Browsing George Bush School of Government and Public Service by Title
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Alvarez, Roman; Brennan, Stephanie; Carter, Narietha; Dong, Hsiang-Kai; Eldridge, Amanda; Fratto, Joseph; Harrison, Erin; Ryder, Eleanor; Sanderson, Kathleen; Thorburn, Pamela ( NaN)[more][less]
Description: This Capstone team examined the economic consequences of the high number of high school dropouts in Texas. Their report discusses alternative strategies for measuring the dropout rate, and provides estimates of the dropout rate for different geographic regions and student populations. The team also estimated of the economic benefits and costs associated with reducing the high dropout rate in Texas. Finally, the team reviewed available research regarding dropout prevention programs in order to identify best practices that could be implemented in Texas. One goal of the study was to inform and encourage a broader discussion by the Texas Legislature of the state's high school dropout rate and the societal and economic impact of failing to address the problem.
URI: http://hdl.handle.net/1969.1/96997 Files in this item: 3
TheABCDsAppendices.pdf (879.7Kb)(more files) -
Beifuss, Patricia; Blum, Megean; Broussard, Sarah; Gregory, Heather; Hooper, Erin; Kravitz, Kelly; Mitchell, William; Swanson, Effie; Tolman, Lauren; Valdez, Maritza (May 9, 2011)[more][less]
Description: Abriendo Puertas is a small, education non-profit using parental engagement initiatives to reduce the number of Hispanic student dropouts in Texas. To date, Abriendo Puertas has seen much success - both in recognition by external organizations and in the wide support of its parent participants and volunteers. As such, Abriendo Puertas hopes to expand its program across the state, most notably to the Fort Worth area. The nonprofit is interested in solidifying its current operations in the hope of expanding its impact.
Building upon previous research, an Expansion Management Model (EMM) was produced to guide Abriendo Puertas' efforts. Combining research-based best practices, an analysis of the nonprofit's current practices (based primarily on an internal assessment), and a survey of the parents involved with Abriendo Puertas, the EMM includes tailored recommendations to Abriendo Puertas' needs. The Capstone team made four key recommendations: 1. Solidify the organization's mission; 2. Expand and diversify the board of directors; Complete a strategic marketing plan; and Develop a database to track the organization's parent participants and volunteers. The Capstone report includes the final Expansion Management Model, complete with a full set of recommendations, a description of the Assessment Tool and Survey, as well as a demographic analysis identifying possible expansion points within the state of Texas.
URI: http://hdl.handle.net/1969.1/94975 Files in this item: 6
ExecutiveSummary.pdf (323.7Kb)(more files) -
The Minnesota Council of Nonprofits (MCN), led by Jon Pratt ( 2007)[more][less]
Description: This capstone group conducted an analysis of the nonprofit capacity-building "industry" in Minnesota. (The nonprofit capacity-building "industry" comprises the consultants, private and nonprofit firms, management support organizations, and academic centers that provide technical assistance and leadership training to nonprofits.) It was a replication of studies by Dr. Angela Bies in Pittsburgh during 2004-2005 and of a Central Texas capstone during 2005-2006. This capstone project contributed to a growing interest in measuring the effectiveness of nonprofit capacity-building efforts and the degree to which those efforts influence nonprofit organizational effectiveness. The general purpose of the project was to provide information about effective strategies and interventions to strengthen nonprofit management and organizational capacity, the types of challenges nonprofit organizations and providers face in building capacity, and the degree to which there were unmet needs in the region.
A multi-method approach was utilized including a survey administered to nonprofits by both an online and paper questionnaire; interviews with a representative sample of capacity building providers, policy makers, and funders; and focus groups with nonprofit executives. Results were also compared to the results obtained in the Pittsburgh and Central Texas studies.
This project addressed substantial gaps in both the practitioner-oriented and academic literature because it provided a comprehensive, empirically derived understanding of the link between capacity-building efforts and organizational change.
URI: http://hdl.handle.net/1969.1/97011 Files in this item: 0
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Creel, Matthew; Davis, Greg; Lindley, Jennifer; Osborne, Caleb; Reed, James; Reed, Joseph; Whicker, Keich (May 2010)[more][less]
Abstract: The capstone team conducted a comprehensive review of all New Orleans Civil Service System policies and institutional arrangements. The research activity included reviews of the literature on civil service systems; analyses of legal and constitutional requirements for New Orleans and the State of Louisiana; in-depth interviews with dozens of experts and stakeholders who have direct experience with the New Orleans Civil Service System; reviews of all reports, planning documents and evaluations of the New Orleans Civil Service System; and case study analyses of comparable cities and states. The students identified several problems in system recruiting, operations, training, and evaluation and made specific recommendations to overcome these difficulties. The New Orleans mayor has embraced these recommendations and begun implementing them in the Civil Service System. The students participated in city hall briefings and news conferences highlighting their recommendations.
