Hubert H. Humphrey School of Public Affairs

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147th Street Station Area Sustainability Master Plan
(Hubert H. Humphrey School of Public Affairs, 2011-05-12) Stroud, Henry; Svingen, Justin; Townley, Jill; Young, Katie
2030 Comprehensive Plan Update Baytown Township, Minnesota
(Hubert H. Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs, 2009-05-20) Torres, Angela
The 38th Street and Chicago Avenue Small Area/Corridor Framework Plan
(Minneapolis City Council, 2007-11-09) Rosell, Antonio
The purpose of this Small Area / Corridor Framework Plan is to support the ongoing improvement and revitalization of the area of 38th Street and Chicago Avenue by proposing specific policies and strategies to guide its evolution. This work was initiated by area residents, business owners, and other community leaders in early 2004. It has since advanced through several phases of refinement under the direct guidance of residents and neighborhood organizations. This work has been supported, financed and adopted by the four neighborhood organizations around 38th Street and Chicago Avenue, and by other business and civic organizations in the area.
A Mans’s World? Reaffirming the Idea of Gender in United States Countering Violent Extremism Programming
(2024-05-01) Fialkoff, Hannah
The global war on terror was marked by the ongoing targeting of militant groups and their leaders, often in nations entrenched in conflict. The prolonged war and the subsequent rise of violent extremism escalated attacks on women’s rights and freedoms. During this time, women’s agency drastically grew both as members of terror groups and as instrumental actors in policy and decision-making circles. The counterterrorism and policy response in the post-9/11 world focused heavily on kinetic security and law-enforcement-based programming and practices. Emerging out of counterterrorism, globally and in the United States, was Countering Violent Extremism (CVE), an approach that was thought to be more grounded in human rights by addressing what policymakers considered to be the root causes of radicalization and seeking to re-build (or build) civil society. While the broad results of such efforts are far clear or definitive, it remains true that CVE programs, which are a key element of US policy, merit scrutiny to determine whether they can be adjusted to better achieve stated objectives—or, more broadly, inclusive development objectives—by making them more gender inclusive and deeply grounded in human rights. This professional paper aims to use a feminist approach to analyze the agency of women in this realm, how they are addressed in countering violent extremism programming, and propose a way forward of how programming, in the future, can be more gender-inclusive and sensitive. The main question is how can we better engage women and girls when countering extremism?
A Nuclear State of Mind: Identifying the Impact of Climate Change on Nuclear Security
(2024-05-01) Jaffery, Zulfikar; Nordhougen, Greg; Padmanabhan, Sam; Woyda, Trevor
There is a broad assumption that nuclear energy is ready to solve climate change without a proper understanding of how climate change will impact the civilian nuclear energy industry. It is this assumption that is interrogated within the research and analysis portions of this literature review. The sweeping assumption that nuclear energy is ready for global dependence would have dangerous implications if it were wrong. Even if it is right, the process required to reconfigure the energy industry in order to prepare it for the world’s demand for energy would still necessitate incredible strides. This literature review hopes to shine a spotlight on some of the unanswered questions while offering a vignette of the industry as it currently sits today.
The ABCs of Regulation: The Effects of Occupational Licensing and Migration Among Teachers
(Hubert H. Humphrey School of Public Affairs, 2015-01) Arbury, Chelsea; Bonilla, Gerardo; Durfee, Thomas; Johnson, Megan; Lehninger, Robin
The ABCs of Regulation: The Effects of Occupational Licensing and Migration Among Teachers
(HHH, 2015-01-17) Arbury, Chelsea; Bonilla, Gerardo; Durfee, Thomas; Johnson, Megan; Lehninger, Robin
Accelerating Deployment of Rural Beneficial Electrification for Residential Heating and Cooling
(2024-05-01) Ludewig, Carl; Eastes, Jane; Coleman, Steve
This project was conducted as a project for the University of Minnesota Humphrey School of Public Affairs capstone course for the Master Degree program. Great RiverEnergy (GRE), a generation and transmission (G & T) electric cooperative, requested our team to research and develop pathways for accelerating beneficial electrification for residential customers in their largely rural territory. Residential customers are directly served by twenty-seven separate distribution cooperatives that are the member-owners of GRE. The goal of this project is to develop a playbook of best practices for the adoption of beneficial electrification that can be used to accelerate the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions to contribute to Minnesota's 100% clean electricity standard. To reach this goal, our team gathered information from GRE, conducted an online literature review including case studies from different programs across the nation, and conducted qualitative research interviews with multiple stakeholders involved in beneficial electrification. Although we refer to beneficial electrification as a whole, this report focuses on the transition to air source heat pump (ASHP) technology for residential heating and cooling within the home. GRE requested that the format of our findings and recommendations follow the Department of Energy's (DOE) Liftoff Report outline. The DOE Liftoff Report style includes an overview of the current state of the target issue, a discussion of potential pathways for success, and an analysis of wider barriers and solutions of the issue. DOE intends the Liftoff Report to be a living document designed to be reviewed and changed with experience and changes in the environment. In this paper, we present our research and analysis, and then move into the Beneficial Electrification Liftoff Report. In this way, the Liftoff Report can be accessed as a standalone report for future use. Based on our research, we recommend and discuss three pathways for GRE to take to accelerate the adoption of beneficial electrification. We recommend all of the pathways be organized around an initial Launch Point. The Launch Point is an overarching recommendation from which the three Pathways can be implemented to accelerate rural beneficial electrification for rural residential heating and cooling.
