The Fear of Crime in the United States

1974 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 241-244 ◽  
Author(s):  
James Brooks

Though the citizen's fear of becoming a victim of a crime of violence is irrational, it is nevertheless real and must be heeded by public policy-makers, who would be better equipped to neu tralize it if they had a better understanding of its causes and a better appreciation of its undesirable consequences. The fear of crime in the United States is a fundamental social problem which has not yet received attention in proportion to its severity and which may well prove to be more difficult to treat than criminality itself.

Author(s):  
Lee S. Friedman

This chapter reviews the development and growth of the policy-analytic profession. Historically, government decision makers have often called upon those with expertise to assist them in reaching their decisions. This chapter, however, concerns a new professional class of advisors that began developing during the 1950s in the United States. This new profession assists policy makers in understanding better their alternatives and relevant considerations for choosing among them. From here, the chapter offers some perspective on the research to date that has attempted to assess the effects of the profession—a perspective that emphasizes some important differences across the many types of governmental settings that utilize policy analysis, and the methodological difficulties that assessment efforts confront.


2018 ◽  
Vol 66 (4) ◽  
pp. 485-502 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mathew J Creighton ◽  
Kevin H Wozniak

Abstract The disproportionate incarceration of certain groups, racial minorities, and the less educated constitutes a social problem from the perspective of both policy makers and researchers. One aspect that is poorly understood is whether the public is similarly concerned about inequities in mass incarceration. Using a list experiment embedded in a framing experiment, we test for differences in attitudes towards mass incarceration by exploring three frames: race, education, and the United States in global context. We test whether social desirability bias causes people to over-state their concern about mass incarceration when directly queried. We find that mass incarceration is seen as a problem in the United States, whether the issue is framed by race, education, or as a global outlier. The list experiment reveals that public concern about mass incarceration is not quite as great as overtly-expressed opinion would suggest, and the framing experiment indicates that race-neutral frames evoke greater concern about mass incarceration than an emphasis on racial disparities.


1995 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 213-223 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stanley S. Herr

Reforming outmoded systems of guardianship requires that governments assess personal support and related services. U.S. policy-makers and reformers in individual states have begun to question how current guardianship laws may disempower individuals with mental disabilities. This article explores some remarkable legal and public policy innovations in Sweden that replace guardianship with personal support services such as mentors, administrators, “kontakt” persons, and personal assistants. It then examines the impact of Sweden's reforms on the autonomy, independence, and integration of its citizens and discusses possibilities for similar changes worldwide.


2014 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 182-202 ◽  
Author(s):  
Timothy D. Mulligan ◽  
Sinem Mollaoğlu-Korkmaz ◽  
Russell Cotner ◽  
Adrienne Domas Goldsberry

Sustainable practices in the built environment are becoming a more common phenomona as market penetration of green buildings grow. Despite the reported benefits of green buildings, barriers to sustainability still exist. To motivate wider adoption of sustainable built environments, this research studies public policy and its impacts. The study aims to understand the links between public policy, construction playmakers' (e.g., organizations', institutions', business owners', and developers') motivation to build green, and growth of sustainable built environments in the United States. As a step forward in this direction, this paper focuses on the case of Michigan and explores construction playmakers' motivations to build and/or occupy sustainable buildings and how effective current public policy in Michigan is at addressing these motivations. There is little research on the links among legislation, construction playmakers' motivation to build green, and the growth of sustainable built environment in the United States. This article's findings show that: 1) green building costs are still the most frequently-reported barrier to green building, 2) property developers are significantly less likely to utilize green building practices than other construction playmakers, 3) single-family residential buildings were the least likely building type to receive green certifications, and 4) construction playmakers report low levels of green policy awareness and use despite the presence of relevant public policies. These findings will provide direction for policy makers and advocates in creating policy that will effectively promote green building construction.


Public Voices ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 7
Author(s):  
Elise B. Adams ◽  
Frank Marini

Art can be a potent force for political change, sometimes supporting and sometimes challenging established social institutions and ideology. The works of two contemporary artists a photographer, Kira Corser, and a poet, Frances Payne Adler address the need for public policy change in a number of controversial areas. In travelling exhibits and in their books, these artists attempt to awaken the public and public policy makers in the United States to the plight of the homeless, to the disastrous effects of drug addiction, and to the need for improved health care. By appealing to the emotions as well as to reason, the art of social action artists such as Adler and Corser has tremendous potential for effecting social change.


2016 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 77
Author(s):  
Omed Rafiq Fattah

Today, think tanks and research centers are the most important indictors to assess the state development and expect the possibilities for the future. According to academic and scientific perception, these think tanks offer scientific research and analysis for all the issues and problems facing the state. From this perspective, the think tanks deals with the causes of the problems, offer recommendations and solutions. This research is mainly an attempt to investigate the obstacles and opportunities of the think tanks in Kurdistan region. By doing this, we can determine the capability of Kurdistan in terms of research, and also we can inform the Kurdish decision makers in Kurdistan that in today's world the process of making decision is not related with the personal mood or personalization, but rational. For instance, the policy makers in the modern countries such as the United States, in their decisions and public policy largely depend on the recommendations and solutions that are given by think tanks, which is why the United States allocates large amounts of money for think


Author(s):  
Katherine Eva Maich ◽  
Jamie K. McCallum ◽  
Ari Grant-Sasson

This chapter explores the relationship between hours of work and unemployment. When it comes to time spent working in the United States at present, two problems immediately come to light. First, an asymmetrical distribution of working time persists, with some people overworked and others underemployed. Second, hours are increasingly unstable; precarious on-call work scheduling and gig economy–style employment relationships are the canaries in the coal mine of a labor market that produces fewer and fewer stable jobs. It is possible that some kind of shorter hours movement, especially one that places an emphasis on young workers, has the potential to address these problems. Some policies and processes are already in place to transition into a shorter hours economy right now even if those possibilities are mediated by an anti-worker political administration.


Author(s):  
Andrew Valls

The persistence of racial inequality in the United States raises deep and complex questions of racial justice. Some observers argue that public policy must be “color-blind,” while others argue that policies that take race into account should be defended on grounds of diversity or integration. This chapter begins to sketch an alternative to both of these, one that supports strong efforts to address racial inequality but that focuses on the conditions necessary for the liberty and equality of all. It argues that while race is a social construction, it remains deeply embedded in American society. A conception of racial justice is needed, one that is grounded on the premises provided by liberal political theory.


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