MA, Kent State University, 2009, College of Business and Entrepreneurship, Ambassador Crawford / Department of Economics

The main purpose of the research is to investigate the behavioral of the Governors and Bank Presidents at the meetings of the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC). We have a hypothesis that the Bank presidents and Governors behave differently. We suppose that the governors of the FOMC which are completing a term of another governor and are eligible for reappointment change their behavior as there is a short amount of time prior the reappointment. This correlation has a big effect on the decision making at all meetings as very few of the governors serve for their full term; as a full term is 14 years, there is a high turnover among the governors at FOMC. Therefore, the time left to the reappointment of each governor may be causing a bigger impact on the decision making than the monetary policy. This research is contributing to the political economy literature in the area of Federal Reserve Bank of the United States of America. We have a unique data set as we do not use a dissent voting data. Even though dissent data sets are available for a much longer periods of time, they lose much of the relevant information. The motivation for our research is the fact that all of the governors of the Federal Open Market committee are appointed by the President of the U. S. and in this way he can reach the policies in which he is interested.

Master of Arts, University of Toledo, 2007, Political Science

For years scholars have asserted that attorneys with more extensive expertise (either overall or in relation to opposing counsel) achieve a higher rate of success for their clients. However, there has been little direct investigation of how differing institutional features among courts might influence the impact of attorney expertise. This paper theorizes that the impact of attorney expertise on judicial decision-making is minimized in institutional contexts where a judge has significant access to neutral information (such as research provided by law clerks) in addition to the partisan information provided by counsel. A more complex method than those previously employed to measure attorney expertise is developed which incorporates information about an attorney's litigation experience, years of practice, relevant clerkships, subject-area specialization, Martindale-Hubbell rating, and law school achievements. The resulting index of attorney expertise is employed to compare attorneys' winning percentages in products liability cases in the federal district and circuit courts between 1995 and 2006. The results indicate that there is no statistically significant difference in the success rate of attorneys based on their expertise in the federal appellate courts where judges have relatively lower caseloads and more staff assistance than district court judges. However, in the district courts—where judges have less time and resources to obtain independent, neutral information—the winning percentage of attorneys with greater overall expertise than opposing counsel exceeds the baseline success rate to a statistically significant degree.

Master of Science (MS), Bowling Green State University, 2022, Applied Statistics (Math)

Funds from the federal government often makes up a fraction of cities' yearly revenue, but changes to this source of income can have noticeable effects. By studying these changes, local government can better plan for a loss or gain in federal funds and politicians can have better judgement on where federal funds should go. Change point analysis is concerned with discovering whether a change point exists and its location if one does exist. This thesis explores using the Schwarz Information Criterion (SIC) \citep{schwarz_1978} and the Modified Schwarz Information Criterion (MIC) \cite{TestStat} to detect changes in federal funding to local municipalities. Chapter 3 uses Exploratory Data Analysis (EDA) to obtain a better understanding of the data. The beginning of chapters 3 and 4 discuss the theory of SIC and MIC and it's application to normal models. Power and accuracy simulations are then performed to compare the information criteria. These methods are then applied to the Fiscally Standardized Cities (FiSC) data set to find changes in federal funding to cities and local municipalities. The end of chapters 3 and 4 discuss the theory and application of SIC and MIC to Poisson models. These methods are then used to explore the location of change points that were found earlier in each chapter. SIC and MIC only differ in their complexity terms. The idea of this thesis is to compare the performance of each information criterion with regards to their ability to accurately detect change point in federal funding to cities and local municipalities.

Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) in Organizational Leadership , Franklin University, 2021, International Institute for Innovative Instruction

While Pell-grants and other financial aid offers the payment of college, students of low-income have little to no assistance for cost-of-living expenses. Frequently, students go without supplies, technology, and internet connections; they even live without the security of food and shelter. Students of low-income face barriers that leave them struggling through their educational development and completion of the educational program which directly impacts their future. Understanding the hurdles low-income students must overcome creates an opportunity to expand the Federal Work Study (FWS) program that support students' financial stability and develops their academic and social integration, while providing community colleges with the much-needed community connections, growing funding opportunities, and increasing graduation rates. Using correlational research design, the relationship between FWS spending and graduation rates of community colleges in Illinois are evaluated. The findings showed a statistically significant positive correlation between FWS spending and graduation rate. The study provides implications for community colleges implementing the FWS program and makes recommended changes to the program.

