The aim of this thesis is to study how public libraries can work to support and promote a national minority language. In the thesis Uppsala Library’s work with the Finnish language is reviewed from 2000 to present.  The data was collected through qualitative interviews with five key figures from Uppsala Library and the Uppsala municipality, visits in four local public libraries and the digital library during the spring 2019 and by examining the official documents of the municipality and information that the local public libraries have produced between 2000 and 2019. Uppsala Library’s work with the Finnish language is discussed in the thesis through themes of power, nationalism and identity processes and analyzed in terms of language revitalization. The findings show that during the first decade Uppsala treated the Finnish language as any other foreign language. It provided access to media in Finnish, but the Finnish language was not visible in the library policy or in the library’s information material and program activities in Finnish were few. A major change in Uppsala Library’s work with the Finnish language started in 2010 when the municipality joined the administrative area for the Finnish language. Since 2010 Uppsala Library has with special efforts supported and promoted the Finnish language. Finnish is used in the library’s information material and is visible in the municipality’s and the library’s documents. Uppsala Library offers many kinds of media in Finnish. The library has organized events where the Finnish language is used for children and adults. The events have also brought to light the Swedish Finns’ experiences and the historical connection the Finnish language has to Sweden. Information in Finnish in the physical and digital libraries, however, could be improved. The objective of the Swedish policy on minorities is to provide support for the historical minority languages so that they are kept alive. Uppsala Library’s work during the 2010s shows public libraries’ potential as a forum for minority politics and their importance in the work with minority language revitalization. This is a two years master’s thesis in Library and Information Science.

Thesis (MPA.) -- University of Limpopo, 2016 / In Limpopo Province, the delivery of social welfare services is the joint responsibility of the Limpopo DSD and NPOs. The current NPO sector is organisationally configured to have strong partnerships with the public and corporate sectors due to diminished donations from individual and private donors. The Limpopo DSD conserves this beneficial partnership by providing financial support to organisations that render services that are in line with its priorities and also address the strategic objectives of the department. All these partners play a crucial role in ensuring that the poor, vulnerable and excluded people within the South African society secure a better life for themselves. The aim of this study is to determine the reasons behind the incongruence in the funding of NPOs and the services they offer to communities as expected by the Limpopo Department of Social Development in South Africa. The literature reviews concur that successful implementation of developmental social welfare services depends on role players who bring expert knowledge, skills, financial resources and commitment to achieve the desired results. A qualitative research approach was used in this research and data were gathered through the semi-structured interviews. The study proposed that delivery of social welfare services require working together in developing budget and performance reporting arrangements that meet accountability obligations and also contribute to the collective attainment of the outcome. The recommendations made were augmented by the information gathered from the interviewed respondents and were written in such a way that it can address the identified challenges if there are implemented appropriately.

Language education policy and its implementation have been controversial and ongoing issues throughout the United States, especially in the border state of Texas, with its large population of students who are learning English. This dissertation reports two studies, the first of which was a frame analysis of problems and solutions as represented by the five bills amending the Texas Education Code with regard to bilingual education and English as a second language programs. These laws, passed in 1969, 1973, 1975, 1981, and 2001, have been enacted since 1968, the year the Bilingual Education Act (BEA) was passed. The problem framed consistently by these state policy documents was inadequate instruction for children who come to school speaking languages other than English. More variability was seen in the framing of solutions, with approaches changing from the authorization of instruction in languages other than English, to the establishment of mandated bilingual programs, to the extension of special language programs, and to the establishment of dual language immersion programs. The primary ideology influencing the policy documents was the monolingual English ideology; however, alternative ideologies are apparent in the policies that allow for dual language immersion programs. Geographic information systems (GIS) analysis was used in the second study to investigate the geographic locations of particular programs and the demographics of students they served. Choropleth maps showed variability in program distribution across the state with distinct patterns apparent in only two programs. The maps indicated that districts with high percentages of student enrollment in one-way dual language programs tended to be located in and near the major metropolitan areas, whereas many districts offering early exit transitional bilingual programs tended to be located along the Texas-Mexico border. Despite the literature on bilingual/ESL program effectiveness, the predominant program in the border region of Texas is among those considered least beneficial to students learning English. This pair of studies illustrates the influence of monolingual English ideology on educational practice and policy through the implementation of programs by districts as well as the framing of bilingual education in legislation.

