Other Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Cultural Incubators And Spread Of Innovation, Enrico R. Crema, Mark W. Lake

Human Biology Open Access Pre-Prints

Several forms of social learning rely on the direct or indirect evaluation of the fitness of cultural traits. Here we argue, via a simple agent-based model, that payoff uncertainty, that is the correlation between a trait and the signal used to evaluate its fitness, plays a pivotal role in the spread of beneficial innovation. More specifically, we examine how this correlation affects the evolutionary dynamics of different forms of social learning and how each can generate divergent historical trajectories depending on the size of the sample pool. In particular, we demonstrate that social learning by copying the best model is …

Erik Von Kuehnelt-Leddihn: The Problems Of A Successful American Foreign Policy Study Guide, Steven Alan Samson

Faculty Publications and Presentations

No abstract provided.

A Primer On Grant Writing For Foundation Support For First-Time Grant Writers In Academic Libraries: Challenges And Opportunities, Peter L. Kraus

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

In a majority of academic disciplines, grant writing is a skill that is often self-taught or acquired informally by trial and error. Few academic disciplines have grant writing as standard part of their curriculum at the graduate level. In the past, grant writing has received little or no emphasis in traditional library education since library science faculty themselves have a poor record of pursuing external funding. Yet, grant writing is a critical skill for new and experienced librarians. For many librarians, the prospect and challenge of writing a grant can seem daunting; however, with institutional support and the support of …

Impacts Of Financial Inclusion On Youth Development: Findings From The Ghana Youthsave Experiment, Gina Chowa, Rainier Masa, David Ansong, Mat Despard, Shiyou Wu, Deborah Hughes, Isaac Osei-Akoto, Stephanie Afranie, Naa Adjorkor Mark-Sowah, Charles Ofori-Acquah, Yungsoo Lee, Lissa Johnson, Michael Sherraden

Center for Social Development Research

The Ghana YouthSave Experiment investigated whether and how youth savings accounts affect financial capability; psychosocial, education, and health outcomes; and economic well-being of Ghanaian youth and their households. The research rigor in the Ghana experiment is unprecedented in resource-limited countries; therefore, it offers an opportunity to posit causal relationships between savings and youth development. This endline report, which comes three years after the baseline report, describes the Ghana experiment and presents experimental findings of YouthSave. The key research questions this report aims to answer is whether the Ghana experiment improved (1) savings patterns and performance for low-income youth; (2) low-income …

Health Hub Program Evaluation, Natalie Macias

Master's Projects and Capstones

This paper examines and evaluates the work of LIFT-Levántate a non-profit organization in San Rafael, California on their school-based nutritional education “health hub,” through health promotion interventions with adolescents. The James B. Davidson Middle School health hub educates students on topics related to nutrition and physical activity with the goal of providing access and increasing consumption of fruits and vegetables while lowering students’ intake of high-fat and sugary processed foods. Through research and observations of the students and families in this community, the data seems to indicate apparent disparities which vary by ethnicity, socioeconomic status and access. Underserved populations, including …

Straight Lives: The Balance Between Human Dignity, Public Safety, And Desistance From Crime, Lila Kazemian

Publications and Research

This report looks at how the academic and practitioner worlds must collaborate to develop an effective, desistance-promoting approach to criminal justice. Interventions need to be desistance-focused and tailored to individual circumstances rather than standardized programming. Interventions should shift away from an emphasis on risk and criminogenic needs and help individuals overcome obstacles to desistance.

Research And Countermeasures On Improving The Capability Of Chinese Maritime Search And Rescue, Binyang Mo

Maritime Safety & Environment Management Dissertations (Dalian)

No abstract provided.

A Study On Improving China's Capability For Search And Rescue In Distant Sea Areas, Haidong Ma

Maritime Safety & Environment Management Dissertations (Dalian)

No abstract provided.

When Multiple Disasters Strike: Louisiana Fishers In The Aftermath Of Hurricanes And The British Petroleum Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill, Bethany A. Lyon, Pamela F. Nezat, Katie E. Cherry, Loren D. Marks

Faculty Publications

Relatively few studies in the research literature on technological disasters include commercial fishers whose livelihood, culture, and way of life are all deeply tied to bayous and natural waterways for generations. In this chapter, we address the impact of the 2010 British Petroleum (BP) Deepwater Horizon oil spill on commercial fishers sampled from two coastal parishes (counties) in south Louisiana. The individuals who provided the qualitative interviews upon which this chapter is based were participants in a larger study on long-term recovery from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita that devastated the US Gulf Coast in 2005. All respondents were exposed to …

Younger And Older Coastal Fishers Face Catastrophic Loss After Hurricane Katrina, Katie E. Cherry, Loren D. Marks, Rachel Adamek, Bethany A. Lyon

Faculty Publications

Hurricanes are associated with environmental destruction and traumatic stress for directly affected communities. In this chapter, we compare and contrast younger and older commercial fishers from two south Louisiana coastal parishes (counties) who experienced profound losses in the 2005 Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Content analysis of narrative data based on open-ended interview questions yielded three core themes: (1) Materialism and True Colors Revealed: Despicable Deeds and Acts of Grace after the Storm, (2) Helping Efforts Across Denominations: God was Using his People to help His [Other] People, and (3) Historical Ties that Bind: Old Roots and New Connections. Themes 1 …

Strategic Directions For Global Research On Volunteering For Peace And Sustainable Development, Vera J. Seelig, Benjamin J. Lough

Center for Social Development Research

This workshop report is a co-creation of the United Nations Volunteers, the International Forum on Volunteering for International Development, and the Center for Social Development. It summarizes the workshop on strategic directions for global research for sustainable development that took place in Bonn, Germany, on July 6 through 7, 2015.