Achieving Equitable and Effective Community Engagement through Social and Relational Network Analysis
(2024-05-01) Cazares-Reyes , Jesus; Grimlund , Terri; Sniegowski, Erica; Soria, Alejandra
Through the Humphrey School of Public Affairs capstone program, a student-consultant team of four graduate students worked with their capstone client, the City of Minnetonka, to better understand social networks within the City of Minnetonka and the impacts social networks may have on equitable community engagement. The City of Minnetonka is situated in Hennepin County and has a population of approximately 54,000 (Metropolitan Council, n.d.). Community inclusiveness is a strategic priority of the City of Minnetonka, which includes actively engaging the community to achieve broader policy outcomes, respond to community needs, and remove barriers for participating in programs and services. City staff proposed that, through a better understanding of social and relational networks within the city and between the city and community, the city can develop more effective and equitable public engagement and work towards achieving community inclusiveness. The team focused on understanding the social networks of City of Minnetonka staff and the nature of relationships between city staff and community members. This was informed by background research on social networks, social network analysis, and equitable engagement. Social networks are composed of network members, which can be people or organizations, that are connected to other members through one or more relations (Marin & Wellman, 2009). Through social network analysis, which is the visualization and analysis of network members and their relations, this project sought to bring greater understanding of the social networks among city staff and between city staff and community members.
Adapting the Good Food Purchasing Policy to the Twin Cities
(Hubert H. Humphrey School of Public Affairs, 2016) Stoscheck, Claire
Values-based food procurement is gaining national and international attention as an effective strategy to leverage institutional purchasing power to transform food systems. The Good Food Purchasing Policy (GFPP) is a promising values-based food procurement policy which could help to promote social equity and environmental sustainability in the Twin Cities and Minnesota’s food system. It supports institutions to prioritize the values of local economies, environmental sustainability, nutrition, animal welfare and a valued workforce—rather than primarily price—when making purchasing decisions. A group of stakeholders has been working to bring the GFPP to the Twin Cities. Because the GFPP standards were originally developed for a Los Angeles context, this paper explored how to best adapt the standards to the Twin Cities context, in order to help lay the groundwork for the implementation of the GFPP in Twin Cities’ institutions. To answer the first research question—“What methodologies do developers of values-based procurement policy frameworks use in order to create standards?”—the investigator reviewed the literature and interviewed developers of standards. Interviewees expressed that standards need to be realistic but also push for improvements in the relevant industry, easy to track, and should allow for continuous improvement for participating institutions. These findings then informed the second phase of the report, which explored the questions: How can the LA-based GFPP framework be adapted to the context of the Twin Cities, MN? Specifically, which GFPP standards need to change to adapt to the Twin Cities, and how? To answer these questions, the investigator first collaborated with stakeholders to determine a focus on the Local Economies and Nutrition Standards, and then interviewed local experts on these topics. Interviewees expressed wanting to modify the Local Economies Standards in many ways, including involving food chain businesses beyond farms, increasing the mileage measurement to 250 miles, and adding equity measurements into the required baseline. Stakeholders wanted to modify the Nutrition Standards in multiple ways, especially by adding culturally appropriate food to the required baseline, making bonus points more rigorous, and making the overall Standards more detailed so that they provide better guidance to institutional purchasers. This research lays the groundwork for the Twin Cities stakeholder group to further explore modifying the standards to create ‘finalized’ Twin Cities specific GFPP Standards. It can provide insights for the national GFPP standards revision process. It also starts to fill the research gap on values-based food procurement policies, laying groundwork for potential future research on the GFPP in the Twin Cities and beyond.
