Public Policy Commons^™

A Woman’S Worth, Kimberly D. Krawiec

Faculty Scholarship

This Article examines three traditionally “taboo trades”: (1) the sale of sex, (2) compensated egg donation, and (3) commercial surrogacy. The Article purposely invokes examples in which the compensated provision of goods or services (primarily or exclusively by women) is legal, but in which commodification is only partially achieved or is constrained in some way. I argue that incomplete commodification disadvantages female providers in these instances, by constraining their agency, earning power, or status. Moreover, anticommodification and coercion rhetoric is sometimes invoked in these settings by interest groups who, at best, have little interest in female empowerment and, at worst, …

Arbitrary Arrest And Detention Of Human Rights Defenders In Iran: Subduing The Voices Demanding Rights, Sachchi Karki

Human Rights & Human Welfare

Arbitrary arrest and detention, oftentimes used to curtail the freedom of opinion and expression, as well as the right to association and peaceful assembly, has continued to characterize Iranian regimes since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Such arrest and detention of human rights defenders (HRD)–who individually or with others act to protect and promote human rights—has demonstrated the repressive nature of the Iranian regime. Human rights lawyers, civil society representatives, journalists, and women’s rights movements and trade union activists are among the most commonly targeted HRD.

Introduction: Human Rights In The Middle East And North Africa (Mena), Raslan Ibrahim

Human Rights & Human Welfare

The wave of revolutions and popular uprisings across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) at the dawn of 2011 highlights the inescapable relevance and impact of human rights on the region’s politics and security. The Arab regimes’ violations of human rights and lack of respect to the human dignity of their citizens are in fact the seeds of the Jasmine revolution in Tunisia, the rebellion of the Egyptian people against Mubarak regime, as well as the ongoing uprisings across the rest of MENA. The women and men who are protesting in the streets of Egypt, Bahrain, Libya, Syria, Yemen, …

Persecution Of Coptic Christians In Modern Egypt, Alla Rubinstein

Human Rights & Human Welfare

The Christian community of Egypt dates back to the seventeenth century and comprises 12 per cent of the population today. As one of the oldest churches of the world, the Coptic Christian Church, first formed in Alexandria, has stood resilient and faithful to its traditions against intolerance, siege and persecutions. Having been present in most institutions of the state among the overwhelmingly Sunni-Muslim population, Copts are not new to the slow process of Islamization that Egypt has been undergoing for the last twenty years. What has been unique to the recent Coptic experience is the forced integration of Shari’a law …

Dying For Love: Homosexuality In The Middle East, Heather Simmons

Human Rights & Human Welfare

Today in the United States, the most frequent references to the Middle East are concerned with the War on Terrorism. However, there is another, hidden battle being waged: the war for human rights on the basis of sexuality. Homosexuality is a crime in many of the Middle Eastern states and is punishable by death in Sudan, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Qatar, Kuwait, and Iran (Ungar 2002). Chronic abuses and horrific incidences such as the 2009 systematic murders of hundreds of “gay” men in Iraq are seldom reported in the international media. Speculation as to why this population is hidden includes the …

On Visibly Dangerous Silliness, Anthony Chase

Human Rights & Human Welfare

“Silly” is what Ramadan calls the Swiss minaret referendum. He urges, in response to its passage, that Swiss Muslims be more rather than less visible. Each point is worth reflection. How and why does silliness transform itself into danger? And how and why is visibility the correct response to such danger—even if it leads in directions Ramadan may not suspect?

Green Building In The Pacific Northwest: Next Steps For An Emerging Trend, Office Of Sustainability, Boise State University, Public Policy Center, Boise State University, Susan Mason, Anthony Marker, Rebecca Mirsky

Research and Reports

This report provides an understanding of why green building is important to our communities, a brief look at the emergence of green building standards, research evidence on the perceived pros and cons of green building, and original research on green building in the Pacific Northwest. The original research is an analysis of perspectives voiced in conversations, focus groups and surveys with both members of the construction industry and local government on the barriers and incentives to green building in their local communities. As nearly 500 construction industry members and just over 300 local governments participated in the research, this report …

The Elder Economic Security Initiative™ Program: The Elder Economic Security Standard™ Index For New York, Gerontology Institute, University Of Massachusetts Boston, Wider Opportunities For Women

Gerontology Institute Publications

This report addresses income adequacy for New York’s older adults using the national WOW-GI National Elder Economic Security Standard Index (Elder Index) methodology. The Elder Index benchmarks basic costs of living for elder households and illustrates how costs of living vary geographically and are based on the characteristics of elder households, including household size, home ownership or renter status, and health status. The costs are based on market costs for basic needs of elder households and do not assume any public or private supports.

Fiscal Decentralization In Taiwan : A Case Study Of The Centrally-Allotted Tax Revenue Program And Local Financial Accountability, Nai-Ling Kuo

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Fiscal decentralization has generated enormous interest in the past two decades. Despite some remaining skepticism regarding fiscal decentralization, many countries have adopted various forms in an effort to improve public service quality. The primary objectives of this dissertation are to understand fiscal decentralization in unitary countries, to gain information about the role of the equalization program in local finances, and to investigate local financial accountability issues in a unitary country. Three independent but linked studies were conducted to achieve the above objectives. They employ case studies on Taiwan's equalization transfer program, the Centrally-Allotted Tax Revenue (CATR) program, and local financial …

Thinking Beyond Performance Indicators : A Holistic Study Of Organizational Information Use, Natalie Christine Helbig

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Government agencies are continually challenged to find ways to improve the implementation of public programs in order to serve the needs of citizens and deliver public value. Governments around the world have adopted performance-related activities, primarily focused on the development and use of performance measurement as a major way to achieve these improvements. However, research to-date has focused predominately on managerial use of performance information for decision making and has narrowly defined the nature of information and knowledge. Theorizing and problematizing the relationships and impacts of information and knowledge on public organizations and public management are needed.

