …

Education Inequality In The United States: A Wicked Problem With A Wicked Solution, Lincoln Bernard

CMC Senior Theses

A problem wicked in its complexity and detriment; the United States has failed most of its students in its inability to address the unashamedly rampant inequality throughout its public education system. The inequality in American public schools appears evident and boundless, but the causes of that inequality, and especially its solutions, are not as obvious. It is easy to explain away the system’s failures as a product of the United States’ ultra-varied environment, but further investigation reveals much of the systems problems are self-caused, resulting from the United States’ uniquely local approach to supporting its schools. A misguided fear of …