LBJ School of Public Affairs Publications

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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.
Advancing Immigrant Incorporation in Austin, TX
(2021) Wasem, Ruth; Escajeda, Aaron; Perez, Ana; McConnell, Micaela; Uruchima, Tania
Austin is one of the fastest growing cities in the United States and is identified as an emerging gateway for immigrants. The single largest source country for immigrants to Austin continues to be Mexico, but immigrants from Asia are increasing in numbers and relative proportion. Immigrants from Africa doubled over the past decade and make up 4 percent of the foreign-born population. In other words, Austin’s foreign-born residents are increasingly diverse. This report serves to inform the City of Austin as it advances its immigrant incorporation efforts and focuses on five policy areas that the City of Austin can advance: 1) leadership and governance; 2) civic engagement and inclusivity; 3) economic prosperity and job growth; 4) livability; and 5) community resilience.
Affordable Housing: Challenges and Opportunities in Texas
(University of Texas at Austin, 2023-02) Cole, Allan; Greenberg, Sherri; Pedigo, Steven; Pope, Mandy; Mueller, Elizabeth; Way, Heather; Wegmann, Jake; Smith, Kayla; Gilliam, Lance
Agents of Change: A Study of Nonprofit Advocacy Organizations, PRP 149
(LBJ School of Public Affairs, 2005) Schott, Richard L.
Alternate Care for the Elderly: An Annotated Bibliography, Draft of PRP 22
(LBJ School of Public Affairs, 1976) Rhodes, Lodis; Hamilton, John P.
America's Recovery from the 2020 "Shecession": Building a Female Future of Childcare and Work
(YWCA, 2020-10) DeFrancesco Soto, Victoria M.
COVID-19 is a public health and economic crisis, and women are bearing the brunt of the resulting economic devastation. Americans are living through the country’s first “shecession”. Over the last 50 years, women and mothers have become an inextricable part of the American labor force. Social and economic policies, however, have not kept pace with the advancement of women. And women of color are shouldering the heaviest burden of the nation’s systemic failures and inequities. Women in America have endured a decades-long childcare and workforce support crisis. The COVID-19 pandemic has simply brought the role of women in the US workforce into stark relief.
Analysis of Contemporary Welfare Reform Issues: Sexual Inequities; Regionalism and Fiscal Relief; and the Impact of Undocumented Aliens on the Welfare System, PRP 28, Vol 3
(LBJ School of Public Affairs, 1978) Rhodes, Lodis; Villanueva, Augusta M.
Analysis of Emergency Medical Services in Austin, Texas Volume I: Results, PRP 41
(LBJ School of Public Affairs, 1980) Daskin, Mark S.; Eaton, David J.
Analysis of Emergency Medical Services in Austin, Texas Volume II: Analytical Methods, PRP 41
(LBJ School of Public Affairs, 1980) Daskin, Mark S.; Eaton, David J.
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.
Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s Migratory Policy in Mexico, PRP 216
(LBJ School of Public Affairs, 2020) Leutert, Stephanie
On December 1, 2018, Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador assumed office and promised to change Mexico’s migratory policy. Initially, López Obrador championed a humanitarian approach to migration, placing migrant rights defenders in key policy positions and directing INM to issue an unprecedented number of humanitarian visas. However, this approach did not last. By June 2019, amid intense U.S. pressure, the López Obrador administration shifted its migratory strategy to an enforcement-based approach. As a result, Mexico has increased its number of apprehensions, detentions, and deportations. This report will detail López Obrador’s migratory policy and its consequences during his administration’s first year in office. This report’s first chapter focuses on Central Americans’ decisions to migrate to Mexico and the United States. It covers the factors that historically led people to leave their homes, including civil wars and natural disasters, which set in motion today’s migration patterns. It also looks at the current factors driving migration, such as gang and gender-based violence, political instability, and a lack of economic opportunity. The report’s second chapter outlines Mexico’s legal framework for migration, which guides the López Obrador administration’s response to Central American migration. It also provides an overview of each Mexican federal agency involved in migratory policy. This report’s third chapter covers the López Obrador administration’s migratory policies, starting with the initial push toward a more humanitarian focused policy. It also explores the López Obrador administration’s Central American development programs and the mounting challenges for Mexico’s underfunded refugee resettlement agency. Finally, the chapter also outlines the administration’s shift to an enforcement strategy and the National Guard’s deployment to the southern border. The fourth chapter chronicles these migratory policies’ effects. It covers the policies’ effects for Mexico’s foreign relations, state and local level governments, civil society organizations, Mexican citizens, and Central American migrants transiting through the country. In particular it details how these policies have shifted migrants’ transit routes, increased crimes against migrants, and ongoing xenophobic attitudes in Mexico. This report concludes with a series of recommendations for improving Mexico’s migratory policies. These include: 1) putting Mexico’s Ministry of the Interior back in control of the country’s migratory policy; 2) strengthening INM’s commitment to human rights through improved training and better infrastructure; 3); increasing the number of legal channels for Central Americans to work in Mexico; 4) expanding funding for Mexico’s refugee resettlement agency; 5) streamlining Central American development programs; and 6) reducing the National Guard’s role in migration enforcement.