Addressing Barriers to Extended Foster Care
(2023) Luna, Christina; Olinger, Emily; Weiner, Evelyn
Fifteen years ago, federal legislation was passed which provided states with the option of allowing eligible individuals to remain in foster care beyond age 18, paving the way for Minnesota to establish its Extended Foster Care program in 2011. Through this program participants receive monthly stipends and case management support. Research indicates lasting positive effects for participants, as time spent in EFC is associated with positive outcomes such as decreased instances of homelessness and involvement in the criminal justice system. Still, little has been known about the utilization of the program in Minnesota. Our team sought to fill this gap in research by investigating the current utilization rate and factors that affect participation. To do so, we utilized a mixed-methods approach which included interviews with systems actors, summary statistics of program data, and a review of program documents. Through this process, our team identified key strengths, weaknesses, and barriers present in Minnesota’s. Ultimately, we propose recommendations related to data and evaluation, service delivery, program design, and investment in resources to remove barriers and increase participation.
Addressing the Challenges of Dilapidated and Substandard Housing in Stevens County, MN
(Hubert H. Humphrey School of Public Affairs, 2013-08-16) Ehrenberg, Scott; Moore, Olin; Fredrick Wang, Laura
Advanced Acquisition of Right-of-Way: Best Practices and Corridor Case Studies
(Hubert H. Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs, 2009-01-28) Aultman, Sara
There is mounting pressure on state transportation agencies to expand road capacity to keep up with demand. The most expensive part of many transportation projects, especially roadway expansions, can be acquiring the rights-of-way (Williams and Frey, 2004). From 1988 to 2008, the Minnesota Department of Transportation (Mn/DOT) spent nearly $800 million acquiring rights-of-way (ROW). When and how Mn/DOT acquires ROWs to expand roadways is an issue with important financial and non-financial ramifications. One approach for acquiring ROW is a process called advanced acquisition. Advanced acquisition is acquiring land prior to project design approval, which is the traditional trigger for ROW acquisition (Mn/DOT, 2008). Recently, Barnes and Watters (2005) conducted a study that questioned the wisdom of advanced acquisition. The study examined the primary financial benefits of advanced acquisition, specifically lower ROW costs. They concluded that the growth rate of property values is not high enough to support advanced acquisition as a general strategy. They placed this in context by showing that the interest rate on a medium-term bond is greater than the average appreciation rate of real estate. The significance of this is that state transportation agencies would receive a better return on their money by investing in bonds than buying property early (Barnes and Watters, 2005). Barnes and Watters highlighted the need for a more detailed analysis that would go beyond evaluating county-wide appreciation rates. They suggested examining property adjacent to transportation corridors since these properties are more likely to be intensely developed. The goal of this report is to evaluate Mn/DOT’s current advanced acquisition practices and investigate the appreciation rate of parcels adjacent to transportation corridors. This report will address three major issues related to advanced acquisition. First, we assessed current advanced acquisition practices at Mn/DOT by surveying Mn/DOT district offices. Second, we conducted a survey of cities state-wide about the use of preservation tools to acquire ROW and strategies to improve the ROW process. Third, we investigated the claim that parcels adjacent to transportation corridors appreciate at a significantly different rate than the average parcel. We accomplished this by collecting property assessment data and calculating the appreciation rate for parcels adjacent to three corridors and comparing this to the appreciation rate of randomly selected parcels in the same county. We then used statistical analysis to evaluate which property characteristics are helpful in predicting properties that appreciate over 25% per year. Lastly, the findings from the two surveys and three corridors case studies were integrated into two recommendations.
