LBJ School Theses and Professional Reports

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This collection is updated quarterly. For the most complete record of theses and professional reports, please see the ETD Collection.

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The 21st century classroom : integrating educational technology with 21st century competencies in support of workforce development
(2011-05) Bailie, Christine M.; Treisman, Philip Uri; King, Christopher T.
Information and communication technology demands are increasing across a range of occupations, creating intense global competition for highly-skilled workers. In order to meet the economic needs of the next century, education reform must prioritize student-directed learning that fosters innovation and creativity, enabling the United States to compete internationally in attracting and creating high-quality jobs for its citizens. Our system must strive to create lifelong learners and ensure equity in preparing all students for college- and career-readiness, which increasingly, are considered one in the same. Manor New Technology High School, in Central Texas, has successfully used technology immersion and project-based learning to expand the opportunities for its minority-majority population. Emphasis is placed on teaching students how to learn and in making authentic learning connections with the world through applied, and interdisciplinary coursework. An understanding of how educational technology can be used to create better student outcomes, through investment in teacher peer-to-peer supports to effectively integrate technology into instruction, has led to a sustainable and scalable model of technology immersion at Manor Independent School District. Through its partnerships with local businesses and not-for-profit organizations, Manor New Technology High School is graduating highly skilled and college-bound students, while concurrently promoting sector-based economic development within the high-tech industry. State educational agencies are ill-equipped to meet the challenges of workforce development; therefore, new mechanisms and incentives should be created to encourage and enable school districts to pursue 21st Century competencies (analytic skills, interpersonal skills, ability to execute, information processing, and capacity for change), which are enabled through the “invisible tool” of educational technology in the classroom.
Access to water and sanitation in Atlantic Nicaragua
(2011-05) Gordon, Edmund Wyatt; Hooker, Juliet; Dorn, Edwin
Afro-descendant communities in Central America have recently made important legal strides by enshrining their right to equal treatment under the law and in some cases their ability to claim a distinct group status in national constitutions. The United Nations recently issued a draft resolution declaring that access to water and sanitation is a universal right, furthering the tools available to marginalized afro-descendant peoples in their battles against poverty and underdevelopment. Unfortunately, implementation of these measures has been slow in some areas and non-existent in others. Though there have been some advances, the situation for Afro-descendant communities remains largely unchanged and the availability of the basic requirements of life for Afro-descendant populations remains among the lowest in the region. Increased attention to the political, social, and especially the material situation of Afro-descendant communities is needed in political circles, as well as in the academic community. There is a lack of scholarly work on the material well-being of Afro-descendent populations in Central America. An important initial contribution in this area would be the compilation, and accumulation of statistical information as a primary step in developing the literature. The focus of this study then is on the Atlantic Coast Afro-descendant populations in Nicaragua. This document will outline the current material circumstances of Nicaraguan Afro-descendant communities using data gathered from a variety of sources, identify the causes of inadequate access to water and sanitation, and suggest strategies to improve the situation of these communities. It is my sincere hope that, at the very least, increased attention will be brought to the situation.
An analysis of the effectiveness of the foreign corrupt practices act in combating corruption
(2014-05) Margeson, Grant Nicholas; Busby, Joshua W.
The Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) has a dual purpose of protecting United States businesses (and importantly, their investors) and combating corruption abroad. The latter purpose is the focus of this study. Reduced corruption has been linked to improving human rights conditions and supporting development projects; thus, if the FCPA reduces corruption, it can positively impact other United States' concerns. Given this importance, this study seeks to determine whether the FCPA reduces corruption in targeted countries. FCPA enforcement actions brought by the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) from 1998 to 2012 were compiled and allocated by country where the underlying bribery took place. The top ten countries from which the most FCPA enforcement actions arose were selected for individual case study. The level of corruption in each country was approximated with the World Bank's Control of Corruption Indicator (CCI) for the relevant time period of 1998 to 2012. The number of FCPA enforcement actions are compared to this CCI score to determine if the FCPA reduced corruption in those countries relative to countries without as many FCPA enforcement actions. This comparison, both individually and collectively, is not able to demonstrate that FCPA enforcement reduced levels of corruption in those countries that gave rise to the most enforcement actions. Thus, although the FCPA may be an important tool in the toolbox of international regulations the United States uses in combatting corruption, as well as promoting human rights and international development, it alone does not appear to significantly reduce corruption abroad.
