Public Policy Commons^™

Keeping It Together: Assessing The Wellbeing Of Project-Based Development Practitioners In Egypt, Amira Ahmed Abdallah Fekry Ahmed

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines the wellbeing of project-based development practitioners in Egypt, revealing how systemic pressures—bureaucracy, job insecurity, and fragmented workloads—undermine both wellbeing and productivity. The study employed a mixed-approach, combining 10 in-depth interviews with subject matter experts and practitioners and 75 surveys with development practitioners in Egypt. Data revealed that while many practitioners are driven by purpose, structural challenges erode resilience and motivation over time. Social support networks and personal coping strategies help but cannot replace institutional protections. The study argues that wellbeing must shift from being treated as an individual concern to a structural responsibility. Reframing organizational models around …

Advancing Climate Transition Through Fiscal Tools: The Role Of Carbon Taxation And Fuel Subsidy Reform, Farah Amgad Zayed

Theses and Dissertations

This study highlights how fiscal policy tools can accelerate Egypt's climate transition, with emphasis on carbon taxes and fossil fuel subsidies reforms. It investigates how fiscal tools can reduce carbon emissions and promote economic development by primarily relying on qualitative interviews with policymakers, consultants, representatives of the private sector, and civil society actors, paralleled with some descriptive and comparative analysis. The results show that even though Egypt has made significant strides in advancing green transition, including updating the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC), introducing the first African Voluntary Carbon Market (VCM), as well as phasing out fossil fuel subsidies gradually, institutional …

Stakeholder Views Of Real Estate Registration In Egypt And The Reform Of 2022, Karim Alsisi

Theses and Dissertations

Real estate registration in Egypt has historically remained low despite the enactment of a deeds registration law in the 1940s and a title registration law in the 1960s. The 2022 reform (Law No. 9 of 2022) warranted an assessment of its effectiveness through a Public Policy and Administration lens. This thesis has two main objectives: first, to examine stakeholders’ views of the reform; and second, to explore stakeholder perspectives on formal registration and the factors driving registration avoidance by employing a qualitative design, using in-depth interviews with four stakeholder groups encompassing both system users and service providers. The findings revealed …

Pandemic Mask Mandates And Closures Were Linked To Increased Gun Violence, Douglas A. Wolf, Emily W. Wiemers, Iliya Gutin, Jennifer Karas Montez, Shannon M. Monnat

Population Health Research Brief Series

Gun violence worsened substantially during the COVID-19 pandemic. This brief summarizes findings from a study using weekly gun violence casualty data from 2016-2021 for 304 U.S. counties from the Gun Violence Archive and COVID-19 policy data from county-level measures of activity restrictions and masking requirements. The authors find that policies requiring masking and activity restrictions were associated with significant increases in gun violence. Indoor masking requirements were linked to a 28% increase in gun violence, while activity restrictions were associated with a 4.2% increase.

Public Education Rankings In The Mountain West, 2025, Anthony Arroyo, Yiselle Olivas Ruiz, Olivia K. Cheche, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

K-12 Education

This fact sheet reports 2025 public education rankings for the Mountain West states of Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah. The Consumer Affairs report, “Best States for Public Education 2025,” ranks all 50 U.S. states across four categories: K-12 performance, school funding and resources, higher education quality, and school safety. This fact sheet also highlights the change in each Mountain West state’s overall ranking between 2024 and 2025.

Challenges In Alaskan Rural Pharmaceutical Delivery, Faith Ozer Green, Michael S. Jones

CAEPR Presentations

In remote Alaska, aviation supply chains are critical to maintaining timely flow of food and medicines to communities. We map these supply chains, and present preliminary findings from a pharmaceutical shipment data partnership with a state Tribal Health Organization. Mean and distributional shipment time are presented for communities on versus off the road system, and a multiyear regional map is presented outlining propensity for shipment times over one week. Ongoing work will incorporate multiple additional Tribal Health Organization datasets in a comprehensive econometric framework.

Student Disruptions And Teacher Turnover, Kyuhan Choi, Ying Shi, Maria Zhu

Center for Policy Research

This paper examines how exposure to disruptive students affects teacher retention using linked teacher–student administrative records from North Carolina. To address non-random classroom assignment, we instrument for classroom exposure using the school-by-grade share of disruptive students based on prior-year disciplinary infractions. A 10 percentage point increase in the share of disruptive students raises the probability of an early-career teacher leaving the school in the following year by 1.0 percentage points. Notably, working in a school environment with supportive leadership and greater teacher autonomy, particularly around student conduct policies, mitigates the impact of student disruptions.