URI: http://hdl.handle.net/1969.1/94978 Files in this item: 1
FinalReport.pdf (5.411Mb) -
Ambassador David Abshire and the Laury Foundation ( 2006)[more][less]
Description: The President's Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board (PFIAB) was established in 1956 to provide the President with a nonpartisan evaluation of the role and effectiveness of U.S. intelligence collection, counterintelligence, covert action operations, and intelligence analysis. Over the years, PFIAB has evolved to reflect the needs of the times and in response to the style of each president. In addition, the government has created new centers and other organizations leading to competing views and the bureaucratic challenge of coordination and oversight of intelligence.
No detailed analysis of PFIAB had been conducted. In the wake of the 9/11 tragedy and the new intelligence reform environment, it was essential to examine the role of the PFIAB in the past to determine how it best can serve future presidents' national security decision-making responsibilities. The aim of the analysis was to determine what had been the strengths and weaknesses of the PFIAB in the past and to identify a productive role for the PFIAB in this new environment. Given the current intelligence needs of the country, such an examination was essential. It helped further define the role of PFIAB and shed light on the interrelationship of various intelligence components. Most importantly, it provided recommendations for presidential action to redefine, and possibly augment, the role of the PFIAB.
URI: http://hdl.handle.net/1969.1/97037 Files in this item: 0
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County Judge Randy Sims, Texas Director of Homeland Security; The Department of Homeland Security ( 2006)[more][less]
Description: Gaps of understanding exist between Homeland Security Response and Recovery strategies and policies at the federal level versus understanding, authority, and capability at the state and local level. Responsibilities, authority, and expectations at every level of government (including the public) need to be clarified. Hurricanes Katrina and Rita provide an excellent case study to see what policies should be changed in the areas of response and recovery to major disasters in the future.
A variety of strategies, policies, and plans are already in place to deal with disasters and catastrophic events. Faculty members provided access to documents that describe the policies, as well as a framework to examine response and recovery "at the tip of the spear." Students selected the aspect of the framework they wished to address, fleshed it out in detail through discussions and research, identified the gaps in theory, used Hurricanes Katrina and/or Rita to examine how those gaps developed in reality, and developed a set of policy recommendations to close those gaps. The final student recommendations were presented to the clients.
URI: http://hdl.handle.net/1969.1/97036 Files in this item: 0
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Jeffrey A. Engel; Centra Technology, Inc.; Department of Homeland Security ( 2009)[more][less]
Description: Government agencies face special problems when they seek to assess non-disaster security risks in areas where there are multiple jurisdictions and levels of governance. The client, Centra Technology, in support of the Department of Homeland Security, sought a conceptual approach or theoretical model for determining how governments should value, assess, and balance risks that arise from illegal immigration, weapons smuggling, the narcotics trade, natural disasters, and terrorism. The students compiled and evaluated the available literature on the subject and developed a structure by which policymakers should consider the difficulties of regional risk assessment.
URI: http://hdl.handle.net/1969.1/97021 Files in this item: 0
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Gunn, Emily; Moffitt, Jessica; Montemayor, Victoria; Riedel, Sarah; Smith, Bart; Weizel, Daniel ( 2008)[more][less]
Description: From 1990 to 2005, estimates of the unauthorized alien population in the United States have risen from 3.5 million to 11.5 million people, a 325 percent increase. It has been the federal government's responsibility to prevent unauthorized immigration. However, a small number of localities have taken action over the past few years to prevent unauthorized immigration within their jurisdictions by passing a series of ordinances and resolutions. Some of the localities passed ordinances and resolutions targeting the businesses and landlords who hire and rent to unauthorized aliens, while others passed legislation targeting day labor centers, loitering, and government services. Consistent with findings made in other studies, we found that only approximately 100 localities have or are considering legislation that would impact their unauthorized alien communities.
URI: http://hdl.handle.net/1969.1/97016 Files in this item: 1
CRSImmigrationFinalReport.pdf (203.1Kb) -
Anderson, Luke; Allen, Chris; Elrod, Leah; Forbes, Melissa; Harbin, Hannah; Stromm, Diann ( 2003)[more][less]
Description: This report traces the history of the Big Thicket region and the political process that occurred to establish the Big Thicket National Preserve, identifies the current threats facing the Big Thicket region, and describes a continuum of possible policy solutions that might be applied to the threats facing the Big Thicket.
