Putting the “Us” Back in the U.S. Defense Industrial Base: The Case of Rare Earths

No abstract.

State of Illinois Credit and Investment Analysis

No abstract.

Prioritizing Environmental Protection: Regulating Sulfide-Ore Mining in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness of Northeastern Minnesota

This paper examines the environmental policy implications and environmental risks of engaging in copper-ore sulfide mining in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness of Minnesota. The re-instatement of mining leases in the area within the past year has generated significant controversy within the state. Concern over limiting environmental risk through effective regulation sits at the forefront of the prominent debate taking place at the federal, local, and state levels. Currently, Minnesota is not equipped to properly and effectively regulate these mines for environmental protection. With that goal in mind, this analysis argues that regulations must return to—and continue beyond—the status quo ante, established in 2016, by implementing stricter command and control design & performance standards; mandating severance taxation; establishing research and development programs; improving transparency; addressing information asymmetries; and ensuring liability standards for adequate compensation of incurred costs caused by environmental degradation and displaced industries. Implementation of these policy mechanisms will ensure prioritization of environmental preservation of the Arrowhead region of northeastern Minnesota.

Efficiency and Unrestricted Gifts in the Guatemalan Nonprofit Sector

As the nonprofit sector continues to grow, a shift in funding has occurred, from giving unrestricted gifts to giving primarily restricted donations. This shift places increased pressure on nonprofits to appear efficient and is especially predominant in the international sector. This study aims to understand how this shift in funding has created issues for Pionero Philanthropy’s nonprofit partners in the Republic of Guatemala. After conducting 56 semi-structured interviews with Pionero Philanthropy’s nonprofit partners across Guatemala, thematic analysis revealed where funding was most needed: operations, specifically directed towards salaries and staffing. This study shows that by redirecting the focus away from efficiency and toward the promotion of comprehensive donor education, donors will gain more trust in nonprofits and will be more willing to give larger unrestricted gifts to operations. By funding this need, Guatemalan nonprofits will have the opportunity to perform better across Pionero Philanthropy's Five Pillar Evaluation, an evaluation system that measures five best practices supported by nonprofit academic literature (sustainability, impact, transparency, relevance, and a redefined efficiency).

Historic HOLC Redlining in Indianapolis and the Legacy of Environmental Impacts

Redline mapping was adopted by the Home Owner’s Loan Corporation (HOLC) in the 1930s to help assess its lending risk based on observable characteristics in urban neighborhoods across the United States, but the practice has been criticized for evident racial discrimination in addition to financial risk assessment. Researchers have demonstrated that modern urban tree canopy cover is lower in the historically redlined zones of four US cities. This article focuses on Indianapolis, Indiana, where a HOLC map was developed in 1937. Analysis using a geographic information system (GIS) was conducted in order to detect evidence of ecological legacies of redlining. Using this method, evidence of relatively high-intensity development, low greenspace and forest cover, and disproportionately high incidences of brownfield sites, Superfund sites, industrial waste sites, and Interstate highways were detected in historically redlined zones in Indianapolis. While opportunities for further and more detailed research are considered, the method employed here should be developed such that it is replicable for other cities with redlining histories in Indiana and other surrounding states with comparable spatial datasets. This example protocol can be adopted and refined by various stakeholders to establish where the need may exist for programmatic solutions and to better inform policy recommendations.