Browsing by Author "School of Public and Environmental Affairs"

Now showing 1 - 10 of 189
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    Alcohol outlets, social disorganization, and non-violent crimes in urban neighborhoods
    (Taylor & Francis, 2016) Snowden, Aleksandra J.; Stucky, Thomas D.; Pridemore, William Alex; School of Public and Environmental Affairs
    Many studies show an association between alcohol outlets and violence, though fewer consider non-violent crime. We add to this literature using block group data from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to explore whether (1) on- and off-premise alcohol outlet density is related to thefts from vehicles and vandalism and (2) social disorganization moderates these associations. Using spatially informed regression models, we found positive effects of on-premise alcohol outlet density on thefts from vehicles. We also found positive effects of on- and off-premise alcohol outlet density on vandalism. Social disorganization was not a consistent moderator of these associations.
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    All plug-in electric vehicles are not the same: Predictors of preference for a plug-in hybrid versus a battery-electric vehicle
    (Elsevier, 2018-12) Lane, Bradley W.; Dumortier, Jerome; Carley, Sanya; Siddiki, Saba; Clark-Sutton, Kyle; Graham, John D.; School of Public and Environmental Affairs
    This study analyzes data from a survey of drivers (n = 1080) administered in late 2013 to assess factors that influence potential car buyers to consider two different types of plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) in the United States: plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) and battery electric vehicles (BEVs). The results indicate distinct profiles of respondents preferring PHEVs, which have a gasoline backup engine, versus battery BEVs, which rely solely on a battery for power. Respondents interested in selecting a PHEV consider it more for its economic benefits, such as reduced gasoline and maintenance expenditures. Respondents preferring a BEV are drawn to its environmental and technological appeal. The absence of range anxiety for PHEV is a major factor influencing potential PEV buyers.
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    American jihadi terrorism: A comparison of homicides and unsuccessful plots
    (Taylor & Francis, 2016) Gruenewald, Jeff; Klein, Brent R.; Freilich, Joshua D.; Chermak, Steven; School of Public and Environmental Affairs
    While the number of American jihadi terrorist attacks remains relatively rare, terrorist plots thwarted by law enforcement have increased since September 11, 2001. Although these law enforcement blocks of would-be terrorists are considered counterterrorism triumphs by the FBI, human rights and civil liberty watch groups have conversely suggested that those who plan for attacks alongside government informants and undercover agents may be unique and essentially dissimilar from terrorists. Underlying this debate is the empirical question of how planned yet unsuccessful attacks and their plotters compare to successful terrorist homicides and their perpetrators. The current study addresses this question by comparatively examining jihadi terrorist homicides and unsuccessful plots occurring in part or wholly on U.S. soil between 1990 and 2014. Data for this study come from the U.S. Extremist Crime Database (ECDB), an open-source database with information on terrorism and extremist crimes. Based on these data, descriptive statistics are provided for several incident, offender, and target variables across three jihadi terrorist violence categories, including homicides, plots with specified targets, and plots with non-specific targets. We find several important differences across categories of terrorist violence, suggesting that unsuccessful plotters and their intended crimes vary from their more successful terrorist counterparts.
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    Anticipated Stigma and Defensive Individualism during Post-Incarceration Job Searching
    (Wiley, 2016-08) Ray, Bradley; Grommon, Eric; Rydberg, Jason; School of Public and Environmental Affairs
    Obtaining employment is one of the most difficult challenges for individuals released from prison. This research explores the strategies recently released male parolees employ in attempting to find work, with specific attention to the role of anticipated stigma from their ex-convict status. Through the use of in-depth longitudinal interviews, this research contributes to our understanding of returning prisoner's experiences in job searching. We find that although a majority of the sample anticipated stigma as a barrier to employment, those who did expressed an extreme self-reliance consistent with defensive individualism. This reluctance to draw on social networks may ultimately be counter-productive to the search for employment.
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    Arts of the States in Crisis: Revisiting Determinants of State-Level Appropriations to Arts Agencies
    (Elsevier, 2015-04) Noonan, Douglas S.; School of Public and Environmental Affairs
    Clearly, much has happened to the state of public coffers and their ability to finance the arts in the past decade. This study extends Noonan (2007) into the next decade and the “Great Recession” that hit the U.S. (and world) economy–with state public finances severely exposed to the downward economic shock. The emphasis of the empirical analysis here is answering a twofold question: how well have past models predicted the past decade of funding patterns, and how have the funding determinants shifted in recent years. While the previous work found that some predictable patterns (e.g., there is much momentum in funding, demographics and partisan politics matter), there was insufficient evidence to back the claims that SAAs suffer disproportionately during times of fiscal stress. Further, political culture has changed substantially in the US in recent decades. From today's vantage, we can observe how well the older models predict the changes actually experienced. This comparison shows that the severe budget cuts experienced in the wake of the recession were to be expected, but there are some interesting shortcomings in the previous understanding, which points to a shift in the determinants of public arts funding in the U.S.
