Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Social policy – Statistical methods'
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Neylan, Julian School of History & Philosophy of Science UNSW. "The sociology of numbers: statistics and social policy in Australia." Awarded by:University of New South Wales. School of History and Philosophy of Science, 2005. http://handle.unsw.edu.au/1959.4/31963.
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This dissertation presents an historical-sociological study of how governments of the modern western state use the language and techniques of quantification in the domain of social policy. The case material has an Australian focus. The thesis argues that by relying on techniques of quantification, governments risk introducing a false legitimacy to their social policy decisions. The thesis takes observed historical phenomena, language and techniques of quantification for signifying the social, and seeks meaningful interpretations in light of the culturally embedded actions of individuals and collective members of Australian bureaucracies. These interpretations are framed by the arguments of a range of scholars on the sociology of mathematics and quantitative technologies. The interpretative framework is in turn grounded in the history and sociology of modernity since the Enlightenment period, with a particular focus on three aspects: the nature and purpose of the administrative bureaucracy, the role of positivism in shaping scientific inquiry and the emergence of a risk consciousness in the late twentieth century. The thesis claim is examined across three case studies, each representative of Australian government action in formulating social policy or providing human services. Key social entities examined include the national census of population, housing needs indicators, welfare program performance and social capital. The analysis of these social statistics reveals a set of recurring characteristics that are shown to reduce their certainty. The analysis provides evidence for a common set of institutional attitudes toward social numbers, essentially that quantification is an objective technical device capable of reducing unstable social entities to stable, reliable significations (numbers). While this appears to strengthen the apparatus of governmentality for developing and implementing state policy, ignoring the many unarticulated and arbitrary judgments that are embedded in social numbers introduces a false legitimacy to these government actions.
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McElvain, James Patrick. "Domestic violence: An evaluation of policy effects on arrests for the Riverside County Sheriff's Department from 1987 to 1997." CSUSB ScholarWorks, 1998. https://scholarworks.lib.csusb.edu/etd-project/1817.
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Melendez-Torres, G. J. "Substance use, situational characteristics and sexual outcomes in men who have sex with men." Thesis, University of Oxford, 2014. http://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:3b96091e-ee63-4f1d-abd9-fde5a67d1978.
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This thesis presents an empirical investigation into substance use, situational characteristics and sexual outcomes in men who have sex with men (MSM) motivated by the high rates of substance use in MSM; the association between substance use and sexual risk behaviours in MSM; the lack of specific theory addressing relationships between substance use, sexual interactions and social interactions between MSM; and the need for clearer understandings of encounter-level associations with sexual risk. Qualitative metasynthesis. This thesis begins with laying the methodological groundwork for a qualitative metasynthesis that theorises the relationship between substance use and social spaces in MSM, with a particular focus on sexual outcomes. The qualitative metasynthesis derives the key organising perspective of ‘littoral spaces’ in which substance use is associated with a pre-planned, though temporary, escape from the boundaries of everyday life to engage in maximal sensory exploration, including through sexual contact. Systematic review of multiple-event analyses. The thesis then turns to a systematic review of previous quantitative multiple-event analyses examining associations between situational characteristics and sexual outcomes, which establishes the need for additional multiple-event analyses addressing specific substance use, location of sex, partner serodiscordance and partner type. Multiple-event analyses. Finally, informed by the qualitative metasynthesis and the systematic review of event-level analyses, this thesis presents multiple-event analyses addressing unprotected anal intercourse (UAI), pleasure and control as sexual outcomes in MSM in England. These analyses found that substance use was associated with greater odds of UAI and pleasure, but not with control, and that non-private locations of sex were associated with decreased odds of UAI and pleasure, but not control. Furthermore, there was sparse evidence of interactions between respondent and partner substance use and between respondent substance use and location of sex in associations with sexual outcomes. These analyses contribute to understandings of associations between substance use, situational characteristics and sexual risk behaviour by presenting the first known analyses on MSM in England and by examining sexual outcomes besides UAI.
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Valero, Rafael. "Essays on Sparse-Grids and Statistical-Learning Methods in Economics." Doctoral thesis, Universidad de Alicante, 2017. http://hdl.handle.net/10045/71368.
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Compuesta por tres capítulos: El primero es un estudio sobre la implementación the Sparse Grid métodos para es el estudio de modelos económicos con muchas dimensiones. Llevado a cabo mediante aplicaciones noveles del método de Smolyak con el objetivo de favorecer la tratabilidad y obtener resultados preciso. Los resultados muestran mejoras en la eficiencia de la implementación de modelos con múltiples agentes. El segundo capítulo introduce una nueva metodología para la evaluación de políticas económicas, llamada Synthetic Control with Statistical Learning, todo ello aplicado a políticas particulares: a) reducción del número de horas laborales en Portugal en 1996 y b) reducción del coste del despido en España en 2010. La metodología funciona y se erige como alternativa a previos métodos. En términos empíricos se muestra que tras la implementación de la política se produjo una reducción efectiva del desempleo y en el caso de España un incremento del mismo. El tercer capítulo utiliza la metodología utiliza en el segundo capítulo y la aplica para evaluar la implementación del Tercer Programa Europeo para la Seguridad Vial (Third European Road Safety Action Program) entre otras metodologías. Los resultados muestran que la coordinación a nivel europeo de la seguridad vial a supuesto una ayuda complementaria. En el año 2010 se estima una reducción de víctimas mortales de entre 13900 y 19400 personal en toda Europa.
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Anderson, Sarah G. "Statistical Methods for Biological and Relational Data." The Ohio State University, 2013. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1365441350.
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Du, Hailiang. "Combining statistical methods with dynamical insight to improve nonlinear estimation." Thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science (University of London), 2009. http://etheses.lse.ac.uk/66/.
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Physical processes such as the weather are usually modelled using nonlinear dynamical systems. Statistical methods are found to be difficult to draw the dynamical information from the observations of nonlinear dynamics. This thesis is focusing on combining statistical methods with dynamical insight to improve the nonlinear estimate of the initial states, parameters and future states. In the perfect model scenario (PMS), method based on the Indistin-guishable States theory is introduced to produce initial conditions that are consistent with both observations and model dynamics. Our meth-ods are demonstrated to outperform the variational method, Four-dimensional Variational Assimilation, and the sequential method, En-semble Kalman Filter. Problem of parameter estimation of deterministic nonlinear models is considered within the perfect model scenario where the mathematical structure of the model equations are correct, but the true parameter values are unknown. Traditional methods like least squares are known to be not optimal as it base on the wrong assumption that the distribu-tion of forecast error is Gaussian IID. We introduce two approaches to address the shortcomings of traditional methods. The first approach forms the cost function based on probabilistic forecasting; the second approach focuses on the geometric properties of trajectories in short term while noting the global behaviour of the model in the long term. Both methods are tested on a variety of nonlinear models, the true parameter values are well identified. Outside perfect model scenario, to estimate the current state of the model one need to account the uncertainty from both observatiOnal noise and model inadequacy. Methods assuming the model is perfect are either inapplicable or unable to produce the optimal results. It is almost certain that no trajectory of the model is consistent with an infinite series of observations. There are pseudo-orbits, however, that are consistent with observations and these can be used to estimate the model states. Applying the Indistinguishable States Gradient De-scent algorithm with certain stopping criteria is introduced to find rel-evant pseudo-orbits. The difference between Weakly Constraint Four-dimensional Variational Assimilation (WC4DVAR) method and Indis-tinguishable States Gradient Descent method is discussed. By testing on two system-model pairs, our method is shown to produce more consistent results than the WC4DVAR method. Ensemble formed from the pseudo-orbit generated by Indistinguishable States Gradient Descent method is shown to outperform the Inverse Noise ensemble in estimating the current states. Outside perfect model scenario, we demonstrate that forecast with relevant adjustment can produce better forecast than ignoring the existence of model error and using the model directly to make fore-casts. Measurement based on probabilistic forecast skill is suggested to measure the predictability outside PMS.
