Hubert H. Humphrey School of Public Affairs
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Browsing Hubert H. Humphrey School of Public Affairs by Type "Scholarly Text or Essay"
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Item A Mans’s World? Reaffirming the Idea of Gender in United States Countering Violent Extremism Programming(2024-05-01) Fialkoff, HannahThe 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?Item A Nuclear State of Mind: Identifying the Impact of Climate Change on Nuclear Security(2024-05-01) Jaffery, Zulfikar; Nordhougen, Greg; Padmanabhan, Sam; Woyda, TrevorThere 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.Item Accelerating Deployment of Rural Beneficial Electrification for Residential Heating and Cooling(2024-05-01) Ludewig, Carl; Eastes, Jane; Coleman, SteveThis 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.Item Achieving Equitable and Effective Community Engagement through Social and Relational Network Analysis(2024-05-01) Cazares-Reyes , Jesus; Grimlund , Terri; Sniegowski, Erica; Soria, AlejandraThrough 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.Item Antisocialite: Presidential Tweets and the mobilization of Stop the Steal on January 6th(2024-08-01) Dausch, AlexanderThe January 6th, 2021, insurrection ushered in a new realm of possibilities around American presidential election results. Guided by Donald Trump’s tweets and rhetoric that day, the violence against the Capitol threatened the peaceful transition of power between presidential administrations. This study investigates how Trump’s tweets on January 6th created a worldview for his followers that made the violent acts against the Capitol that day reasonable and necessary for them to commit. While there have been extensive studies of the insurrection events, this paper presents a rhetorical frame analysis of Trump’s tweets and other rhetoric that day, while aligning the timing and content of his communications with the actions of those who committed the insurrection. This analysis and alignment bears examining because it provides insight into the real effects rhetoric and social media can have on the mobilization of social movements. The rhetorical frame analysis categorizes every Trump tweet from January 6th, demonstrating a progression from diagnostic, to prognostic, and finally to motivational framing in his rhetoric. The analysis also displays an alignment between Trump’s rhetorical frame progression and the violence on the Capitol. This particular type of frame analysis on this topic, coupled with the alignment shown with the insurrection actions fills a gap in this type of research. The implications of this research are that rhetoric has enough power to mobilize social movements into violent action, therefore making it necessary to analyze and understand the rhetorical tactics that were used to do so.Item Building for the Future: Affordable Redevelopment on Wayzata Boulevard(2024-05-01) Farmer, Zachary; Breen, Aidan; Klingbeil, DwightThe way we think about commutes and suburban transit is changing, all the more rapidly since the COVID-19 pandemic. Transit agencies nationwide are seeing demand for Park & Ride decline, and the same is true for Metro Transit in the Twin Cities of Minnesota. This study examines possible site plans for an underutilized suburban Park & Ride site near the corner of Wayzata Boulevard and Barry Avenue in Wayzata. Utilizing 1) Existing site conditions, 2) City regulations and documentation, 3) an Affordable Housing finance literature review, and 4) Developer interviews, our team compiles a development switchboard, which is used to propose two primary paths for redevelopment on the site. These two paths are used to illustrate tradeoffs that would be involved in the future development at this site. The first development path, As-of-Right, examines what is possible on the site under current zoning constraints, and how it may correspond and conflict with the goals of the City, Metro Transit, and a theoretical development team. The second development path, Maximize Residential, asks what zoning and policy changes would be required to successfully develop affordable housing at a meaningful scale, including accessing the resources of Housing Tax Increment Financing (TIF) and the Low Income Housing Tax Credit. The final section of the report outlines the past community engagement regarding this site and presents an equity-oriented engagement framework to incorporate key community member feedback throughout the process of site redevelopment.Item Building Together: Integrating Community Insights from North Minneapolis into West Broadway Development(2024-05-01) Mussa, Ahlam; Caples, Edward; Eckstrom, Carly; Polk, SpencerJustice Built Communities (JBC), an equitable economic development arm of Pillsbury United Communities (PUC), owns a handful of vacant lots and disused properties in North Minneapolis. PUC envisions a development process that heavily involves the community. As JBC is still in its infancy, PUC is looking to gather information from residents and business owners on how to best develop the acquired properties. The Humphrey team laid the foundation for future engagement. This included conducting interviews with previous organizations who engaged in the area, community engagement work, and focus groups. Additionally, a content analysis of engagement documentation associated with North Minneapolis was synthesized and gaps identified. The culmination of this work resulted in recommendations to PUC to equitably engage the community with purpose and meaning. These recommendations will be further leverage to create a space that will lead to prosperity for its residents.Item Connexus Energy Air-Source Heat Pump Potential Study(2024-05-01) Benson, Sam; Tikk, Daniel; Vang, AkiaThis report assesses the perceptions among the members of the project client, Connexus Energy (Connexus), a Minnesota electric cooperative, towards air-source heat pumps (ASHPs) to inform the client’s future approach toward ASHPs. To answer this question, the authors conducted