<p> The phenomenon of wildfire growth has emerged as one of the most important geographical, social, and emergency management concerns in California this century. Attached to this concern are additional concerns related to the effective response to and management of wild fire. This qualitative multi-case research study examines the relationship between the organizational management methods of the responses to two of California&rsquo;s largest and most devastating and costly wildfires ever, the 2003 California Cedar and the 2013 California Rim Fires. In addition to reviewing and analyzing the relationship between management methodology and incident response performance, this study also examines the progress and evolution of organizational management methods of the agencies involved in these two responses. The study is concluded with an analysis of the data and recommendations related to the adoption of a hybrid method of incident response management that values traditional hierarchical approaches while also valuing and instituting modern network approaches.</p>

<p> This embedded case study, using contemporary policy implementation research as my conceptual framework to examine the interpretation and implementation of the Migrant Education Policy across four distinct policy levels, three of which are located in Missouri. The findings of this study demonstrate that policy implementers sometimes lack the will and/or the capacity to effectively implement the Migrant Education Policy in Missouri. Differing perspectives on identifying migrant students and using the MAP to determine student achievement are two areas of concern for the policy implementers. All participants suggested that migrants&rsquo; social and health needs are as important as their academic needs. While engaging migrant parents is a struggle for most districts, a single district was able to involve their migrant parents more than the other districts. The findings of this study highlight gaps and discrepancies in the way the Migrant Education Policy is adapted and implemented at different policy levels, suggesting a communication breakdown or miscommunication somewhere in the implementation process. These findings also confirm the need for additional training for the different policy implementers. The information obtained could be used to improve the implementation process, thereby, improving the state, the regions, and the districts&rsquo; abilities to provided equitable access to educational opportunities to migrant students in Missouri. </p>

<p>This dissertation consists of three papers, which together examine whether policies meant to address inequality, succeed in mitigating the impact of traditional institutions such as caste and enable ethnic minorities to claim their rights. Using experimental and quasi-experimental methods with data from a variety of primary and secondary sources, this dissertation analyzes whether policies meant to empower vulnerable groups in India have succeeded in doing so. The findings suggest that while legislations in the form of mandated political representation or freedom of information laws are necessary in terms of increasing the accountability of government towards citizens, they may not be sufficient in ensuring adequate and uniform delivery of public services, especially to citizens belonging to marginalized groups. Further, empowering citizens – especially those belonging to groups that have faced historic discrimination – to actively participate in civic and political life may require more active and intensive policy and programmatic interventions.</p> / Dissertation

<p> Throughout his presidential campaign, President Donald Trump took a combative and hardline approach toward undocumented immigrants and immigration. His campaign was a platform that promoted homogeneity and exposed the racist and xenophobic ideologies pervasive in American society. On college campuses undocumented students are confronted by the same intolerance imbedded in the national discourse. This study examined how anti-immigrant discourses influenced the experiences of ten undocumented Latina and Latino college students at public universities in the state of California. The findings were organized along four themes: exclusion and belonging, effects of anti-immigrant discourses, the impact of the 2016 presidential election, and challenging anti-immigrant discourses. The findings underscore the challenges that participants encountered as they navigated anti-immigrant sentiments in the contemporary moment. Participants shared how rejection along the dimensions of language, immigration status, and phenotype impacted their educational trajectories. Recommendations for practice, policy, and future research are provided.</p>

<p> The socioeconomic progress of developing nations, states, and rural communities largely depends on the development and management of their water resources. Rural communities of the North Senatorial District (NSD) of Benue, Nigeria do not have adequate access to potable water. The purpose of this correlational study was to evaluate the statistical relationship between availability of potable water and the economic development of the NSD and Benue state. The primary theoretical framework included Omamegbe&rsquo;s theory of migration and brain drain. A quantitative, cross-sectional design was employed using a modified version of the World Health Organization (WHO) Laboratory Assessment Checklist. Participants consisted of 43 water supply managers and five officials of the Ministry for Water Resources and Environment (MWRE). Data were analyzed using Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient to establish a relationship between the independent variable (potable water supply) and the dependent variable constructs relating to the availability and quality of water supply technologies and resources as well as the presence of documentation for maintenance and improvements. The results indicated all dependent variables had statistically significant relationships to lack of potable water supply and its negative effect on the economic development of the NSD. The implications for social change include developing a state model that would improve water supply to communities of the NSD of Benue state which may no doubt have a positive health, economic, and social impacts for the state and potentially, the country.</p>

<p> Since the first aircraft accident was attributed to the improper use of automation technology in 1996, the aviation community has recognized that the benefits of flight deck technology also have negative unintended consequences from both the technology itself and the human interaction required to implement and operate it. This mixed methods study looks at the relationship of technology to the severity of aircraft mishaps and the policy implications resulting from those relationships in order to improve safety of passenger carrying aircraft in the United States National Airspace System. U.S. mishap data from the National Transportation Safety Board and the Aviation Safety Reporting System was collected covering aircraft mishaps spanning the last twenty years. An ordinal regression was used to determine which types of flight deck technology played a significant role in the severity of aircraft mishaps ranging from minor to catastrophic. Using this information as a focal point, a qualitative analysis was undertaken to analyze the mechanisms for that impact, the effect of existing policy guidance relating to the use of technology, and the common behaviors not addressed by policy that provide a venue to address aviation safety. Some areas of current policy were found to be effective, while multiple areas of opportunity for intervention were uncovered at the various levels of aircraft control including the organizational, the supervisory, the preparatory, and the execution level that suggest policy adjustments that may be made to reduce incidence of control failure caused by cockpit automation. </p>