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Wong, Ching-yat, and 黃靜逸. "Modeling and analysis of continuous opinion dynamics using statistical mechanical methods." Thesis, The University of Hong Kong (Pokfulam, Hong Kong), 2015. http://hdl.handle.net/10722/212615.
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In the past two decades, the advance in computational power and the availability of social interaction data have opened the way for applying statistical physics such as Monte-Carlo simulations, mean-field approximations, and theories of non-linear dynamics and network topology to explain and predict social dynamics. Opinion dynamics is an important topic in the study of social dynamics. In particular, Social Judgment Theory (SJT) is a well-established theory which explains how an individual's opinion changes upon encountering a new idea. SJT is not limited to predicting individual behavior. It also provides a framework for us to exploit statistical mechanical methods to simulate the collective opinion dynamics. Therefore, we proposed a SJT-based model to study opinion dynamics by using both agent-based and density-based approaches. Our model can be regarded as an extension of the famous Deffuant model. Unlike the Deffuant model, our model exhibits opinion polarization, which is a crucial topic in the real world. Through in-depth investigation, we found that the boomerang effect suggested in SJT could be an origin of opinion polarization. In this thesis, I presented and compared the results obtained from agent-based and density-based approaches. I also applied mean-field analysis to explain the interesting observations in phase diagrams and collective opinion dynamics. Lastly, by further adapting our model to heterogeneous agents, I discovered that advocating open-mindedness to a small fraction of agents could reduce the total number of final opinion clusters and the degree of opinion polarization. Our findings might help us to search for feasible solutions towards the problem of opinion polarization.published_or_final_version
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Wright, Christopher M. "Using Statistical Methods to Determine Geolocation Via Twitter." TopSCHOLAR®, 2014. http://digitalcommons.wku.edu/theses/1372.
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With the ever expanding usage of social media websites such as Twitter, it is possible to use statistical inquires to form a geographic location of a person using solely the content of their tweets. According to a study done in 2010, Zhiyuan Cheng, was able to detect a location of a Twitter user within 100 miles of their actual location 51% of the time. While this may seem like an already significant find, this study was done while Twitter was still finding its ground to stand on. In 2010, Twitter had 75 million unique users registered, as of March 2013, Twitter has around 500 million unique users. In this thesis, my own dataset was collected and using Excel macros, a comparison of my results to that of Cheng’s will see if the results have changed over the three years since his study. If found to be that Cheng’s 51% can be shown more efficiently using a simpler methodology, this could have a significant impact on Homeland Security and cyber security measures.
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So, Moon-tong, and 蘇滿堂. "Applications of Bayesian statistical model selection in social scienceresearch." Thesis, The University of Hong Kong (Pokfulam, Hong Kong), 2007. http://hub.hku.hk/bib/B39312951.
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Tai, Hoi-lun Allen, and 戴凱倫. "Stochastic models for inventory systems and networks." Thesis, The University of Hong Kong (Pokfulam, Hong Kong), 2006. http://hub.hku.hk/bib/B37681758.
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吳少輝 and Siu-fai Ng. "The early warning system of debt servicing difficulties of a country, by using statistical method to evaluate economic, social and politicalfactors." Thesis, The University of Hong Kong (Pokfulam, Hong Kong), 1985. http://hub.hku.hk/bib/B31263343.
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Hicks, David C. "Decriminalization by default, the social construction of cannabis harm and policy in Canada." Thesis, National Library of Canada = Bibliothèque nationale du Canada, 1998. http://www.collectionscanada.ca/obj/s4/f2/dsk2/tape15/PQDD_0013/MQ28428.pdf.
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Hwang, Heungsun 1969. "Structural equation modeling by extended redundancy analysis." Thesis, McGill University, 2000. http://digitool.Library.McGill.CA:80/R/?func=dbin-jump-full&object_id=36954.
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A new approach to structural equation modeling based on so-called extended redundancy analysis (ERA) is proposed. In ERA, latent variables are obtained as exact linear combinations of observed variables, and model parameters are estimated by consistently minimizing a single criterion. As a result, the method can avoid limitations of covariance structure analysis (e.g., stringent distributional assumptions, improper solutions, and factor score indeterminacy) in addition to those of partial least squares (e.g., the lack of a global optimization procedure). The method is simple yet versatile enough to fit more complex models; e.g., those with higher-order latent variables and direct effects of observed variables. It can also fit a model to more than one sample simultaneously. Other relevant topics are also discussed, including data transformations, missing data, metric matrices, robust estimation, and efficient estimation. Examples are given to illustrate the proposed method.
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Fang, Zhou. "Reweighting methods in high dimensional regression." Thesis, University of Oxford, 2012. http://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:26f8541a-9e2d-466a-84aa-e6850c4baba9.
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In this thesis, we focus on the application of covariate reweighting with Lasso-style methods for regression in high dimensions, particularly where p ≥ n. We apply a particular focus to the case of sparse regression under a-priori grouping structures. In such problems, even in the linear case, accurate estimation is difficult. Various authors have suggested ideas such as the Group Lasso and the Sparse Group Lasso, based on convex penalties, or alternatively methods like the Group Bridge, which rely on convergence under repetition to some local minimum of a concave penalised likelihood. We propose in this thesis a methodology that uses concave penalties to inspire a procedure whereupon we compute weights from an initial estimate, and then do a single second reweighted Lasso. This procedure -- the Co-adaptive Lasso -- obtains excellent results in empirical experiments, and we present some theoretical prediction and estimation error bounds. Further, several extensions and variants of the procedure are discussed and studied. In particular, we propose a Lasso style method of doing additive isotonic regression in high dimensions, the Liso algorithm, and enhance it using the Co-adaptive methodology. We also propose a method of producing rules based regression estimates for high dimensional non-parametric regression, that often outperforms the current leading method, the RuleFit algorithm. We also discuss extensions involving robust statistics applied to weight computation, repeating the algorithm, and online computation.
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Bolesworth, Karen, and Susan Tufts. "Social welfare policy and the crisis of hunger." CSUSB ScholarWorks, 2001. https://scholarworks.lib.csusb.edu/etd-project/1891.
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The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 has lead to reduced welfare assistance to the needy. This thesis analyzes how families have become increasingly homeless and hungry during the welfare reform years.
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Lai, Yuk-lin, and 賴玉蓮. "Analysis of incomplete survey data with application to the construction of social indicators of Hong Kong." Thesis, The University of Hong Kong (Pokfulam, Hong Kong), 1998. http://hub.hku.hk/bib/B31215440.
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Papa, Bruno Del. "A study of social and economic evolution of human societies using methods of Statistical Mechanics and Information Theory." Universidade de São Paulo, 2014. http://www.teses.usp.br/teses/disponiveis/43/43134/tde-26092014-081449/.