qualitative and quantitative research, including two surveys of Connexus members, a focus group with members, and performed cost-benefit analysis of ASHP adoption for Connexus members. The research findings were synthesized to inform the recommendations to Connexus. The recommended actions for Connexus to take include the creation of a preferred HVAC contractor network that customers can utilize, more robust marketing of ASHPs, targeted messaging towards customers regarding ASHPs, and the restructuring of incentives to increase utilization and benefit to customers.Item Consolidation, Competition, and Antitrust Law: A Changing Landscape for Minnesota Farmers(2024-05-01) Keliher, MatthewMuch of the research on farming and agricultural market concentration focuses on the importance of quantitative elements such as price, access to markets or capital, or concentration ratios. And while these quantitative measurements are critical for understanding the impact consolidation has on consumers and producers within the broader agricultural industry, it only represents one aspect. This qualitative study aims to capture the perspectives of Minnesota farmers to explore how consolidated agriculture markets impact farmers’ communities and livelihoods. Comparing their perspectives with the current literature regarding market concentration in agriculture and food distribution, this study aims to illuminate the views of independent farmers that are subject to the control of dominant firms that abuse their market power. Semi-structured interviews with Minnesota farmers highlight key elements of the reviewed literature and demonstrate connections between challenges faced by farmers with economic indicators such high costs of farming inputs, the limitations of quality rural healthcare, and the burden placed on farming communities through restrictions on repairing agricultural equipment. A key theme throughout the interviews revealed that many farmers view consolidated industries as systems of control. Control over how they can farm, how they can care for and feed their livestock, how they can repair their machinery, where they can sell their produce and for how much. These systems of control are often hailed as “efficiencies” by consolidated corporate power. But for farmers, these systems of control represent an end to two things farmers and all citizens value most: creativity and liberty.Item Consuming and Producing Knowledge: The Dual Role of Policymakers in Advancing Guaranteed Income Research(2024-05-01) Meyers, AlexItem Creating Affordable Homes: An Evaluation of the Minneapolis Homes Create Strategy(2024-05-01) Goodrich , Dan; Yudelman, BethThis project was a qualitative analysis of the Create Strategy of the Minneapolis Homes Program. The project was designed to determine to what extent the strategy is meeting its goals. The Minneapolis Homes Program is managed by the Community Planning and Economic Development (CPED) housing division. The mission of the Minneapolis Homes Program (started in 2020) is to help people access, create, and sustain affordable homeownership to eliminate racial disparities in homeownership. This capstone project was specifically focused on the Create Strategy of the program - to what extent are the Minneapolis Homes: Financing and Property Sale Programs successfully creating opportunities to build new homes and rehabilitate existing homes to eliminate racial disparities in homeownership within the city of Minneapolis? Three key findings emerged from our research: 1) Minneapolis Homes is well led and viewed as a national leader, 2) Some developers experience significant “pain points” when working with the city. Further, the experiences that builders have with the city can vary significantly and can be inconsistent. For example, newer community developers need more support navigating the city’s process and receiving early financial support for construction, while larger developers want more consistency, and 3) The Create Strategy is underfunded. More funding is needed for the Minneapolis Homes Create Strategy to increase capacity within the city as well as for specific development projects. In addition, outside forces such as post-Covid inflation, labor shortages, and the Minneapolis 2040 plan lawsuit are adding time, costs, and stress for builders. On a macro level, we recommend that Minneapolis Homes work closely with city departments and divisions to advance the city’s identified primary goal. On a micro level, we recommend that Minneapolis Homes 1) clarify the primary goal within CPED in relation to equity and homeownership: what to incentivize and what to require, 2) seek additional funding to advance the identified goals of the Create Strategy, 3) continue to streamline the process for developers and customize support (including more financial and logistical support when needed), and 4) continue to strengthen communication with developers, city staff, and funders. In addition, Minneapolis Homes should examine whether more homeowner participation in evaluating the Create Strategy is beneficial.Item Data to Policy Change: Creating an Interactive Dashboard to Voice Youth Perspectives(2024-05-01) Gjedrum, Maria; Glass, Allison; Sanchez, Antonio; Wilson, AlexandraThe Dashboard Safety Index Project, in alignment with the 2022 YMB Annual Report and YCB’s mission, aims to provide a continual platform empowering youth to express their perspectives for policymaking. This interactive tool fosters inclusivity and responsiveness by integrating youth voices into community safety and policy discussions. The project employs a comprehensive methodology, including multiple stakeholder perspectives, regional breakdowns, and alignment with UNICEF goal areas. Challenges such as missing data and inconsistencies in data collection are addressed, while recommendations for dashboard design and data collection prioritize user engagement and youth involvement. The project not only reflects a significant step towards inclusivity but also enhances the relevance and impact of public policies concerning youth safety, ultimately serving as a practical, user-centric tool for policy-makers and the community.Item Deeply Affordable Housing in the Twin Cities Metro: Who produces it, where, and how?