Browsing by Author "Cook, Nathan"

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    Can Restoration of the Commons Foster Resilience? A Quasi-Experimental Comparison of COVID-19 Coping Strategies among Rural Households in Three Indian States
    (Social Science Research Network, 2021-11-12) Hughes, Karl; Priyadarshini, Pratiti; Sharma, Himani; Lissah, Sanoop; Chorran, Tenzin; Meinzen-Dick, Ruth S.; Dorga, Atul; Cook, Nathan; Par Andersson, Krister; School of Public and Environmental Affairs
    India has been hard hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. In the context of a larger quasi-experimental impact assessment, we assess the pandemic’s effects on coping behavior in 80 villages spread across four districts and three states (n=772). Half of these villages were targeted by a largescale common land restoration program spearheaded by an NGO, the Foundation for Ecological Security (FES). The other half are yet to be targeted but are statistically similar vis-à-vis FES’s village targeting criteria. Analyzing the results of a phone survey conducting eight to ten months into the pandemic and its associated lockdowns, we find that the livelihood activities of households in both sets of villages were adversely impacted by COVID-19. Consequently, most households had to resort to various coping strategies, e.g., distressed asset sales and reduced farm input expenditure. From the same mobile survey data, we further construct a Livelihoods Coping Strategies Index (LCSI) and find that households in villages targeted by FES’s common land restoration initiative score 11.3% lower on this index on average. While modest, this statistically significant effect estimate (p<0.05) is consistent across the four districts and robust to alterative model and outcome specifications. We find no empirical support that our observed effect was due to improved access to common pool resources or government social programs. Instead, we speculate that this effect may be driven by institutional factors, rather than economic, a proposition we will test in future work.
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    Immunological and Social Determinants of Asthma: From Cytokine Signaling to Air Pollution Disparities
    (2024-10) Cheung, Cherry Cheuk Lam; Kaplan, Mark H.; Cook, Nathan; Cook-Mills, Joan; Yang, Kai
    Asthma is a chronic respiratory disease characterized by airway inflammation and hyperresponsiveness, impacting 262 million individuals globally. This heterogeneous condition results from a complex interplay of genetic, environmental, and social factors. The pathophysiology involves dysregulated immune responses, particularly through cytokine signaling, and is exacerbated by environmental pollutants and social determinants of health (SDOH). This thesis aims to (1) elucidate novel cytokine signaling pathways involved in asthma, specifically a potential type II IL-9 receptor complex, and (2) evaluate the impact of California's Assembly Bill 617 (AB 617) on reducing air pollution and asthma disparities in disadvantaged communities. The research employs molecular biology techniques, including flow cytometry, proximity ligation assay, and RNA sequencing, to investigate IL-9 signaling in airway epithelial cells. It also involves a policy analysis of AB 617's initial effectiveness in reducing fine particulate matter (PM2.5) levels and asthmaassociated emergency room (ER) visits through environmental monitoring and hospital records. The study identifies a novel type II IL-9 receptor complex composed of IL-9Rα and IL-13Rα1, suggesting new therapeutic targets for asthma management. Policy analysis reveals limited initial success of AB 617 in reducing air pollution and asthma incidence, highlighting the need for enhanced regulatory measures and community engagement. Understanding the molecular mechanisms of IL-9 signaling and addressing environmental and social determinants are crucial for comprehensive asthma management. Integrating scientific research with policy interventions can improve health outcomes and reduce disparities in asthma prevalence and severity.
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    What's in an Ally? Development of the Political Allyship Behavior Scale (PABS) to Explore White Politicians' Genuine and Performative Allyship Toward Black Americans
    (2024-08) Mosier, Amanda Elizabeth; Stockdale, Margaret S.; Derricks, Veronica; Johnson, India R.; Cook, Nathan
    The racial turnout gap is a significant concern to the integrity of the democratic process in the United States, as it leads to underrepresentation of the perspectives of marginalized racial groups. This dissertation proposes that one way to reduce the turnout gap is by White politicians engaging in genuine allyship to marginalized groups. Across three studies, I explored how Black Americans define genuine and performative allyship from politicians, developed a behaviorally based instrument to measure political allyship, and investigated how experiencing political allyship impacts Black Americans’ intended political participation. First, a sample of Black Americans generated critical incidents of genuine and performative political allyship, which were then thematically analyzed and consolidated. Another sample of Black Americans rated these incidents on allyship, and incidents that did not strongly signal either genuine or performative allyship were dropped. Next, I conducted a card sort task and used k-means cluster analysis to create groups of similar allyship behaviors, which revealed that the construct of political allyship is comprised of three clusters (i.e., themes) of genuine allyship and two clusters of performative allyship. Finally, these clusters were used to create, validate, and test a novel scale to measure political allyship – the Political Allyship Behavior Scale (PABS). After assessing interrater reliability and establishing construct validity of the PABS, I tested the practical utility of the PABS by having Black Americans use the measure to rate a fictional politician. Not only was the PABS able to reliably distinguish between politicians who engaged in genuine versus performative allyship, but it also showed that Black Americans reported higher intended political participation when they experienced genuine allyship from a White politician. This research may help politicians better understand how their allyship is perceived by Black Americans and make strides toward closing the turnout gap and promoting equality in representation.