Public Policy Commons^™

State Homeland Security : Variation And Patterns Among The U.S. States, Lisa N. Sacco

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

This dissertation examines the homeland security organizations of the 50 states, and describes what systems the states have created for homeland security policy and structure. The purpose of this dissertation is to determine how each state homeland security organization was developed, describe each organization, and ascertain if patterns of homeland security have emerged among the states. This descriptive study also uncovers philosophical differences in the states' interpretation of homeland security.

The Effects Of Organizational Factors On The Performance Of Federal Foia Implementation, Hyuckbin Kwon

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

The study aims to identify organizational factors that influence the performance of implementation of the U.S. Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and to investigate the strength and direction of their effects. Although FOIA is a critical statute to promote right to know and democratic accountability, its implementation by federal agencies has been frequently criticized for delay of information disclosure and a large backlog of unresolved requests. This exploratory study can be considered one of first academic efforts to analyze the relationship between organizational factors and the performance of FOIA implementation using empirical methods. The study analyzed quantitative secondary data from …

Acts Of Defiance : Local Policy Innovation And Diffusion In Same-Sex Marriage, Karyn Teressa Andrade

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Like many other controversial social issues, same-sex marriage has followed the ebb and flow of the political stream for almost 30 years in the United States. What pulled this policy issue out of the policy stream and placed it front and center in the public's mind were the actions of a handful of local officials who, in the winter of 2004, acted against the status quo and instituted public policies in favor of same-sex marriage. This research provides a case study analysis of the six localities whose officials acted in defiance of law and social custom, and began issuing marriage …

Modeling For Policy Change : A Feedback Perspective On Improving The Effectiveness Of Coastal And Marine Management, Donald David Robadue Jr.

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Those advocating for effective management of the use of coastal areas and ecosystems have long aspired for an approach to governance that includes information systems with the capability to predict the end results of various courses of action, monitor the impacts of decisions and compare results with those predicted by computer models in order to suggest alterations in the actions needed if the goals are not being achieved. This dissertation draws on system dynamics modeling, content analysis and professional experience to explore four decades of experience in the United States as well as international cases to reveal lessons and strategies …

The Impact Of The Welfare Reforms Of 1996 On Migration, Participation And Residential Choice, Samrat Bose

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA) of 1996 gives states wide latitude to institute eligibility rules for welfare payment, set welfare payment amounts and decide on the income threshold that trigger welfare payments under the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program. Do recipients shop around for the best deal by migrating to a state with higher benefits and liberal eligibility rules in the post-welfare reform era? Does the migration behavior of single mothers support the lifecycle hypothesis? Do states with higher welfare payments and easier eligibility rules have increased participation rates for their migrant population compared …

The Development And Regulation Of Civil Society : Perspectives From The Andes, Susan Marie Appe

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

This dissertation is an empirical analysis of a government policy tool--registry of civil society organizations--targeted toward civil society, how civil society and nonprofit organizations respond to the policy tool, and how it influences the development of civil society. The theoretical framework is based on concepts from literature on mapping civil society, policy studies, nonprofit studies, and development studies. The analysis is based on data collected through administrative and legislative documents and 82 interviews with nonprofit leaders in Ecuador and Colombia, South America.

Electronic Health Records: Eliciting Behavioral Health Providers’ Beliefs [Brief Reports], Nancy C. Shank, Elizabeth Willborn, Lisa M. Pytlik Zillig, Harmonijoie Noel

Nancy Shank Publications

Interviews with 32 community behavioral health providers elicited perceived benefits and barriers of using electronic health records. Themes identified were (a) quality of care, (b) privacy and security, and (c) delivery of services. Benefits to quality of care were mentioned by 100% of the providers, and barriers by 59% of providers. Barriers involving privacy and security concerns were mentioned by 100% of providers, and benefits by 22%. Barriers to delivery of services were mentioned by 97% of providers, and benefits by 66%. Most providers (81%) expressed overall positive support for electronic behavioral health records.

