Policy Design, Analysis, and Evaluation Commons^™

Social Think Tanks In China: Ten-Year Review And Development Prospects, Jinlian Zheng, Zhiguang Liu

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

Over the past decade, in response to national top-level design, social think tanks in China have undergone a historic transformation from scale expansion to quality enhancement, and from marginal exploration to mainstream participation. As a key component of the new-type think tank system with Chinese characteristics, social think tanks have played an irreplaceable role in policy consultation, innovative governance, and public diplomacy. This study systematically summarizes the development status of social think tanks over the past ten years, deeply analyzes the multiple challenges faced currently, and charts the course for their future development. It proposes pathways for promoting their high-quality …

Responsible Think Tank Research: Concepts, Principles, And Practical Pathways, Zhenyu Wang, Rui Li, Xiao Lu

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

Against the backdrop of increasingly complex national governance, the core challenge facing the development of new-type think tanks with Chinese characteristics is shifting from merely “producing outcomes” to “delivering high-quality outcomes responsibly”. This study proposes the concept of “responsible think tank research,” aiming to transform responsibility from an abstract ethical appeal into a systematic norm embedded throughout the entire process of think tank research. The study constructs a three-dimensional analytical framework centered on “national responsibility, scientific responsibility, and social responsibility”, and systematically elaborates the theoretical foundations and value orientations of responsible think tank research. Drawing upon and comparing international experiences …

Silicon Rivalry: Understanding The U.S.-China Ai Competition In Southeast Asia, Daniel Christopher Kent

Master in Public Policy Theses

In the rising global strategic competition between China and the United States, artificial intelligence (AI) has taken on a special significance given its potentially transformative impact upon economics and security. Yet while the dialogue around the “AI race” is typically centered on foundational model capability enhancement, application in security contexts, and chip design and manufacturing, there is much less attention paid to its impact on geopolitics. In particular, AI diplomacy—the work of a state to spread its model of AI governance, evangelize its AI companies, and develop critical AI interdependencies and linkages around the world—is far less studied. Nowhere is …

Global Health Financing Of Diagonal Interventions: Building Resilient And Sustainable Health Systems In Sub-Saharan Africa, Lucy Kim

Master in Public Policy Theses

Background: Global health financing has historically prioritized disease-specific “vertical” programs over broader “horizontal” strengthening of general health systems. Vertical programs in HIV have led to unprecedented reductions in mortality worldwide, but HIV remains a significant public health threat in sub-Saharan Africa, where vertical strategies have long been criticized for creating fragmented health systems. In response, global health strategies have shifted towards combining vertical investments with broader horizontal activities, commonly referred to as “diagonal” programming. While evidence suggests that diagonal programming has the potential to create more resilient and sustainable health systems, evaluating its value for money is challenging due to …

Beyond The Ban: Chhaupadi Abolition And The Governance Of Menstrual Autonomy In Western Nepal, Nikita Paudel

Master in Public Policy Theses

This thesis examines how two decades of efforts to abolish chhaupadi have shaped the everyday conditions under which women and girls experience menstruation in western Nepal. Chhaupadi, commonly understood as menstrual seclusion, has been addressed through Supreme Court directives, national policy, criminal law, municipal implementation instruments, hut demolition campaigns, public health programming, and rights-based advocacy. Yet the practice has persisted, adapted, and in some cases moved into less visible spaces. Rather than treating this as a simple gap between law and practice, this thesis asks how abolition efforts themselves have become part of the regulatory regime through which menstruation is …

Behind The Scores: How Federal Education Legislation Influenced Dayton Public Schools’ Special Education System For Students Of Color, Simran Kaur

Aurora

This paper analyzes the district special education system of Dayton Public Schools’ through federal legislation requirements and state-reported data to evaluate access, implementation, and equity. Findings show that while the district meets several procedural requirements at federal levels, students with disabilities (especially Black students) face limited access to general education environments, family engagement, and disability identification at a local level. Risk ratios reveal subjective disability categories, which is contributing to the district’s low Achievement Gap Closing rate through the state-wide report card.

Welcome Tilly Norwood: Forecasting Hollywood’S Ai Policy Futures, Samuel P. Rooker

Senior Honors Projects, 2020-current

In late 2025, weekly trade publication Variety Magazine reported on the announcement of a new acting talent in Hollywood: Tilly Norwood. Norwood is an industry outsider and the pet project of Eline Van der Velden, who unveiled the actress’ existence to the world at the Zurich Film Festival. The announcement quickly gained media coverage while Van der Velden has since faced cyclical backlash from Hollywood trade unions, which does not seem entirely without reason. Tilly Norwood is a digital persona, a generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) program, designed by Van der Velden’s novel AI talent studio, Xicoia, to become the next …

Using An Ai Chatbot To Improve Access To Lake Skaneateles Watershed Regulations, Lucas Colleluori, Tomás Olivier

Center for Policy Design and Governance

This report evaluates whether a retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) chatbot can simplify access to the overlapping state, county, and local regulations governing the Lake Skaneateles watershed.

