Browsing by Subject "Public policy"
Now showing 1 - 20 of 23
Results Per Page
Sort Options
Item Aqui hay mucha demanda : a case study of renting in Lima's Northern Cone(2013-12) Rojas, Danielle M; Ward, Peter M., 1951-This thesis contributes to the growing literature on low-income renting and affordable housing in Latin America. Through a case study of Independencia – a consolidated community in Lima’s northern cone – I examine the socio-economic foundations and potential implications of self-help renting in lives of participants. Low-income renting has a long history in Lima, but has largely operated outside of State intervention. While these policy decisions were the result of contextually specific political and economic pressures, they seem also to be a symptom of the changes in influential social and economic theories informing academic thinking on the region and their contributions to bias in the housing policies of many Latin American countries. In addition to several policy considerations based on research in Lima, some general considerations for future renting research are offered.Item Barriers to and opportunities for commercial urban farming : case studies from Austin, Texas and New Orleans, Louisiana(2014-05) Vickery, Kathryn Koebert; Dooling, SarahThis professional report addresses 1) where urban agriculture is developing in cities and why; 2) the primary constraints affecting the development of long-term commercial urban farm operations within the boundaries of large metropolitan cities; and 3) how cities are planning and creating policies for commercial urban agriculture under different environmental, economic, and land-use constraints. Using case studies from Austin, Texas and New Orleans, Louisiana, I address these questions through a qualitative analysis of current efforts to reform land use policies for urban farming, existing literature, and interviews with practitioners, farmers, policy makers, and planners. The history and context of each case study is addressed, honing in on specific environmental, social, regulatory, economic, and land use barriers to commercial urban farming.Item Bringing policy back into the policy making process(2011-05) Shafran, Jobeth Surface; Jones, Bryan D.; Theriault, Sean M.My research project is a break from the current trend in the literature that focuses on the conflict associated with roll call voting—party polarization and institutional friction. I am interested in determining how policy characteristics of roll call decisions can affect legislators' vote choices. Bills not only differ according to issue content—agricultural policy versus social welfare policy—but also according to how ambiguous they are—a collection of disparate issues versus one specific issue. Using a dataset of House roll calls from 1985-2004 and the Policy Agendas Project content coding scheme, I show that variation in both policy area and policy ambiguity of a given bill is associated with variation in the accuracy of ideology in predicting roll call vote choice.Item City of Austin’s data culture still under construction(2015-05) Boria Gonzalez, Laura Marina; McDonald, Christian; Chen, GinaMost open government initiatives across the United States focus on transparency, where local governments publish information online about its operations. By giving people access to the data used to run government operations, others can use that data to solve city problems or create additional services, like the congressional tracking website GovTrack. This project is an attempt to understand the issues surrounding the City of Austin’s initiative to open up its data. The city joined the open data movement with the selection and launch of their Socrata portal in 2011. But the local government didn’t just come up with the idea of launching an open data portal by itself. Austin’s open government data movement has been largely led by grassroots efforts.Item Contemporary policy issues in the State of Texas : a series of policy analyses(2015-08) Sandberg, Faith Erin; Rodriguez, Victoria Elizabeth, 1954-; McDaniel Rhodes, DianeThis report is a combination of individual policy analyses on food deserts, groundwater management, teenage pregnancy, and transportation capacity in the State of Texas. Additionally, an analysis on the gender pay gap viewed from the national level is included. These analyses suggest the critical importance of all five issues to the future of Texas as the state faces continued population growth and changing demographics. Furthermore, taken in tandem, these policy issues present an opportunity to reconsider the approach of policymakers working toward achieving social and economic justice. The commonalities amongst these issues suggest that moving from a policy agenda centered around a core of social issues to a broad, all-encompassing agenda that considers the disparate impact of issues like water scarcity and traffic congestion may have a more profound impact on the eradication of social and economic injustice.Item Dancing the Texas two-step backwards: the public policy legacy of Ann Richards(2016-08) Yachinich, Virginia Leigh; Rodriguez, Victoria Elizabeth, 1954-; Rhodes, Diane MAnn Richards, the 45th Governor of the State of Texas, is the only woman to be elected to the Governor’s Office in Texas. In addition to holding the governorship, Richards also served as Travis County Commissioner and State Treasurer. Richards established herself as a champion for women and made a name for herself by opening up