Public Affairs Commons^™

The Impact Of Politicized Churches And Party Contact On African American Voter Turnout, Randolph Burnside, Stephanie A. Pink-Harper

Ralph Bunche Journal of Public Affairs

- 3 - The Impact of Politicized Churches and Party Contact on African American Voter Turnout Randolph Burnside Southern Illinois University Carbondale Stephanie A. Pink-Harper Southern Illinois University Carbondale The African American community has faced a myriad of challenges regarding their quest for social equity and social justice in America. Among the challenges is the fight for their right to vote. Researchers document numerous factors that have impacted the voting behavior of African Americans. Underexplored, however, is the historical role and impact that the African American church has had on this process. This article examines the impact of politicized churches …

Issues On Voter Participation Among African Americans And Bureaucratic Behavior, Andrew I. E. Ewoh, Maruice Mangum

Ralph Bunche Journal of Public Affairs

No abstract provided.

Lessons From Lived Experience: From Fresh Insights To Effective Action, Lisa Deangelis, Maureen A. Scully, Andrea Wight

Emerging Leaders Program Team Projects

The 34 fellows in the 2014 Emerging Leaders Program worked with community partners to generate the theme, “Learning from Lived Experience: From fresh insights to effective action." Each year, the projects draw upon a theme or lesson from the prior year. Last year and this year, fellows saw how the lived experiences of both their stakeholders and themselves generated nuanced and appropriate approaches to problem-solving. The fellows worked with six community partners, giving their time and professional skills to understand how to frame complex social challenges, engage new partners and resources, and sharpen strategic plans. They conducted surveys, interviews, open …

The Values, Beliefs, And Attitudes Of Elites In Jordan Towards Political, Social, And Economic Development, Laila Huneidi

Dissertations and Theses

This mixed-method study is focused on the values, beliefs, and attitudes of Jordanian elites towards liberalization, democratization and development. The study aims to describe elites' political culture and centers of influence, as well as Jordan's viability of achieving higher developmental levels. Survey results are presented. The study argues that the Jordanian regime remains congruent with elites' political culture and other patterns of authority within the elite strata. However, until this "cautious liberal" political culture of Jordanian elites changes, a transitional movement cannot arise that would lead Jordan towards greater liberalism, constitutionalism and development. The study concludes with implications for transitional …

Cpaf Updates Vol. 15 Issue No. 6, Stella Concepcion R. Britanico, Cristeta A. Foronda, Stoix Nebin S. Pascua, Catherine M. Punzalan

CPAf Updates

In this Issue:

• CISC forum tackles post-2014 CARP scenario, 1
• USAID BAWP gears for final year, 2
• Social Sciences in UPLB revisited, 3
• CPAf participates in ICRAF workshop on property rights
• Baconguis, Gasmen present studies on organic agriculture,5
• Pintor awarded best paper, 6
• Serrano awarded on T’boli paper, 6
• Salvacion, et al. research published in Elsevier journal, 8

Ua35/8 The Topper, Veterans Upward Bound Program, Western Kentucky University

Veterans Upward Bound Publications

No abstract provided.

The Silent Crisis: Including Latinos And Why It Matters, Representation In Executive Positions, Boards, And Commissions In The City Governments Of Boston, Chelsea, And Somerville, Miren Uriarte, James Jennings, Jen Douglas

Human Services Faculty Publication Series

The Silent Crisis: Involving Latinos in Decision-Making & Why Latino Representation Matters provides a measure of the economic, social, and political inclusion of Latinos at mid-decade in three cities of the Commonwealth where about one fourth of the state’s Latino population lives. Often wrongly referred to as a “new population,” Latinos have been present in Massachusetts since the end of the 19th century, arriving in large numbers beginning in the 1960s and 1970s and growing to nearly 630,000 persons (9.6% of the population) by 2010. That same year, they accounted for 62.1% of the population of Chelsea, 17.5% of the …