Controlling Fiscal Destiny: Evaluating The Effect Of State Tax Composition On Resilience During Defined Shock Period, Calloway R. Bills

Honors Theses

State governments operate under strict fiscal constraints that limit their ability to respond to economic downturns through borrowing or monetary policy, making tax composition a key determinant of fiscal stability. This paper evaluates how variation in state tax revenue composition affects fiscal resilience during economic shocks, focusing on the Great Recession. While prior research shows that individual tax instruments differ in cyclicality, less is known about how overall tax structure shapes revenue performance during and after shocks. Using a panel dataset of U.S. states from 1988 to 2024, this study measures resilience through two outcomes: the magnitude of revenue decline …

Research On Academic Journal Evaluation Based On Factor Dimensionality Reduction, Data Weighting, And Journal Characteristics Orientation, Liping Yu, Jing Zhang

Journal of Scientific Information Research

[Purpose/significance] The characteristics of academic journals have important value, and current evaluation systems lack assesment for this dimension. [Method/process] This paper proposes a variable weight method for factor reduction data, firstly uses factor analysis combined with manual classification to determine the characteristics of the journal, and uses Sigmoid function to standardize the public factors to determine the characteristic journals, and then uses the variable weight function to modify the original data for the characteristic indicators of the characteristic journals based on the data of forestry journals in CNKI. Three representative methods including linear weighted aggregation, weighted TOPSIS, and factor analysis, …

The Role Of Public Administration And Hrm In Promoting Guardian-Oriented Policing In Michigan, Sara L. Cowling

Master of Public Administration Capstone Papers

This capstone paper examines how public administrators and human resource management (HRM) practices in Michigan local law enforcement agencies can influence the adoption of a guardian-oriented approach to policing. Using a qualitative case study method and document analysis, this study integrates peer-reviewed literature on guardian and warrior policing models with public administration and HRM frameworks. Findings indicate that due to the centralized structure of the Michigan Commission on Law Enforcement Standards (MCOLES) and standardized academy training, local agencies have limited control over recruit socialization during initial training. Thus, recruitment and hiring practices, specifically recruitment messaging, applicant self-selection, interviewing, organizational fit …

The Impact Of Anti Lgbtqi+ Legistlation On Diplomacy And Economy In Africa: A Case Study Of Ghana, Hunvilla Agyemang

Master of Public Administration for Senior Leadership

This  research  examines  the  impact  of  anti LGBTQI+  legislation  on  diplomacy  and  economy in Africa, using Ghana as a case study. The study is motivated by the renewed wave of  anti-LGBTQI+ legislative activism across parts of Africa and the significant domestic and  international debate surrounding Ghana's Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill. The paper  asks three central questions: what drives the rise of anti-LGBTQI+ legislation in Ghana, what  economic consequences are associated with such legislation, and what diplomatic implications  follow when a state adopts or advances laws widely perceived as discriminatory. To answer these  questions, the study employs a …

Trawling For Clues: Examining Nefmc Herring Amendment 8, Christopher Santoro

Honors Scholar Theses

In 2007, almost twenty years ago, the Magnuson-Stevens Act changed the landscape of fisheries management in the US. Through the establishment of Fisheries Management Councils (FMCs), it paved the way for top-down management approaches that helped the government combat nationwide declines or collapses in fish stocks. Among the myriad responsibilities of the FMCs was the expectation that amendments to existing fisheries management plans would be a necessity to adapt to modern circumstances. This thesis focuses on New England Fisheries Management Council's (NEFMC's) Herring Amendment 8 (A8). This amendment, passed in 2021, attempts to lay the groundwork for sustainable management of …

Efficacy Of Implicit Bias Training Within The Hazel Park Police Department, Luke Londo

Master of Public Administration Capstone Papers

Among the many desired outcomes for uniformed police officers who undergo implicit bias training is a reduction in the level of discriminatory conduct related to such biases. Current research on the subject offers mixed results, and nearly all existing studies do not provide an empirical measurement of efficacy or other outcomes beyond officer sentiment. This case study examines and measures the impact of implicit bias trainings, which is a requirement for officers within the Hazel Park Police Department in Michigan, prior and subsequent to certification by using raw and sustained complaints of discriminatory conduct allegedly perpetrated by Hazel Park police …

