<p> Continued escalation in health care expenditures in the United States has led to an unsustainable model that consumes almost 20% of GDP. Policymakers have recognized the need for industry reform and have taken action through the passage of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The purpose of this quantitative, longitudinal study was to examine the relationship between the type of health insurance and health care costs. Mechanism theory and game theory provided the theoretical framework. The analysis of secondary data from the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project included a sample of 1,956,790-inpatient hospital stays from 2007 to 2014. Results of one-way ANOVAs indicated that between 2% and 9% of health care costs could be attributed to type of health insurance, a statistically significant finding. Results also supported the effectiveness of the ACA in stabilizing health care costs. The average annual rate of health care cost increase was 38.6% from 2007 until 2010, decreasing to an average annual increase of 4.3% from 2011 until 2014. Results provide important information to generate positive social change for consumers, providers, and policymakers. This includes improving decisions related to health care costs, improved understanding of the costs of health care services, increased transparency, increased patient engagement, maximizing consumer utility, facilitation of reduction of waste within the industry, and increased understanding of the impact of health policy on health care costs and efficiencies within newly created health policies. Results may also improve transparency of health care costs, which allows consumers, providers, and policymakers to take specific action to reduce health care costs, resulting in a more just and sustainable health care model.</p><p>

<p>The purpose of the current content analysis was to identify response trends concerning social connections within the prison community in relation to participation in available programs and activities in 181 surveys completed by long-term inmates incarcerated at Louisiana State Penitentiary in 2003. As social connectivity has been linked to decreased levels of violence and rule infractions, and this group of inmates will likely be the responsibility of the state for the rest of their natural lives, it is important to investigate the connections that they share with other inmates. The current analysis addressed the following three questions: Are the number of programs that inmates participate in and their rating of connection to the prison community related? Which programs do the inmates at Louisiana State Penitentiary view as the most beneficial in aiding their connection to the prison community? What factors do inmates identify in their selected programs as valuable to forming and maintaining social connections within the prison community? In order to answer these questions, survey responses concerning inmate program participation, reasoning behind participation, and indications of connection within the prison community were input into a spreadsheet. The separated data was then subjected to content analysis. The program participation was compared to indicated level of prison connection. Written explanations of participation, in particular programming, were examined for similarities amongst all respondents. Results suggest a positive correlation between program participation and an increased sense of connection with the prison community, as well as concern for the well-being of others. Suggestions for future research include in-person data collection specifically designed to investigate inmate connections with the prison community and program participation, and an interview versus survey structure.

It is estimated that around 200,000 children in the UK experience the imprisonment of a parent. Imprisonment has been described as a family affair, as families suffer the brunt of the punishment supposedly directed at the offender. Despite an awareness of this impact there is a distinct lack of community-based support services for families affected by parental imprisonment, and no central support strategy from government. This practitioner-researcher study aimed to discover how ‘whole-families’ affected by parental imprisonment (children, parents/carers and parents who are/have been prisoners) experience community-based support. A collective case study approach was utilised. Eight families who were supported by the UK based charity, Person Shaped Support (PSS) contributed their experiences; this comprised 18 participants; 5 children, 8 parents/carers, and 5 parents who had been in prison. All participants took part in one audio-recorded in-depth interview, either at PSS or in their own home. Some participants offered further insights via conversations with the researcher, which were recorded in the form of handwritten notes. Transcripts were analyzed using thematic analysis; they were analyzed individually and then considered as part of their family grouping. Early themes from each family were then compared and contrasted from family to family. Four major themes were identified: (1) ‘Isolation and Someone to Talk To’; (2) ‘Feeling Understood and Being Judged’; (3) ‘Power, Secrets and Lies and Fighting Back’; and (4)’ Loss, Contact and Change’. Participants spoke of feeling isolated and marginalized, which some described like ‘being in bubbles’; they also described the ‘brick walls’ they experienced which reflected their frustrations of being judged and their conflict with statutory services, members of their communities and members of their own families. A tentative model centered on ‘Personal Connectivity’ is presented in which personal connectivity is seen to be the over-riding support need for these families. With enhanced personal connectivity, the families reported being able to form and maintain meaningful relationships, which helped them to better cope. Some participants also reported personal growth. Recommendations are that practitioners who aim to help families affected by parental imprisonment should adopt a ‘whole-family’ systemic approach to practice and provide support through non-judgmental listening, conveying understanding, sharing knowledge (of the criminal justice system), providing opportunities for safe family contact, and opportunities for affected families to meet peers.