Analysis of the size, accessibility, and profitability of international defense sales in times of U.S. budget uncertainty
(2015-05) Massey, Daniel Lee; Gholz, Eugene, 1971-; Gilbert, Stephen
Immediately prior to and following cuts to the U.S. defense budget in 2013, executives and board members from Lockheed Martin, Boeing, BAE Systems, Raytheon, Northrop Grumman, and General Dynamics specifically cited the need to increase international sales to make up for lost U.S. revenue. Some statements predict aggressive international growth in the immediate future, while others take a more moderate or long-term approach. The purpose of this paper is to assess whether the international defense market is sufficiently large, accessible, and profitable for U.S. defense companies to maintain or grow overall revenue and profitability in the face of static or shrinking defense budgets in the United States.
Analyzing the motivations of U.S. development aid to Africa
(2013-05) Akram Malik, Izzah; Weaver, Catherine, 1971-
Research literature on foreign assistance suggests that the U.S. provides aid in order to serve both its own strategic interests as well as the development needs of aid recipient countries. Maintaining a focus on Africa, this report uses newly available data for official development assistance and attempts to verify whether prevailing hypotheses regarding the motivations behind U.S. aid giving still hold true. Specifically, the report analyzes whether aid giving patterns align with 1) the development needs of recipient countries as understood through the lens of internationally established priorities, or 2) with good political and economic policies within recipient countries vis-à-vis democratic institutions and open markets, or 3) with U.S. national strategic interests (be they political, military, or economic interests). A statistical analysis of U.S. Official Development Assistance (ODA) to 53 countries in Africa over the period of 1970 to 2010 was carried out for this purpose. The results suggest that, when it comes to aid that is specifically addressed towards development projects in Africa, the strategic considerations and political priorities of the U.S. are just as important, if not more important, than the development needs or economic performance of recipient countries. Political allies and countries that democratize receive more aid from the U.S., ceteris paribus. In addition, it was found that more aid is given to countries with larger populations - a result that contradicts earlier literature on aid's motivations. The report is organized as follows. I begin in Section 1 by providing a general overview of U.S. foreign aid. In Section 2, I detail why Africa is a significant continent for such an analysis of U.S. aid, and outline some of the trends in aid to Africa. The third section summarizes some of the most important existing hypotheses about why the U.S. gives development aid. Section 4 describes the data and methodology used for this study and provides a discussion of the results obtained from the statistical analysis. Finally, in Section 6, I conclude by offering broader policy implications and sketching out avenues for future research.
Are value-added models for high-stakes teacher accountability arbitrary and capricious?
(2012-05) Melhem, Leila Melanie; Cantu, Norma V., 1954-; Osborne, Cynthia Anne, 1969-
Value-added models are complex statistical formulas that aim to isolate the effect a teacher has on student learning. States and districts across the nation are adopting laws and policies that will evaluate teachers, in part, using the results provided by value-added models. In many states and districts, these evaluations will be used to inform high-stakes decisions about teacher salary and retention. However, value-added models are imperfect tools for assessing teacher effectiveness, and many scholars have argued that they are not appropriate for use in high-stakes decisions. This Article provides a brief history of the use of value-added models in public education and summarizes the major criticisms of using value-added models. In this context, the Article analyzes and evaluates the extent to which substantive due process claims brought by teachers adversely affected by the results of value-added models will be successful. The Article concludes that while the system as a whole is rationally related to the objective of improving the overall effectiveness of the teaching workforce, in certain cases, individual teachers will be able to successfully claim that the results of their value-added model led to a termination that was arbitrary and capricious. Finally, the paper offers some recommendations to states and school districts on how to implement an evaluation system using value-added models to avoid substantive due process violations.