URI: http://hdl.handle.net/1969.1/97001 Files in this item: 1
Big_Thicket.pdf (1.955Mb) -
Ghosh, Banashwar; Hokom, Meghan; Hunt, Zachary; Magdaleno, Miriam; Su, Baoqiang ( 2008)[more][less]
Description: This capstone team conducted an analysis of bilingual and English as a second language (ESL) practices in the state of Texas. Their analysis has three distinct parts. In the first part, the team developed four indicators of school success with respect to students who have limited English proficiency (LEP). In the second part, they developed a survey of teacher, classroom and program characteristics that they distributed to all elementary and middle schools with at least 30 LEP students. The final part of their analysis examined the relationship between their four measures of school success and the survey responses regarding instructional practices and program characteristics. The team found that there were no school-level differences in performance between teachers in bilingual education programs and teachers in ESL programs. They also found that consistent instruction in one language (either English or Spanish) was more effective for content learning than a mix of instructional languages, and that instructional methods identified as particularly effective by the existing bilingual/ESL literature are widely practiced in Texas.
URI: http://hdl.handle.net/1969.1/97015 Files in this item: 2
Bilingual_Education_in_Texas.pdf (963.0Kb)(more files) -
Filene Institute for Credit Union Research ( 2007)[more][less]
Description: This project explored the role of the board of directors in decision-making during mergers and acquisitions. Mergers are a viable and wide-spread growth strategy for many credit unions. The study considered how the board engaged or disengaged in the process of working through issues related to mergers and acquisitions. Merger opportunities are strategic decision opportunities for organizations, and boards are critical to ensuring good decision-making.
The first step was to identify credit unions that had debated merger proposals. It was desirable to identify both credit unions that had completed the process as well as those that had withdrawn from the proposal. Based upon a sample of respondents who met the desired criteria, students conducted interviews with the senior executive and at least one board member.
The project interviewed 15-20 organizations (or about 30-40 executives and board members). Most of the interviews focused on decision-making processes, how opportunities and alternatives were or were not explored, and how member interests were considered. This allowed individuals to effectively describe the decision-making context and how board members were engaged. Decision quality was also considered, although it is very difficult to determine the benefits of a merger that did not take place. Consequently, we asked for perceptions of the decision quality, but quantifiable determination of benefits is probably not available in this research design. A filene research monograph was produced as a result of this project.
URI: http://hdl.handle.net/1969.1/97008 Files in this item: 0
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Alford, John; Blackburn, Casey; Holland, Lynn; Rolison, Richard; Schwartz, Andrew; Smith, James; Williams, Erin ( 2003)[more][less]
Description: This report informed the USDA about the status of Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) regulatory systems in five Central American countries that are participating in negotiations for a Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) with the United States. To complete the report, the Capstone team sent surveys to the appropriate in-country experts in each of the five CAFTA countries and utilized the Phytosanitary Capacity Evaluation model to measure the level of compliance with international standards.
URI: http://hdl.handle.net/1969.1/97002 Files in this item: 1
CAFTA_Report.pdf (421.4Kb) -
World Bank, Trade Division ( 2008)[more][less]
Description: This is the second part of a study that began by asking whether exports to developed countries are hampered by the inability of developing Southern African countries to participate fully in the meat export market. The project was broken into two segments focusing on the formal and informal sectors. After conducting in-depth research and refining the development problem, students designed a survey model and flew two group members to Southern Africa to conduct a survey. The survey was designed to help answer why Southern African countries were not participating at greater levels in the meat export market. Using supportive research, economic development theory, and the survey results, students then compiled a report which was presented to the client.
URI: http://hdl.handle.net/1969.1/97029 Files in this item: 0
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Kishore Gawande; Creative Associates International, Inc.; U.S. Department of Labor ( 2009)[more][less]
Description: This project focused on how to reduce child labor in Panama, using the DESTINO (Disminuyendo y Erradicando el Trabajo Infantil para Nuevas Oportunidades) program, a joint effort of two Panamanian organizations: Casa Esperanza and Fundacion Tierra Nueva. DESTINO seeks to reduce the incidence of child labor through community workshops, income generation activities, scholarship activities, teacher training programs, and civil society programs. The study looked at child labor statistics gathered by DESTINO as well as additional work done by the Centro de Capacitacin y Desarrollo Integral to improve income generating activities among indigenous women. The DESTINO project is funded by the U.S. Department of Labor and is being managed by Creative Associates.
URI: http://hdl.handle.net/1969.1/97022 Files in this item: 0
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Centra Technology ( 2006)[more][less]
Description: The Iraqi insurgency was formed by multiple nationalities and ethnicities with disparate goals and motivations. A central question to understanding the insurgency's unity is whether there is command and control, which is defined as the sharing of tactics, information, and skills. This capstone explored this question by investigating how insurgent groups in the past have managed to communicate and disseminate tactics, even while operating in a dangerous environment controlled by their more powerful adversary. The class then applied this historical lesson to the current situation in Iraq and examined whether the history of attacks indicated command and control in the Iraqi insurgency.