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This dissertation explores some applications of statistical mechanics and information theory tools to topics of interest in anthropology, social sciences, and economics. We intended to develop mathematical and computational models with empirical and theoretical bases aiming to identify important features of two problems: the transitions between egalitarian and hierarchical societies and the emergence of money in human societies. Anthropological data suggest the existence of a correlation between the relative neocortex size and the average size of primates\' groups, most of which are hierarchical. Recent theories also suggest that social and evolutionary pressures are responsible for modications in the cognitive capacity of the individuals, what might have made possible the emergence of different types of social organization. Based on those observations, we studied a mathematical model that incorporates the hypothesis of cognitive costs, attributed for each cognitive social representation, to explain the variety of social structures in which humans may organize themselves. A Monte Carlo dynamics allows for the plotting of a phase diagram containing hierarchical, egalitarian, and intermediary regions. There are roughly three parameters responsible for that behavior: the cognitive capacity, the number of agents in the society, and the social and environmental pressure. The model also introduces a modication in the dynamics to account for a parameter representing the information exchange rate, which induces the correlations amongst the cognitive representations. Those correlations ultimately lead to the phase transition to a hierarchical society. Our results qualitatively agree with anthropological data if the variables are interpreted as their social equivalents. The other model developed during this work tries to give insights into the problem of emergence of a unique medium of exchange, also called money. Predominant economical theories, describe the emergence of money as the result of barter economies evolution. However, criticism recently shed light on the lack of historical and anthropological evidence to corroborate the barter hypothesis, thus bringing out doubts about the mechanisms leading to money emergence and questions regarding the inuence of the social configuration. Recent studies also suggest that money may be perceived by individuals as a perceptual drug and new money theories have been developed aiming to explain the monetization of societies. By developing a computational model based on the previous dynamics for hierarchy emergence, we sought to simulate those phenomena using cognitive representations of economic networks containing information about the exchangeability of any two commodities. Similar mathematical frameworks have been used before, but no discussion about the effects of the social network configuration was presented. The model developed in this dissertation is capable of employing the concept of cognitive representations and of assigning them costs as part of the dynamics. The new dynamics is capable of analyzing how the information exchange depends on the social structure. Our results show that centralized networks, such as star or scale-free structures, yield a higher probability of money emergence. The two models suggest, when observe together, that phase transitions in social organization might be essential factors for the money emergency phenomena, and thus cannot be ignored in future social and economical modeling.Nesta dissertação, utilizamos ferramentas de mecânica estatística e de teoria de informação para aplicações em tópicos significativos ás areas de antropologia, ciências sociais e economia. Buscamos desenvolver modelos matemáticos e computacionais com bases empíricas e teóricas para identificar pontos importantes nas questões referentes à transição entre sociedades igualitárias e hierárquicas e à emergência de dinheiro em sociedades humanas. Dados antropológicos sugerem que há correlação entre o tamanho relativo do neocórtex e o tamanho médio de grupos de primatas, predominantemente hierárquicos, enquanto teorias recentes sugerem que pressões sociais e evolutivas alteraram a capacidade cognitiva dos indivíduos, possibilitando sua organização social em outras configurações. Com base nestas observações, desenvolvemos um modelo matemático capaz de incorporar hipóteses de custos cognitivos de representações sociais para explicar a variação de estruturas sociais encontradas em sociedades humanas. Uma dinâmica de Monte Carlo permite a construção de um diagrama de fase, no qual é possivel identificar regiões hierárquicas, igualitárias e intermediárias. Os parâmetros responsáveis pelas transições são a capacidade cognitiva, o número de agentes na sociedade e a pressão social e ecológica. O modelo também permitiu uma modificação da dinâmica, de modo a incluir um parâmetro representando a taxa de troca de informação entre os agentes, o que possibilita a introdução de correlações entre as representações cognitivas, sugerindo assim o aparecimento de assimetrias sociais, que, por fim, resultam em hierarquia. Os resultados obtidos concordam qualitativamente com dados antropológicos, quando as variáveis são interpretadas de acordo com seus equivalentes sociais. O outro modelo desenvolvido neste trabalho diz respeito ao aparecimento de uma mercadoria única de troca, ou dinheiro. Teorias econômicas predominantes descrevem o aparecimento do dinheiro como resultado de uma evolução de economias de escambo (barter). Críticas, entretanto, alertam para a falta de evidências históricas e antropológicas que corroborem esta hipótese, gerando dúvidas sobre os mecanismos que levaram ao advento do dinheiro e a influência da configuração social neste processo. Estudos recentes sugerem que o dinheiro pode se comportar como uma droga perceptual, o que tem levado a novas teorias que objetivam explicar a monetarização de sociedades. Através de um modelo computacional baseado na dinâmica anterior de emergência de hierarquia, buscamos simular este fenômeno através de representações cognitivas de redes econômicas, que representam o reconhecimento ou não da possibilidade de troca entre duas commodities. Formalismos semelhantes já foram utilizados anteriormente, porém sem discutir a influência da configuração social nos resultados. O modelo desenvolvido nesta dissertação foi capaz de empregar o conceito de representações cognitivas e novamente atribuir custos a elas. A nova dinâmica resultante é capaz de analisar como a troca de informações depende da configuração social dos agentes. Os resultados mostram que redes hierárquicas, como estrela e redes livres de escala, induzem uma maior probabilidade de emergência de dinheiro dos que as demais. Os dois modelos sugerem, quando considerados em conjunto, que transições de fase na organização social são importantes para o estudo de emergência de dinheiro, e portanto não podem ser ignoradas em futuras modelagens sociais e econômicas.
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Clert, Carine Andree Marie. "Policy implications of a social exclusion perspective in Chile : priorities, discourse and methods in question." Thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science (University of London), 2000. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.395812.
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Wilde, Daniel. "Explaining the impact of social policy on child mortality : a cross-country statistical analysis and a case study of Vietnam." Thesis, University of Bath, 2012. https://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.563990.
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This thesis examines the impact of social policies on child mortality. It argues that structural factors explain most of the variation in child mortality across countries and time. But that in Vietnam the state implemented effective social policies; leading to this country having low child mortality for its structural factors (income, income equality and women’s power). This thesis uses panel data econometrics to investigate the structural determinants of child mortality. Our model shows that national income and women’s power reduce, and income inequality increases, child mortality. These independent variables are significant at the 1% level and explain over 90% of the variation in child mortality when our dependent variable is under-five mortality from the World Development Indicators dataset. These results are robust to changes in the functional form, lag structure, dataset and measure of child mortality used in our model. Vietnam is an outlier in our model; it has low child mortality for its structural factors. We consider that Vietnam’s effective social policies may explain why it is an outlier. This thesis also undertakes a detailed case study of Vietnam’s social policies. We argue and provide considerable evidence that in Vietnam the government implemented effective family planning, child immunization and female education policies and that these reduced child mortality. Developing countries are currently committed through MDG4 to reducing under-five mortality by two thirds between 1990 and 2015. Our results show that developing countries are unlikely to achieve this goal because social policies have a small impact on child mortality relative to structural factors.
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Cheung, Pak-hong, and 張百康. "Statistical analysis of secondary school teachers' attitudes towards mathematics." Thesis, The University of Hong Kong (Pokfulam, Hong Kong), 1991. http://hub.hku.hk/bib/B31976517.
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Urieli, Assaf. "Robust French syntax analysis : reconciling statistical methods and linguistic knowledge in the Talismane toolkit." Phd thesis, Université Toulouse le Mirail - Toulouse II, 2013. http://tel.archives-ouvertes.fr/tel-01058143.
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In this thesis we explore robust statistical syntax analysis for French. Our main concern is to explore methods whereby the linguist can inject linguistic knowledge and/or resources into the robust statistical engine in order to improve results for specific phenomena. We first explore the dependency annotation schema for French, concentrating on certain phenomena. Next, we look into the various algorithms capable of producing this annotation, and in particular on the transition-based parsing algorithm used in the rest of this thesis. After exploring supervised machine learning algorithms for NLP classification problems, we present the Talismane toolkit for syntax analysis, built within the framework of this thesis, including four statistical modules - sentence boundary detection, tokenisation, pos-tagging and parsing - as well as the various linguistic resources used for the baseline model, including corpora, lexicons and feature sets. Our first experiments attempt various machine learning configurations in order to identify the best baseline. We then look into improvements made possible by beam search and beam propagation. Finally, we present a series of experiments aimed at correcting errors related to specific linguistic phenomena, using targeted features. One our innovation is the introduction of rules that can impose or prohibit certain decisions locally, thus bypassing the statistical model. We explore the usage of rules for errors that the features are unable to correct. Finally, we look into the enhancement of targeted features by large scale linguistic resources, and in particular a semi-supervised approach using a distributional semantic resource.