Assessing the viability of compressed natural gas as a transportation fuel for light-duty vehicles in the United States
(2011-08) Kennedy, Castlen Moore; Webber, Michael E., 1971-; Groat, Charles
Recent optimistic revisions to projections for recoverable natural gas resources in the United States have generated renewed interest in the possibility of greater utilization of natural gas as a transportation fuel. Against a backdrop of significant policy challenges for the United States, including air quality concerns in urban areas, slow economic growth and high unemployment, and a rising unease with regard to an increasing dependence on foreign oil; natural gas offers the nation’s transportation sector an opportunity to reduce mobile emissions, lower fuel costs, create jobs and reduce dependence on imported oil. While the current focus for expanded use of natural gas in the transportation sector emphasizes heavy duty and fleet vehicles, there may also be potential for increased use for passenger vehicles. Inconvenience, with regard to refueling, and high incremental vehicle costs, however, are seen as major obstacles to greater adaptation. This analysis examines the benefits and drawbacks of natural gas vehicles from the passenger vehicle perspective and includes data from a cross-country road trip. The report includes a review of market trends and possible development scenarios and concludes with recommendations to minimize the potential challenges of greater adaptation of natural gas vehicles in the passenger vehicle market.
Assessment of United States national security policy under international human rights law and international humanitarian law
(2014-05) Salvaggio, Natalie Cecile; Inboden, William, 1972-; Dulitzky, Ariel E.
This paper assesses U.S. national security policies in surveillance, detention, interrogation and torture, and targeted killing to determine whether they comport with international human rights law and international humanitarian law. The U.S. is responsible for adhering to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and the Geneva Conventions. These human rights law documents can be understood through court decisions, congressional statutes, and widely accepted interpretations from organizations such as the International Committee of the Red Cross, and the UN Human Rights Council. Further, this paper offers prescriptions on how international human rights law and international humanitarian law can be updated to better deal with the current war on terror.
Attitudes towards immigrants & support for government spending on health care
(2010-05) Shannon, Melissa Maura; Osborne, Cynthia Anne, 1969-
A steady increase of new immigrants to the United States has sparked a great debate on the financial impact the foreign born population has on public services. While the United States government has an extensive history on exclusions for potential public charges, the impact of negative attitudes towards immigrants has caused substantial changes in eligibility criteria for legal permanent residents and ultimately immigration policy at large. This report uses group threat theory, which predicts a punitive response from a dominant group when these individuals perceive a threat to their group interests to explain shifts in attitudes and corresponding changes in eligibility criteria for public benefit programs for immigrants. Additionally, this study examines how U.S. citizens’ misinformed perceptions of immigrants’ utilization of public programs may negatively influence public support for increased government spending on public health care programs. To quantify the implications of public attitudes, the study uses repeat crosssectional data on attitudes towards immigration from the General Social Survey (GSS) from 1994 (N=578), prior to Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA) of 1996. The responses are compared to a similar survey conducted by GSS in 2004 (N=365) an era of steep economic growth and substantially higher health care costs.
Bleeding Mexico : an analysis of cartels evolution and drug-related bloodshed
(2012-08) Medel, Monica Cristina; Dietz, Henry A.