PHD, Kent State University, 2021, College of Education, Health and Human Services / School of Foundations, Leadership and Administration

The purpose of this narrative study was to explore undergraduate college students' experiences with borrowing beyond that which is needed to cover the institution's tuition and fees, their motivations for and perceptions of borrowing, and increased indebtedness within the context of their lived experiences. This research utilized Clandinin and Connelly's (2000) “three dimensional narrative inquiry space” (p. 50) in an effort to capture the participants' inward perceptions of student indebtedness; the outward environment and circumstances that motivated additional borrowing; the backward and forward influence of life experiences, and the place(s) or sequences of places used to describe their college environment. Those invited to participate in the study were current undergraduate students, attending at least part-time, at a large midwestern public institution who had borrowed an additional $1000 or more through federal student loans. The seven research participants completed an initial questionnaire and then a semi-structured, in-person interview. Data collected throughout the research process were then utilized to create additional prompts as a journal response for the participants to consider and return via email. This study resulted in five emergent themes regarding the participants' experiences with, motivations for, and perceptions of their additional borrowing and student indebtedness: (a) Interweaving of Place and Finances, (b) Presence and Influence from Within the Support System, (c) Individual Drive, (d) Financial Understanding and Approaches to Student Debt, and (e) Concerns, Plans, and Hopes for the Future. These findings suggest the possible benefits of approaching student indebtedness and general financial education and research holistically.

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2005, Physical Activity and Educational Services

The purpose of this study was to examine service delivery and outcomes for individuals with visual impairments. The study sought to examine whether differences existed in service delivery and outcomes based on agency structure within the state-federal vocational rehabilitation system. Within the state-federal vocational rehabilitation system there are two major agency structures that serve as service delivery vehicles for persons with visual impairments. There is a combined agency structure, providing vocational rehabilitation services to individuals of all disability types, including those with visual impairments. The other major service delivery system is the separate/blind agency structure. This system provides vocational rehabilitation services to individuals who have visual impairments. This ex-post facto study utilized national data from the state-federal vocational rehabilitation system in federal fiscal year 2002. A multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) was selected for evaluating the relationship between agency type and variables such as weekly earnings, hours worked, number of types of services, case expenditures, and number of services. Furthermore, chi-square analysis was utilized to study any statistical differences in the type of services that individuals with visual impairments received from the agency structures providing vocational rehabilitation services to that population. The MANOVA and chi-square results of the study showed that statistical differences existed between the agency structures in vocational rehabilitation outcomes and service delivery for individuals with visual impairments. MANOVA analysis found that consumers of combined agencies had higher means on all variables studied. Of note was that consumers of combined agencies had higher weekly earnings, $365.54 vs. $354.73, and more hours worked per week, 34.09 vs. 31.93. Ths chi-square analysis found statistical significance in virtually every type of service category with consumer (open full item for complete abstract)

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Bowling Green State University, 2006, History

The dramatic expansion of federal criminal law jurisdiction and policing responsibilities in recent times has raised questions regarding the historical origins of these developments and their impact upon the continuing efficacy of the nation's federal system of government. This dissertation examines, within the context of federal criminal law enforcement and the evolving nature of crime, those social, economic, and legal forces and events that played a critical role in the growth of the states' police powers and made federal collaboration an increasingly important factor in the suppression of crime. Since the founding of this nation, federal anti-crime legislation, which tended to be reactionary in its formulation, inconsistent in its development, and supplemental by design, implicitly embodied a policy that forbade the impairment of the powers of the states. This orientation remained a fundamental aspect of federal criminal jurisdiction until well after the New Deal, the central point of this thesis, and did not begin to change until the latter half of the century when the nation's doctrinal ties to federalism and its faith in the importance of local police powers in the constitutional balance that defined the nation's political structure were substantially weakened. The practices by which federal crime suppression policies were implemented, a factor that underscored the broad range of policing contexts with which the federal government came into contact, were used in this study as the primary means of documenting the tensions that arose between the nation's federalist principles and those national experiences that encouraged a more bureaucratic and coordinated response to crime and the threat of disorder. This literature, supplemented by secondary source material, seriously questions whether federal criminal law could ever meet the foundational requirements or offer the breadth of vision that characterize those local and state systems through which justice histori (open full item for complete abstract)