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Teran, Villegas Oswaldo Ramon. "Emergent tendencies in multi-agent-based simulations using constraint-based methods to effect practical proofs over finite subsets of simulation outcomes." Thesis, Manchester Metropolitan University, 2001. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.343494.
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Tlou, Boikhutso. "Statistical methods to model the influence of age and gender on the behavioral risk factors of HIV/AIDS." Thesis, University of Fort Hare, 2010. http://hdl.handle.net/10353/400.
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The effects of gender and age on the behavioral risk of HIV/AIDS are not clearly understood as previous distinct studies which have been carried out, have given disputable and contradictory outcomes. This study therefore, discusses the statistical methods which can be used to model the influence of age and gender on the behavioral risk factors of HIV/AIDS. In general, generalized linear models are the main methods which can be applied to depict the impact of age and gender on the behavioral risk of becoming infected with HIV/AIDS virus. In this study, the main methods used were logistic regression, log-linear regression and multiple regressions. Behavioral risk was taken as the dependent variable while age, gender, number of sexual partners, religious beliefs and alcohol and drug abuse were fitted as predictor variables. The three statistical methods gave significant results for gender and insignificant results for age. Furthermore, comparisons were made on the three regression methods and the logistic regression gave the best results. It was therefore concluded that gender plays a significant role on the behavioral risk of HIV/AIDS. The results of the study showed that gender of the student and number of sexual partners had a significant effect on the risk behavior of the university students. In future, it may be very important to find out why age is not a significant factor on risk behavior of HIV/AIDS among university students.
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Oliver, Kathryn Ann. "Evaluating power, influence and evidence-use in public health policy-making : a social network analysis." Thesis, University of Manchester, 2013. https://www.research.manchester.ac.uk/portal/en/theses/evaluating-power-influence-and-evidenceuse-in-public-health-policymaking-a-social-network-analysis(0a47c659-cbf8-49ce-9ae3-3515369590ab).html.
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Introduction: Persistent health inequalities are the focus for much public health policy activity. Understanding the policy response to public health problems, the role of evidence, and the roles and strategies of different actors may help explain this persistence. Research suggests that policy actors often access knowledge through interpersonal relations, but current perspectives in the literature do not analyse relational aspects of finding evidence and influencing policy. Identifying powerful and influential actors (in terms of personal characteristics, strategies, and network properties) offers a method of exploring the policy process and evidence use. Methods: Network data were gathered from a public health policy community in a large urban area in the UK (n = 152, response rate 80%), collecting relational data on perceived power, influence, and sources of evidence about public health policy. Hubs and Authorities analyses were used to identify powerful and influential actors, to test whether powerful and influential actors were also sources of information; and betweenness and Gould-Fernandez brokerage were used to explore the importance of structural position in policy networks. These data were analysed in conjunction with qualitative data from semi-structured interviews (n = 24) carried out with a purposive subsample of network actors. Characteristics of powerful and influential actors, the use of evidence in the policy process, and roles and strategies used to influence policy were analysed using a framework approach, and combined with network data. Results: The most influential actors were mid-level managers in the NHS and local authorities, and to a lesser extent, public health professionals. These actors occupied advantageous positions within the networks, and used strategies (ranging from providing policy content, to finding evidence, to presenting policy options to decision-makers) to influence the policy process. Powerful actors were also sources of information for one another, but providing information did not predict power. Experts, academics and professionals in public health were represented in the networks, but were usually more peripheral and played fewer roles in the policy process. This study presents empirical evidence to support the suggestion that recognition of network structure assists individuals to be influential, and proposes a framework to categorise their activities. Conclusions: In order to influence policy, actors need good relationships with other influential actors, and the skills to exploit these relationships. The relational approach is useful for both identifying powerful and influential people (potential evidence-users) and for exploring how evidence and information reaches them. Identifying powerful and influential actors and describing their strategies for influencing policy provides a new focus for researchers in evidence-based policy, and for those wishing to influence policy. For academics and researchers, this study demonstrates the importance of directly creating ties with decision-makers
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Miranda, Montero Juan Jose. "Essays on Experimental and Quasi-Experimental Policy Design and Evaluation." Digital Archive @ GSU, 2012. http://digitalarchive.gsu.edu/econ_diss/86.
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This dissertation comprises two essays. The unifying theme is the evaluation of non-pecuniary (information or norm based messages) conservation programs. These types of policies are widely applied in developing and developed countries to promote conservation, however, their empirical evidence and their effectiveness are not well documented. Each chapter examines some methodological facets of the heterogeneity of non-pecuniary conservation programs and the reliability of non-experimental methods (program evaluation and econometric techniques) to evaluate treatment effects in the context of non-pecuniary conservation programs.
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Dunu, Emeka Samuel. "Comparing the Powers of Several Proposed Tests for Testing the Equality of the Means of Two Populations When Some Data Are Missing." Thesis, University of North Texas, 1994. https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc278198/.
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In comparing the means .of two normally distributed populations with unknown variance, two tests very often used are: the two independent sample and the paired sample t tests. There is a possible gain in the power of the significance test by using the paired sample design instead of the two independent samples design.
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Shearer, Sarah E. "ArchiTECHture: Rebuilding the Traditional University for the 21st Century." Scholarship @ Claremont, 2015. http://scholarship.claremont.edu/cmc_theses/1198.
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This senior thesis is an examination of the major complexities and considerations encountered in developing an e-learning program. In light of the changing landscape of higher education resulting from technological advancement, combined with changing pedagogies and financial pressures, traditional institutions are under heightened scrutiny and most in need of innovation. Online learning as been proposed as a solution to many of these issues, but creating a successful program is no small feat. Furthermore, experimental research on specific course designs and delivery often fails upon real-world implementation. Looking through the lens of Design-Base-Implementation Research (DBIR), an emerging research model that seeks to rectify this inefficiency, this thesis will first affirm the crucial need for active leadership throughout the development and implementation process. Analysis will then turn to the most pertinent elements administrators must address, including the motivations and catalysts for innovation, funding, faculty engagement, IT support, course design and project evaluation; in keeping with DBIR methodology, each of these considerations will take different forms and require alternative courses of action based on the unique institutional attributes and circumstances. Finally, the exploration will culminate in reasserting the urgency for innovation in higher education, and concluding that a uniform “solution” will not only be pragmatically impossible but also detrimental to both institutional legacy and student education: a quality and sustainable program necessitates due diligence in acknowledging and working with the distinct characteristics of each institution.
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Keeler, Rebecca L. "Bridging the Gap with Public Value and Corporate Social Responsibility." Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University, 2015. https://dc.etsu.edu/etsu-works/650.
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Ciampa, Julia Grant. "Multilocus approaches to the detection of disease susceptibility regions : methods and applications." Thesis, University of Oxford, 2012. http://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:8f82a624-7d80-438c-af3e-68ce983ff45f.
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This thesis focuses on multilocus methods designed to detect single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that are associated with disease using case-control data. I study multilocus methods that allow for interaction in the regression model because epistasis is thought to be pervasive in the etiology of common human diseases. In contrast, the single-SNP models widely used in genome wide association studies (GWAS) are thought to oversimplify the underlying biology. I consider both pairwise interactions between individual SNPs and modular interactions between sets of biologically similar SNPs. Modular epistasis may be more representative of disease processes and its incorporation into regression analyses yields more parsimonious models. My methodological work focuses on strategies to increase power to detect susceptibility SNPs in the presence of genetic interaction. I emphasize the effect of gene-gene independence constraints and explore methods to relax them. I review several existing methods for interaction analyses and present their first empirical evaluation in a GWAS setting. I introduce the innovative retrospective Tukey score test (RTS) that investigates modular epistasis. Simulation studies suggest it offers a more powerful alternative to existing methods. I present diverse applications of these methods, using data from a multi-stage GWAS on prostate cancer (PRCA). My applied work is designed to generate hypotheses about the functionality of established susceptibility regions for PRCA by identifying SNPs that affect disease risk through interactions with them. Comparison of results across methods illustrates the impact of incorporating different forms of epistasis on inference about disease association. The top findings from these analyses are well supported by molecular studies. The results unite several susceptibility regions through overlapping biological pathways known to be disrupted in PRCA, motivating replication study.