Drug-related violence in Mexico has increased exponentially in the last five years, killing near 50,000 people. Even though the country has been a producer of marijuana and opium poppy for nearly a century, it was not until the beginning of the new millennium that drug violence skyrocketed. Up until now, academic studies and policy papers have focused primarily on the political changes Mexico underwent over the last decade and on ingrained corruption as the central factors in explaining the increased violence. But such a jump in homicides rates, as well as the sheer brutality of the violence involved, also reflects the evolution of the country's drug organizations -- which went from being merely feared and ruthless drug producers and smugglers to far-reaching criminal empires that now dominate all aspects of the illicit drug underworld in the Americas. Many have become so powerful that they have formed their own armies of hit men and foot soldiers that operate like full-fledged paramilitary groups protecting their territories and smuggling routes to American soil. Further feeding the cycle of murders in Mexico is an increasing diversification of drug gangs' businesses, which now range from drug production and smuggling to extortion, kidnapping and human trafficking. Through an historical, spatial and statistical analysis, this study sets out to deconstruct the current wave of Mexican drug violence, show how it is spreading and why, and how that reflects the evolution of Mexican drug organizations.
Borderlands without borders : migrants in transit in the metropolitan area of Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico
(2015-05) Morante Aguirre, Mariana; Leu, Lorraine; Rodriguez, Victoria E.
Each year, thousands of undocumented migrants in transit travelling on "La Bestia" through the Western route cross the Metropolitan Area of Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico- the second largest metropolitan area in the country. This thesis focuses on how the intersection between the "illegality" of Central American migrants and Mexican "nationals" creates a contested space of undefined border(s) through State's processes, everyday practices, political discourses, and landscapes. The research provides a spatial analysis of migrants in transit's trajectories, as well as of their experiences and relations with both the built environment and with the "locals" in a specific urban context. The analysis sheds light into the distinct ways through which migrants' trajectories are qualified by legal status, and by specific political, social and cultural imaginations and discourses of space. Furthermore, in an effort to "bring the humans back" to migratory narratives, this thesis brings to the fore the multiplicity and diversity of migrants' stories and trajectories while uncovering how the mobilization of the State and civil society creates racial and class borders that further marginalizes migrants in transit through the Metropolitan Area of Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico.
Burnout and stress in disaster relief volunteers : recommendations to improve volunteer retention and engagement
(2015-08) Olivares, Rochelle Mia; Springer, David W.; Rehnborg, Sarah J
There is an ever-increasing reliance on volunteers to provide frontline services during disaster relief operations. Without volunteers, organizations such as the American Red Cross could not function. Burnout and secondary traumatic stress are issues of concern as disaster relief volunteers work long hours in intense and unpredictable environments. Given their pivotal role, the ability to maintain, manage and support trained and prepared volunteers is essential. This report explores the lived experiences of disaster relief volunteers through semi-structured interviews and a focus group with 17 volunteers of the American Red Cross Central Texas Chapter and the Austin Disaster Relief Network. Secondly, this study determines organizational and individual factors that contribute to volunteers' experience of burnout and secondary traumatic stress. This paper concludes by recommending volunteer support mechanisms to reduce burnout and stress and improve retention.
Cancer Alley and infant mortality : is there a correlation?
(2011-12) Kluber, Heidi Ellen; Eaton, David J.; Sletto, Bjorn
This report explores issues surrounding health concerns in the State of Louisiana in the context of environmental justice. It provides a history of Cancer Alley, an area along the Mississippi River with disproportionately high cancer rates. It discusses case studies of environmental justice issues within the state. The researcher provides a geographical analysis and statistical analysis to estimate whether there is a relationship between the presence of industrial plants and health indicators, specifically cancer and infant mortality. Using cancer and infant mortality as health indicators for a population, the evidence supports a correlation between the presence of industrial pollution and waste with cancer rates and infant mortality rates across the State of Louisiana. Given that these populations are predominantly minority and low-income, these results reflect an environmental injustice.
Carbon pricing, politics and the Clean Power Plan
(2016-05) Draper, Maia Penelope; Olmstead, Sheila M.; Busby, Joshua
This paper examines the role that emissions trading among states can play in implementing the Clean Power Plan in the U.S., reviewing the structure and performance of existing carbon markets as examples for how a multistate carbon market might be implemented. Additionally, given the politically contentious environment surrounding the Clean Power Plan, the paper reviews the arguments of states opposing the Clean Power Plan and analyzes to what extent this opposition is driven by ideologically motivated political factors as opposed to economic factors. Overall, I find that while both political and economic factors drive opposition to the Clean Power Plan, ideologically motivated political factors seem to play a stronger role in states’ attitudes. With regard to cost-effective implementation of the Clean Power Plan, a review of the literature suggests that thoroughly incorporating market-driven carbon pricing mechanisms and facilitating coordination among states will be crucial in determining the rule’s overall effectiveness.