<p> This study identifies and compares competing policy stories of key actors involved in the Ecuadorian education reform under President Rafael Correa from 2007-2015. By revealing these competing policy stories the study generates insights into the political and technical aspects of education reform in a context where state capacity has been eroded by decades of neoliberal policies. </p><p> Since the elections in 2007, President Correa has focused much of his political effort and capital on reconstituting the state&rsquo;s authority and capacity to not only formulate but also implement public policies. The concentration of power combined with a capacity building agenda allowed the Correa government to advance an ambitious comprehensive education reform with substantive results in equity and quality. At the same time the concentration of power has undermined a more inclusive and participatory approach which are essential for deepening and sustaining the reform.</p><p> This study underscores both the limits and importance of state control over education; the inevitable conflicts and complexities associated with education reforms that focus on quality; and the limits and importance of participation in reform. Finally, it examines the analytical benefits of understanding governance, participation and quality as socially constructed concepts that are tied to normative and ideological interests.</p>

<p> The permitting process to determine whether high volume hydraulic fracturing (HVHF) should be allowed in New York State has been controversial and protracted. There have been intense disputes between those who see HVHF as an economic benefit and those who assert it will jeopardize health and the environment. Using the case study research method, perceptions of directly affected stakeholders regarding the issues, benefits and limitations associated with the public participation process were explored. Purposive sampling yielded participants from the natural gas industry, municipal governments, local landowners and residents. Data collection methods involved in-depth interviews, focus groups and document analysis. Since the HVHF conflict concerned a future possibility of environmental degradation, theoretical foundations included complex systems and green ideology, the enactment of power and social dominance, environmental conflict resolution, and principles of collaborative management. Findings demonstrate that the public participation process was embedded in a traditional top-down policy development approach that did not accommodate conditions of high uncertainty, nor did it allow for the broader and deeper discourse needed when development involves socio-economic and environmental justice issues. Implications include the potential to apply principles and methods of collaborative management typically used for natural resource management. In particular, the adaptive co-management approach provides a framework for managing issues that require problem solving over time, an essential missing element of the current HVHF stakeholder engagement process where diverse stakeholders identified issues of trust, empowerment, rights and fairness.</p><p>

E-Banking frauds is an issue experienced globally and continues to prove costly to both banks and customers. Frauds in e-banking services occur due to various compromises in security, ranging from weak authentication systems to insufficient internal controls. Although some security frameworks to address this issue of fraud have been proposed, the problem of e-banking fraud remains due to the inability of these framework to deal with organisational issues. With limited research in this area, the study sets out to identify the organisational Critical Success Factors (CSF) for E-Banking Frauds Prevention in Nigeria by applying CSF theory. A framework is proposed to help improve security from an organisational perspective. The study adopted a mixture of philosophical paradigms which led to the triangulation of research methods; Literature Review, Survey and Case Studies. The Literature Review involved the synthesis of existing literature and identified potential CSF for frauds prevention in e-banking. A total of 28 factors were identified and a conceptual framework was proposed. A 5-point Likert scale survey questionnaire was sent to retail bank staff in Nigeria to rate the criticality of the factors. A total of 110 useable responses were received at a response rate of 23.9%. Similar interrelated factors were grouped using a Principal Component Analysis. Finally, case studies with 4 banks in Nigeria were carried out to deepen our understanding. The study identified a total of 10 CSF which spanned across strategic, operational and technological factor categories. These included 'Management Commitment', 'Engagement of Subject Matter Experts' and 'Multi-Layer Authentication' amongst others. In addition, new CSF such as 'Risk-Based Transactional Controls', 'People Awareness & Training' and 'Bank Agility via Data Driven Decision Making' were identified. Finally, these CSF were grouped into an e-banking frauds prevention framework. This study is a pioneer study that extends theory to propose a CSF-based frauds prevention framework for banks in Nigeria.

The proper implementation of a curricular program is crucial in ensuring that the curricular content and learning intentions are delivered to students consistently and reliably. This being the case, it is essential that newly adopted curricular initiatives are evaluated for fidelity to the program's original standards. Currently, state and federal regulations require teachers to use instructional programs that have been shown to be effective through "scientifically based research" (Stavin, 2003). to satisfy the "scientifically based research" requirement of NCLB, curricular programs undergo rigorous efficacy and effectiveness testing to ensure that the program's standards are indeed valid. to further measure the validity, efficacy and effectiveness testing is often accompanied by fidelity of implementation (FOI) assessments (Century, Freeman, & Rudnick, 2008). FOI assessments serve to ensure that curricular programs are delivered to the standards prescribed by the original program model (Carroll et al., 2007; Century et al., 2008; Gresham, MacMillan, Boebe-Frankenberger, & Bocian, 2000; National Research Council, 2004 Reschly & Gresham, 2006; Schoenfeld, 2002).