A Qualitative Study Of Medical Cannabis Policy For Multiple Sclerosis In Kansas And Colorado, Haydn Primrose

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Medical cannabis may alleviate symptoms associated with multiple sclerosis (MS), yet access to cannabis-based treatment (CBT) remains inconsistent across U.S. states. The research problem was that state policy variation and administrative implementation produce inequitable access and clinical uncertainty for individuals with MS and for clinicians and policymakers responsible for compliant care decisions. Existing literature on cannabis for MS primarily addresses symptom relief, including spasticity reduction, pain relief, and improved sleep quality; however, access policies vary by state. The purpose of this qualitative systematic review was to synthesize evidence on policy and administrative barriers shaping access to medical cannabis for MS …

Urban Sprawl And Residential Carbon Emissions: Evidence From Indonesia And The Philippines, Yi Jiang, Taylor Lathrop, Alexander D. Rothenberg, Yao Wang

Center for Policy Research

This paper studies how neighborhood density affects residential carbon emissions, using detailed data from Indonesia and the Philippines. To address simultaneity, we instrument density with soil characteristics, and to address sorting, we control for community averages of observed characteristics. Unlike cities in developed countries, we find that density is positively correlated with residential energy use. After controlling for sorting, we find a precise null relationship between density and residential carbon emissions. Our results suggest that policies to control urban sprawl may not be successful in reducing residential carbon emissions in developing country cities.

A Policy Reversal As Structural Break: A Lesson From China’S Land Lease Financing For Infrastructure, Yilin Hou, Lin Li, Lei Shao

Center for Policy Research

Land-based revenues as a fiscal instrument to finance infrastructure tie public investment to real estate markets, where demand fluctuations cause fiscal consequences. This paper takes policy reversals as structural breaks and examines their impacts on infrastructure investment. We dissect China’s 2016 policy reversal that disallowed developers to finance land purchase with debt, causing sharp declines in local government land revenues, slashing their fiscal base for infrastructure investment. Using prefecture-level panel data and continuous difference-in-differences identification, we estimate the reversal reduced land-lease revenues by 55%. Two-stage least squares estimates suggest a 10% land-revenue decline translates into 6.6% investment reduction. Decomposing the …

A Caregiver’S Perspective Of Caring For Children With Intellectual Disabilities, Lajoy Johnson Law

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Current estimates reported by the National Institute of Health suggest that between 1.4 and 2.2 million children in the United States have some form of intellectual disability. These children need caregivers, yet in the literature there is a lack of studies focusing on the experiences of caregivers raising children with intellectual disabilities. Further, there is a lack of public policies and programs for Washington, D.C. caregivers. The purpose of this general qualitative study was to explore the lived experiences of these caregivers in Washington, D.C. and to identify what policies, programs, and services are needed to support them. Guided by …

Exploring The Impact Of Antidiscrimination Laws On Child-Welfare Workers Working With Lgbtq Foster Youth, Heather Kesterson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer/questioning (LGBTQ) youth are overrepresented in the foster care system and have unique needs compared to their peers. In the state of Virginia, there is an antidiscrimination policy that protects LGBTQ foster youth; however, it is unclear how this impacts child welfare workers. Past literature has explored the needs of LGBTQ youth, the experiences of foster parents, and policy implications, but not the impact of antidiscrimination laws on child welfare workers. The purpose of this generic qualitative study was to explore the understanding of child welfare workers’ knowledge, integration, training, and implications of Virginia’s antidiscrimination …

Forecasting Budget Requirement For Indonesian Arms Modernisation With International Cost Escalation (Ice), Curie Maharani, Reyhan Noor, Sandy J. Pratama, Ganesh A. Wicaksono

Global: Jurnal Politik Internasional

In 2021, the question "How much is enough" emerged in national debate following the plan of the then Indonesian Defence Minister, Prabowo Subianto, to allocate 1.7 quadrillion Rupiah for military modernisation from 2020 to 2045. This article follows up on this debate by recommending a budget forecasting model for the weapons acquisition requirements of the Indonesian National Defence Forces (TNI) during the period 2025 to 2044. The model is built by considering International Cost Escalation (ICE), which is the increase in the unit cost of successive generations of similar weapons, causing a steady increase in the price of weapons systems …

Symbolic Reform Or Substantive Change? The Effect Of Body-Worn Camera Implementation On Lethal Use-Of-Force In Missouri, Sophia A. Tuncer

CMC Senior Theses

This thesis investigates whether body-worn cameras reduce lethal use-of-force among police departments in Missouri. Aggregating data from the Bureau of Justice Statistics and Mapping Police Violence, I create a panel of 188 cities in Missouri, with and without body-worn camera adoption. The OLS and Poisson regression results show that body-worn cameras do not have a significant effect on lethal use-of-force in the short run, but that the technology does significantly lower lethal use-of-force in the medium run.

