Matching Items (63)
Description
This thesis seeks to provide insight into the challenges rural women in Latin America face in
receiving socio-economic benefits from their participation in collective enterprises. The study
draws upon research from the field of development, entrepreneurship, and cooperatives, focusing
on rural women in Guatemala. The research questions explored are: 1) ‘What is known about
entrepreneurial strategies to overcome poverty among rural women in Latin America, specifically
cooperatives and specifically in Guatemala?; and 2) ‘What are the main conditions for the
success of rural women’s vermiculture cooperatives in Guatemala from the perspectives of their
members, in terms a) infrastructure and equipment; b) work arrangements; c) member’s learning;
and d) member’s confidence in the financial success of the coop?’. The study was conducted in
an exploratory manner using case study methodology to provide a richness to study findings. The
study found that pre-conditions for a successful cooperative include a secure and easily accessible
location, and highlights the importance of inclusive leadership, the mastery of basic skills, and
opportunities for learning more advanced business skills.
receiving socio-economic benefits from their participation in collective enterprises. The study
draws upon research from the field of development, entrepreneurship, and cooperatives, focusing
on rural women in Guatemala. The research questions explored are: 1) ‘What is known about
entrepreneurial strategies to overcome poverty among rural women in Latin America, specifically
cooperatives and specifically in Guatemala?; and 2) ‘What are the main conditions for the
success of rural women’s vermiculture cooperatives in Guatemala from the perspectives of their
members, in terms a) infrastructure and equipment; b) work arrangements; c) member’s learning;
and d) member’s confidence in the financial success of the coop?’. The study was conducted in
an exploratory manner using case study methodology to provide a richness to study findings. The
study found that pre-conditions for a successful cooperative include a secure and easily accessible
location, and highlights the importance of inclusive leadership, the mastery of basic skills, and
opportunities for learning more advanced business skills.
ContributorsPerez, Natalia (Contributor) / Mook, Laurie (Thesis director) / Gonzales, Vanna (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2014-05
Description
This project explores the function of art pedagogy as a tool for social justice, especially for youth. As a student pursuing the study of both education and social justice, the experience I've had in my life with art is hugely connected with these themes. In this exploratory project, I examined different creative youth development programs through the perspectives of art educators, exploring how, pedagogically, they contribute to the formation of social justice in the communities and students they serve through the teaching and creation of art. I began with the research question, how do different creative youth development contribute to social justice in the communities and students they serve using art as a pedagogical approach? My goal in asking this question was to develop a picture of the art pedagogies employed in these programs, and their relation to the broader topic of social justice. Then, after reviewing the literature related to this topic, which is outlined in the next section, I identified three components of social justice related to art education: self expression, cultural identity exploration, and critical engagement. All of these concepts emerged time and time again when reviewing literature about art education and youth, and also art and social justice. Focusing on these concepts, I explored the question of how these components of social justice are explored in particular creative youth development programs. My goal in asking these questions is to develop a picture of the art pedagogies employed in these programs, and their relation to the broader topic of social justice. In order to ask these questions, it was important I access the art educators behind art programs whose impact is connected to art and social justice. Through their perspectives, I was able to gain incite about the design, implementation, and outcomes of art pedagogy. I found that these programs, in employing art pedagogies, were powerful tools in helping youth connect to themselves and their communities, aiding in the production of social justice.
ContributorsFarrier, Merry Elise (Author) / Swadener, Elizabeth (Thesis director) / Gonzales, Vanna (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of Social Transformation (Contributor) / Division of Teacher Preparation (Contributor)
Created2015-05
Description
Service learning has become an integral part of the pre-departure volunteer training program of Amigos de las Américas. However, the understanding and implementation of related curricula has been inconsistent and, at times, unreflective of the principles of this learning strategy. Through a literature review and interviews with training representatives from chapters across the country, a better understanding of service learning itself, as well as the way it is carried out within the organization today, were key elements in gathering information and evaluating what can be changed to make this more effective in the Amigos de las Américas context. Results showed that confusion amongst the chapters and lack of resources obstructed the implementation of true service learning in many cases. Thus, a proposal to integrate the service learning and general training requirements, as well as a model to evaluate the effectiveness of service learning, resulted.
