Research Summary: Private correctional firms are political actors. They work to create favorable conditions to market their services. At the same time, they are constrained by external political forces, including political parties, social movements, and public opinion. This article reviews what we know about the reciprocal relationship between the private...
In this work, I address foundational concerns at the interface of institutions, governance structure, transaction costs, and efficiency in public-private contracting. Following transaction cost economic perspective, I build and justify the theoretical models explaining that institutions may affect the economic performance of public-private contracting through the effect of transaction costs....
As the traffic demand increases at a faster rate than the upgrade and maintenance of
transportation facilities through the traditional public financing methods in the United
States, the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) is becoming an important supplement to
the public transportation infrastructure investment. There are already several existing
PPP toll road...
Visible homelessness is a complex and enduring issue that remains salient in policymaking and political realms. In response to homeless individuals living their lives in public spaces, many cities have enacted civility codes or laws that address quality of life concerns in an attempt to remove visible signs of homelessness...
Ideals of freedom, independence, and land ownership helped form and perpetuate the mythology of ranching in the United States. However, stereotypes emerged as a result of distortion from the media and the move away from the land. Social philosophies changed
regarding the environment, land use, and the health and safety...
The Personal Responsibility and Work Reconciliation Act of 1996 brought several changes to the welfare system. Among these changes are lifetime limits for receiving welfare benefits, and work requirements intended to foster economic self-sufficiency in welfare recipients. In the past few years, it has been acknowledged that there are challenges...
This research explores the lived experiences and career decision making styles of three Vietnamese refugees in the United states. Since this study involves the lived experience of the participants pertaining to their everyday activities (i.e. living, making decision, and working in the United States), the phenomenological approach (Van Manen, 1990;...
"The American Dream" is an expression familiar to all Americans and the realization of the American Dream is tied closely to homeownership (Clinton, 1995). The recent financial crisis, with the housing and financial markets at levels not seen since the Great Depression, has resulted in widespread unemployment, continually dropping home...
Throughout history, there have been many examples of political figures who have influenced fashion: from Theodore Roosevelt to Jacqueline Kennedy to Michelle Obama. Companies have taken advantage of the influence that political figures have as fashion opinion leaders, even going so far as to purchase keywords such as "Michelle Obama"...
The student perspective is a largely ignored element of educational research. This
study used the college student viewpoint to assess the influence Black high school
educators have on their pupils. Given today's reality of racism in this society, the existing
literature addressing this topic is inadequate. Using an open-ended questionnaire,...
This study investigated the practices public and academic
library administrators find useful and utilize in analyzing
use of collections. The study also investigated
administrators' satisfaction with their collection use
analysis practices, and the impact they perceived automation
to have upon collection use analysis practices.
A survey developed for this study...
This study considers trade-offs between timber harvest and carbon
sequestration on National Forest and other public lands by contemporaneously linking
a model of public harvest and inventory to a carbon accounting system. The public
harvest model treats three harvest scenarios. The first minimizes the cost of meeting
harvest requests that...
Business is a social institution and society has always designated a role for
business which has been undergoing changes with changing societal values and
paradigms. Thus while business has always had some responsibilities, the modern
connotation of the words corporate social responsibility commonly refers to business
assuming responsibilities in economic,...
In this thesis, I argue that Christian fundamentalism is a threat to the traditions of religious liberty and the separation of church and state in US liberal democracy. I support this claim by exploring the writings of men who were instrumental in the foundation of the US, concluding that they...
How do organizational members socially construct the shared meaning of a mandated change in the external environment? The opportunity to address this question presented itself when President Barack Obama set forth a goal for American community colleges to increase the number of students completing certificates and degrees by 5 million...
This thesis contains the cultural biography of Buddhist and Hindu items in a
small college town in the United States. It explores different factors that have led to
the availability of these items here, what attracts Americans to them, and the meanings
they give these items. Semi-structured interviews were conducted...
Ageism in the context of global population aging could lead to increasing human and economic costs. Age stereotypes tend to be negative (Hummert, 1990) and ubiquitous (Nelson, 2002) there are a variety of well documented detrimental consequences of negative age stereotypes on older adults' physical, cognitive and psychological outcomes (Hummert,...
Recent scientific studies show that framing climate change as a health issue rather than an environmental issue were more persuasive with American audience members (Maibach et. al., 2010; Maibach et. al. 2014). Also in 2014, a survey on respiratory healthcare providers and found that a large percentage believed that climate...
The study established how community college leaders establish connections
with other community leaders. Connections that form broad and inclusive networks
can be used to develop positive social capital in communities. Results showed that
new community college leaders follow a pattern of community engagement
including the identification of other leaders, making...
Policy makers in the United States (US), following recommendations made by the international scientific community, have drafted national emissions reduction legislation in hopes of minimizing the harmful effects of global climate change. Included in this legislation is a national cap-and-trade system with provisions for carbon offsets. Specific provisions for forest...
Humans have long suffered the effects of disease causing biological agents. Today bioterrorism appears to be on the rise while at the same time global and ecological changes have resulted in the emergence of new diseases. Potential repercussions of an epidemic pose immense challenges requiring a methodical approach to align...
Managers and policy-makers across broad disciplines and organizations are calling for a better understanding of public opinion on natural resource issues. One such issue is that of fire and its role in the management of our forests and rangelands. Public perceptions of fuel reduction techniques, with a particular emphasis on...
Published March 1979. Facts and recommendations in this publication may no longer be valid. Please look for up-to-date information in the OSU Extension Catalog: http://extension.oregonstate.edu/catalog