Fiscal Stress In American Municipalities: An Analysis On The Role Of The State As It Relates To Municipal Financial Health, Yong-Hua He

Public Affairs Capstones Collection

While municipal bankruptcy as a whole is rare in the United States, since the Great Recession, fiscal distress in municipalities is common. This is due to the compounding of decreased state aid, declining property values and increased need of services. In these fiscally and administratively challenging times, where the U.S. government is ripe and saddled with political discord, high debt/legacy costs, and decreased economic stability, can cities walk the stringent financial tightrope without falling head first? This research paper addresses the causations leading to municipal fiscal stress, role of the state as it relates to municipal financial health and best …

Family Cap: An Evaluation Of Child Exclusion Policies In Massachusetts, Gregory Ashe

Public Affairs Capstones Collection

Between 1992 and 1998, 24 states including Massachusetts adopted provisions specifically designed to reduce the fertility rates of welfare recipients. These adopted measures became known as Family Caps. Under Family Cap, families receiving Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) cash assistance would not receive increased aid for having another child. Proponents of this measure believe that by eliminating the financial incentive to have additional children, individuals on welfare would subsequently have smaller families. In this paper, I have used the most up-to-date TANF national data file to determine if an association between states with a family Cap provision and the …

Health And Wellness Programs In Massachusetts' Public Sector, Andrew Sullivan

Public Affairs Capstones Collection

This paper analyzes the availability of workplace health and wellness programs among Commonwealth of Massachusetts and municipal employees within the state. In addition, it evaluates the decision-making process that goes into building such a system as well as the benefits and limitations of health and wellness programs at both the municipal and state level. Within the employee base, the decisions related to healthy living are investigated, such as eating habits, exercise frequency and priority of living a healthy lifestyle. When compared between groups, it was found that municipal employees have a higher likelihood of living a healthy lifestyle compared to …

Challenges Facing Massachusetts Agencies, Richard Ferrari

Public Affairs Capstones Collection

For many residents of Massachusetts corrections is a part of the public sector that remains hidden behind tall walls topped with barbed wire. These walls do not just keep the inmate population on the inside, but keep the public out. This capstone provides a view from inside the walls of our corrections facilities. Interviews with high ranking corrections administrators throughout Massachusetts give an insiders perspective into the challenges facing Massachusetts corrections agencies. Over a billion dollars is spent on corrections in Massachusetts alone. This capstone looks at how that money is spent and the policies that dictate how our corrections …

Chief Executive Structure In Massachusetts Towns: The Relationship Between Authority Levels And Leadership Opportunities, Maureen A. Thomas .

Public Affairs Capstones Collection

Throughout Massachusetts towns and cities there are various organizational and chief executive structures that dictate levels of authority and leadership opportunities. Drawing mostly from the literature on city forms of government, this research explores the authority-level variations among town administrators and town managers in Massachusetts and examines how authority levels relate to leadership opportunities. A mixed methods approach is used via a survey instrument to the 215 Massachusetts town administrators and town managers, 7 in-depth interviews, and secondary data review. Levels of chief executive authority and leadership were found to vary widely among the 94 survey respondents. While quantitative results …

A Case Study Of The Regulations Imposed Upon Massachusetts' Prescription Monitoring Program, Meredith Rodman

Public Affairs Capstones Collection

This case study focuses on the effectiveness of the recent regulations imposed upon Massachusetts’s prescription monitoring program. Abuse and/or misuse of prescription opioids is becoming increasingly problematic within the United States and as a result many policy makers are looking for ways to combat the problem. In Massachusetts, the OxyContin and Heroin Commission was established to investigate the impact of both OxyContin and heroin on the state. The Commission delivered recommendations that eventually led the state legislature to make changes to Massachusetts’s prescription monitoring program. This study targeted five major stakeholder groups and asked a series of questions through interviews …