This study entails an examination of the extent of participation by non-governmental organisations (NGO’s) in the legislative process of the KwaZulu-Natal Legislature (KZN legislature). It aims to explore how far these NGO’s have taken advantage of the new South African policy based on transparency, openness and accountability. It is hypothesized that organised groups such as these have been very involved in government decision-making processes, since the start of the new democratic South Africa in 1994. This study, however, proves that there is minimal public participation and especially NGO participation in the KZN Legislature in particular and in government in general. It further uncovers various problems experienced by these NGO’s in trying to participate in the legislative process. The legislature’s inaccessibility was seen as one of the major inhibiting factors. Apathy and lack of interest in the legislative process were also identified as a problem amongst these NGO’s. This study has raised many issues that both the NGO sector and the KZN Legislature itself have to address in order that our newly founded democracy can be truly nurtured. This study is divided into two parts. The first part explores literature on democracy, that enables the policy making process and civil society to help give a clear indication on what various authors think should be the input of civil society in the policy making process of any democratic country. The second part looks at the South African situation and the findings of this study. / Dissertation (MA (Political Policy Studies))--University of Pretoria, 2007. / Political Sciences / unrestricted

The Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) Program, funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act in 2009, holds important lessons for United States climate policy. A one-time infusion of funding given primarily to local governments to for the purpose of reducing energy use and greenhouse gas emissions, the policy had important but uneven effects. Most recipients were able to show progress on energy efficiency goals to meet program requirements. But communities with pre-existing interest in and experience with climate and energy programs tended to multiply the effects of the funding, using it to launch long-term efforts or prove concepts in order to secure further funding and support. The dissertation shows the value of communities’ participation in voluntary policy initiatives related to climate and energy, as municipalities with even a small amount of related experience were better positioned to turn a one-time infusion of federal funding into long-lasting programs. At the same time, the program’s outcomes demonstrate the enduring power and influence of the federal government in achieving more widespread success, as municipalities that had not previously participated in climate and energy planning were generally unable to continue their work once federal funding was removed, even in the presence of local champions and demonstrated successes. The program also demonstrates that using federal grants-in-aid to accomplish policy goals has important limitations. Though EECBG grants often had a major impact on local policies, their uneven impact exposes the risk that grants-in-aid may further stratify local governments’ capacities in the policy areas to which they are applied. Rather than evening out the playing field, it is possible for such programs to increase the disparities between policy leaders and the rest. The dissertation points to the importance of tailoring federal programs to varying local needs and to the importance of building local differences into program evaluations.

In the face of growing economic inequality and population growth, several large cities in the US have started to proactively protect vital industrial lands from conversion to non-industrial uses. These new policies signal a potentially dramatic shift in both land-use and economic development practices. In the first essay of this dissertation I present a typology of existing industrial land protective policies after reviewing the comprehensive plans and zoning codes of the United States' fifty largest cities. I identify 11 cities with protective policies and highlight the variance of these policies by offering a simple two part typology based upon a city's use of increased usage restrictions or greater process requirements for conversion of protected parcels. The second essay presents results of a survey I administered to planners exploring the varied ways that planners understand the pressures facing industrial land in their cities and the political contexts they operate within regarding industrial land policy in their respective cities. I find that planners are generally supportive of industrial land protective policies but are ambivalent about the long term viability of industrial labor in cities and face political pressure to convert industrial land to non-industrial uses. The final essay presents an evaluation of protective land policies. I estimate a propensity score model measuring the change in manufacturing and broader "industrial" employment a the census tract level between 2009 and 2015 using LEHD LODES workplace association data. I estimate the propensity score model using a gradient boosted model and ultimately find a null effect of protective policies on manufacturing and "industrial" job growth.