After The Bp Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill: Financial And Health Concerns Among Coastal Residents And Commercial Fishers, Katie E. Cherry, Bethany A. Lyon, Loren D. Marks, Pam F. Nezat, Rachel Adamek, S. Devon Walsh, Kristina B. Fitzgerald, Dina R. Anbinder, Claire V. Bernacchio

Faculty Publications

The BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill is recognized as the largest marine oil spill in U.S. history. In this article, we examine the impact of the BP oil spill on directly affected commercial fishers and indirectly affected residents of the greater New Orleans metropolitan area. A sample of 148 participants responded to an open-ended question on the impact of the oil spill on self, family, and their community at least 12 months after the oil spill began. Content analysis of their narrative text yielded four emergent themes which we present here: 1) Economic Impact on the Seafood Industry and Local …

Summer 2015 Full Issue

Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision

No abstract provided.

Looking For The Silver Lining: Benefit Finding After Hurricanes Katrina And Rita In Middle-Aged, Older, And Oldest-Old Adults, Katie E. Stanko, Katie E. Cherry, Kyle S. Ryker, Farra Mughal, Loren D. Marks, Jennifer Silva Brown, Patricia F. Gendusa, Marisa C. Sullivan, John Bruner, David A. Welsh, L. Joseph Su, S. Michael Jazwinski

Faculty Publications

Looking for potentially positive outcomes is one way that people cope with stressful events. In two studies, we examined perceived “silver linings” after the 2005 Hurricanes Katrina and Rita among indirectly affected adults. In Study 1, middle-aged (ages 47–64 years), older (ages 65–89 years), and oldest-old (ages 90–95 years) adults in the Louisiana Healthy Aging Study (LHAS) responded to an open-ended question on perceived silver linings in a longitudinal assessment carried out during the immediate impact (1 to 4 months after landfall) and post-disaster recovery phase (6 to 14 months post-storm). Qualitative grounded theory methods were employed to analyze these …

Perceptions Of Violence In Morrisania (The Bronx), Sheyla A. Delgado, Jeffrey A. Butts, Laila Alsabahi

Publications and Research

The NYCCure study measured changes in violent norms and attitudes in areas of New York City operating Cure Violence programs. Respondents were men aged 18-30 from the Morrisania area of The Bronx.

"Taking The Bank To The Youth:" Impacts On Saving And Asset Building From The Ghana Youthsave Experiment, Yungsoo Lee, Lissa Johnson, Michael Sherraden, David Ansong, Isaac Osei-Akoto, Gina Chowa

Center for Social Development Research

This working paper explores the experimental impact of in-school banking and financial marketing outreach on the savings performance of youth in schools across eight geographic regions in Ghana (i.e., “taking the bank to the youth”). The researchers found significant and sizable effects of the Ghana YouthSave experiment on savings performance. Youth in treatment schools performed better in terms of account opening, depositing, and savings than those in control schools. Between the two treatment conditions, in-school banking was more effective than marketing outreach in promoting account uptake and savings but the differences were marginally significant. Overall, the findings of the Ghana …

Financial Capability And Asset Building In Social Work Education: “The Big Piece Missing?”, Margaret S. Sherraden, Julie Birkenmaier, Michael Rochelle, Gena G. Mcclendon

Center for Social Development Research

Since the 1990s, social workers have renewed the profession’s early focus on improving the financial well-being of vulnerable families. Nonetheless, most social workers receive little training and education about how to help clients build stable and secure financial lives. This study uses in-depth interviews and pre- and post-surveys to examine the effects of a Financial Capability and Asset Building (FCAB) curriculum in six Minority Serving Institutions. In-depth interviews with 24 school administrators, FCAB instructors, and faculty colleagues suggest that faculty chose FCAB content based on course goals, content utility, and alignment with social work education standards. Furthermore, faculty reported gaining …

Skin Carotenoid Response To A High-Carotenoid Juice In Children: A Randomized Clinical Trial, Sheryl S. Aguilar, Heidi J. Wengreen, Jeffrey P. Dew

Faculty Publications

Background Previous studies have shown an increase in serum carotenoid status among children when fed carotenoids. This study looked at the effect and dose–response of a known amount of carotenoid consumption on change in skin carotenoid status among children.

Methods Participants were children aged 5 to 17 years from Cache County, UT (n=58). Children were randomly assigned to one of three groups: high (n=18) or low (n=18) dose of a carotenoid-rich juice (2.75 mg carotenoids/30 mL juice), or placebo juice (n=22). Children were asked to drink an assigned dose of the juice (30 to 120 mL/day) based on the weight …

Respondent-Driven Sampling: Evaluating The Effects Of The Cure Violence Model With Neighborhood Surveys, Kwan Lamar Blount-Hill, Jeffrey A. Butts

Publications and Research

This report gives insight into how researchers at the John Jay Research and Evaluation Center used Respondent-Driven Sampling (RDS) to measures changes in violence-related attitudes and values of young men (age 18-30) in at-risk neighborhoods and compares areas with and without Cure Violence programs. The RDS method allows researchers to reach difficult-to-recruit populations and helps to increase the credibility of the study.

Aaron Wildavsky: The Rise Of Radical Egalitarianism Study Guide, Steven Alan Samson

Faculty Publications and Presentations

No abstract provided.