government to ordinary people, taking on the well-established good ol’ boys in politics, and generally raising hell. This report examines her life, public service, policies, and her legacy, which has yet to be finished.Item Examining current juvenile sex offender policies in the United States : a mixed methods approach(2013-12) Schlegel, Megan Conrad; Lauderdale, Michael L.Over the past three decades, there has been a marked increase in juvenile sex offender legislation. The effect of these policies on reducing recidivism is not clear. The first two articles focus on the impact of Megan’s Law, utilizing a retrospective two-group time-series design to examine the sexual, violent, non-violent and status arrest rates for states where juveniles are required to register as sex offenders as compared to arrest rates in states where juveniles do not register as sex offenders and the data was analyzed using segmented regression analysis. There were no significant differences in the overall model or between groups for sexual or status arrest rates, nor in the between groups model for violent or non-violent arrest rates. However, there were significant differences in the overall model for violent and non-violent arrest rates before the passage of Megan’s law (violent: p = .000; non-violent: p = .030) and in the 11-year follow-up period (violent: p = .000; non-violent: p = .002). Implications of these findings are discussed. The last article focuses on Texas’s failure to pass the Adam Walsh Act, the most recent piece of juvenile sex offender legislation. The study uses a qualitative approach and data sources include targeted transcripts of the Senate and House hearings on the bill, as well as interviews with two of the staffers for the author of the bill. The data show Texas reached a tipping point and would not pass any more legislation in this area without data to prove its efficacy.Item Framing the immigration debate(2013-05) Navarre, Rachel Amanda; Givens, Terri E., 1964-A common theme in immigration studies in the United States is that the discourse around immigration has changed over time. Once a bipartisan issue where unlikely coalitions and partners were common, recent research has shown that partisanship is becoming more important in deciding immigration votes. In this paper, I set out to see if we can see evidence of this change in both congressional discourses around immigration and the legislation itself. To study the discourses around immigration, I analyze the floor debates for two immigration bills. For the legislation, I look at four immigration bills, two that passed and became law, and two that each only passed one chamber of Congress. This study is meant to explore how the framing and problem definition of immigration has changed since 1986 in the United States, and to provide the background for further study into changing discourses about immigration in the U.S. government.Item Framing the National School Lunch Program(2012-12) Brock, Clare-Lieb Rivers; Jones, Bryan D.; Lin, Tse-minThe National School Lunch Program, established in 1946 under the National School Lunch Act, has grown from a commodity surplus distribution program in its early days, to its current incarnation as a nutrition program for lower income students. This paper addresses the following question, “are particular framing choices influenced by a representatives’ district or individual characteristics, or are party considerations more important in determining framing language?” Certain frameworks may be more effective for creating policy change, and given that framing shapes the way humans conceptualize a problem space, framing should be a deliberate tool used in order to constrain the debate around certain problems. In support of this claim, existing framing literature and literature on human cognition indicates that framing plays a vital role in defining the terms of debate and mobilizing the public around certain issues. However, the actual details of debate shifts and issue framing often become a ‘black box’ in theories of policy change. Content analysis of floor statements made over a 16-year period regarding the National School Lunch Program reveals that policy framing is highly dependent on district characteristics, but that language use itself does not appear to have changed significantly in the time period studied.Item Interacting interests : exploring the nature of interest group coalition building in the regulatory state(2016-12) Dwidar, Maraam Ahmed; Jones, Bryan D.The lobbying literature is rife with studies of interest groups, spanning their democratic value, successes, failures, and the tools they employ in advocating for their positions. One of these tools is coalition building, where interest groups join forces with one another in lobbying. While the literature pertaining to coalitions is theoretically vibrant, due to difficulties in collecting comprehensive empirical data, scholars have relied heavily on qualitative evidence to answer questions concerning coalition building (Timmermans 2016). Addressing this gap, this paper presents a dataset that tracks coalition building through public comments that have been co-submitted by interest groups during the notice-and-comment periods of rules proposed by federal agencies. It contains all public comments submitted by a random sample of 40 American interest groups between 1998 and 2015. Using this data, I explore the composition, recurrence, and policy emphases of interest group coalitions.Item Made in