Advancing a Defense Collaborative in Minnesota: Insights from Defense and Innovation Initiatives
(2020-08-15) Lanz, Marco; Maanibe, Gabriel; Nitzkorski, Dylan; Starry, Don
Across the United States, organizations are studying the successes and failures of ecosystems like Silicon Valley. As Secretary of Defense Ash Carter emphasizes, there appears to be a formula for its unparalleled technological evolution. Where once the U.S government was instrumental in driving technological innovation, it can no longer compete with the advancement, voracity, and speed of the private sector. The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) embraces the reality that partnering with the private sector is critical for the nation’s security and defense. GREATER MSP’s initiative, the Minnesota Security Project, seeks to partner with the DoD and capitalize on future defense priorities. As an initial part of this newly created initiative, GREATER MSP sought additional research from students as part of the Humphrey School of Public Affairs’ capstone program. Our report focuses on understanding those priorities and how other organizations successfully market to key DoD decision makers; it provides insight into existing defense related economic development initiatives to help identify best practices and capability gaps for Minnesota; and lastly, it identifies areas that receive the most DoD funding and how they align with the Minnesota Security Project. We identified and synthesized key data by using a mixed-methods research design. The literature review identified that DoD and private sector collaboratives remain largely unstudied. Furthermore, Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) provisions did not permit access to governmental contracts related to DoD initiatives. However, sources such as non-classified government data, informational interviews, and research into existing state and regional defense-oriented economic development initiatives informed critical findings.
Advantages of Increasing Evaluation Capacity in Nonprofits: How Principles of Process Use Can Inform Development and Strengthen a Nonprofit’s Position in its External Landscape
(2018-05-10) Matsumoto, Carley
Within this paper I explore how process use, or the intentional engagement of stakeholders in the creation and implementation of an evaluation, can increase an organization’s capacity for evaluative inquiry. Here, I share the impact of employing process use principles to a specific evaluation conducted within Full Spectrum Features (FSF), a small film production nonprofit based in Chicago, IL. I begin with a comprehensive literature review of process use theories and practices and continue by exploring the application of relevant principles to an evaluation conducted to assess the effectiveness of FSF’s educational tool and short film, The Orange Story. This exploration of translating theory to practice focuses primarily on the design phase and initial data collection process; the majority of the data analysis occurred outside the timeline for this paper. Throughout the Theory to Practice section, I incorporate components of the evaluation design, as well as insights from FSF’s internal evaluation team, to provide clarity and context. I conclude with a discussion of the challenges and successes of integrating principles of process use into a small nonprofit, then explore the broader implications of how FSF can use evaluation to strengthen their position in external landscapes.
Advantages of Increasing Evaluation Capacity in Nonprofits: How Principles of Process Use Can Inform Development and Strengthen a Nonprofit’s Position in its External Landscape
(2018) Matsumoto, Carley
Within this paper I explore how process use, or the intentional engagement of stakeholders in the creation and implementation of an evaluation, can increase an organization’s capacity for evaluative inquiry. Here, I share the impact of employing process use principles to a specific evaluation conducted within Full Spectrum Features (FSF), a small film production nonprofit based in Chicago, IL. I begin with a comprehensive literature review of process use theories and practices and continue by exploring the application of relevant principles to an evaluation conducted to assess the effectiveness of FSF’s educational tool and short film, The Orange Story. This exploration of translating theory to practice focuses primarily on the design phase and initial data collection process; the majority of the data analysis occurred outside the timeline for this paper. Throughout the Theory to Practice section, I incorporate components of the evaluation design, as well as insights from FSF’s internal evaluation team, to provide clarity and context. I conclude with a discussion of the challenges and successes of integrating principles of process use into a small nonprofit, then explore the broader implications of how FSF can use evaluation to strengthen their position in external landscapes. While FSF’s capacity for evaluative inquiry will serve as my primary focus, this endeavor cannot ignore the role systematic oppression has played in the erasure of underrepresented stories, in both the past and present. FSF strives to produce materials that have the fortitude to not only insert themselves into the psyche of dominant cultural spaces but to live there, to thrive there and to challenge this space indefinitely. Given this truth, if used intentionally, evaluative inquiry has the potential to increase FSF’s legibility in spaces that have historically excluded non-dominant perspectives and ways of knowing.
