scholarly journals Building Resilience in the Time of Super Typhoons: Evaluating the First Filipino Design-Build University Program

Author(s):  
Anna Koosmann ◽  

This paper highlights the value of post-occupancy evaluations (POEs) in the context of adapting U.S. design-build pedagogy to a Filipino university. Since the 1990’s, hands-on design-build programs have become popularized for creating positive impact on students in the U.S. Today, they are being adapted globally, but there is insufficient research on design-build programs and their impact on communities, and even more so, on the emerging programs in foreign universities. Rather, published design-build projects typically focus on the design process, innovation, execution, and putting emphasis on design awards. It is less common to find post occupancy and beneficiary impact. This might be due to the lack of standardized methods and resources for carrying out POEs. Following-up and reporting the impact of design-build projects through POEs is worth expanding upon, and they are an essential instrument for building resilient communities, especially since many architecture programs today offer some form of hands-on, service-learning as an alternative to traditional architecture education.1

2014 ◽  
Vol 41 (1) ◽  
pp. 60-75
Author(s):  
Tomasz M. Napiórkowski

Abstract The aim of this research is to asses the hypothesis that foreign direct investment (FDI) and international trade have had a positive impact on innovation in one of the most significant economies in the world, the United States (U.S.). To do so, the author used annual data from 1995 to 2010 to build a set of econometric models. In each model, 11 in total) the number of patent applications by U.S. residents is regressed on inward FDI stock, exports and imports of the economy as a collective, and in each of the 10 SITC groups separately. Although the topic of FDI is widely covered in the literature, there are still disagreements when it comes to the impact of foreign direct investment on the host economy [McGrattan, 2011]. To partially address this gap, this research approaches the host economy not only as an aggregate, but also as a sum of its components (i.e., SITC groups), which to the knowledge of this author has not yet been done on the innovation-FDI-trade plane, especially for the U.S. Unfortunately, the study suffers from the lack of available data. For example, the number of patents and other used variables is reported in the aggregate and not for each SITC groups (e.g., trade). As a result, our conclusions regarding exports and imports in a specific SITC category (and the total) impact innovation in the U.S. is reported in the aggregate. General notions found in the literature are first shown and discussed. Second, the dynamics of innovation, trade and inward FDI stock in the U.S. are presented. Third, the main portion of the work, i.e. the econometric study, takes place, leading to several policy applications and conclusions.


Author(s):  
Angela M. Eikenberry

AbstractSocial transformations around the world have increased the need for philanthropy and motivated people to become more active at the local level. Giving circles have emerged from this context, providing a hands-on, “do-it-yourself” approach to philanthropy. They involve individuals collaborating to support causes of mutual interest and frequently include social, educational, and engagement opportunities for members. In this research, I focus on understanding if participation in these new forms of philanthropic voluntary association lead to greater civic and political participation. That is, do giving circles serve as schools of democracy? I draw on survey data from current and past members of giving circles and donors outside these circles, as well as interviews with giving circle members, in the U.S. and U.K. The findings suggest that giving circles have a positive impact on giving, volunteering, and efforts to address problems in the community, but little effect on participation in changing government policy or other political activities.


2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
pp. p70
Author(s):  
Lewis R. Gale ◽  
Clifford Nowell

The objective of this paper is to explore the impact of amotivation on academic performance and to test whether the impact of motivation on academic performance differs across students from China and the U.S. Using data from Chinese and U.S. students located in their home countries, we find amotivation negatively impacts academic performance of both groups of students. We also show that external motivation is positively associated with academic achievement. While these findings are consistent with results from previous studies, we extend the understanding on the relationship between motivation and academic performance by demonstrating that the magnitude of the detrimental impact of amotivation differs between students in the two countries and that the positive impact of higher levels of external motivation provides similar benefits for both groups of students.


2018 ◽  
Vol 49 (4) ◽  
pp. 482-494 ◽  
Author(s):  
Meghna Sabharwal ◽  
Helisse Levine ◽  
Maria D’Agostino ◽  
Tiffany Nguyen

The federal government lags behind in progressive civil rights policies in regard to universal workplace antidiscrimination laws for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) Americans. The slow progress matters to inclusionary workplace practices and the theory and practice of public administration generally, as recognition of LGBT rights and protection are constitutive of representative bureaucracy and promoting social equity. This study examines the turnover intention rates of self-identified LGBT employees in the U.S. federal government. Using the Office of Personnel Management’s inclusion quotient (IQ), and 2015 Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey (FEVS), we identify links in the relationships between workplace inclusion and turnover outcomes among LGBT individuals. We also examine the impact of agency type on LGBT turnover rates based on Lowi’s agency classification type. Key findings suggest that LGBT employees express higher turnover intentions than those that identify as heterosexuals/straight, and LGBT employees who perceive their agencies as redistributive or communal are less likely to experience turnover intentions. However, an open and supportive workplace environment had a positive impact on turnover, suggesting that to implement effective structural change in an organization’s culture of inclusion, public sector managers must do more than merely “talk the talk.” This finding is also suggestive of LGBT employees’ desire to avoid the stigma of being LGBT and hide their identities. Institutions must heed the invisible and visible identities of their employees to be truly inclusive. Workplace practices that acknowledge the invisible and visible identities of their employees are a positive step toward real workplace inclusion.