Leadership And Creative Placemaking In Central Appalachia: Morehead, Kentucky, Toni C. Hobbs

Theses and Dissertations--Arts Administration

In rural Appalachia, longstanding patterns of extractive economic development, coupled with limited public investment and uneven institutional support, have contributed to persistent economic stagnation and a diminished sense of pride among residents. These conditions reflect deeper structural challenges, including economies shaped by resource extraction and external control. Addressing these conditions is critical to fostering economic growth, promoting cultural heritage, and enhancing overall well-being in the region. By cultivating resilient communities, leaders can create environments in which both the economy and local pride can thrive, contributing to a more prosperous and unified Appalachian region.

This study investigates the organizational and leadership …

Domestic Worker Abuse Among Diplomatic Force: The Need To Enhance Communication For Domestic Worker Safety, Martyne A. Volcy

Theses and Dissertations

This study investigates patterns of domestic worker abuse in the working relationship between a foreign migrant domestic worker and their diplomat employer. This study focuses on the role of communication as a protection for domestic worker safety. The aim of this research is to explore the unique employer-employee relationship between a domestic worker and diplomat, and whether there are safeguards in place that allow for the domestic worker to perform their duties, without circumstances of domestic worker abuse. This study examines the relationships between communication, knowledge, and power within the system of Diplomacy through the lens of domestic employees alleging …

Digital Redlining In The Smart City: Artificial Intelligence, Housing Law, And Structural Urban Inequality, Spurthi Nrusimhadevara

Undergraduate Scholarship and Creative Works

Artificial intelligence is increasingly used in urban housing systems, where it shapes decisions about tenant screening, rent pricing, lending, zoning, and neighborhood investment. Although these tools are often promoted as efficient and impartial, they frequently rely on historical data that reflect racial, economic, and spatial inequality. As a result, AI systems can reproduce discriminatory outcomes even when protected characteristics are not directly used. This paper examines digital redlining in the smart city and argues that algorithmic housing tools mirror long standing structural inequities that raise significant concerns under fair housing and civil rights law. It evaluates how automated screening, predictive …

Localized Air Pollution Impacts From Data Centers In Northern Virginia, Damian Pitt, Ivan Suen, Ellie Plisko

Institute for Sustainable Energy and Environment Publications and Presentations

This report examins the extent of air pollution emissions resulting from the use of backup generators at data centers in Northern Virginia, including both actual current emissions and potential future emissions, and how those emissions totals compare to other sources of air pollution in the Northern Virginia region. It also examines how exposure to data center emissions correlates with demographic characteristics such as race, income, and education.

We while the air pollution emissions from individual data centers is minor, the collective impact from the 100+ such facilities in the Northern Virginia region is significant. Notably, the cumulative emissions exposure in …

Computational Clinical Judgment: Predicting Risk With Large Language Models, Hannah Laqueur, Ryan W. Copus

Faculty Works

For seventy years, research has shown actuarial methods outperform clinical judgment. Yet actuarial approaches have limitations: they generally rely on structured data; cannot exploit rare case-specific details; have limited accuracy where outcome data are scarce or incomplete; and cannot offer case-level justifications. Large language models (LLMs) offer a different approach. Like actuarial methods, they aggregate information algorithmically, but like clinicians, they bring general knowledge and can provide case-level justifications. We prompted seven LLMs to assess rearrest risk from 113 parole hearing transcripts and compared their predictions to a machine learning model trained on 4,000 cases with 91 administrative variables. GPT-5 …

The Effects Of Pornography On Romantic Relationships, Jade A. Green

McNair Scholars Research

This study examined the relationship among pornography use, attitudes toward pornography, and romantic relationship outcomes among adults in the United States. The hypotheses are as follows: 1. Pornography use is negatively associated with relationship satisfaction. 2. Positive attitudes toward pornography are negatively associated with relationship satisfaction. 3. Men will report more positive attitudes toward pornography than women, 4. Higher pornography use is associated with being single.  A convenience sample of 165 adults from central Arkansas completed measures assessing pornography use/acceptance and relationship satisfaction. Statistical analyses included a correlation matrix, an independent-samples t-test, and a chi-square analysis. Results showed that pornography …