In December 1998, the Howard Government released Australia’s Oceans Policy, a major initiative focused at providing a framework for implementing integrated ecosystem based management of Australia’s vast marine domain. This thesis utilises a policy community approach to review the processes and institutions that led to the development of Australia’s Oceans Policy. It argues that despite significant policy change affected by both external and domestic policy drivers, a key element in shaping responses to the policy has been stability within the policy community shaped paradoxically by ‘offshore federalism’ that has made it difficult to implement a fully integrated oceans policy. Analysis of the development and implementation of the Australia’s Oceans Policy indicates that change to ocean related policies embodied in the policy framework have been driven by several interrelated factors. These include debates over appropriate management of resources within and between sectoral groups; coordination of marine resource management between state and Commonwealth governments; and Commonwealth commitments to international instruments. New institutional arrangements established by Australia’s Oceans Policy such as the National Oceans Office, National Oceans Ministerial Board, National Oceans Advisory Group and Regional Marine Plan Steering Committees, reflect a commitment towards integrated ocean management but at the same time confront the legal and jurisdictional framework established following a quarter century of ‘offshore federalism’.

Thesis (MA)--Montana State University--Bozeman, 2008. / Typescript. Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Billy Smith. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 104-108).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Rutgers University, 2007. / "Graduate Program in Planning and Public Policy." Includes bibliographical references (p. 190-199).

Thesis (Juris Doctor)--University of California, Berkeley, May 1911. / Includes bibliographical references (leaf 53).

No description available.

<p>School resource officer programs, characterized as a major crime control model and violence prevention program have earned the designation as an effective prevention strategy to mitigate against student misconduct and violations of the law. This study explored school resource officers? perceptions of how arrests decisions influenced order within middle and high schools. The purpose of the study was to determine if a relationship existed between factors, circumstances, and the arrest decisions in middle and high schools. It was assumed the officers? decision to arrest or not arrest were dependent upon factors and circumstances that were interconnected to the functionality of maintaining social order within the school setting. The structural-functionalism theory offered a comprehensive approach to explore the relationship between the social structure of schools, functions of school resource officers and the impact of their arrests decisions in creating balance and stability in the school environment. For this study, the dependent variable was the arrest decisions of school resource officers and the independent variables were factors, circumstances and years of experience. The study hypothesized a correlation between the dependent variable (arrests decisions) and the independent variables, which were collapsed into three facets - factors, circumstances and years of experience. Although, it was presumed years of experience would influence arrests decisions, logistic regression analysis revealed it did not influence the arrest decision as much as the facet factors. The study further revealed females were more likely to arrest than males and more students were arrested at the high school level than at the middle school level. Academic achievement and criminal records were considered at the middle school level with little consideration in high school.

<p> Adequate access to primary care is an integral part of any health care system. One indicator for access outcomes is potentially preventable hospitalizations (PPH), i.e., a hospitalization that occurs when a patient is hospitalized for an ambulatory care sensitive condition (ACSC). PPHs are of interest because the additional costs of caring for a patient in a hospital with an ACSC, as opposed to in a primary care setting, are substantial, for patients, payers, and hospitals. Identifying the factors associated with PPH will aid in policymaking, improve access to care, and reduce the burden on the health care system. To address the gaps in the literature, I analyze how community-level access to care resources and state policies are associated with PPH using nationally representative data, while controlling for individual patient characteristics and community-level demographics. Multiple publicly available and restricted use data sources are linked to create a comprehensive data set that is used to investigate the relationship between PPH rates and community access to care factors. The dissertation addresses the following three objectives: (1) To determine the association between state Medicaid policies and the odds of a potentially preventable hospitalization; (2) To assess how primary care capacity and the odds of a potentially preventable hospitalization varies across the urbanization spectrum; and (3) To assess how primary care capacity and the odds of PPH varies for chronic and acute ACSCs. The findings are summarized below: - An analysis of state Medicaid policies does not find any significant associations between the odds of PPH and Medicaid generosity index and managed care penetration. - Primary care physician supply and the presence of a federally qualified health center are associated with a lower odds of PPH across the urbanization spectrum. - Physician supply, primary care and specialist, is associated with a lower odds of PPH for chronic ACSCs, while nurse practitioner and physician assistant supply is associated with a lower odds of PPH for acute ACSCs. The presence of a federally qualified health center is associated with lower odds of PPH for both chronic and acute ACSCs.</p>