URI: http://hdl.handle.net/1969.1/97035 Files in this item: 0
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Reed, Johnathan; Harlow, Evan; Dorshaw, Carlie; Brower, David ( 2008)[more][less]
Description: This report was prepared as part of a graduate student capstone project at the George Bush School of Government and Public Service for our client, the Brazos Community Foundation (BCF). We believe the report has implications for the BCF and the broader nonprofit community in the Brazos Valley.
The project team identified ten potential community leadership roles based on best practices in the field and interests of the BCF. Students conducted interviews with 25 local nonprofit leaders, Texas A&M University representatives, as well as other community foundations to inform our recommendations.
After careful evaluation of data the group identified five community leadership roles with the most potential for implementation by the Brazos Community Foundation and the Brazos Valley at large. These roles received wide support, were feasible - based on available resources, and aligned with the mission and purpose of BCF. Students developed a series of action steps to provide guidance for the implementation of these roles. Through the interviews students discovered many opportunities for partnerships in implementing roles.
URI: http://hdl.handle.net/1969.1/97014 Files in this item: 3
2008ComLeadBestPracBV.pdf (228.8Kb)(more files) -
Aguirre, Elisa; Gleeson, Thomas; McCutchen, Amanda; Mendiola, Leticia; Rich, Katherine; Schroder, Rick; Stephenson, Megan; Varner, Orie ( 2006)[more][less]
Description: This study provided an analysis of the relative costs and benefits of a high-quality, universally-accessible pre-kindergarten program in Texas. The analysis identified the costs and benefits unique to Texas' population, workforce, economy and existing educational system. It concluded that even when making very conservative assumptions, the benefits of universally-accessible, high-quality pre-kindergarten for four-year-olds in Texas greatly outweigh the costs.
URI: http://hdl.handle.net/1969.1/97006 Files in this item: 4
(more files) -
Allen, Sarah; Kelson, Kendra; Migl, Hayden; Schmidt, Rodney; Shoemaker, David; Thomson, Heather ( 2008)[more][less]
Description: Deregulation has put the freight railroad industry on a more secure financial footing. In general, the transformation of the rail industry since the Staggers Rail Act of 1980 has been viewed by stakeholders at many levels as verwhelmingly positive. Perhaps most important to note is that deregulation has allowed the rail industry to fully realize the benefits of operating as a private business — cutting costs, boosting productivity, eliminating unprofitable lines, and gaining a higher degree of business autonomy. One consequence of this reduction in physical capacity is that often only one railroad company's lines run on a particular route, resulting in monopolistic pricing practices.
URI: http://hdl.handle.net/1969.1/97013 Files in this item: 1
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World Bank Trade Division ( 2007)[more][less]
Description: This capstone project deals with standards imposed on the trade of agricultural imports from developing countries by developed countries. BSE, foot and mouth disease, and avian flu are all major concerns for US and European consumers. These governments are extremely risk averse and want to reduce the risk of transmitting any kind of disease, especially those borne by agricultural products, to zero. There is no tolerance for risk. But is there a less burdensome system that also can achieve the zero-tolerance policy?
One of the requirements is that there be no contact between different animals. For example, hoofed animals, which may be possible carriers of foot and mouth disease, must be completely separated from each other. This requires building artificial barriers to separate the animals. But this has deleterious effects for tourism in African countries, where tourists from the developed world go on safaris to see animals. Building fences and artificial barriers reduces the naturalness of the habitat and reduces the attraction for tourism. In order to reduce the cost of the fences, agencies like USAID may subsidize the building of the fences, but they do not subsidize the loss in tourism. Thus there are real costs to these countries. So the main questions this project addressed were these:
1.Are there any alternatives? 2.Is it possible to institute policies that are less burdensome and yet achieve the desired outcome (which is to reduce the risk of spreading diseases)?
URI: http://hdl.handle.net/1969.1/97031 Files in this item: 0
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Foley, Kathryn; Gallagher, Kallie; Manzano, Magdalena; Meyers, Haileigh; Szabo, Szende; Wantwadi, Peggy; Zheng, Yanzhe ( NaN)[more][less]
Description: The capstone team (1) obtained and analyzed information about pools of job candidates from historically under-represented groups in certain disciplines and (2) reported on mechanisms that had proved effective for recruiting and retaining such candidates. The team analyzed trends and characteristics of these potential applicant pools and identified schools that have graduated the largest numbers of candidates from historically under-represented groups in specific disciplines. The report presents a literature review concerning practices of public and private entities to create and maintain workforce diversity by recruiting and retaining persons from historically under-represented groups. The report also summarizes successful recruitment and retention strategies based on theoretical and practical frameworks used by government agencies, non-profit organizations, and the private sector.
URI: http://hdl.handle.net/1969.1/94989 Files in this item: 1
2010EnhancingEthnicDiversityCRS.pdf (2.226Mb)
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