Practicum focusing on the history of the planning and development of children's mental health services in Oregon, with special emphasis on the training of pediatricians and how pediatricians address children's mental health issues. Offers a detailed look at the legislative processes surrounding mental health program development, as the heightened role that referrals play in how treatment is identified and administered.

The wide use of renewable energy technologies for generating electricity can be seen as one way of meeting environmental and climate change challenges along with a progression to a low-carbon economy. A large number of policy instruments have been formed and employed to support the adoption of renewable energy technologies in the power generation sector. However, the success of these policies in achieving their goals relies on how effective they are in satisfying their targets and thus increasing renewable energy adoption. One measurement for effectiveness of policy instruments can be their contribution to the input of the process of renewable energy adoption and their effect on satisfying regional goal. The objective of this research is evaluate the effectiveness of energy policy instruments on increasing the adoption of renewable energy by developing a comprehensive evaluation model. Criteria used in this assessment depend on five perspectives that are perceived by decision makers as important for adoption process. The decision model linked the perspectives to policy targets and various energy policy instruments. These perspectives are: economic, social, political, environmental and technical. The research implemented the hierarchical decision model (HDM) to construct a generalized policy assessment framework. Data for wind energy adoption in the Pacific Northwest region were collected as a case study and application for the model. Experts' qualitative judgments were collected and quantified using the pair-wise comparison method and the final rankings and effectiveness of policy alternatives with respect to the mission were identified. Results of this research identified economic feasibility improvement of renewable energy projects as the most influential perspective and that renewable portfolio standards and tax credits are the two most effective criteria to accomplish that. The research also applied sensitivity analysis and scenario analysis to identify the effect of regional perspectives future priority changes on determining the most effective policy for this perspective. Results showed that renewable portfolio standards and tax credits were found to be the two most effective policies among the alternatives assessed. The research model and outcome can serve as policy check tool in policy making for renewable energy development in any region. Based on the overall research findings, policymakers can apply specific policy instruments to support adoption efforts for any given scenario and regional emphasis.

Home-based child care providers, including regulated family child care (FCC) providers, have long been the backbone of caregiving in the United States. Throughout the 21st century, federal and state governments have endeavored to enhance the quality of early childhood education and care (ECEC) programs to realize promising impacts on child development and learning, such as through investments in creating quality rating and improvement systems (QRIS). However, QRIS often have center-centric standards, are focused more on structural aspects of programs than caring and teaching processes, have demonstrated limited associations with child outcomes, and struggle to engage FCC providers. As federal and state governments move to incorporate FCC providers more deeply into ECEC systems in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, this study explores the components of quality that 169 FCC providers across four states value and how a (mis)alignment in these priorities may relate to their engagement in QRIS. This mixed method study mobilizes institutional and reconceptualist theories to explore how FCC providers adopt and resist institutionalized visions of ECEC quality that largely privilege white, Western, and center-centric perspectives. Findings indicate that FCC providers hold varied perspectives on what makes their programs great. Some providers’ perceptions of quality emphasized more structural and symbolic elements aligned with normative ideas of quality, while other providers’ perceptions balanced professional ideals about things like child-centered pedagogy and skill development alongside a focus on fostering loving, family-like, and culturally sustaining relationships with children and their families. While most providers shared at least one component of quality with their state’s QRIS standards (most often related to pedagogy), they also felt that QRIS and other policy systems placed too much emphasis on more structural and bureaucratic elements of their programs instead of on their relationships with children and families. While a few providers felt genuinely engaged in and satisfied with their QRIS, others faced challenges, intentionally stayed at lower rating levels, or dropped out of the QRIS entirely. Findings from this study have implications for creating more culturally and contextually responsive visions of quality, QRIS standards, and ECEC systems in the United States, all of which can be more attuned to the strengths and needs of children, families, and the FCC providers that care for them.

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