Addressing Spatial Inequality in Broadband Use and Community-Level Outcomes

2021 ◽  
pp. 101-136
Author(s):  
Caroline J. Tolbert ◽  
Karen Mossberger ◽  
Natasha Gaydos ◽  
Mattia Caldarulo
Keyword(s):  
Rural Communities ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Urban Neighborhoods ◽  
Spatial Inequality ◽  
Community Level ◽  
Quasi Experimental ◽  
Measuring Outcomes ◽  
Term Evaluation ◽  
Smart Communities

This chapter considers the significance of place for broadband policy evaluation and examines long-term data on Chicago neighborhoods as an example of quasi-experimental design. Interventions are often targeted to low-income urban neighborhoods or rural communities, with goals for increased local employment, economic development, or community health. Measuring outcomes by place provides a way to aggregate impacts for individual residents and to suggest potential spillover benefits for communities. Evaluating broadband use (i.e., subscriptions) over time in communities can address issues of causation as well as long-term outcomes of use. Chicago’s Smart Communities program illustrates the benefits of conducting long-term evaluation, taking advantage of new American Community Survey data that allows tracking of broadband subscriptions in smaller or less-populated geographies such as neighborhoods or rural communities. Finally, the chapter discusses strategies for expanding community-level research through other quasi-experimental designs and the creation and utilization of community-level data on broadband adoption and use.

Effects of the Your Family, Your Neighborhood Intervention on Neighborhood Social Processes

2019 ◽  
Vol 43 (4) ◽  
pp. 235-246
Author(s):  
Daniel Brisson ◽  
Stephanie Lechuga Peña ◽  
Nicole Mattocks ◽  
Mark Plassmeyer ◽  
Sarah McCune
Keyword(s):  
Social Control ◽  
Social Cohesion ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Urban Neighborhoods ◽  
Social Processes ◽  
Neighborhood Social Cohesion ◽  
Quasi Experimental ◽  
And Control ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Larger Sample

Abstract The objective of this study was to ascertain whether participation in the Your Family, Your Neighborhood (YFYN) intervention, an intervention for families living in low-income neighborhoods, leads to improved perceptions of neighborhood social cohesion and informal neighborhood social control. Fifty-two families in three low-income, urban neighborhoods participated in the manualized YFYN intervention. In this quasi-experimental study treatment families (n = 37) in two low-income neighborhoods received YFYN and control families (n = 15) from one separate low-income neighborhood did not. Families receiving YFYN attended 10 two-hour skills-based curriculum sessions during which they gathered for a community dinner and participated in parent- and child-specific skills-based groups. Treatment families reported increases in both neighborhood social cohesion and informal neighborhood social control after receiving YFYN. However, families receiving YFYN did not experience statistically significant improvements in perceptions of neighborhood social cohesion or informal neighborhood social control compared with nontreatment families. In conclusion, the delivery of YFYN in low-income neighborhoods may improve perceptions of neighborhood social cohesion. Further testing, with randomization and a larger sample, should be conducted to provide a more robust understanding of the impact of YFYN.

scholarly journals A model for sustainable, partnership-based telehealth services in rural India: An early process evaluation from Tuver village, Gujarat

PLoS ONE ◽  
2022 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. e0261907
Author(s):  
Shoba Ramanadhan ◽  
Krishnan Ganapathy ◽  
Lovakanth Nukala ◽  
Subramaniya Rajagopalan ◽  
John C. Camillus
Keyword(s):  
Rural Communities ◽  
Process Evaluation ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Local Development ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Power Sharing ◽  
Strategic Decision ◽  
Quality Healthcare ◽  
Local Staff

Background Telehealth can improve access to high-quality healthcare for rural populations in India. However, rural communities often have other needs, such as sanitation or employment, to benefit fully from telehealth offerings, highlighting a need for systems-level solutions. A Business of Humanity approach argues that innovative solutions to wicked problems like these require strategic decision-making that attends to a) humaneness, e.g., equity and safety and b) humankind, or the needs and potential of large and growing markets comprised of marginalized and low-income individuals. The approach is expected to improve economic performance and long-term value creation for partners, thus supporting sustainability. Methods A demonstration project was conducted in Tuver, a rural and tribal village in Gujarat, India. The project included seven components: a partnership that emphasized power-sharing and complementary contributions; telehealth services; health promotion; digital services; power infrastructure; water and sanitation; and agribusiness. Core partners included the academic partner, local village leadership, a local development foundation, a telehealth provider, and a design-build contractor. This early process evaluation relies on administrative data, field notes, and project documentation and was analyzed using a case study approach. Results Findings highlight the importance of taking a systems perspective and engaging inter-sectoral partners through alignment of values and goals. Additionally, the creation of a synergistic, health-promoting ecosystem offers potential to support telehealth services in the long-term. At the same time, engaging rural, tribal communities in the use of technological advances posed a challenge, though local staff and intermediaries were effective in bridging disconnects. Conclusion Overall, this early process evaluation highlights the promise and challenges of using a Business of Humanity approach for coordinated, sustainable community-level action to improve the health and well-being of marginalized communities.

Long-Term Evaluation of a Relationship Education Program for Low-Income Couples

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Howard Markman ◽  
Marcie Pregulman ◽  
Shauna Rienks ◽  
Martha E. Wadsworth
Keyword(s):  
Low Income ◽  
Education Program ◽  
Relationship Education ◽  
Term Evaluation

Long-Term Economic Impacts of USDA Water and Sewer Infrastructure Investments in Oklahoma

2014 ◽  
Vol 46 (1) ◽  
pp. 21-39 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ivica Janeski ◽  
Brian E. Whitacre
Keyword(s):  
Economic Growth ◽  
Rural Communities ◽  
Infrastructure Projects ◽  
Department Of Agriculture ◽  
Sewer Infrastructure ◽  
Term Evaluation ◽  
Infrastructure Investments ◽  
Poverty Levels ◽  
Evaluation Techniques

One of the U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development's most popular programs is the funding for public water and sewer infrastructure projects in rural communities. This article reviews the water and sewer infrastructure projects funded in the state of Oklahoma between 1990 and 2000 and evaluates their impact on different measures of economic growth over both the short (one to 10 years) and long (10 to 20 years) term. Evaluation techniques include multivariate regression and average treatment effects. Results suggest that although most economic growth measures (population, income levels, and poverty levels) are not impacted by the program, housing values do show a statistically significant increase in communities receiving water or sewer infrastructure funding over the long term.

Liquidity Risk and Long-Term Finance: Evidence from a Natural Experiment

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
M Ali Choudhary ◽  
Nicola Limodio
Keyword(s):  
Central Bank ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Natural Experiment ◽  
Liquidity Risk ◽  
Bank Lending ◽  
Low Income Countries ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Experimental Variation ◽  
Quasi Experimental

Abstract Banks in low-income countries face severe liquidity risk due to volatile deposits, which destabilize their funding, and dysfunctional liquidity markets, which induce expensive interbank and central bank lending. Such liquidity risk dissuades the transformation of short-term deposits into long-term loans and deters long-term investment. To validate this mechanism, we exploit a Sharia-compliant levy in Pakistan, which generates unintended and quasi-experimental variation in liquidity risk, with data from the credit registry and firm imports. We find that banks with a stronger exposure to liquidity risk lower their supply of long-term finance, which reduces the long-term investment of connected firms.

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