<p> While there is considerable research on active shooters, civil liberties, and security in school, there is only limited research that focused upon the parent&rsquo;s perceptions. Parent&rsquo;s perceptions affect children&rsquo;s success in learning and influence children&rsquo;s perceptions on feeling safe in school. The purpose of this study is to use a quantitative correlational study to evaluate the parent&rsquo;s perceptions as they relate to sacrificing civil liberties for increased school security. A specific focus is upon parents with children in high schools within the United States. The theoretical basis for this study is the decision making theory which assumes rational behavior. The study required the creation, validation, and testing for reliability of the sacrificing civil liberties for security survey instrument. The sampling of 254 parents from throughout the United States was completed utilizing a web-based survey. The results of this study identified a significant relationship between every subscale of sacrificing civil liberties (SCL) and both predictors Trust in Government (TIG) and Right Wing Authoritarianism (RWA). No relationship was found between educational levels and SCL. A relationship with the predictor age was found with the SCL subscales active monitoring and passive monitoring. Finally, a relationship with the predictor gender was found with the SCL subscale active monitoring. These findings indicate that parents are willing to sacrifice some of their children&rsquo;s civil liberties within certain constraints. Based upon the results of this study, a conclusion can be drawn that parent&rsquo;s perceptions are influenced by many of the predictors. The largest relationship was with the predictors TIG and RWA. School officials, law enforcement, and government officials can use these results to assess the acceptability of their actions of increased security while carefully limiting the impact upon student&rsquo;s civil liberties.</p>

This dissertation studies the promise of inclusion in the global information society for marginalized groups in India, a nation that represents a modular case for technology and modernization initiatives in the global South. There has been significant research on the problematic notion of the "digital divide," based on the premise that access to technology will ensure economic and cultural transformations. Combining approaches from the political economy of communication and from cultural studies, my research is located in the growing critical and ethnographic scholarship on technology and modernity in the global South. I examine the institutional and cultural politics of Information and Communication Technologies for Development (ICTD) initiatives in rapidly globalizing Delhi through a multi-method study that includes archival research and an extended period of fieldwork at the sites of interconnected global and local institutions, markets and communities. Forms of institutions and governance, starting from the colonial period, demonstrate continuities to the evolution of digital inclusion initiatives in the 21st century. Through archival and ethnographic research, I trace the beginnings of public-private partnerships in education and the establishment of the Industrial Training Institutes to 19th century colonial India, when the British Empire sought to strengthen its rule. My ethnographic research also studies the modern, postcolonial state as it changes from the Nehruvian socialist model to a neoliberal one and increasingly becomes a deliverer of social services, enabled by ICT programs. Corporations emerge as important welfare actors through hybrid public-private partnerships. I argue that such new institutional forms renegotiate, reify and occasionally reproduce structural inequalities, especially for low-income and marginalized communities. My project connects institutional politics to the politics of culture. I study the habitus of "new middle-class," corporate professionals in India who comprise the initiators of ICTD projects. In addition, my ethnographic research follows "urban poor Muslim women" and "slum youth" from the doorsteps of the ICT center into their everyday lives to understand policy shifts from subaltern perspectives. My study unpacks concepts of the "digital divide" and "access" in the context of complex histories of gender, class, caste, religion and the politics of urban space in global Delhi.

This study examined administrative appeals under the U.S. Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) at two federal government agencies: the Department of the Army and the U.S. Forest Service. The study reviewed all provided case files for appeals received by the agencies in fiscal year 2012, which consisted of 105 appeals at the Army and 53 appeals at the Forest Service. The researcher coded each appeal with respect to the processing time of the initial request, whether a lawyer was involved in preparing the request or appeal, and the professional or situational identity of the requester (journalist, business, agency personnel, etc.). From initial request through initial decision, the median wait time was 31 calendar days at the Forest Service and 40 days at the Army. At both agencies, a person with legal expertise assisted with nearly one-third of appealed FOIA requests. Requests from agency personnel and their families constituted the largest group of the appeals filed at the Army, while at the Forest Service the largest group of appeals came from the "other" category of requesters, including members of the general public and unidentified requesters. / A Thesis submitted to the School of Information in partial fulfillment of the Master of Science. / Spring Semester, 2015. / April 6, 2015. / appellants, FOIA, freedom of information, public records, requesters / Includes bibliographical references. / Charles C. Hinnant, Professor Directing Thesis; Lorri Mon, Committee Member; Gary Burnett, Committee Member.