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Kolgushev, Oleg. "Influence of Underlying Random Walk Types in Population Models on Resulting Social Network Types and Epidemiological Dynamics." Thesis, University of North Texas, 2016. https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc955128/.
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Epidemiologists rely on human interaction networks for determining states and dynamics of disease propagations in populations. However, such networks are empirical snapshots of the past. It will greatly benefit if human interaction networks are statistically predicted and dynamically created while an epidemic is in progress. We develop an application framework for the generation of human interaction networks and running epidemiological processes utilizing research on human mobility patterns and agent-based modeling. The interaction networks are dynamically constructed by incorporating different types of Random Walks and human rules of engagements. We explore the characteristics of the created network and compare them with the known theoretical and empirical graphs. The dependencies of epidemic dynamics and their outcomes on patterns and parameters of human motion and motives are encountered and presented through this research. This work specifically describes how the types and parameters of random walks define properties of generated graphs. We show that some configurations of the system of agents in random walk can produce network topologies with properties similar to small-world networks. Our goal is to find sets of mobility patterns that lead to empirical-like networks. The possibility of phase transitions in the graphs due to changes in the parameterization of agent walks is the focus of this research as this knowledge can lead to the possibility of disruptions to disease diffusions in populations. This research shall facilitate work of public health researchers to predict the magnitude of an epidemic and estimate resources required for mitigation.
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UNAL, TUNCAY. "An assessment of the methods that are used to recruit college students into the Turkish Hezbollah." VCU Scholars Compass, 2010. http://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/etd/123.
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This study aims to identify tactics used by the Turkish Hezbollah to recruit college students into joining their terrorist organization. This study based on the assumptions that social networks and institutional structures are two main tools that are used effectively by the Turkish Hezbollah to recruit college educated students. In this sense, the researcher claims that Social Learning theory and Social Control Theories can be used to provide theoretical explanation to the Hezbollah’s recruitment strategy. Parallel to these theories assumptions, while having militants within social networks increases the likelihood of being recruited through social learning theory assumptions, college students who are away from their families are more likely to be recruited through social control theory assumptions. The researcher uses individual level secondary data related to members of the Turkish Hezbollah. The data comprised of self reports that each member submitted to the Turkish Hezbollah as part of their recruitment process. The data are derived from the Turkish National Police’s database. Initially, frequency table is used to determine which structure and which theory best explain the Turkish Hezbollah’s recruitment strategies. Then, to decide which demographic factors increase or decrease the likelihood of being recruited through social networks (social learning theory) or institutional structures (social control theory), logistic regression is used. Eight independent variables are used to identify those factors such as having Hezbollah militants within social networks, pursuing college education while being away from family, family’s religious ideology, having online or campus education, family size, income level, college student’s religiosity level, and reason for attending Hezbollah. The findings indicated that social networks and institutional structures are two important tools that are used by the Turkish Hezbollah. Social networks are more effectively used structures comparing to institutional structures. According to the results, there are two important variables have more weight on dependent variable comparing to other variables. While having militants within the social networks increases the likelihood of being recruited through social learning theory assumptions, being away from families during college education increases the likelihood of being recruited through social control theory assumptions.
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Ozdoglar, Mehmet Rasit. "Assessment Of Criteria-rich Rankings For Decision Makers." Master's thesis, METU, 2010. http://etd.lib.metu.edu.tr/upload/3/12611509/index.pdf.
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Environmental policymaking is a difficult issue for governments. It is desirable to have the decisions based on the results of quantitative and analytical studies. On the other hand, by their very nature, many such decisions have political aspects, whose subtleties are difficult to be captured by quantitative approaches alone. It is left to the political establishments to decide how best to allocate the efforts to improve environmental conditions. In this respect, evaluating the countries by generating environmental indices and the subsequent ranking of the countries with respect to those indices is a common practice. Perhaps the best known environmental sustainability index, the Environmental Performance Index-2008 (EPI-2008), is a composite index that comprises 6 core policy categories and 25 indicators.
While recognizing the qualitative aspects of such decision making, in order to support and guide the policymaking process, we develop analytical tools to assist the process. We carefully delineate our models to be limited only to the provable quantitative properties of the available objective data. However, such data are processed into more meaningful statements concerning the available options. Specifically, using EPI-2008, meaningful mathematical models that shed further light onto the country sustainability measures are developed.
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Nair, Manisha. "Effect of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Guarantee Act on infant malnutrition : a mixed methods study in Rajasthan, India." Thesis, University of Oxford, 2013. http://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:1e6100e1-1499-48b6-8b89-5880b37fe95f.
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Background Malnutrition is a major risk factor of infant mortality in India. Policies targeting poverty and food insecurity may reduce infant malnutrition. The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), a wage-for employment policy of the Indian Government, targets deprivation and food insecurity in rural households. MGNREGA could prevent infant malnutrition by improving household food security or increase the risk of malnutrition by reducing the time devoted to infant care if mothers are employed. This study analyzed the effect and the pathways of effect of households' and mothers' participation in MGNREGA on infant malnutrition. Methods A community based mixed methods study using cross-sectional survey and focus group discussions (FGDs) was conducted in Dungarpur district of Rajasthan, India. Cross-sectional study included 528 households with 1,056 participants who were infants 1 to <12 months and their mothers/caregivers. Selected households were divided into MGNREGA-households and non-MGNREGA-households based on participation in MGNREGA between August-2010 and September-20ll. Anthropometric indicators of infant malnutrition-underweight, stunting, and wasting (WHO criteria) were the outcomes. Eleven FGDs with 62 mothers were conducted. Results Of 528 households, 281 participated in MGNREGA (53%). Mothers were employed in 51 (18%) households. Prevalence of wasting was 39%, stunting 24%, and underweight 50%. Households participating in MGNREGA were less likely to have wasted infants (OR 0' 57, 95% Cl 0•37-0'89; p=O'014) and underweight infants (OR 0'48,95% Cl 0•30-0'76; p=0'002) than non-participating households. Stunting did not differ significantly between groups. Although MGNREGA reduced starvation, it did not confer food security to the participating households because of lower than standard wages and delayed payments. Results from path analysis did not support an effect through household food security and infant feeding, but suggested a pathway of effect through birth-weight. Mothers' employment had no significant effect on the outcomes in the cross-sectional study, but the qualitative study indicated that it could compromise infant feeding and care. Conclusion Participation in MGNREGA was associated with reduced infant malnutrition possibly mediated indirectly via improved birth-weight rather than improved infant feeding. Providing child care facilities at worksites could mitigate the negative effects of mother's participation in MGNREGA. Further, improving mothers' knowledge of appropriate feeding practices in conjunction with providing employment (to address deprivation and food insecurity) is key in the efforts to reduce infant malnutrition.
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Sigafoos, Jennifer A. "The European Court of Justice and social policy : a mixed methods analysis of preliminary references from the EU-15, 1996-2009." Thesis, University of Oxford, 2011. http://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:4d612059-2269-4e16-94bd-1e9180c2f3e2.