Central-Asia energy geoeconomics and geopolitics : Central Asia’s pursuit of sovereignty and prosperity
(2012-12) Nicholson, Robert Lawrence; Garza, Thomas J.; Bychkova-Jordan, Bella
The former-Soviet states that make up Central Asia are among the most challenging group of countries to understand in the twenty-first century geopolitical and geoeconomic context. As one of the last of the world’s frontiers, much of this regions’ energy potential in oil and natural gas has yet to be tapped or, even, be found; and the region’s strategic position make Central Asia a significant region for energy markets and global affairs. The last few decades in Central Asia have been shaped by the determination to develop their energy sectors with a balance between attracting foreign energy firms and preserving its authority over its energy assets. States have also struggled to protect their sovereignty over their political and economic affairs from militant, nationalist or sectarian groups as well as from great powers like Russia and China. In spite of its many challenges, Central Asia has many opportunities to develop those institutions, regional relationships and positive economic and political practices that will promote a productive energy sector and a thriving economy. Central-Asian states must achieve its goals of establishing an energy policy that secures prosperity for all, promoting productive energy relations with all Central-Asian states, reducing undue foreign influence but promoting foreign cooperation that benefits Central-Asia’s global relationships, and establishing peace and stability that protect energy infrastructure, production and exports. The future of Central-Asian energy relations can take many different paths and is dependent on the fate of its neighbors Russia, Afghanistan, South Asia and Iran. Russia’s needs for Central Asia’s neighbors to become unstable or inhospitable to energy development, but peace in Afghanistan and Pakistan can open new markets for Central Asia; and changes in Iran can unlock new opportunities to ship oil and gas to Western markets around Russia. For all that the region has endured since independence, the world should apply greater value on this region as its energy prowess and strategic importance make Central Asia an influential player in twenty-first century global relations.
Chihuahua’s missing labor movement : the role of emotions in maquiladora work
(2013-12) Márquez, Alejandro Márquez; Dietz, Henry A.
The maquiladora industry was established in northern Mexico with the objective of providing employment opportunities to the growing population in the region. However, the terms of employment linked to the global economy limit the organizational capacity of workers to improve their working conditions. These terms shape an emotional habitus among maquiladora workers that prevents mobilization and reinforces a “hard-working” attitude predisposed to tolerate unsatisfactory labor relations concomitant with industrial deregulation. In my investigation, I analyze the emotional habitus of workers through cultural, productive, and political deregulation mechanisms employed in the sector. The cultural tool promotes a new labor philosophy focused on safeguarding employment sources in Mexico; production schemes individualize reward and punitive systems that are installed in constellations of local and international authoritative figures; and the political component prevents legitimate forms of organization through coopted labor unions. As a result, predispositions of workers to mobilize grievances in the maquiladora industry are unlikely. This report seeks to involve the social structures of emotions in discussions concerning political behavior and social movement literature.
The Chilean pension system : gender inequalities in contribution densities
(2015-05) Cumsille Rojas, Belén de la Paz; Stolp, Chandler; King, Christopher T
In 1981, Chile established a defined contribution pension system, replacing the traditional pay-as-you-go system with defined benefits. The new model based on individual capitalization accounts, has generated different patterns of contributions to the individual accounts, mostly associated to labor market trajectories or unemployment. This report focuses on gender disparities in the Chilean pension system by analyzing the determinants of contribution densities for women and men. It explores how labor market trajectories, indicators of employment stability, and socioeconomic characteristics of the household of origin, affect contribution densities in the pension system. The main results confirm the existence of indirect gender inequalities that originate in the labor market and are then transmitted to the pension system. Furthermore, the results clearly support the existence of traditional gender roles with respect to work and family, which ultimately also have an effect on the pension system, through labor market trajectories. Finally, the report finds that mothers' education has an effect on the next generation's contribution densities, the relationship being a transmission of advantages.