<p> Decentralization policy is advanced in many regions as a collaborative approach to regional stability, economic and political development, and poverty reduction. However, there is not a valid decentralization policy in the Mano River Region (MRR) countries of West Africa despite the presence of multinational institutions and United Nations Peacekeeping forces. The purpose of this qualitative, phenomenological case study was to use the sequential theory of decentralization to investigate why peace and stability in the MRR are still fragile. The primary research question concerned how the policy of decentralization implementation in MRR can significantly contribute to regional stability, enhance economic development, reduce poverty, and minimize corruption in the MRR. Data were collected from 64 participants, through the use of semi-structured, in-depth interview techniques. A consent authorization of participants allowed the collection of the data. The analysis of data involved, identifying categories of responses and answers to classify them in phases based on responses answers to questions. According to study findings, decentralization policy was perceived to be a positive concept that promotes good governance, regional stability, economic development, poverty reduction, and minimization of corruption; however, there was little knowledge and implementation on decentralization in the MRR or among participants&rsquo; native countries. An educational program on the successes of decentralization policy implementation is recommended. Outcomes from this research may serve as a point for social change by providing a model understanding of peace and stability in the MRR and similar areas.</p><p>

<p> Data that follow students over time are not only important but necessary at all levels of education to make accurate policy and funding decisions. Districts have personnel responsible for collecting data from their schools and then reporting the data to the state. Using critical realism as the frame, a multiple case study was conducted to develop an understanding of how perspective and context influence actions of the district data personnel responsible for collecting and reporting data, provide those personnel with a voice, and contribute to the improvement of the federal reporting processes. </p><p> A review of the literature offers several points of reference for understanding this work. Researchers found that barriers to district data use do not tend to be technical issues, but human, state support of districts improves data use, and individuals bring their own context and understanding into any process in which they participate. </p><p> Four case studies of school districts in Virginia with exemplary data reporting were used in this research. Data were collected through interviews with district data personnel. All cases had data audit processes that were followed and documented, and all had distinct philosophies surrounding data in their districts, however, there was not a one size fits all organizational context or process. Challenges to state reporting included conflicting priorities of the school data personnel and lack of district data personnel. Recommendations include states support of communities of practice among school districts and federal funding support for school and district data collection and reporting. </p><p>

<p> Understanding federal managers&rsquo; use of evidence (performance measurement data and evaluation results) to inform decision-making is an important step to develop concrete strategies to remove barriers to use and increase use. The goals of this research are to: 1) explain the extent to which senior level managers and executives in federal agencies use performance measurement data and evaluation findings and results to inform decision-making; 2) understand the factors that influence use of evidence to inform decision-making; and 3) explore strategies to enhance the use of evidence. </p><p> The study employs a case study approach focusing on four federal agencies whose managers&rsquo; exhibit varying degrees of success in utilizing evidence (e.g., performance measurement data and program evaluation results). The four case study agencies that are the subject of the study are: United States Agency for International Development (AID), Department of Treasury (Treasury), the Small Business Administration (SBA), and Department of Transportation (DOT). The study relied on publicly available secondary data sources that were supplemented by document reviews and interviews with a small number of key informants. </p><p> The findings indicate that performance measurement use occurs within the four case study agencies, however, it&rsquo;s use declined from 2007 to 2017 for SBA, DOT and Treasury. Although a decline in use for some categories was evident in AID, other types of use increased. The results indicate that nearly 40% or more of respondents for the case study agencies use performance measurement data to inform decisions related to program strategy, problem identification and improvements and personnel performance related issues. </p><p> The data also suggest an important distinction and nuance associated with different levels of management who use performance information, as well as specific types of use. For example, the agency&rsquo;s top leaders and first line supervisors are more likely to use performance measurement data. However, an organization&rsquo;s middle management tends to be less likely to use data to inform decisions regarding changes to the program. </p><p> The most common factors that influence performance information use across the four case study agencies include: manager perceptions about who pays attention to performance information, the lack of incentives and the perceived authority (or lack of) to make changes to improve the program. In addition, access to timely and readily available data, information technology and or systems capable of providing the needed data, access to training, and staff knowledge and expertise to develop performance measures and conduct evaluations were found to influence the use of performance measurement. </p><p> In general, there is an overall decline in the percentage of managers who report an evaluation of their program was conducted from 2013 to 2017 in all four case study agencies. Despite this decline, over 50% of AID managers were aware of an evaluation that was conducted within the past five years. The lower responses reported by DOT (28%), SBA (32%) and Treasury (34%) is consistent with the absence of robust program evaluation efforts. In 2017, managers at AID, SBA and Treasury report using program evaluation results to implement changes to improve program management or performance, while AID, DOT and Treasury managers report using program evaluation to assess program effectiveness, value or worth.</p><p>