the shade : using GIS to model pedestrian shade in Austin, Texas(2014-12) Norris, Robert Chase; Spelman, WilliamThere are many benefits to living in a walkable city, and just as many barriers to making a city truly pedestrian-friendly. In hot climates such as Austin, Texas, high temperatures are a principal challenge to walkability and also a safety concern when temperatures rise above 100°F. Although city planning came about largely to protect the streetscape from unbridled, sunlight- blocking development, too much sunshine can be just harmful and therefore shade provision merits the attention of urban planners. One useful tool for shade analysis and planning for shade provision is Geographic Information Systems (GIS). However, GIS has typically been limited to tree cover analysis, leaving out the significant contributions of the built environment for shade provision. This report examines recent applications of GIS for walkability analysis and planning efforts to enhance pedestrian comfort in Austin, and then presents an analysis of shade provision in East Sixth Street, Austin, Texas, focusing on 3D modeling of the built environment. It is the hope that this study will inform future shade research and analysis for improved walkability, particularly in cities located in hot climates.Item Measuring the efficacy of low-income residential sustainability interventions(2011-05) Steubing, Jacob Wayne; Ward, Peter M., 1951-; Spence, David B.Volatile and rising global fuel prices present a tremendous challenge to our energy-dependent economy, and the ramifications are especially great for low-income households. Residential weatherization programs represent a tremendous opportunity to shield vulnerable populations, but the allocation of funding and assessment of efficacy has historically been fraught with political and procedural hurdles. This report examines the methods of assessing the efficacy of low-income weatherization and proposes a set of best practices.Item The people’s web : government as nexus(2011-08) Newell, Angela Marie; Ward, Peter M., 1951-With the advent of new interactive Internet technologies in government, a move from the transactional loop of electronic government to a more web-like structure of interaction is anticipated for government information systems. It has been argued that that web-like structure of information systems will dictate a new organizational form for government organization. Explored within the dissertation are two primary research questions. The first research question relates to understanding the nature of adoption of new interactive Internet tools in government agencies and whether that adoption differs from the adoption process for transactional systems. To understand the nature of interactive technology adoption, presidential directives, legislation, and laws implementing transactional and interactive information systems are evaluated. Discovered in evaluation are the motivating factors in technology adoption and related technology adoption and organizational outcomes. Accompanying that evaluation is an exploration of the new technologies being used by government agencies as a part of the technology adoption process. To understand the nature of the differences in infrastructure of information systems associated with transactional information technologies and interactive information technologies, a series of case studies were developed. For each case, an exploration of the technology implemented and a map of the Internet architecture for the technology were constructed. Findings suggest that the adoption process and the information system architecture of transactional and interactive technologies are different. Though it is too early in the adoption and implementation process to discern any impacts to the government organization, the technology adoption and implementation is couched in larger organizational theory. Extrapolations are made to address the future form of the government organization and policy outcomes for continued implementation of interactive systems and the organizational impacts are discussed. The second research question relates to the value associated with the implementation of new interactive Internet technologies. To understand any value associated with implementation of technologies, a qualitative assessment of the value conversations within government agencies was conducted, an assessment of citizen value ranking of data was undertaken, and a quantitative analysis of differences in customer service scores given the use of interactive information technologies is conducted. This analysis is triangulated against a historical evaluation of increasing and decreasing scores and an exploration of specific evaluations conducted for interactive technology projects. Findings suggest that that there is value in implementing interactive Internet technologies. However, that signal is weak. A suggestion of research is that evaluation metrics be developed to understand the value of implementing of interactive technologies. Policy suggestions are outlined for technology value evaluation. The concluding outcome of the dissertation is a suggestion of a path forward for interactive Internet technology development in government and an argument for the construct of the emerging organizational structure associated with information organizations.Item The planning process in São Paulo(2010-05) Bautista, Julienne Monton; Dooling, Sarah; McKinney, DaenePlanning for the development of water infrastructure