Financial Aid Administration: Effect And Innovation, Brendan Williams

Public Affairs Capstones Collection

As college costs continue to rise, the importance of financial aid to create equitable access to higher education has also risen. This increase in importance of financial aid has coincided with an increase in the complication of the financial aid process. This paper explores challenges of financial aid administration, the effect of financial aid, and potential innovations in the field. Through one-on-one interviews with administrators, students, college access organization employees and a college access researcher the common themes are explored highlighted. The qualitative analysis of these interviews revealed the financial aid process to be complicated and burdensome for everyone involved, …

Snap: An Evaluation Of How Families In A Low Socioecnomic Bracket Decide What To Eat., Kate-Marie Roycroft

Public Affairs Capstones Collection

The purpose of this research paper is to look at the major factors that influence how SNAP recipients make decisions about food purchases. The secondary purpose of this paper is to touch upon whether or not SNAP recipients suffer disproportionally from food insecurity and obesity-related chronic diseases. Three sets of interviews helped to inform this study: interviews with employees at the Department of Transitional Assistance (DTA), interviews with researchers who have studied SNAP recipients extensively as part of their work, and interviews with nonprofit coordinators that work with SNAP recipients after they are approved for their benefits. Additional data was …

An Analysis Of Employment Barriers Facing Blind People, William O'Donnell

Public Affairs Capstones Collection

Blind people, the target population being analyzed, possibly face higher rates of unemployment or underemployment compared to others with disabilities. They face higher poverty rates than any other minority group or group of people with disabilities. Typically, various statistics cite that 70% of working-aged blind people are not in the workforce. Federal acts have been implemented to increase employment outcomes in an attempt to improve employment outcomes for all with disabilities. The ADA and ADAAA been implemented to mitigate and/or eliminate barriers. This study used qualitative research to analyze data from participants to investigate whether or not they were employed …

Op-Ed: Changing The Army's Culture Of Cultural Change, Leonard Wong

Articles & Editorials

No abstract provided.

Characteristics Of Working Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Recipients In Maine, According To The 2011 American Community Survey, Victoria Ryan

Muskie School Capstones and Dissertations

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is a federal program administered by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). SNAP is designed to provide assistance in purchasing food to low income households in the United States. In Maine, individual benefits are administered by the Maine Department of Health and Human Services. Formerly (and still colloquially) known as the Food Stamp program, SNAP makes a dollar-value benefit, based on income, household size, household expenses, and a host of other factors, available to households via a debit or Electronic Benefit Card for the purchase of unprepared food from grocery and convenience stores, …

Disaster And Poverty : The Differential Impacts Of Disaster On The Poor In The Gulf Coast Region., Abu Muhammad Sufiyan 1979-

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Low-income and vulnerable populations that suffer most in natural disasters are females, children, elderly, disabled, and ethnic minorities This dissertation explores the association between natural disaster and poverty conditions among socially disadvantaged subgroups within the social, economic, and political contexts of the disaster affected regions in the Gulf Coast States. It argues that poverty conditions increase the negative impacts of disaster for socially vulnerable populations. This dissertation advocates incorporating the vulnerabilities of the marginalized population in each phase of disaster management planning, from mitigation to recovery. The study uses correlation and regression analyses to find the association between disaster impacts …

Housing First, Neighborhood Second? : The Role Of Housing And Neighborhood Characteristics On Residential Stability In Two Housing First Projects., Carey D. Addison

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the impacts of neighborhood and housing type on housing stability for formerly homeless individuals participating in Housing First projects in Louisville, Kentucky, and Cincinnati, Ohio. Both projects operate similarly except that the Louisville project has only scattered-site housing while the Cincinnati project has both project-based and scattered-site housing. The first chapter presents five key research questions that frame the study. Chapter 2 reviews literature on homelessness and policies to address this urban problem with a specific emphasis on Housing First. Chapter 3 proposes qualitative and quantitative methods for answering the proposed research questions. Chapter 4 summarizes findings …