The first chapter examines what motivates airports to deploy on-site solar PV system. Currently, over 20% of U.S. public airports have adopted solar photovoltaic (PV) on their property. Yet, the vast majority of research on solar energy adoption focuses on state, local, or individual levels, largely overlooking one of the most utilized public properties for solar PV—airports. Combining a unique dataset of 488 U.S. public airports and interviews with managers at four key airports, this paper investigates why and to what degree (i.e., capacity generated) do airports deploy on-site solar PV systems. Findings suggest state-operated airports are more likely to adopt solar PV, airports in the service area of cooperatives are less likely to deploy solar PV, and the level of connectivity to other airports in airport associations positively correlates to solar PV adoption and capacity. Airport governance, support from electric utilities, and renewable policy incentives are also important factors influencing solar and renewable energy development. Policy and management implications for renewable energy deployment at airports and other publicly-used properties are discussed. Insight for future research on the general linkage between governance structure and renewable energy development is considered. The second chapter examines make-or-buy decisions (i.e., providing in-house or contracting out) in financing solar PV projects at U.S. airports. Airports are one of the fastest growing adopters of solar photovoltaic (PV) energy systems, but little is known about how airports finance solar projects. Financing arrangements can influence long-term economic viability and cost-benefit distribution of solar projects. Based on the transaction cost approach, this paper hypothesizes that make-or-buy decisions for solar projects are shaped by airport governance structure, utility ownership, state policies, and renewable market conditions. Hypotheses are examined through multinomial logistic analysis, using data from all U.S. airports that have adopted a solar PV project as of June 2018. The analysis finds that airports operated by special-purpose governments are more likely to own and self-operate solar systems, while airports in the service area of investor-owned utilities are more likely to lease land for a solar project. Statewide renewable energy regulations and solar market conditions are also important factors influencing make-or-buy decisions. This chapter has implications for solar PV policy design, taking into account positive externalities of renewable energy projects given institutional environments. The third chapter examines how local government organizational characteristics and management activities relate to public-nonprofit collaboration and perceived performance in local sustainability. Local governments have been increasingly responsible for promoting sustainability, but we are only beginning to learn how organizational characteristics and management activities influence local sustainability policy. Using 2015 sustainable cities survey data and case studies in the U.S., this study finds that public-nonprofit collaboration in sustainability is positively associated with perceived inter-departmental competition and functional fragmentation. It is also found that perceived sustainability performance is positively correlated with public-nonprofit collaboration, functional fragmentation, and performance information use. However, the relationship between performance information use and perceived performance is nonlinear, indicating that the effect of performance information use on perceived performance has an inverse u-shape. Performance information use in highly fragmented administrative arrangements may be negatively related to perceived sustainability performance. Implications for local sustainability implementation are discussed. / A Dissertation submitted to the Askew School of Public Administration and Policy in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / 2019. / [Date awarded not present on Dissertation]. / airport governance, bureaucratic competition, local sustainability, performance information, renewable energy policy, special purpose governance / Includes bibliographical references. / Richard C. Feiock, Professor Directing Dissertation; Charles Barrilleaux, University Representative; Ralph S. Brower, Committee Member; Kaifeng Yang, Committee Member.

Nigerian women face numerous cultural difficulties in their quest to attain leadership positions in Nigeria, a developing country. They are often overlooked in favor of men due to politics, religious beliefs, education, and bias in gender roles. When Nigerian women emigrate to a new country, the challenges are even greater. Although several United States policies impact the ability of a female immigrant to attain a leadership position 'the Equal Pay Act, Affirmative Action, and the Equal Employment Opportunity Act' little research has examined the challenges that affect their quest to attain leadership positions in the United States. This study explored the experiences of immigrant Nigerian women currently in leadership positions in New York City. Data for this study included interviews with 12 Nigerian female immigrants who responded to flyers placed throughout New York City; participants were also recruited via snowball sampling. Interview data were inductively coded, and then subjected to a modified Van Kaam method of analysis that revealed emergent themes. Many of the respondents reported the needed to change career paths because organizations in New York City did not recognize the equivalent of their careers, work experience, and education from their home country. As a result of this research, new information will be available to policymakers, which may be used to revise existing policies that directly impact immigrant women's career goals. The results may also provide new and useful information to leaders of local organizations that help female immigrants gain meaningful employment.

Traditional avenues of influencing planning decisions are not intuitive for diverse, historically underrepresented community residents in many neighborhoods and many immigrant residents come from societies where engaging in public discourse is discouraged or dangerous. The focus of this study, the Planning Outreach and Engagement Liaison (POEL) program, was designed to address these discrepancies, yet whether the program was successful is unknown. Using participatory democracy as the theoretical framework, the purpose of this case study was to explore whether the POEL program brought diverse residents together to participate in the neighborhood planning process. Data were collected through semi structured interviews with planners, community coordinators, public outreach and engagement liaisons, and members of non-governmental organizations (n = 10) and official government records and documents. All data were deductively coded and then analyzed using a thematic analysis procedure. Six themes emerged from the study including (a) measures of program success, (b) outreach and communication, (c) collaboration, (d) intimidation and fear, (e) time limitation, and (f) building relationships. POELs identified and understood that barriers such as lack of time, lack of child care, persistent fear of government intentions, and religious and cultural norms inhabit the process, but found that using outreach and communication promotes interest in and participation in neighborhood planning. When neighborhood residents are empowered and given information about the process, they make informed choices. The study promotes positive social change by showing that mitigating some of the barriers to participation supports greater inclusion of underrepresented persons in the neighborhood planning process.

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