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Although social policy was once perceived to be solely within the purview of the nation state, there has been a move toward a more European social policy. The European Court of Justice for the European Communities (‘Court of Justice’ or ‘Court’) determines the scope of European law and how it affects national welfare states. The court’s decisions will affect not only the national law of the member states with regard to social policy but also the direction of European social policy as it expands. However, the ECJ does not choose the policy areas in which it makes its decisions, but instead reacts to the preliminary references that are sent by the national courts of the Member States. These preliminary references from the Member States will set the Court’s agenda. Preliminary references are unevenly distributed across the Member States of the EU, and some Member States’ preliminary references are concentrated in particular policy areas. The jurisprudence of the Court, and consequently the social policy of the EU, could be steered by this uneven distribution. This thesis will answer the threshold question of why scholars of social policy should care about the Court of Justice, with a legal analysis of some key themes in the Court’s decisions in the area of social policy. It will then employ a mixed methods research design to explain the variation in rates of social policy preliminary references from the EU-15. First, a Time Series Cross-Section (TSCS) model will be used to test a series of hypotheses generated from the literature, and three novel hypotheses, in a dataset of social policy preliminary references from the EU-15 from 1996 to 2009. Next, a Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA) (Ragin 2000) will group the variables that were found to be significant into sets of conditions, or ‘causal pathways,’ that lead to higher and lower rates of social policy preliminary references. Finally, two qualitative case studies will be conducted, in the UK and France. Analysis of documentary evidence and 25 expert interviews in the two member states and at the Court of Justice will further explain and illuminate the differing usage of preliminary reference process. The analysis of the mixed methods is integrated in the final stage. Implications for the direction of EU law related to social policy and the future development of European social policy will be considered in the concluding chapter.
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Anton, Eugene J. "Economic mobility behaviors due to earned income tax credit policy| A case study of a southern California population." Thesis, Pepperdine University, 2014. http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/#viewpdf?dispub=3603299.
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The purpose of this study was to understand earned income tax credit (EITC) policy influences on the development of economic mobility for individuals receiving EITC. Policymakers have declared that improving the economic mobility of low-wage workers a major objective of the EITC. This study addressed identifying factors that contribute to economic mobility, and testing the punctuated equilibrium theory to determine whether exogenous forces influence EITC policymakers' decisions.
Utilizing the survey data of 2,252 EITC respondents from the Legal Aid Society of Orange County, California, the study found that saving, education, race, and being banked were factors contributing to economic mobility. Age was not a factor contributing to economic mobility. Results from testing the punctuated equilibrium theory indicated that at the .05 level there was not a significant association between exogenous forces and EITC policymaking decisions.
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Bouwer, Anton Christian. "The accomplishment of effective community development : a case study of methods applied in the community of Zwelihle." Thesis, Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2005. http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/50464.
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Thesis (MPhil)--Stellenbosch University, 2005.ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The goal of this study is to determine, which of two development approaches, i.e., the "bottom-up approach" or the "top-down" approach (or social development and social engineering, respectively) have been successful in determining the felt needs of the community of Zwelihle. For this purpose a needs assessment was executed in Zwelihle community, close to Hermanus, in September 2001. The assessment procedure was done according to the Priority index and Community profile method (P+C-index), applying the Schutte scale during semi-structured focus group interviews. "Qualiquantitative" data (quantifies a qualitative response) was gathered from five different neighbourhoods in Zwelihle, each with different priority needs. Previously to this study, another community development project, the "housing project", was conducted in 1998 in the community of Zwelihle and more specifically in Thambo Square, presently named Airfield, fulfilling a housing need. The present study only considered the first three phases of the development process (needs assessment, problem identification and planning) to be relevant, of which all these phases have been executed and completed by the "housing project". However, no further follow-up phases of the community development process have been executed since the completion of the P+C index needs assessment. Each of these two involvements in the Zwelihle community had a different approach to development. The former, the P+C index needs assessment, had a social development approach (bottom-up), and the latter, the "housing project", had a social engineering approach (top-down). By applying a measuring tool, the principles and features of effective community development (Swanepoel, 1997:3) during the initial, needs assessment phase, an attempt was made to determine which of the two approaches have been successful in determining the community's "felt" needs and in so doing have managed an effective community development process. The finding was that the P+C-index method, as far as the first phase of community development was concerned, applied all the community development principles and reflected the features of effective community development. Although the outcome or characteristics of these applied "principles and features" may not be recognised or measured, this present study has realised these principles and features during the needs assessment phase. The "housing project" has fallen short in applying any of these principles and did therefore fail to reflect any characteristics of an effective development process. The differences between the two approaches essentially are that the P+C index empowered the community, by allowing the members at "grassroots" level participation in order for them to personally express their "felt" needs during focus group interviews. The 'housing project' on the contrary has allowed the community at "grassroots" level participation but only to a certain extent, by filling out questionnaires identifying a "real" need ("top" down need identification). The community leaders, though, were allowed to speak on their behalf. In conclusion, it may be possible to determine which of the two mentioned approaches have been successful in determining the "felt" needs of the community of Zwelihle and in doing so have been effective, by socially developing the people.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die doel met hierdie studie is om te bepaal watter twee ontwikkelingsbenaderinge, m.a.w., die "bottom-up" benadering of die "top-down" benadering (of sosiaal ontwikkelings en sosiaal manipulasie, onderskeidelik) suksesvol was in die bepaling van die "gevoelde behoeftes" (felt) van die Zwelihle gemeenskap. Vir hierdie doel is 'n behoeftebepaling uitgevoer in Zwelihle gemeenskap, aangrensend aan Hermanus, gedurende September 2001. Die behoeftebepalingsprosedure wat gevolg is, is uitgevoer volgens die Prioriteits indeks (P-Indeks) en Gemeenskapsprofielmetode (C-indeks), waartydens 'n Schutte skaal aangewend is, gedurende semigestruktureerde fokus-groep onderhoude. Voor die aanvang van hierdie studie is 'n ander gemeenskapsontwikkelingsprojek , bekend as die "behuisingsprojek", in 1998 in dieselfde gemeenskap uitgevoer. Hierdie projek het 'n behuisingsbehoefte aangespreek en was meer spesifiek gerig op die woonbuurt, Thambo Square (tans bekend as Airfield) van die groter Zwelihle gemeenskap. Die huidige studie beskou alleenlik die eerste drie fases van die ontwikkelingsproses, nl. behoeftebepaling, probleem identifikasie en beplanning, as toepaslik en is weliswaar deur die genoemde behuisingsprojek uitgevoer en voltooi. Daarenteen, is geen verdere opvolg-fases, na die uitvoering en voltooing van die P+Cindeks behoeftebepalingsfase, gevolg nie. Beide hierdie twee betrokke metodes of projekte het verskillende ontwikkelingsbenaderinge gevolg. Eersgenoemde, die P+C-indeks behoeftebepalingmetode het 'n sosiaal-ontwikkelingsbenadering (Bottom-up) en laasgenoemde het 'n sosiaalmanipulerings benadering (Top-down) gevolg. Deur die toepassing van 'n meetinstrument, die beginsels en karaktertrekke van effektiewe gemeenskapsontwikkeling (Swanepoel, 1997:3) gedurende die aanvangs, behoeftebepalings fase is 'n poging aangewend om te bepaal watter van die twee benaderinge suksesvol sou wees in die bepaling van die gemeenskap se "gevoelsbehoefte" (felt). In die uitvoering hiervan kan bewys gelewer word dat 'n effektiewe gemeenskapsontwikkelinsproses deurgevoer is. Die bevinding derhalwe was dat die P+C index metode, ten opsigte van die eerste fase van gemeenskapsontwikkeling, al die gemeenskapsontwikkelings beginsels toegepas het en ook die karaktertrekke van effektiewe gemeenskapontwikkeling, reflekteer het. Alhoewel die resultaat van die genoemde, toegepaste "beginsels en karaktertrekke" nie erken of gemeet kon word nie, het die huidige studie hierdie "beginsels en karaktertrekke" gerealiseer en erken tydens die eerste behoeftebepalingsfase. Die wesenlike verskil tussen hierdie twee genoemde benaderinge is dat die P+C-indeks metode, die gemeenskapslede bemagtig het deurdat die lede op grondvlak deelname toegelaat is om gedurende die fokus-groepsonderhoude, persoonlik uitdrukking te kon gee aan hul "gevoelsbehoeftes". Die "behuisingsprojek" daarenteen het die gemeenskapslede op grondvlak wel deelname toegelaat, maar net tot so 'n mate waar vraelyste deur laasgenoemde voltooi is vir die identifisering van 'n "ware (real) behoefte", ("top-down" behoeftebepaling). Verder is gemeenskapsleiers toegelaat om die gemeenskapslede op grondvlak te verteenwoordig en namens hulle op te tree. Die gevolgtrekking kan dus gemaak word dat dit wel moontlik is om te bepaal watter van die twee genoemde benaderinge suksesvol was in die bepaling van die gemeenskap van Zwelihle se "gevoelsbehoefte" en gevolglik effektief was om die gemeenskapslede sosiaal te ontwikkel.