(2024-05-01) Abdullahi, Abdullahi; Koch, James; Maxwell, Harrison; McEnery, GriffinDespite a vibrant affordable housing industry in the seven-county Twin Cities metropolitan area, little research has focused specifically on the challenges in developing deeply affordable housing. This capstone project shines light on the local landscape of deeply affordable housing, through data analysis, mapping, and stakeholder engagement. Over the past decade, deeply affordable housing development in the Twin Cities metro has been concentrated in Minneapolis and Saint Paul, and supply trails far behind demand. Amid a decades-long disinvestment in public housing at the federal level, non-profit developers are overwhelmingly responsible for providing deeply affordable housing. These developers operate on razor-thin margins and rely heavily upon subsidies from all levels of government, including tax credits, project based vouchers, tax increment financing, and various loans and grants. Currently available subsidy is highly competitive and falls short of adequately supporting both new developments with deeply affordable units and preserving already existing deeply affordable units. Further, as construction and operating costs rise and interest rates remain elevated, the subsidy available is stretched thinner still. With little hope for significant investment at the federal level, public entities at all levels of government in the state can enact policy interventions to increase development, which could include state sponsored vouchers, a robust state housing tax credit, inclusionary zoning, and more. To address concerns over the need for sustained investment in housing, a statewide constitutional amendment has been proposed at the legislature. This could provide needed and ongoing funding to meet the metro-wide demand for deeply affordable housing.Item Does Community Air Monitoring Lead to Better Environmental Policy? Evaluating AB 617 in Richmond, California(2024-05-01) Hunt, SamanthaCommunity air monitoring, publicly-operated low-cost air monitors to gather local, real-time pollution data, is one method to potentially improve air quality. Regulatory agencies are increasingly funding community monitoring to complement sparse networks of regulatory monitors. However, data from low-cost monitors often faces challenges about data quality, contributing to monitoring data seldom leading to policy change. If community air monitoring is truly an avenue for improving air quality rather than increasing awareness, I argue this data must drive regulatory change. In California, Assembly Bill (AB) 617 created a comprehensive program of public involvement in designing plans to install additional air monitors and subsequently reduce emissions. Here, I analyze key AB 617 documents from Richmond, California to trace whether new air monitoring data is linked to strategies to reduce emissions. I find most monitoring data is not used and rarely connected to regulatory change. I also classify the types of actions within Richmond’s emissions reduction plan, finding relatively few new policies that are enforceable and ready for near-term implementation. Since community monitoring data is largely unused, changes in environmental regulation may be more likely if new regulatory monitors are installed instead. Regulators should also make it clear to community members from the outset that low-cost monitoring data will not lead to new regulation at this point. An alternative, potentially more effective method to improving air quality may be using new monitoring data to pursue change through media advocacy and direct pressure on industry rather than going through state institutions.Item Downtown Redevelopment Plan: City of Sandstone, MN(2024-05-01) Hutchison, Macklyn; Micevych, John; Prangley , Mallory; Walz, RyanThe City of Sandstone hopes to position itself as an outdoor destination town. Owing to its close proximity to ice and rock climbing at Robinson Quarry Park, whitewater rafting on the Wild and Scenic Kettle River, bicycling on the Willard Munger State Trail, and a plethora of recreational opportunities at Banning State Park, Sandstone has numerous natural and cultural assets that can be leveraged to support its downtown economy. Through interviews with visitors at the 2024 Sandstone Ice Festival and local business owners, quantitative analysis of visitor data to nearby parks, and case study analysis of economic development strategies employed by similar communities, this report identifies strategies that the City of Sandstone might employ to develop its downtown economy and its status as a recreation destination. Recommendations include broad policies or programs that the City might enact as well as site-specific land use proposals, which fall into five themes: marketing, housing and lodging, supporting local business growth and development, enhancing the downtown experience, and increasing access to downtown. In addition to this report, a digital Downtown Redevelopment Plan was also developed on ArcGIS StoryMaps for easy accessibility to the public.Item Efficiency, Equity, and Eliminating Homelessness in Hennepin County(2024-05-01) Adams , Edward; Banishoraka, Yasmin; Gebeck, Madison; Goudie-Averill, Alex; Makari, DeborahThe Coordinated Entry System (CES) is a process utilized by Hennepin County to facilitate the intake, assessment, and referral of homeless individuals and families with the highest needs to housing opportunities. This study sought to identify the challenges Hennepin County staff and service providers face when moving homeless individuals and families through CES and offer recommendations on how to increase efficiency and ensure equity in the referral process to guarantee successful housing outcomes. Through qualitative interviews with the aforementioned actors and quantitative analysis of key County reports, we make offerings around