Advocacy for Systems Change: What Does it Take? A Research Report on the Role of Advocacy in Collective Impact and its Potential for Generation Next
(2017) Cramer, Haley; Pilhöfer, Sophie; Roper, Donna; Taylor, Frances
This report serves to identify points of potential for Twin Cities’ cross-sector collaborative, Generation Next, in pursuing advocacy efforts. Attention is paid specifically to the role of and recommendations for the backbone organization, or Generation Next staff, as this research was done on their behalf. The literature on collective impact and advocacy suggests that a shared sense of purpose, grassroots engagement, and backbone staff serving as an educator in the process are all necessary components of successful advocacy efforts. The case studies conducted on four StriveTogether partnerships and one health collaborative largely echo these points, as well as suggest the necessity of action networks in identifying issues, highlight the role and necessity of strong data as a tool for advocacy, the role of the leadership council, and the strength of advocating at the local level. Data from Generation Next staff interviews provided suggestions about Generation Next’s current internal capacity for advocacy, the current sense of purpose for advocacy among the staff, and other information about staff perceptions which are significant in organizing and initiating advocacy work as a small organization.
Advocating for Education Equity: Strategies and Opportunities for Great Expectations
(2021-05) Bass, Anthony; Demm, Nicolas; Jigme, Tenzing; Snyder, April
Minnesota’s educational disparities are well-documented. In recent years, the state’s sizable gaps in academic achievement have generated increasing attention as the state grapples with racial and ethnic disparities across a range of socio-economic outcomes. The presence of disparities in otherwise high-performing public school districts such as Orono and Wayzata underscores the pervasiveness of what has been termed the “Minnesota Paradox”: While Minnesota is consistently ranked as one of the best places to live in the United States, Minnesotans of color, and Black Minnesotans in particular, lag behind their white neighbors in employment rates, wage and household income levels, levels of home ownership, and levels of educational attainment.1The disproportionate impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on people of color, combined with the nation’s reckoning around racial injustice, has spurred new urgency among organizations, institutions, and everyday Americans to address racial disparities locally and nationally. In service to this call to action, this report provides the Great Expectations (GE) initiative with an overview of the most salient issues being debated at the state level around educational disparities and inequities in Minnesota. This report also provides empirical evidence supporting specific policy interventions, investments, and advocacy efforts in key areas that are relevant to disparities present in the GE service area. Overall, we find ample evidence that the Orono and Wayzata school districts suffer from many of the same racial and ethnic disparities found across the state, supporting GE’s interest and eventual engagement in advocacy efforts aimed at fostering structural change. Additionally, our analysis highlights substantial policy and legislative interest around educational disparities in Minnesota, providing GE with a number of avenues for policy adoption, new funding and program opportunities, and reasons to engage in future advocacy efforts.
Advocating for Education Equity: Strategies and Opportunities for Great Expectations
(2021-08) Bass, Anthony; Demm, Nicolas; Jigme, Tenzing; Snyder, April
Minnesota’s educational disparities are well-documented. In recent years, the state’s sizable gaps in academic achievement have generated increasing attention as the state grapples with racial and ethnic disparities across a range of socio-economic outcomes. While Minnesota is consistently ranked as one of the best places to live in the United States, Minnesotans of color, and Black Minnesotans in particular, lag behind their white neighbors in employment rates, wage and household income levels, levels of home ownership, and levels of educational attainment. This report provides the Great Expectations (GE) initiative with an overview of the most salient issues being debated at the state level around educational disparities and inequities in Minnesota. This report also provides empirical evidence supporting specific policy interventions, investments, and advocacy efforts in key areas that are relevant to disparities present in the GE service area.
Affordable Care Act: It’s Effect on Health Care Utilization and the Health of Minnesotans
(2020-08-18) Uhde, Tamara
In the United States, there are several different types of health care, including the Veteran’s Health care system, Medicare/Medicaid systems and private health care systems. The introduction of the Affordable Care Act sparked an additional type of health care option and further empowerment of citizens to engage in their health outside of their employment status. My interest in this area was started from previous employment and interactions within these systems and the complex nature of how they affect health care outcomes; both positively and negatively. This paper focuses on a small portion of this complicated subject and how it interacts with individuals and their health. There is a large body of evidence showing that access to medical care improves health outcomes. Patients who see the doctor regularly are more likely to receive consistent preventative care, have conditions like cancer and diabetes detected early, and have a higher quality of life (Christopher, 2015). Coverage of preventative care services aims to reduce the amount of undiagnosed or untreated conditions. This is expected to reduce costs through less invasive or complex treatment options (Dixon, 2014).

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