Biden School Journal of Public Policy
The Biden School Journal of Public Policy (JPP) a student-run journal of the Joseph R. Biden Jr. School of Public Policy & Administration at the University of Delaware. Founded in 2008, the journal publishes scholarly articles comprised of student academic writing on topics related to public policy and public administration.
The mission of Biden School JPP is to encourage graduate students to contribute to a pluralistic understanding of policy mechanisms and outcomes by providing unique perspectives in the domains of social justice, economic development and the political processes that underlie public policy. While all submissions related to public policy are welcome, the journal seeks content related to, but not limited:
- Governance mechanisms and policy making processes
- Recent developments in research, scholarship and practice within public policy
- Public administration, public management, government and administrative politics
- Social justice, political representation and criminal justice system reform
- Public health, health policy and health services research
- Education policy and system reform
- Urban planning and policy
Biden School JPP – Volume 13, June 2022
Abstract
Over time, the field and profession of public health has shied away from political engagement and reform efforts, focusing primarily on behavioral models of public health. In doing so, we have inadvertently reinforced radical individualism and inoculated the larger society against suspicion that the structures of our health, economic, and social systems are largely responsible for most health disparities. This commentary examines why responding to Covid-19 related inequities requires much more than monetary public health investments. Significant advocacy efforts are required to address the political determinants of health, and I argue that the field of public health should reclaim its position as a leader of progressive social and cultural change, in the interest of health.
Policy Perspectives: Externalities of Developing Floating Offshore Wind Turbines by Walker H. Schwartz
Abstract
Regulatory Framework for the Transmission of Offshore Wind Energy by Walker H. Schwartz
Abstract
There is no current federal or state plan or framework put in place to ensure the proper transmission and interconnection of offshore wind developments to the regional grid systems through utilities in the United States. Electricity transmission of offshore wind to the local grid is of great importance in order to optimize future offshore wind developments. This policy brief will look to identify the regulatory framework for future offshore wind transmission through the assessment of three policy options that are currently utilized by several European countries. Upon analyzing the Transmission System Operator (TSO), Developer, and Third-Party Model this paper will identify a policy recommendation regarding a certain policy framework. In order to analyze this process this brief will also discuss two transmission processes used which include the Radial connection (alternating current system) and Hub connection (direct current system) for transmission. This policy brief will allow for future policymakers to utilize a future oriented frame of mind in order to implement lasting successful policies that will impact the future direction of the offshore wind industry. Without future federal or state plans or framework regarding offshore wind transmission the current administration’s targets will not be met due to the current transmission framework inhibiting development of future offshore wind sites.
Abstract
School Resource Officers (SROs) have become more commonplace in recent years in response to school shootings and violence. SROs are law enforcement officials that are responsible for school safety and have the authority to make arrests. The current literature reports conflicting evidence as to whether SROs are effective at mitigating or preventing school shootings. However, research suggests that students with an SRO stationed on school premises are more likely to be arrested, contributing to the school-to-prison pipeline, which disproportionately affects students with disabilities and students of color. Currently, gaps in the literature exist on providing effective, equitable, and feasible alternative approaches to SROs. This report aims to offer alternative solutions to SROs focused on promoting school safety and equitable school discipline practices. Following the murder of George Floyd in 2020, public and political officials called for social reforms such as the removal of SROs from schools. One policy alternative to SROs includes the implementation of student safety coaches who are trained on mental health, restorative justice, and de-escalation strategies. This initiative has been implemented in school districts in Minnesota and has yielded positive evaluation results. Another alternative includes the reallocation of funds following the removal of SROs to mental health professionals. Mental health professionals have the authority to assess risks and are an effective mechanism at dealing with school safety and school disciplinary policies. Nonetheless, a hybrid model of both policy alternatives is the best mechanism to deal with school safety and student discipline. Student safety coaches should be implemented along with trained mental health professionals in public schools following the removal of SROs.