assessments, documentation, HMIS, program and referral misalignment, County and service provider goals, County-provider collaboration, and comprehensive support for clients.Item Engaging Gaming Communities For Human Rights: An NGO Toolkit(2024-05-01) Hassan, WajihThis paper explores everything nonprofit organizations (NGOs) need to know about when engaging online gaming communities for human rights purposes. The research employs qualitative methods such as interviews with gaming community influencers; digital ethnography such as participant observation and engagement with several online gaming communities and some content analysis over different social media platforms; and a literature review. This paper focuses on understanding humanitarian work within gaming communities, tools and methods that NGOs need to use and be aware of in online gaming spaces, and provides a toolkit that encapsulates the information from this research into a practical and easily digestible guidance for NGOs hoping to utilize online gaming communities for human rights.Item Enhancing Climate Action: Exploring Human Rights Approaches in the Implementation of the Loss and Damage Fund(2024-05-01) Kantaria, NatiaClimate change is a major challenge facing humanity. The need to address it is unfortunately not matched by sufficient action. Countries either fail to reach agreements, implement policies or stick to their commitments. The recognition of climate change as a human rights issue in UN resolutions, by the Human Rights Council and the recent judgment of the European Court of Human Rights in KlimaSeniorinnen v. Switzerland opens up new possibilities to ‘help’ countries to take action and stick to their commitments. In light of this development, this paper explores how the inclusion of human rights principles into climate change action could enable more possibilities to ensure that countries stick to their commitments. Utilizing a mixed-methods approach, and focusing on the Loss and Damage Fund (LDF) as the case, the paper examines in how far human rights principles are part of the LDF make-up and in how far their further addition can ensure states stick to their commitments. Drawing from academic and gray literature, as well as the author's firsthand experience as a practitioner and observer at the 28th Conference of the Parties, the paper concludes that meaningful integration of human rights principles, including references to international human rights law, can create more avenues for states to make them liable. Consequently, this paper underscores the importance of integrating these principles into climate change actions and develops policy recommendations to advance the enjoyment of basic human rights.Item Evaluating Gender-Transformative Programming in Humanitarian Aid(2024-05-01) Andrada , Paxton; Bhor, Shweta; Khalil, Malak; Wright, AlishiaSince the United Nations Resolution 1325 was passed, the humanitarian community has developed guidelines and tools to assist practitioners in designing and implementing more gender-sensitive and gender-inclusive programs. However, in practice, the operationalization of gender-inclusive approaches is often pro forma, peripheral, or an add-on to existing and predetermined programming efforts. This research project, undertaken in partnership with the Women's Refugee Commission (WRC), a leading organization committed to addressing the unique needs of women, children, and youth displaced by conflict and crisis, seeks to determine the barriers faced by program staff when implementing gender-transformative programming. The study includes a desk review of existing literature regarding this kind of programming in humanitarian aid, and qualitative interviews with gender experts in the aid sector to fill in any gaps found in the literature. Through the desk review, there are two cluster focuses, food security and sexual and reproductive health, along with two crisis focuses, the Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh and internally displaced peoples in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The desk review was used to formulate the interview guide for the expert interviews. Based on the findings of the literature review, case studies and the interviews, we formulated recommendations to implement effective gender-transformative programs.Item Expanding Climate Mitigation in Healthcare: Investigating Top-Down Approaches to Greenhouse Gas Reduction in Minnesota Community Hospitals(2024-05-01) Sako, KristinHealthcare exists to protect and promote human health, yet is a contributor to climate change. There is a need for this sector to begin addressing their environmental impact, though accountability measures must ensure that existing burdens in healthcare are not exacerbated. Currently, any environmental action in healthcare is done on a voluntary basis. Healthcare, especially patient-centered care, faces unique challenges that must be confronted in order for them to join the climate movement. One major barrier is a lack of broader policies and regulations that can incentivize or coerce healthcare into addressing their greenhouse gas emissions. For this paper, I interviewed multiple stakeholder groups in Minnesota hospitals and supporting organizations in healthcare sustainability to investigate how hospitals would respond to greenhouse gas emission tracking and reporting requirements. In doing so, I analyze how the existing barriers, voluntary programs, and incentives have impacted the way hospitals engage in climate mitigation. The general lack of guidance and incentives have made it difficult for hospitals to engage in change management, which is necessary for climate action to be integrated into hospitals. Consequently, health systems and hospitals that have begun change management are much more likely to meet requirements on greenhouse gas emission reporting than those that have not yet started. I recommend multiple strategies and actions hospitals and external support organizations can take to help Minnesota hospitals begin change management and collectively become environmental stewards.