Master of Arts, The Ohio State University, 1921, Graduate School

Master of Arts, The Ohio State University, 1971, Graduate School

Master of Arts, The Ohio State University, 1963, Graduate School

Master of Business Administration, The Ohio State University, 1970, Graduate School

Bachelor of Arts, Ohio University, 2024, Political Science

This thesis critically examines the fate of administrative governance, focusing on the Supreme Court's jurisprudence on legislative delegation to the executive branch. The strengthening Major Questions Doctrine (MQD) inspires this examination, a recent legal principle that negates delegations of economically or politically significant regulatory power when Congress does not speak clearly enough to satisfy the Court. The MQD exemplifies the tension between rigid adherence to the separation of powers and the practical governance demands of an ever-changing society.

Master of Science in Criminal Justice, Youngstown State University, 2023, Department of Criminal Justice and Consumer Sciences

The Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act, more widely known as the USA PATRIOT Act of 2001, is a groundbreaking piece of legislation that was swiftly enacted in response to the terrorist attacks against the World Trade Center and the Pentagon on September 11, 2001. The USA PATRIOT Act of 2001 consists of ten different sections of text thoroughly detailing redesigned governmental functions, all of which generally aim to prevent, mitigate, and eliminate the threat that terrorism poses against the United States and its citizens. The second section, known as Title II: Enhanced Surveillance Procedures, expanded federal law enforcement's authority to conduct more thorough surveillance of terrorist activity. This thesis is guided by the following research question: How has the USA PATRIOT Act of 2001 impacted the way that federal law enforcement conducts the surveillance of terrorist activity in the United States? For this thesis, the methodology and design consists of an explanatory, single-case study which investigates and analyzes Title II of the USA PATRIOT Act of 2001 within the context of surveillance counterterrorism measures implemented by federal law enforcement in the United States. This thesis builds upon preexisting counterterrorism literature and is beneficial to future studies which attempt to thwart the perpetual fight against terrorism and strengthen national defense against foreign and domestic enemies.

Doctor of Education, Miami University, 2023, Educational Leadership

Micro-credentials have been used in the education setting for many years. Adult learners have taken micro-credential courses to improve their skills to perform their jobs successfully. The federal technology transfer professional has limited professional development opportunities to perform their jobs better. This dissertation study examined the development and evaluation of technology transfer training through micro-credentials. The results of this study concluded that, although government agencies conduct technology transfer differently, the Federal Laboratory Consortium can provide micro-credentials needed as a foundation in the form of career pathways. Surveys given to the participants revealed that they were drawn to the interactive components of the course. The study results were aligned to previous studies on adult learning, and we must take into consideration the time adults have to learn in relation to their current work obligations.

Bachelor of Arts (BA), Ohio University, 2023, Political Science

Literature on historical U.S. housing policy has focused on the material gains and losses as impacts of these policies. This approach, while crucial, is missing an analysis of how the citizenship of people is affected by these policies. This thesis fills this gap in the literature, focusing on three eras of housing policy, the early FHA mortgage insurance program, the HUD low-income housing programs Section 235 and 221(d)(2), and the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher program. These policies provide a platform to uncover hidden power in politics and the structural racial discrimination that exists. Examining the relationship between the government and program recipients through the lens of housing policy allows us to see disparate effects on citizenship.