within informal settlements in the city of São Paulo, Brazil is a complicated process. This research uses the Rational Planning Model to explore the differences between planning in North America and in the Global South. Further, this research develops the various aspects of planning in the Global South through the examination of policy documents, interview data to identify the behavior of the practitioner – the urban planner - and his/her agency – creating the municipal perspective.Item A policy analysis of community college funding in Texas(2008-05) Hudson, Donald C.; Lasher, William F.The purpose of this investigation was to analyze the public policy guiding the funding of community colleges in Texas. In essence, the history of community college funding from 1942 to 2006 has been documented. Specifically, the study focused on the funds community colleges have received from the State of Texas, analyzed the funding shares from state and local sources, assessed the changes in the state/local source relationship over time, and detailed the development of the Texas community college formula system. A two-phase research process was used for this policy analysis. First, an archival analysis located both primary and secondary documents related to Texas community college funding. After examining these records, a revenue database for Texas community colleges was created. Second, thirteen open-ended interviews of individuals with knowledge of community college funding were conducted. Based upon the analysis of state funds and other revenue sources, several conclusions were reached including: 1) During the pre-formula period (1942-1973), state funds were provided solely as an instructional supplement to public community colleges. This was known as the sufficient-to-supplement policy; 2) There has been an agreement between the State of Texas and the community colleges regarding community college funding as the formula system was implemented. The state would fund instruction and the college districts would pay for facilities; 3) The proportion of Texas community college operating revenues from the state has decreased relative to the other sources of revenue available to community colleges; 4) Full formula funding is a concept that is much discussed among Texas community college leaders. However, it has never been realized in the history of funding Texas public community colleges; 5) "Sufficient-to-supplement" is not an adequate or meaningful policy for funding community colleges in Texas. The policy recommendations that emerged from the study were: 1) The State of Texas should establish an explicit policy on how public community colleges will be financed, and 2) The State of Texas should adequately fund the new policy.Item The process of becoming : the political construction of Texas’ Lone STAAR system of Accountability and College Readiness(2012-08) López, Patricia Dorene; Valenzuela, AngelaAs systems of accountability and efficiency continue to permeate public education institutions it is important that research engage the various factors that embody how these systems come to be, whose knowledge gains access to informing their designs, and whose interests are served. Texas has long been recognized as a testing ground for such policy designs, although researchers’ points of departure on such systems have solely focused on the outcomes of these policies in practice. Research on the political construction and discourses that define the underlying goals of these systems continue to be ignored by researchers. Analyses of Texas-inspired federal policies have also predominantly taken an outcomes-based approach, or at most have had episodic engagements with political processes peering down from the balcony to observe the interaction of the obvious actors. To this end, this three-year ethnographic study conceptually and methodologically engages the various dimensions—such as race, class, history, interest, power, and agency—that embody the political lineage of Texas’ new system of Accountability and College Readiness across various contexts. This study further contributes to the dearth of literature that examines the role of research and university researchers in policy debates, and the limits and possibilities of politically engaged scholars in such processes.Item Randomized controlled trials to evaluate impact : their challenges and policy implications for medicine, education, and international development(2012-12) Kahlert, Rahel C.; Ward, Peter M., 1951-; Treisman, Uri; Galbraith, James; Osborne, Cynthia; Roberts, BryanPolicy makers in education and international development have lately gravitated toward the randomized controlled trial (RCT)—an evaluation design that randomly assigns a sample of people or households into an intervention group and a control group in order to measure the differential effect of the intervention—as a means to determine program impact. As part of federal regulations, the U.S. Department of Education and the U.S. Agency for International development explicitly declared a preference for the RCT. When advocating for adopting the RCT model as the preferred evaluation tool, policy makers point to the success story of medical trials and how they revolutionized medicine from Medieval charlatanry to a modern life-saving discipline. By presenting a more nuanced account of the role of the RCT in medical history, however, this study finds that landmark RCTs were accompanied with challenges, Evidence-Based Medicine had rightful