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.
An Assessment of Drunk Driving Policies in Texas and Other States, PRP 69
(LBJ School of Public Affairs, 1985) Boske, Leigh B.; Macdonald, Robert J.
An Assessment of Mental Health Services for Veterans in the State of Texas, PRP 180
(LBJ School of Public Affairs, 2015) Eaton, David J.
This report describes the complex challenges faced by veterans and their families in seeking, navigating, and attaining adequate mental health care in Texas. There are 1.7 million veterans in Texas, comprising 8.6 percent of the adult population. According to the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs (VA), the number of veterans requiring mental health services has grown dramatically and will continue to increase, making veterans’ mental health care an urgent issue in Texas. The federal agencies responsible for military and veterans mental health care, the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) and the VA, have created new programs and invested significant financial and staff resources. Despite barriers to addressing veterans mental health needs. Texas state agencies have increased funding and instituted new mental health programs supporting returning veterans. Nonprofit agencies focused on veteran’s mental health have multiplied across Texas and the U.S. over the past decade to fill gaps in care. While these organizations provide a growing and increasingly diverse set of resources for veterans to extend the scope of support, volunteer efforts can suffer from fragmentation and overlap. The report identifies current practices, challenges, and opportunities within and across each group of service providers. The report draws on government reports, scholarly literature, and agency websites, as well as interviews with counselors, Veteran Service Officers, nonprofit providers, state officials, and veterans themselves. This report offers five recommendations toward the goal that veterans’ mental health care in Texas become comprehensive, inclusive, effective, and efficient. First, there is a need for greater inter-agency communication across organizations, improved outreach efforts, and increased services for hard-to-reach populations, such as homeless veterans. Second, federal agencies ought to address staff shortages, improve the transition from DoD to VA care, and increase feedback. Third, at the state level, specialized services are needed to address unique veterans’ needs concentrated in cities across Texas as well as those dispersed in rural areas. Fourth, providers can improve mental health care by integrating social services and law enforcement. Fifth, both veterans and providers can benefit if they recognize opportunities for cooperation and coordination and work towards long-term goals that emphasize outcomes that improve the lives of returning veterans. Included with this volume is a video documentary that includes a first part that describes and assesses mental health services for veterans in Texas and a second part, a self-analysis by participating graduate students on how this research project has affected their lives and career plans. The six listed graduate students worked together on this project. Ms. Rebecca Hornbach, Lauren Marcotte and Lindsay Read, all graduate students in the LBJ School at UT Austin, drafted this report during the 2013-2014 academic year. Ms. Aileen Ford, Mr. Alexander Leist, and Ms. Lauren Seymour, also graduate students in the LBJ School, photographed, produced, and edited two video documentaries that are included with this report.
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.
An Assessment of We the People…Project Citizen: Promoting Citizenship in Classrooms and Communities, PRP 129
(LBJ School of Public Affairs, 1998) Tolo, Kenneth W.

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