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    The arts, Bohemian scenes, and income
    (Taylor & Francis, 2019) Arikan, Yasemin; Nichols Clark, Terry; Noonan, Douglas S.; Tolley, George; School of Public and Environmental Affairs
    Where and how does arts activity drive neighbourhood revitalization? We explore the impact of arts establishments on income in US zip codes, nationally and across quantiles (from four to seven subgroups) of zip codes stratified by disadvantage (based on income and ethnicity/race). We focus on what is new here: how neighbourhood scenes or the mixes of amenities mediate relationships between the arts and income. One dramatic finding is that more bohemian/hip neighbourhoods tend to have less income, contradicting the accounts from Jane Jacobs, Richard Florida and others. Arts and bohemia generate opposing effects, which emerge if we study not a few cases like Greenwich Village, but use more careful measures and larger number of cases. Some arts factors that distinctly influence neighbourhood income include the number of arts establishments; type and range of arts establishments; levels of disadvantage in a neighbourhood; and specific pre­ and co­existing neighbourhood amenities. Rock, gospel and house music appeal to distinct audiences. Our discussion connects this vitalizing role for arts activity to broader community development dynamics. These overall results challenge the view that the arts simply follow, not drive, wealth, and suggest that arts-led strategies can foster neighbourhood revitalization across a variety of income, ethnic, and other contexts.
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    Assessing GAN-based approaches for generative modeling of crime text reports
    (IEEE, 2020-11) Khorshidi, Samira; Mohler, George; Carter, Jeremy G.; School of Public and Environmental Affairs
    Analysis and modeling of crime text report data has important applications, including refinement of crime classifications, clustering of documents, and feature extraction for spatio-temporal forecasts. Having better neural network representations of crime text data may facilitate all of these tasks. This paper evaluates the ability of generative adversarial network models to represent crime text data and generate realistic crime reports. We compare four state of the art GAN algorithms in terms of quantitative metrics such as coherence, embedding similarity, negative log-likelihood, and qualitatively based on inspection of generated text. We discuss current challenges with crime text representation and directions for future research.
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    Barriers and facilitators to implementing an urban co-responding police-mental health team
    (Springer, 2018-11-22) Bailey, Katie; Paquet, Staci Rising; Ray, Bradley R.; Grommon, Eric; Lowder, Evan M.; Sightes, Emily; School of Public and Environmental Affairs
    BackgroundIn an effort to reduce the increasing number of persons with mental illness (PMI) experiencing incarceration, co-responding police-mental health teams are being utilized as a way to divert PMI from the criminal justice system. Co-response teams are typically an inter-agency collaboration between police and mental health professionals, and in some cases include emergency medical personnel. These teams are intended to facilitate emergency response by linking patients to mental health resources rather than the criminal justice system, thus reducing burdens on both the criminal justice systems as well as local healthcare systems. The current study examines the barriers and facilitators of successfully implementing the Mobile Crisis Assistance Team model, a first-responder co-response team consisting of police officers, mental health professionals, and paramedics. Through content analysis of qualitative focus groups with team members and interviews with program stakeholders, this study expands previous findings by identifying additional professional cultural barriers and facilitators to program implementation while also exploring the role of clear, systematic policies and guidelines in program success.ResultsFindings demonstrate the value of having both flexible and formal policies and procedures to help guide program implementation; ample community resources and treatment services in order to successfully refer clients to needed services; and streamlined communication among participating agencies and the local healthcare community. A significant barrier to successful program implementation is that of role conflict and stigma. Indeed, members of the co-response teams experienced difficulty transitioning into their new roles and reported negative feedback from other first responders as well as from within their own agency. Initial agency collaboration, information sharing between agencies, and team building were also identified as facilitators to program implementation.ConclusionThe current study provides a critical foundation for the implementation of first-responder police-mental health co-response teams. Cultural and systematic barriers to co-response team success should be understood prior to program creation and used to guide implementation. Furthermore, attention must be directed to cultivating community and professional support for co-response teams. Findings from this study can be used to guide future efforts to implement first-response co-response teams in order to positively engage PMI and divert PMI from the criminal justice system.
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    Beyond Cans and Capacity Nonprofit Roles and Service Network Objectives in an Emergency Food Network
    (Wiley, 2017) Levine Daniel, Jamie; Moulton, Stephanie; School of Public and Environmental Affairs
    Many essential public services are provided through networks of community‐based nonprofit organizations. Previous research has demonstrated that simply providing additional resources to these organizations is insufficient to better address demands for public services. We also know little about how and why these organizations adopt network‐level objectives related to service provision. In this analysis, we expand the focus of service provision beyond capacity to incorporate the unique roles that define the very existence of nonprofit organizations, and how these roles affect organizational behavior with respect to service network objectives. We use focus group, survey, and administrative data from one hundred community‐based nonprofit organizations in an emergency food service network to explore the relationships among capacity, roles, and specific program objectives.
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    Building underwater: Effects of community-scale flood management on housing development
    (Elsevier, 2022-09) Liu, Xian; Noonan, Douglas; School of Public and Environmental Affairs
    The Community Rating System (CRS) program was implemented by the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in 1990 as an optional program to encourage communities to voluntarily engage in flood mitigation initiatives. This paper uses national census tract-level data from 1990 to 2010 to estimate whether CRS participation affects housing development patterns. Our results show that participating in the CRS is associated with reduced rates of new housing construction and mobile homes in flood-prone areas. When we separate flood mitigation activities under the CRS program into information-based and regulation-based activities, we find that regulatory approaches are more effective than informational approaches. These results show a general pattern, nationwide and across decades, of community-scale flood management efforts deterring housing development in flood-prone areas.