The Nebraska Minority Justice Committee Progress Report 2010

University of Nebraska Public Policy Center: Publications

The Nebraska Minority Justice Committee (MJC) is a unique statewide collaboration that works to develop and implement just and sustainable policy reforms that will not only improve the system of justice but will also strengthen public trust and confidence in our laws and court system. The Committee is a joint effort of the Nebraska State Bar Association and the Nebraska Supreme Court, appointed by the Supreme Court in May of 2003 in response to a Task Force’s two-year investigation of racial and ethnic fairness in Nebraska’s court system.

The mission of the Committee is to achieve three primary aims:

• …

2010 Nebraska State Suicide Prevention Summit Final Report

University of Nebraska Public Policy Center: Publications

The Nebraska State Suicide Prevention Coalition convened the Suicide Prevention Summit on Friday, January 29th, 2010. The event was hosted by BryanLGH West in Lincoln, and 24 sites across the state participated via videocast through the Nebraska Statewide Telehealth Network. The goal of the event was to provide an overview of suicide as a public health concern in Nebraska, present opportunities to discuss local needs related to suicide prevention, and featured an introduction to best practices in suicide prevention.

The audience of the Summit was comprised of 270 community members, professionals, suicide survivors, and youth and adults interested in promoting …

Housing And Community Development, Michael P. Johnson Jr.

Public Policy and Public Affairs Faculty Publication Series

Researchers in housing and community development design and evaluate policies regarding access to attractive, affordable and sustainable housing and improving the social, physical and economic infrastructure of communities, especially those in the urban core. Practitioners in this field confront political considerations, administrative guidelines and limited funding.

Decision science can increase the efficiency and effectiveness of market-rate housing development and provide support for policy responses to issues such as affordable housing, race and class segregation, ineffective and/or inequitable economic development, and sustainable development. This research spans many disciplines, including systems modeling, urban economics, multi-criteria decision modeling, stochastic models and decision support …

The Winners In China’S Urban Housing Reform, John R. Logan, Yiping Fang, Zhanxin Zhang

Urban Studies and Planning Faculty Publications and Presentations

Housing reform in China has proceeded on two tracks: privatization of public housing and development of a new private housing sector. During this period of transition, rents have remained relatively low in the remaining public housing, and purchase prices offered to occupants of public housing have been well below market prices. Although these rents and prices are partly based on known formulas, there is considerable variability in how much people pay for similar apartments. This study uses 2000 Census data to estimate the housing subsidy received by the remaining renters in the public sector and purchasers of public housing, based …

Saving Saba Bank: Policy Implications Of Biodiversity Studies, Paul C. Hoetjes, Kent E. Carpenter

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Saba Bank has always been an area of special importance to the neighboring island of Saba in the Netherlands Antilles. Sabans traditionally fished on the Bank as far back as 1907, but increasing foreign fishing pressures on the Bank in the 1970s and 1980s forced many Saban fishermen out. Concerns were compounded by the suspicion that shipping was also damaging the benthic habitat of the bank. Fishery legislation, enacted in 1996, brought an end to unlicensed fishing and established Coast Guard enforcement on the Bank, but also led to protests from neighboring countries that previously fished on the Bank.Research was …

The Impact Of The Mckinney-Vento Program On The End-Of-Grade Test Scores Of Homeless Grade 6 Students, George Hendricks

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Congressional concern about homeless students resulted in the McKinney-Vento Act (MCKV) in 2001, which provides funds to local educational agencies (LEAs). MCKV is almost a decade old, yet no evaluations of its academic effectiveness have been reported. Using a systems theory framework, this study answered research questions (RQs) involving whether normally housed students in Grade 6 scored higher than homeless students in Grade 6 in reading (RQ 1) and math (RQ 2) on end-of-grade (EOG) test scores and whether homeless students in Grade 6 from LEAs that received MCKV funding scored better in reading (RQ 3) and math (RQ 4) …

Snapshot 2010: Maine Workers With Disabilities, Maine’S Commission On Disability And Employment, Choices Ceo Project

Disability & Aging

No abstract provided.

Iraq Mine Action Strategy (2010-2012), Gichd

Global CWD Repository

The first draft of a mine action strategy in Iraq was formulated in 2004 in line with the urgent requirement to structure and organize mine action in Iraq in order to support national development priorities in line with the National Development Strategy (NDS).

At the time of the development of this strategy it was not clear what the role of each of the involved Ministries, civil society organizations and the United Nations support program for mine action, which made it incapable of achieving it goals in a manner consistent with that stage.

And thus the current mine action strategy was …

Evaluation Of The Humanitarian Mine Action Activities Of Norwegian People's Aid, Gichd

Global CWD Repository

This report presents the findings, conclusions and recommendations of an evaluation of the Norwegian support to Norwegian People's Aid's mine action programmes commissioned by Norad's Evaluation Department and undertaken by COWI A/S. The evaluation provides information on the results of Norwegian People's Aid's humanitarian mine activities, and provides recommendations that can be used in future identification, design, and implementation of humanitarian mine activities.

Portfolio Of Mine Action Projects 2010, Unmas

Global CWD Repository

Since the anti-personnel mine-ban treaty was adopted in September 1997, mine action has helped an ever-increasing number of civilians reclaim their lives and restore their livelihoods. The treaty has helped mobilize the international community’s response to landmines and their impact on people. It is a testament to what can be achieved when we collectively take on a grave humanitarian and development challenge.

The United Nations pledges to assist mine-affected countries in meeting their obligations under the anti-personnel mine-ban treaty and other international norms related to mine action. The United Nations continues to clear areas known or believed to be contaminated …