Abstract
Constitutional constraints on a President’s ability to lead the nation to war have been unrealized repeatedly since WWII. A legislative trend of granting broad and unchecked authority to the President to use military action has changed the nature of American entry into armed conflicts. The most frequently relied upon legislative method for granting war powers today, Authorizations for Use of Military Force (AUMFs), grant broad-reaching war powers to the executive branch. The 2001 and 2002 AUMFs have granted four consecutive Presidents the ability to act swiftly and divisively to combat enemies of the state across the globe without Congressional deliberation or authorization (United States Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, 2017, p. 2). While civil liberties groups and Constitutional scholars have widely recognized that this authority poses a threat to the balance of power and transparency of a democratic society (Bradley & Goldsmith, 2005, p. 88), constitutional originalists recognize unilateral power of the executive in military action (Ramsey, 2002, p. 21) and defense officials value security and stress the importance of retaining secrecy as to minimize the global recognition of small but dangerous terrorist groups (Cronk, 2017, p. 1). The Biden administration has called for a new AUMF to replace the outdated and unilateral authorizing language of the post-9-11 war powers that have been utilized to wage war across the globe. This call must be swiftly acted upon by Congress, as it would enact a return to Congressional oversight of presidential war powers not seen in contemporary U.S. military history.
Understanding Water Affordability in the United States by Ayesha Bilal
Abstract
Access and affordability to clean water in households are primarily considered third world issues – which is why there seems to be limited research on water affordability focused on the first world. However, rising water prices over time have become a growing concern even in the developed world, especially for the low-income population. Therefore, this paper takes a deep dive into the literature available on water affordability in the United States to explain what water affordability means; the equity and efficiency concerns around it; how it is measured; the critiques to the standard affordability threshold being used; the possible alternative criteria that can be considered instead; and the policy responses to the current water affordability challenges. The analysis presented indicates the need to understand water affordability from an equity standpoint, though it does not suggest a decrease in prices across the board or making water services free. This research can serve as a baseline for future studies related to water affordability within different regions in the United States and other developed countries.
State Capture and the Role of Political Parties in Latin America by James Guy Korman
Abstract
This study explores the impact of political parties on state capture in Latin America. A mixed effects model is used with time as the level one unit nested within countries that serve as the level 2 units with a total sample size of 349 observations pooled across 19 different Latin American countries with data ranging between the years 1996-2017. The model is also estimated with an AR(1) term in order to account for the temporal dimension of the analysis and any problems autocorrelation may pose. First, the impact of political party in power [years], a variable that captures how long one political party is able to stay in power in a given country in years – is analyzed for its effects on state capture. Second, the impact of political party in power [years] on state capture at varying levels of economic development as measured by GDPPC is then examined. The analysis provides support for the negative impacts of political party in power [years] on state capture where the longer one party is able to remain in power – the greater state capture we will see. Overall, the results suggest that a lack of political competition and horizontal accountability that political parties are able to provide in a given country results in enhanced levels of corruption and state capture across the Latin American region.
Achieving Carbon Neutrality: US and India Weigh Policy Options by Palaniappa Krishnan, Prahlad Kasturi
Abstract
The Impact of Historical Residential Discrimination Policies in Richmond, Virginia by N. Kristian Schmidt
Abstract
EDITORIAL BOARD 2021-2022
FACULTY ADVISORS
While Biden School Journal of Public Policy is a student-run journal, faculty members within the Biden School of Public Policy and Administration provide support to the Editorial Board, primarily by providing feedback on articles that are selected for publication during the editing process.
Maria P. Aristigueta
Dean, Biden School of Public Policy & Administration
Charles P. Messick Chair of Public Administration
Senior Policy Fellow IPA
Leland Ware
Louis L. Redding Chair and Professor of Law and Public Policy
Biden School of Public Policy & Administration
Jane Case Lilly
Assistant Professor
Biden School of Public Policy & Administration
Jonathan Justice
Professor
Biden School of Public Policy & Administration
Biden School JPP – Volume 12
Effective disasters: 2013 European flood damage as a policy driver by Logan Gerber-Chavez
2020 Symposium
The 2020 Symposium for the Biden School Journal of Public Policy was held over Zoom because of the ongoing social distancing measures brought on by COVID-19. It features presentations and Q&A with authors of articles in the Journal.