critics, and opportunistic biases in drug trials apply equally to education policy and international development. This study also examines the recent privileged role of the RCT in education and international development, concluding that its initial promise was not entirely born out when put into practice, as the national Reading First Initiative exemplifies. From a comparative perspective, the RCT movements also encountered major RCT critics, whose voices were not initially heard. These voices, however, seem to have contributed to a swing of the pendulum away from RCT primacy back towards greater methodological pluralism. A major conclusion of this study is that policy makers should exercise great caution when using RCTs as a policy evaluation tool. This conclusion is arrived at via considering RCT biases, challenges, and limited generalizability; understanding its interpretive-qualitative components; and broadening the overall methodological repertoire to better enable evaluations of macro-policy interventions.Item Reducing Texas’ prison population through release policy changes(2011-05) Steck, Patrick Jonathan; Stolp, Chandler; Deitch, MicheleTexas’ prison population has grown rapidly over the last twenty years, tripling in size from 45,000 prisoners to more than 150,000 today. This report looks at ways to reduce the prison population by changing policies affecting odds of a prisoner’s release. Often, advocates focus on sentencing reform. Yet, with nearly all prisoners returning to society after serving time in prison, the release side of the prison system should be given due attention. With policy considerations of cost, public safety, racial disparity, and impact on communities, this paper looks at how policies can be adjusted to reduce the prison population using the many “back-end” policy levers that are available. Specific recommendations include giving drug offenders slightly greater odds at release and making a concerted effort to reduce the racial disparity in prison release practices.Item Symmetrical public relations surgery : two-way symmetrical suggestions for physicians and the medical device industry(2012-05) Faulk, Eric Jonathan; Warner, David C.; Anderson, Ronald B.The public relations field is rapidly adopting two-way symmetrical communications as a way to achieve excellence and win-win solutions for multiple publics. This paper focuses on activism and industry public relations approaches involving a group of expert physicians in Houston and the medical devices industry. After exploring two-way symmetrical communications and the Excellence Theory of Public Relations, the paper explores these physicians’ viewpoints and provides an overview of the medical device industry. The discussion then provides public relations suggestions for the physicians to symmetrically approach the industry to create change. Next, the paper recommends how the medical device industry can respond to work with the physicians and to prevent possible public relations damage and crisis. The paper concludes by expressing the importance of applying symmetrical communications methods to solve challenges and create win-win solutions.Item Technocracy under democracy : assessing the political autonomy of experts in Latin America(2012-05) Dargent, Eduardo; Weyland, Kurt Gerhard; Madrid, Raul; Brinks, Daniel; Hunter, Wendy; Roberts, BryanThe important role that technocrats play in Latin America has stimulated a lively theoretical debate about experts’ influence in policy making and their effective independence from other sociopolitical players, especially politicians, international financial institutions and business. Through an in-depth analysis of the role of economic and health technocrats in Colombia from 1958 to 2011 and in Peru from 1980 to 2011, this dissertation demonstrates that technocrats are best conceptualized as autonomous actors in Latin America. This technical autonomy, though, varies in strength from policy sector to policy sector and even within the same policy sector across time. I propose a theory of technocratic autonomy to explain both the bases of experts’ autonomy and the determinants that explain the variation in the degree of autonomy across policy sectors and across time. Fundamentally, technocrats’ higher degree of expertise provides them with considerable leverage over sociopolitical actors and allows them to enhance their influence. x Four factors explain experts’ degree of autonomy and its variation across policy areas. First, a high level of technical complexity in a policy area enhances autonomy by making it more difficult for politicians to counter technocrats’ proposals. Second, the degree of technocratic consensus in a policy area limits the possibility of experts being replaced by other experts with preferences closer to those of politicians. Third, experts are more likely to gain autonomy in state areas where bad policy performance causes high political costs for the incumbent. Finally, a balanced constellation of diverse powerful stakeholders having interests in a policy area also enhances technical autonomy. These stakeholders monitor competing stakeholders and the incumbent, opening a space for technocrats to act with more autonomy. I argue that these four factors explain why economic experts, in general, are more likely to gain autonomy and entrench it over time, whereas health experts remain more vulnerable. These factors also explain the variation in technocratic autonomy over time within the same policy area.