PhD Dissertations in Public Policy
This collection is updated quarterly. For the most complete record of electronic dissertations please see the ETD Collection.
Recent Submissions
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The effect of the policy of reconstitution on student achievement in Texas
(2015-12)The failure of schools across the country to ensure students meet federal, state, and community standards continuously plagues the education system. More than a quarter of all schools in the nation failed to meet federal ... -
The role of the Pastoral da Criança program in the infant mortality transition in Brazil, 1980-2000
(2015-08)This dissertation focuses on the role Brazil’s innovative Pastoral da Criança program had on the transition in infant and child mortality observed in that country from 1980 to 2000. Using a variety of approaches to program ... -
What has been the preliminary impact of federal programs to promote the adoption of electronic health records?
(2015-05)The objective of this study is to assess the preliminary impact of federal programs established to promote the adoption of EHRs on the patterns, rates, and levels of EHR adoption. Statewide surveys of physicians and ... -
Targeting education to reduce obesity : at what life stages are interventions effective?
(2015-05)Obesity is a serious policy problem, contributing an estimated $113.9b to medical expenditures in the US. Like many health outcomes, obesity is not distributed at random in the population but is concentrated amongst the ... -
Demographic diversity in the measurement and meaning of unintended pregnancy
(2014-08)Unintended pregnancy is a significant public policy issue in the United States, yet current understanding of the measurement and meaning of women’s pregnancy intentions is incomplete. The aim of this dissertation is to ... -
Emotional and Spiritual Security
(Hogg Foundation for Mental Health, 1960) -
Saving water in farming : methodology for water conservation verification efforts in the agricultural sector
(2013-05)This dissertation develops, tests and validates statistical methods for verifying the amount of water conserved as a result of investments in precision leveling, other on-farm conservation measures in place, weather variation ... -
The path to timely completion : supply- and demand-side analyses of time to bachelor's degree completion
(2014-05)Time to degree is a key factor in institutional productivity and managing the costs of college for students and families. While there is a robust body of empirical and theoretical work addressing baccalaureate degree ... -
Mexico’s national security framework in the context of an interdependent world : a comparative architecture approach
(2013-08)In a more complex and interdependent world, nations face new challenges that threaten their national security. National security should not be understood exclusively in the way of military threats by adversarial states but ... -
From growth-based to people-centered : how Chinese leaders have modified their governing strategies to sustain legitimacy in the reform era
(2013-12)This dissertation analyzes changes in the ruling strategies of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in the context of economic reforms, beginning in 1978. By employing both quantitative and qualitative methods, this dissertation ... -
The people’s web : government as nexus
(2011-08)With the advent of new interactive Internet technologies in government, a move from the transactional loop of electronic government to a more web-like structure of interaction is anticipated for government information ... -
Finding a reasonable aquifer yield : support methods for groundwater policy in Texas
(2013-05)Managing groundwater can be difficult because there is no common perspective among stakeholders about what they wish for their desired future conditions (DFCs) for Texas' aquifers. Conflicts over how to manage aquifers, ... -
An empirical evaluation on how regulatory and market factors affect title insurance charges
(2013-05)The objective of this dissertation is to evaluate how regulatory and market factors affect title insurance charges in different states. As substantial components of home purchase closing costs, title insurance charges have ... -
Sign of contradiction? religious cultural heritage and the nuclear paradox of Truman, Eisenhower, and Reagan
(2013-08)Presidents Harry S. Truman, Dwight D. Eisenhower, and Ronald W. Reagan embody a paradox. All three presidents made nuclear decisions ranging from hawkish and belligerent to dovish and restrained. How can such marked ... -
Intergenerational transfers over the adult life cycle in three European welfare state regimes
(2013-05)Rapid population aging driven by increasing life expectancy and falling birthrates has resulted in substantial increases in the old-age dependency ratio and decreases in the ratio of workers to retirees in all developed ... -
The social geography of industrial pollution in the metropolitan area of Buenos Aires
(2012-12)The purpose of this study is to investigate the driving factors of population exposure to sources of environmental pollution and to determine if poor neighborhoods are disproportionately exposed to negative environmental ... -
Potential contribution of a carbon offset scheme to the costs of greenhouse gas emissions reductions in developing countries
(2012-12)The energy sector in the developing world is expected to account for 27% of global emissions of greenhouse gases from fossil fuel combustion in 2035 – in 1990 it accounted for 7%. The increase is concentrated in rapidly ... -
Randomized controlled trials to evaluate impact : their challenges and policy implications for medicine, education, and international development
(2012-12)Policy makers in education and international development have lately gravitated toward the randomized controlled trial (RCT)—an evaluation design that randomly assigns a sample of people or households into an intervention ... -
Using science to innovate : explaining productivity in the pharmaceutical industry innovation activities
(2012-08)Scientific and technological (S&T) advances underpin opportunities for innovation in the pharmaceutical industry. Government-funded research institutions and firms perform biomedical research to generate S&T advances and ...
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