Alternatives To Piloting In Bracksih Waters: Accuracy And Precision Of Commerical Reverse Osmosis Membrane Design Model Projections, Erika Mancha

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

In a time of economic recession and drought, the Texas Water Development Board is reviewing alternatives to the current Texas Commission on Environmental Quality requirement of demonstration-scale pilot testing membrane desalination to decrease permitting costs and project construction delays. One alternative is to use engineering judgment with membrane manufacturer's software models to predict membrane performance and ensure that product water quality requirements will be met. To comply with state permitting requirements, the first few months of successful full-scale operation can be submitted in lieu of pilot demonstration.

The goal of this research is to characterize the accuracy and precision of …

Federal Neighborhood Stabilization Policy Deployment In Select Florida Jurisdictions, Kevin Carl Mccarthy

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In 2008 the Federal government enacted a Neighborhood Stabilization Program (NSP) to address the neighborhood effects of the late-2000s foreclosure crisis. Congress subsequently funded a second and third NSP. This research employs mixed methods to examine the effectiveness of the first round of the NSP in three Florida jurisdictions. The results are analyzed within the larger context of substantive housing theory and federal housing policy. The success of the program is evaluated using a mixed-scanning procedural planning theoretical framework.

The Age Of Greed And The Sabotage Of Regulation, Rena I. Steinzor

Faculty Scholarship

President Obama has exhibited a steadfast determination to respond with conciliation to intemperate and relentless demands by his political opponents that he dismantle regulation because it is undermining the nation’s economy. Viewed from the perspective of winning either political support or the basis for compromise with Republican legislative leaders, his concessions seem not only to have failed, but have also made matters significantly worse because, as negotiation experts would remind us, responding to highly competitive negotiation tactics with conciliation incites escalating confrontations and even more extreme demands.

The Article uses the Administration’s decision to kill a proposed rule updating “hazardous …

How Well Do Home Energy Audits Serve The Homeowner?, Aaron Ingle, Mithra Moezzi, Loren Lutzenhiser, Richard Diamond

Center for Urban Studies Publications and Reports

Home energy audits administered by utilities and government typically provide homeowners with lists of technical upgrade recommendations intended to increase the technical energy efficiency of the house. Audits proceed with assessment of physical characteristics, subsequently processed with a computational model and transformed into a report, sometimes customized by the auditor. While the design of an energy audit reflects program and policy points of view – balancing program cost with expected program savings, educating people about the value of energy efficiency, etc. – it is crucial to consider the criteria for a good home energy audit and recommendations from homeowners’ points …

Lifestyles, Buildings And Technologies: What Matters Most?, Loren Lutzenhiser, Huafen Hu, Mithra Moezzi, Anthony Michael Levenda, James Woods

Center for Urban Studies Publications and Reports

There is considerable variation across households in energy use, even within similar climates and housing styles. There is also considerable variation in energy savings following upgrades of housing and appliances. We combine empirical data on household consumption with advanced simulation modeling techniques to investigate just how much behavior matters in determining consumption levels. compared to weather, technology and building characteristics. We explore several new concepts, including the BETA (building, environment, technology, activity) Model of household energy use, a habitation zone approach that can be used to differentiate BETA effects, and a hybrid (simulation/ statistical) end-use consumption analysis approach. For illustrative …

Swiss Foundation On Mine Action 2012 Annual Report, Fsd

Global CWD Repository

The adventure of the Swiss Foundation on Mine Action (FSD) started 16 years ago with demining activities and the destruction of antipersonnel mines. It is only natural that the FSD very quickly broadened the range of its activities to encompass all types of mines and unexploded ordnances of war.

Thanks to the know-how it acquired and to its experience in project management, FSD was able to successfully embark on new projects dealing with all types of explosives, be it in or on the ground like cluster munitions, battlefield clearance, ammunitions stockpile management and destruction of stocks.