China’s standardization & intellectual property policies : in light of WTO regime and membership
(2011-05) Sozumert, Sait; Flamm, Kenneth, 1951-; Bussell, Jennifer
China's policy makers see international standards as a barrier to their country's economic development, more importantly, as an offence to the country's national pride. This belief has been reinforced by the view that multi-national companies have used international standards to force developing countries to deprive them of the ability to enter the international markets by forcing them to pay high royalty rates, due to the patents incorporated in these standards. Moreover, these standards, as they believe, have been created at international standards setting platforms dominated by multi-national companies and developed countries. In return, China has launched several initiatives to create home-made Chinese standards free from patent claims of these companies. China's home-madestandards, some of which differ significantly from international standards, also reportedly serve to protection of its domestic market. China's accession to the WTO was formally approved in November 2001 and China became the WTO's 143rd member on December 11, 2001. WTO membership opened a new era for China. In spite of the international expectations for removal of all trade protection mechanisms which are incompatible with the international trade regime, China is reported to have sought to reform its policies by employing new strategies concerning IPR and standards. The thesis of this report is that China has not diverged significantly from developing home-made Chinese standards after the country’s entry into the WTO, but Chinese authorities have adopted more flexible strategies to implement this policy. Accordingly, this report is about change in policy strategies. I argue that China has continued to enforce its own will upon foreign companies with a strong self-confidence stemming from its ability to negotiate on unequal terms with foreign companies, owing to its sheer market size. However, China's new strategies have been shaped by weak coordination and disagreement among government agencies and institutions. To illustrate the potential explanatory power of this account, I have examined two important home-made standards initiatives by China; Wireless Authentication and Privacy Infrastructure (WAPI) and Audio Video Coding Standards (AVS). From the examination of the WAPI and AVS cases, I conclude that China's strategies have continued to evolve through disagreements and negotiations between Chinese government institutions within policy boundaries set by China's WTO membership and increasing international criticism.
Cities and economic decline : the role of foreclosures as a stressor
(2013-05) Suntoke, Amy Russi; Wilson, Robert Hines
In the midst of the Great Recession, cities across the country were impacted in a variety of ways, and most saw rapid increases in foreclosures. This report uses a conceptual framework composed of three elements, stressors, vulnerability, and resiliency, to look at the implications of foreclosures for cities. First, factors that cause foreclosures in the 100 largest Metropolitan Statistical Areas are examined. Then this report looks specifically at the economic impact of foreclosures. Using multiple regression analyses, the findings suggest that foreclosures have negative economic impacts and can be considered a stressor on a city’s economy. The application of this stressor has implications for a city’s vulnerability and resiliency. To some extent, local authorities have limited authority and capacity to prevent foreclosures. Therefore, this report also explores alternative approaches that cities can take to increase economic resiliency and competitiveness in the context of stressors such as foreclosures.
Civic engagement analysis of select open data portals
(2015-05) Hadjigeorge, Nicholas George; Flamm, Kenneth, 1951-; Greenberg, Sherri R
Governments and non-profit institutions increasingly are publishing data on the Internet in databases known as open data portals. The data is freely available, accessible, and used by citizens and application developers. However, there is little research about the relationship between open data portal characteristics and their effect on civic engagement. In addition to an overview of open data portals, user behavior, and civic applications, this report analyzes portal-level panel data across 36 months and 14 portals to estimate the effects of portal characteristics on civic engagement. Results show that portals with frequently updated data experience more civic engagement. These empirical findings validate the open data principle of timeliness, and are important for policy- makers designing open data policies to maximize the potential for users to add value to open data.

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