Success Rate Of Batterers Intervention Programs, Brittney Perez, Manuel Mercado

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

The success rate of men completing the Batterer’s Intervention Program (BIPs) using the Duluth Model remains a significant concern in domestic violence prevention. The Duluth Model, designed to challenge patriarchal beliefs and promote nonviolent behavior, has shown mixed results. Factors such as program length, financial barriers, and prior offense influence completion rates. While some research suggests reduced recidivism among program completers, high drop out rates undermine overall effectiveness. This study aims to assess the success rates of men completing BIPs using the Duluth Model, focusing on factors influencing program completion, recidivism, dropout rates, and long-term behavioral change over two to …

12-Year Report Of The Massachusetts Community Mediation Center Grant Program (Fiscal Years 2013 – 2024), Madhawa Palihapitiya, Karina Zeferino

Massachusetts Office of Public Collaboration Publications

This report examines the development, performance, and impact of the Massachusetts Community Mediation Center Grant Program during its first 12 years, covering fiscal years 2013 through 2024. Established under Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 75, Section 47, the Grant Program provides operational and programmatic funding to qualified community mediation centers offering free or low-cost dispute resolution services through trained community volunteers. The Massachusetts Office of Public Collaboration at the University of Massachusetts Boston administers and evaluates the program.

Over the period examined, the Commonwealth’s annual appropriation increased from $650,000 in FY2013 to approximately $3.2 million in FY2024. This investment stabilized community …

Quantitative Analysis And Mechanism Pathways Of China's Patent Commercialization Policies Based On A Three-Dimensional Framework, Zhulin Xin, Feng Wei, Hong Zhou, Amei Deng, Luyao Dou

Journal of Scientific Information Research

[Purpose/significance] Improving the patent commercialization policy system is a necessary prerequisite for leveraging the institutional advantages of China's patent system. Analyzing the structure and content of patent commercialization policies and uncovering their core operational mechanisms is of great significance for enhancing the industrialization rate of patents. [Method/process] This study investigates patent commercialization policies issued by central, provincial, and municipal governments in China. It adopts a quantitative policy text analysis method and constructs a three-dimensional analytical framework consisting of policy tools-institutional systems-participating actors to examine the integrated operational characteristics of policy instruments, institutional structures, and actor roles within the current policy …

Governing Addiction: An Anthropological Comparison Of Care In The United States And The Netherlands, Kiren K. Bagga

Bates College Journal of Political Studies

This article examines addiction care as a form of moral governance through a comparative anthropological analysis of the United States and the Netherlands. Drawing on a Foucauldian theory of biopolitics alongside this study argues that approaches to addiction treatment reveal how states differentially value life, citizenship, and vulnerability. Joan Tronto's relational definition of ethical care is used to move beyond a solely moral context, towards an ethical understanding of both caretakers and those who require care. In the United States, addiction policy has historically functioned as a punitive and moralizing project, shaped by racialized drug criminalization, neoliberal ideals of individual …

The Future Of Dual Immersion In California: Analyzing California’S Global 2030 Goals, Jonathan Tejeda, Kamila Campos, Robert Emmans

School of Public Policy Capstones

California's Global 2030 initiative set an ambitious target: half of all K-12 students to achieve bilingual proficiency by 2030. This qualitative study examines whether Dual Language programs (DLPs) in California's major metropolitan areas are positioned to meet that goal. Drawing on ten semi-structured expert interviews with researchers, administrators, teachers, and nonprofit advocates, the study identifies four central challenges: inadequate student preparedness, chronic underfunding, insufficient teacher training, and a failure to connect students to their cultural heritage. The findings reveal that California lacks the infrastructure, data systems, and financial commitment necessary to achieve the 2030 goals. The authors recommend establishing a …

Gender-Based Violence And Botswana's Constitutional Failure To Protect Women's Rights, Cameron Mcdonald

Immigration and Human Rights Law Review

Gender-based violence (“GBV”) remains a pervasive human rights issue throughout Botswana. When it comes to gender equality, Botswana’s dual constitutional and customary legal system is a paradox. Despite its commitment to equality and nondiscrimination, Botswana’s Constitution allows customary courts to discriminate freely to preserve traditional practices that disadvantage women. These traditional practices affect women’s right to property, inheritance, marriage, legal representation, and personal safety. Customary law continues to constrain women’s right to economic autonomy and access to justice, leaving many women dependent on the men who abuse them. As a result, many Batswana women experience structural discrimination in both their …