Today our demining activities …

Danchurchaid 2012 Annual Report, Dca

Global CWD Repository

DanChurchAid’s purpose is to empower the world’s poorest in their struggle for a dignified life. The work is based on a Christian view of human nature as well as respect for the individual’s human rights and the equality of all human beings. DanChurchAid has its roots in the Danish Evangelical Lutheran Church, but works wherever the need is greatest irrespective of religion, gender, political conviction, race, nationality or ethnicity, disability or sexual orientation. DanChurchAid carries out humanitarian and development aid and mine clearance in close cooperation with churches and other cooperative partners. DanChurchAid is an independent organisation. The work is …

Evaluation Of United Nations Development Programme Support To The Tajikistan Mine Action Programme, Rebecca Roberts

Global CWD Repository

The evaluation of the Support to Tajikistan Mine Action Programme (STMAP) was commissioned by UNDP to:

• Develop a roadmap for the future of TMAC
• Review the progress of STMAP against the goals of CPAP, UNDAF 2010-2015 and the national mine action strategy 2010-2015

The evaluation was conducted over a month and involved document review and a two week field visit to Tajikistan to interview TMAC staff and partners, and observe mine action activities.

An Analysis Of Regularizations Of Undocumented Residents In Spain And The Underground Economy: Insight For United States Policy Makers, Jon R. Davis

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

There were an estimated 11 million undocumented residents in the United States in 2010. The issue of undocumented migration and how it should be addressed is a contentious topic in the United States. However, the discussions about how to address illegal migration into the United States rarely include any comparisons to other measures that have been taken in other countries. There are many countries, such as Spain, that have large undocumented resident populations.

This analysis looks at policies that have been enacted in Spain since 1985 to enable undocumented residents to receive legal resident status, referred to as regularizations and …

Deinstitutionalization And Its Discontents: American Mental Health Policy Reform, Olga Loraine Kofman

CMC Senior Theses

In 1963, President John F. Kennedy signed the Mental Retardation and Community Mental Health Centers Construction Act, establishing the beginnings of deinstitutionalization in the United States. By some counts, this Act was a stupendous policy success—by others, a dismal failure. 50 years later, no cohesive national mental health care policy has emerged to deal with increased rates of mental illness among the homeless and the incarcerated. However, California has made enormous strides to create a state policy which provides adequate services to the mildly, moderately, and severely mentally ill as well as adequate funding for those services through Proposition 63, …

Personal Experiences With Mainecare Services From People Who Use Elder And Adults With Disabilities Waiver And Private Duty Nursing/Personal Care Services., Julie T. Fralich Mba, Katherine Rosingana, Mark Richards Bs, Louise Olsen, Vanessa Bell, Jennifer Pratt

Disability & Aging

This report provides the results from a survey and personal interviews that were conducted with MaineCare members who use long term services and supports -- specifically those who are on the Elder and Adults with Disabilities Waiver and those using Private Duty Nursing (PDN) Services. People who are eligible for these services generally need nursing care and assistance with a combination of activities of daily living (e.g. eating, toileting, mobility, transfer) and instrumental activities of daily living (e.g. meal preparation, grocery shopping, housework). People on the Waiver are medically eligible to be in a nursing home. The purpose of the …

Book Review. Pollack, S. D., War, Revenue, And State Building: Financing The Development Of The American State, Ajay K. Mehrotra

Articles by Maurer Faculty

No abstract provided.

Unmas 2012 Annual Report, Unmas

Global CWD Repository

The year 2012 was an important one for UNMAS. Delivering on its commitment, UNMAS has successfully led and completed the United Nations Mine Action Strategy, which was endorsed, last December, by the heads of United Nations entities active in mine action. This was a welcome reaffirmation of UNMAS leadership and coordination role. Simultaneously, my counterparts entrusted UNMAS with the responsibility of establishing, hosting and operating the United Nations Monitoring and Evaluation Mechanism for Mine Action, a commitment to accountability and transparency that I wholeheartedly support. The Secretary-General appointed a new Director, the first woman to occupy this post, who immediately …