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Melamid, Elan. "What works? integrating multiple data sources and policy research methods in assessing need and evaluating outcomes in community-based child and family service systems /." Santa Monica, Calif. : RAND, 2002. http://www.rand.org/publications/RGSD/RGSD161/RGSD161.pdf.
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Gilbert, Ethan. "Water Policy: The World's Most Important Resource Politicized." Scholarship @ Claremont, 2012. http://scholarship.claremont.edu/cmc_theses/520.
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Water is the most important resource on the planet for sustaining life, and many consider access to water as a fundamental human right. However, in light of its necessity, the distribution and allocation of water has become a highly politicized issue. Economic and political conditions have been shown to be influential in shaping a country’s water policy, more so then recognition of water as a basic human right. The reason for this is that many agree that there needs to be a value assigned to water to encourage its conservation and efficient use, and different methods of addressing that issue have led to varying degrees of privatization of water. Whether through the private or public sector, there is an expectation that water be delivered to the people by the government, and it is often the influence of public and private actors within the government that direct the policy for water distribution. Using three cases in Chile, Mexico, and Uruguay it will be demonstrated how water policy has correlated with the political and economic changes within each country.
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Keeler, Rebecca L. "Toward Common Ground: Public Value and Corporate Social Responsibility Scholarship." Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University, 2015. https://dc.etsu.edu/etsu-works/649.
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Alger, Renée J. "A Comparison of Restorative Justice Ideology Between Administrators, Teachers, and Parents." ScholarWorks, 2018. https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/5967.
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Researchers suggest that restorative justice processes in schools are a successful alternative to traditional punishments for school discipline, and are used for both reactive and proactive responses to behavior issues. However, the processes are not sustainable if the administration implementing restorative justice do not promote a restorative justice ideology (RJI), and if all systems that impact the student are not aligned. Therefore, study was conducted to compare the level of restorative justice ideology between groups of administrators, teachers, and parents with a validated restorative justice ideology survey instrument that includes cooperation, restoration, and healing, and an accumulative score for RJI as a whole. Data were collected and analyzed with a One-Way ANOVA test at a selected convenience sample of 45 schools in a Western state. Using the theories of restorative justice, pedagogy, and Bronfenbrenner's ecological systems model, the comparison of ideologies between these groups indicated a statistically significant difference between administrators and parents in the restorative justice ideology belief of restoration, and in the overall belief of restorative justice ideology, showing a lack of alignment. The findings can impact social change by the identification of barriers in sustainable implementation of restorative justice in schools. The findings can also be used to suggest an evidence-based model that includes parents and families in all stages of planning, implementation, and continued practice, along with consideration that restorative justice is a belief system rather than a behavior intervention.
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Andam, Kwaw Senyi. "Essays on the Evaluation of Land Use Policy: The Effects of Regulatory Protection on Land Use and Social Welfare." Digital Archive @ GSU, 2007. http://digitalarchive.gsu.edu/pmap_diss/20.
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Societies frequently implement land use policies to regulate resource extraction or to regulate development. However, two important policy questions remain unresolved. First, how effective are land use regulations? Second, how do land use regulations affect socioeconomic conditions? Three issues complicate the evaluation of land use policies: (1) overt bias may lead to incorrect estimates of policy effects if implementation is nonrandom; (2) the policy may affect outcomes in neighboring unregulated lands; and (3) unobservable differences between regulated and unregulated lands may lead to biased assessments. Previous evaluations of land use policies fail to address these sources of bias simultaneously. In this dissertation, I develop an approach, using matching methods, which jointly accounts for these complications. I apply the approach to evaluate the effects of Costa Rica s protected areas on land use and socioeconomic outcomes between 1960 and 2000. I find that: (1) protection prevented the deforestation of only 10 percent or less of protected forests; (2) protection resulted in reforestation of only 20 percent of non-forest areas that were protected; (3) protection had little effect on land use outside protected areas, most likely because, as noted above, protected areas had only small effects on land use inside protected areas; and (4) there is little evidence that protected areas had harmful impacts on the livelihoods of local communities: on the contrary, I find that protection had small positive effects on socioeconomic outcomes. Furthermore, the methods traditionally used to conduct such evaluations are biased. In contrast to the findings above, those conventional methods overestimated the amount of avoided deforestation and erroneously implied that protection had negative impacts on the livelihoods of local communities. This dissertation contributes to policymaking by providing empirical measures of protected area effectiveness. Although annual global expenditures on protected areas are about $6.5 billion, little is known to date about the returns on these investments. This study also indicates that policymakers should give careful consideration to current proposals to compensate communities living in or around protected areas: contrary to widely held assumptions, the findings suggest that protection may not have harmful effects on socioeconomic outcomes.
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Andam, Kwaw Senyi. "Essays on the evaluation of land use policy the effects of regulatory protection on land use and social welfare /." Diss., unrestricted, 2008. http://etd.gsu.edu/theses/available/etd-07092008-151604/.
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Thesis (Ph. D.)--Georgia State University, 2008.Title from file title page. Paul J. Ferraro, committee chair ; Alexander Pfaff, Gary T. Henry, Gregory B. Lewis, Douglas S. Noonan, committee members. Electronic text (99 p.) : digital, PDF file. Description based on contents viewed October 28, 2009. Includes bibliographical references (p. 91-98).
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Bonsu, Samuel. "Corporate Social Responsibility Implementation Framework." ScholarWorks, 2018. https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/5305.
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As social problems, such as environmental pollution persist, the need to implement corporate social responsibility (CSR) to enhance societal well-being becomes important. However, little is known about how corporate leaders implement CSR. The purpose of this qualitative transcendental phenomenological study was to identify and report the lived experiences of corporate managers relevant to CSR implementation. This study was guided by ecological systems theory, the Porter hypothesis, the Maslow hierarchy of needs theory, and the Harrod-Domar growth model, which justify the importance of societal well-being to business profitability and growth. The research question regarding the lived experiences of corporate managers of CSR implementation aligns with the research problem. A transcendental phenomenological approach was used to identify and report lived experiences of corporate leaders to illuminate understanding of CSR implementation worthy of emulation. Open-ended questions were used in semi structured interviews of purposefully selected managers, based on their lived experiences relevant to CSR implementation, of manufacturing corporations in Charlotte, North Carolina. Van Kaam's phenomenological analysis as explained by Moustakas was used to analyze data. Findings revealed that corporate leaders implemented CSR by donating and volunteering to support health care, nature preservation, education, and poverty reduction. Participants also responded that they supported recycling and use of alternative sources of energy to improve the health and safety of employees and society. The understanding gained from participants' responses can positively affect social change, as participants assessed that CSR implementation resulted in societal well-being.
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Valentin, Dr Daisy. "Relationship Between Corporate Social Responsibility, Environmental Management, and Profitability." ScholarWorks, 2018. https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/5282.