2020 ◽  
pp. 237337992090764
Author(s):  
Deb Risisky ◽  
Tess Goldson ◽  
Robert DeMezzo

Research has shown that service-learning can increase student-learning outcomes across various disciplines. Service-learning opportunities have been steadily increasing in college settings, especially in health-related fields. This evaluation of an undergraduate public health course at a mid-size, public university in New England sought to understand the impact of service-learning on material retention, internships, and post-graduation public health careers. A 25-item questionnaire was emailed to students who took the course between the Fall 2010 and Spring 2016 semesters with 75 completed (33.3% completion rate). More than half of the respondents noted that their participation in a service-learning project positively affected their internship experience, their first post-graduation job, and their overall career, while also helping them retain the course material after graduation. Open-ended responses provided insight to the qualitative responses. Respondents noted that in addition to having the understanding and ability to put on programs in their community, they also had more confidence in their abilities. The opportunity to practice public speaking skills as well as work collaboratively in group settings, were both noted as essential skills needed to succeed in the public health workforce. It was concluded the project had a positive impact on student’s learning and retention in planning, implementing, and evaluating an actual health promotion program as well as how they were able to use those skills in their careers.


2013 ◽  
Vol 48 (5) ◽  
pp. 1635-1662 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lars Norden ◽  
Peter Roosenboom ◽  
Teng Wang

AbstractWe investigate whether and how government interventions in the U.S. banking sector influence the stock market performance of corporate borrowers during the financial crisis of 2007–2009. We measure firms’ exposures to government interventions with an intervention score that is based on combined information on the firms’ structure of bank relationships and their banks’ participation in government capital support programs. We find that government capital infusions in banks have a significantly positive impact on borrowing firms’ stock returns. The effect is more pronounced for riskier and bank-dependent firms and for those that borrow from banks that are less capitalized and smaller.


2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 61-69 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas Wartenweiler

Fair Battles is a 12-week Swiss education for social justice program with the goal of sensitizing high school students about the impact of their consumer habits on society. The pedagogical concept of Fair Battles is to employ the tool of serious play to enhance students’ social empathy, which then leads to service learning projects. This exploratory mixed-methods study examined the impact of the program by using pre- and post-program student surveys (n=16) and post program semi-structured qualitative student interviews (n=10). The survey data were analyzed using SPSS and the interview data were analyzed using template analysis. The results were organized according to Kirkpatrick’s four-level evaluation model. The quantitative results show a statistically significant increase in the post-program survey scores for the learning and behavior level. The qualitative results suggest that the program had a positive impact on students on all four of Kirkpatrick’s levels. The conclusions are that the Fair Battels program is impactful, that social justice education needs to be holistic and that the combination of serious play and service learning elements seems to be effective for social justice education. Further research in the area of social justice education and serious play is recommended


2022 ◽  
pp. 441-462
Author(s):  
Carolyn N. Stevenson

The United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 4 Quality Education has increased awareness in pre-university environmental education efforts. Environmental education is important to not only creating awareness of world environmental issues, but taking action towards fostering positive change. Environmental education programs such as SeaTrust Institute's AWARE (Action Within a Resilient Environment) assist teens in learning about issues that directly impact their communities and their world. AWARE combines environmental education with hands-on experiential learning projects that help promote environmental awareness in their communities. Through education and experience with active scholars and professional practitioners, students gain an increased understanding of environmental challenges and ways to make a positive impact – both domestically and globally. This is especially critical to developing countries which lack the educational programs and resources to address the impact environmental changes have on their nations and communities.


2008 ◽  
Vol 60 (4) ◽  
pp. 539-575 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Ernesto López-Córdova ◽  
Christopher M. Meissner

The likely endogeneity between democracy and trade is addressed with an instrumental variables strategy in this article about whether international trade fosters democracy. The authors use a measure of natural openness to obtain estimates of the causal impact of openness on democratization in three separate samples spanning the last 130 years. A positive impact of openness on democracy is apparent in the data over the long run. The post–World War II results suggest that with a rise in trade with other countries equal to a one standard deviation increase, countries such as Indonesia, Russia, and Venezuela could eventually become as democratic as the U.S., Great Britain, or France. There is some variation in the impact of openness by region that may be because trade seems to have a positive impact only when the capital-to-labor ratio is sufficiently high. This is consistent with the idea that openness promotes democracy when it strengthens the economic fortunes of the middle class.


2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 141 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marco Lorusso ◽  
Luca Pieroni

In this paper, we disentangle public spending components in order analyse their effects on the U.S. economy. Our Dynamic Stochastic General Equilibrium Model (DSGE) model includes both civilian and military expenditures. We take into account the changes in the effects of these public spending components before and after the structural break that occurred in the U.S. economy around 1980, namely financial liberalisation. Therefore, we estimate our model with Bayesian methods for two sample periods: 1954:3–1979:2 and 1983:1–2008:2. Our results suggest that total government spending has a positive effect on output, but it induces a fall in private consumption. Moreover, we find important differences between the effects of civilian and military spending. In the pre-1980 period, higher civilian spending induced a rise in private consumption, whereas military spending shocks systematically decreased it. Our findings indicate that civilian spending has a more positive impact on output than military expenditure. Our robustness analysis assesses the impact of public spending shocks under alternative monetary policy assumptions.


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