Master of Science (MS), Bowling Green State University, 1952, MBA

Master of Science (MS), Bowling Green State University, 1952, MBA

PhD, University of Cincinnati, 2022, Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services: Criminal Justice

The goal of the Sentencing Reform Act of 1984 was to eliminate (or at the very least reduce) extralegal disparities in federal sentencing outcomes, including those based on race/ethnicity and district. Despite this goal, post-guideline research demonstrates that racial/ethnic minorities continue to receive harsher sentences than Whites and some districts continue to sentence harsher than others (net of relevant factors). Although past works have acknowledged these persistent extralegal differences, extant works have devoted surprisingly little attention to how these disparities have shifted over time. This is a particularly important “gap” in the literature given the sweeping changes to the federal criminal justice system (and the United States more broadly) since the implementation of the federal sentencing guidelines in 1987. Explicitly, since guideline implementation there have been numerous legal (e.g., Supreme Court decisions, pieces of legislation), priority (e.g., waning focus on drugs, increased focus on immigration), and societal changes (e.g., rising minority populations, shifting drug epidemics) which have implications for racial/ethnic- and district-based disparity. To this end, the goal of this dissertation is to answer two questions. First, how has the influence of defendant race/ethnicity on federal sentencing outcomes changed over time? Second, how have the effects of district, and district-level predictors, on federal sentencing outcomes changed over time? To answer these questions, I combine numerous publicly available datasets at the case-, district-, and time-level. At the case-level, I use 19 consecutive years (1998 to 2016) of federal sentencing data from the USSC Monitoring of Federal Criminal Sentences (MFCS) data series. At the district-level, I use data from the Administrative Office of the United States Courts, United States Census Bureau, and MIT Election Data and Science Lab. Meanwhile, at the time-level, I use the MFC (open full item for complete abstract)

Bachelor of Arts, Ohio University, 2022, Political Science

The body politic is an important yet ambiguous structure in all of our lives. Some of us may not be aware of this force that we interact with every day, but that does not change that this is the reality that we all live in. Politics, the decisions within it and its following consequences, public policy, have a fundamental impact on how we operate on a day-to-day basis. It is in the houses in which we reside, the vehicles we drive, the roads we drive those vehicles on, the jobs we work, the families we raise, and the many other relationships that we unknowingly have with and experiences that are shaped by politics. It is integral to all aspects of life whether we like it or not. Ages ago, the groups we were intended to be a part of were a lot smaller. As times have progressed however, and our societies have advanced, we have become massive entities in scale and population. Our country of these United States alone represents over 300 million individuals. That is out of several billion in the world and growing. We find ourselves fortunate that we live in a country where one of the oldest forms of democracy plays out to represent the people and its needs. To make government act by and for the people with the idea of “Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness” being a clear mantra for us to follow. These past years have tested this theory and continues to do so today. For many, they see the system as having been corrupted over past generations piece by piece. The representative republic that we once all knew to be is not championing the republican manner nor being truly representative of the majority. Instead, it may be moving towards an oligarchical system of elites, with them defining public policy with their money and influence. This has caused the abandonment of those below them, leaving them to fend for themselves. The past few decades have been very contentious and both sides of the political spectrum argue fiercely with fiery and creed-filled debate. Many cour (open full item for complete abstract)

Master of Arts (MA), Bowling Green State University, 2021, Cross-Cultural, International Education

Black women in Brazil and the US have been suffering because of their race, gender, and most of the time because of their socioeconomic class for as long as they are present in these countries. The higher education systems of both countries carry extreme elitist character since their origin and much of it is maintained today. This study sought to analyze the relationships between politics and higher education in Brazil and the US since each country's first institutions, the sociopolitical dynamics of race and racism, and the experiences of Black women faculty within these institutions during the most recent extreme conservative Federal Administrations these countries experienced: with the presidents Jair Bolsonaro in Brazil, and Donald Trump in the US. This qualitative study was conducted through the lenses of the Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) method in which semi-structured interviews were used to access the perspectives of three Black women faculty members from universities in Brazil and the US that teach classes on critical race theories, gender, immigration, and other critical topics. Among the results, all three participants felt their bodies were unwanted or unexpected in the institutions they worked in, they felt they were being constantly investigated or criticized because of the subjects they were teaching, and the oppression they felt in the daily work affected their private lives in several ways.