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The U.S. hospitality industry's profitability has been shifting to environmental management and corporate social responsibility (CSR) practices. Hospitality industries accounted for 5% of the global market in 2015 and are expected to increase by 130% in 2035. Grounded in stakeholder theory, this correlation study examined the relationship between corporate sustainability officer (CSO) CSR, CSO environmental management, and hospitality business profitability. Secondary data were collected from 97 hotel websites of the Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota area from 2014 to 2016. The multiple linear regression combinations of CSR and environmental management (EM) measured significantly related to the profitability index, F(3, 93) = 4.67, p < .001, adj. R2 = .13. The sample multiple correlation coefficients were .36, indicating approximately 13% of the variance of the profitability index. The multiple linear regression combinations of CSR measures significantly related to the profitability index, F(2,94) = 6.05, p < .001, adjusted R2 = .11. The sample multiple correlation coefficients were .34, indicating approximately 11% of the variance of the profitability index. The linear combination of EM measures were not significantly related to the profitability index, F(2,94) = 2.91, p < .001, adjusted R2 = .06. The sample multiple correlation coefficients were .24, indicating approximately 6% of the variance of the profitability index. The implications for positive social change include the potential to identify hospitality industry leaders involved in environmental management who have a CSR to promote social change in their communities.
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Joseph, Sydney. "Paid Parental Leave in the United States: Reconciling Competing Demands." Scholarship @ Claremont, 2018. http://scholarship.claremont.edu/cmc_theses/1961.
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The United States is the only developed nation that fails to provide its citizens with paid parental leave. The lack of parental benefit provision operates to the detriment of individuals and society as a whole by contributing to inequity across gender, race, socioeconomic status, and sexual orientation. As the demographics of the American workforce have changed, public policy has not kept pace. Paid parental leave is associated a number of health, economic, and social benefits. However, the greatest barrier to legislating paid parental leave is the philosophical underpinnings of American politics, specifically the strong current of liberal individualism and absence of maternalism. This thesis examines the policy option space for paid parental leave in the United States and recommends a paid parental leave policy that is gender-neutral and has a combination of three months individual leave and three months of shared leave at 100 percent wage replacement.
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Kilinc, Ata Nurcan. "An exploration of renewable energy policies with an econometric approach." Thesis, University of Stirling, 2015. http://hdl.handle.net/1893/22196.
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This thesis focuses on the renewable energy policies for the case study countries (European Union, United States, United Kingdom, Turkey, and Nigeria) with using quantitative and qualitative analysis. The thesis adopts a three -pronged approach to address three main issues: The first paper investigates a 1990-2008 panel dataset to conduct an econometric analysis of policy instruments, such as; feed-in tariffs, quotas, tenders, and tax incentives, in promoting renewable energy deployment in 27 EU countries and 50 US states. The results suggest that renewable energy policy instruments play a significant role in encouraging renewable energy sources. Using data from 1990 to 2012 with the vector auto regression (VAR) approach for three case study countries, namely United Kingdom, Turkey, and Nigeria, the second paper focuses on how renewable energy consumption as part of total electricity consumption is affected by economic growth and electricity prices. The findings from the VAR model illustrate that the relationship between case study countries’ economic growth and renewable energy consumption is positive and economic growth in case study countries respond positively and significantly. The third paper focuses on the relationship between renewable energy policies and investment in renewables in the countries of United Kingdom and Turkey. The third paper builds upon current knowledge of renewable energy investment and develops a new conceptual framework to guide analyses of policies to support renewables. Past and current trends in the field of renewable energy investment are investigated by reviewing the literature on renewable energy investment linkage with policies, which identifies patterns and similarities in RE investment. This also includes the interview analysis with investors focusing on policies for renewable energy investment. The results from the interview and conceptual analysis show that renewable policies play a crucial role in determining investment in renewable energy sources. The findings from this thesis demonstrate that renewable energy policies increase with a growth of the renewable energy investment in the sector. Finally, the outcomes of this thesis also contribute to the energy economics literature, especially for academic and subsequent research purposes.
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Lembani, Martina Esinala. "Assessing the effectiveness and efficiency of targeting methods in public works programmes in Malawi: the case of MASAF and CARE managed programmes in the central region of Malawi." Thesis, University of the Western Cape, 2005. http://etd.uwc.ac.za/index.php?module=etd&action=viewtitle&id=gen8Srv25Nme4_7748_1183469275.
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This research was aimed at assessing the effectiveness and efficiency of community based targeting and self-targeting methods in the selection of beneficiaries in Safety nets programmes in Malawi. These methods have been chosen because they have been largely used for selecting beneficiaries in Safety net programmes. The focus was on assessing the effectiveness and efficiency of these methods where effectiveness refers to the ability of the methodology to reach out to the poorest while efficiency is a measure of the costs that are associated with the identification of these people. In order to objectively assessed the challenges associated with these methods, the study concentrated on Public Works Programmes, which targets relatively high number of people compared to the other programmes and have used both methods for identifying beneficiaries.
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Ihenacho, Emmanuel Chukwudi. "Advancement of Social Service Delivery Through Cross-Sector Partnerships in Nigeria." ScholarWorks, 2018. https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/6047.
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Nonprofit organizations and the social services they provide have often engaged the attention of organizational scholars and practitioners. There is also a general perception of nonprofits as agents of social development in cases of public service failure. However, with the proliferation of many small nonprofits, their capacity for effective service delivery has been debated. Some have proposed cross-sector organizational partnerships (CSPs) as a means of assuring service effectiveness; however, such initiatives have been limited and not well understood in Nigeria. This study used a qualitative case study approach to focus on a CSP involving a nonprofit vocational training institute and 4 multinational companies in Nigeria. A purposeful sampling method was used, which emphasized participant experience and knowledge relevant to the study. Data were obtained from organizational records and participant interviews from a sample size of 10. An open-system theoretical lens was used as guide to answer the research question about the key elements of CSPs that support social service delivery by nonprofit organizations in Nigeria. Data analysis included coding, categorization, patterning, detailed description, and interpretation of the data. Categorical elements that increased institutional capacity of nonprofits or facilitated partnership management and government policy were found to be the key support to social service delivery. The results clarify links between CSP and social service delivery, and potentially aid synergy of action across sectors, in advancement of policy formulation and social service delivery.
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Makino, Emi. "Appreciative Inquiry summits and organizational knowledge creation: A social systems perspective." Scholarship @ Claremont, 2013. http://scholarship.claremont.edu/cgu_etd/80.
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The purpose of this exploratory study is to develop alternative models for analyzing the systems dynamics of a large group conference format called appreciative inquiry (AI) summits. I apply Luhmann’s social systems theory to the strategizing activities of AI summits to examine how this particular format is capable of generating organizational knowledge. An AI summit is a strategic planning conference in which hundreds of internal and external stakeholders collectively design the future of the organization through structured activities. It applies the principles of AI, a consulting method used in organizational development that attends to the positive aspects of an organization as opposed to its problems. Critics challenge this unconditional focus on the positive, questioning the validity of its methods and techniques. Indeed, very few rigorous evaluations of AI methods including AI summits exist.
I propose a new approach for assessing the effectiveness of AI summits. I focus on knowledge creation as the dependent variable. Previous studies have shown that successful AI interventions generate new knowledge, not just transformational change. I conceptualize an AI summit as a strategic episode that allows an organization to temporarily suspend its routines and structures for strategic reflection.
According to social systems theory, organizations are autopoietic (self-reproducing) systems that maintain their identity through an ongoing production of decision communications. An AI summit consists of three different types of systems that co-evolve and are structurally coupled: an organization system, interaction system and the individual participants’ psychological systems. I propose a typology for analyzing episodes during an AI summit as a starting point for determining the structural dynamics inherent in an AI summit system.
Using illustrative examples from a case study, I identify five structural features of an AI summit that facilitate organizational knowledge creation, including reduced communication barriers and the production of decisions during the conference. The study contributes to the existing literature by identifying the important but understudied role of self-organizing project teams in the knowledge creation process at an AI summit. Limitations and implications are discussed.
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Kim, InSul. "Art as a Catalyst for Social Capital: A Community Action Research Study for Survivors of Domestic Violence and its Implications for Cultural Policy." The Ohio State University, 2010. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1293723512.
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