ContributorsGruensfelder, Lindsey Marie (Author) / Mook, Laurie (Thesis director) / Rodriguez, Ariel (Committee member) / Ball, Deborah (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of International Letters and Cultures (Contributor) / School of Human Evolution and Social Change (Contributor)
Created2013-05
Description
Much research has been devoted to identifying trends in either convergence upon a neoliberal model or divergence among welfare states in connection to globalization, but most research has focused on advanced industrialized countries. This has limited our understanding of the current state of convergence or divergence, especially among welfare states in developing regions. To address this research gap and contribute to the broader convergence vs. divergence debate, this research explores welfare state variation found within Latin America, in terms of the health policy domain, through the use of cross-national data from 18 countries collected between the period of 1995 to 2010 and the application of a series of descriptive and regression analysis techniques. Analyses revealed divergence within Latin America in the form of three distinct welfare states, and that among these welfare states income inequality, trust in traditional public institutions, and democratization, are significantly related to welfare state type and health performance.
ContributorsJohnson, Kory Alfred (Author) / Martin, Nathan (Thesis director) / Gonzales, Vanna (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of Social Transformation (Contributor) / School of Politics and Global Studies (Contributor)
Created2014-05
Description
College students are historically an underrepresented demographic group of American volunteers. Based on a combination of research on volunteer motivations and a study conducted of Arizona State University students, this paper identifies major motivations of college students for the purpose of pinpointing strategies to recruit college-aged volunteers for non-profit organizations and student-led service initiatives on college campuses. From a sample of 271 ASU students, it can be concluded that students are motivated to volunteer by enjoying the work that they are doing, caring about the cause they are working for, being asked to volunteer, and participating in volunteer work with a group or student organization to which they belong. All variable groups in this study represent actions and opinions of college volunteering unless otherwise specified. The respondents were most passionate about causes that involved education, poverty alleviation, working with children, and human rights. Additionally, the most effective avenues found for informing college students about volunteer opportunities were: email, social media, friends, word-of-mouth, and Volunteermatch.org. In other words, students are informed of events both personally and from the Internet. The most effective strategies identified to recruit college student volunteers include classroom announcements through student leaders, social media and Internet marketing, fliers around campus and in residence halls, and consistent emphasis on the impact that the students' efforts will have on the causes that they care most about.
ContributorsKralovec, Savannah Patricia (Author) / Mook, Laurie (Thesis director) / Lyons-Mayer, Michelle (Committee member) / Department of Economics (Contributor) / Department of Supply Chain Management (Contributor) / W. P. Carey School of Business (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2016-05
Description
Nonprofits provide social goods: They deliver needed community services, mobilize groups for social causes, allow individuals to express values and faith, and provide a space for people to generate social innovations. Some nonprofits may continue indefinitely; others intentionally finish operations when its mission is accomplished; yet others may experience diminished capacity to operate that lead them to stop operations temporarily or permanently (e.g., closures). This research aims to uncover the elements and conditions that lead nonprofits to discontinue operations. By challenging the dichotomous paradigm of the life course in nonprofits that assigns organizations to alive vs. dead categories, this research uses the concept of organizational discontinuity to integrate the understanding of the diverse ways in which nonprofits suspend operations. To explain organizational discontinuities, a conceptual framework rooted in organizational theories is presented. Nonprofits under study come from a national subsample of 501(c)(3) charities that reported operations in 2003 and no longer showed evidence of continued activity in 2019. To characterize the types of discontinuities, this research uses organizational autopsies, which is a research method that uses administrative and online secondary data to diagnose the operational status of nonprofits. To further understand organizational discontinuities, this research presents a closer look at two representative phenomena, closures and dissolutions of non-surviving organizations in mergers. Case studies of 36 organizations help to identify the elements associated with organizational discontinuities in nonprofits. Results include a detailed categorization of types of organizational discontinuities and an identification of the internal and external elements associated with closures and mergers in older nonprofits. Conceptually, this research aims to contribute to the discussion of organizational change in nonprofits as an irregular and multicausal process. Data and method advancements include the use of online secondary data as an alternative to breaking with the existing reliance on administrative data in studies of the nonprofit sector. Finally, the results of this research aim to inform practitioners about the capacity-building areas that organizations should strengthen to prevent discontinuity of operations.
ContributorsHernandez Ortiz, Tania Lizzeth (Author) / Hager, Mark A (Thesis advisor) / Lecy, Jesse D (Committee member) / Mook, Laurie (Committee member) / Searing, Elizabeth A M (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2022
Description
Food insecurity as defined by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) is the limited or uncertain availability of nutritionally adequate and safe foods or the ability to acquire such food in a socially acceptable manner. This research paper looks at differences in rates of food insecurity within the general population, among the ethnic groups and across college campuses. Current literature indicates that non-Hispanic blacks are disproportionately affected both within the general population and within the student population when compared to their White counterparts. This research paper is a review of literature that addresses the challenges associated with food insecurity among college students in the US, its causes, coping strategies, and implications both to the students and the society at large. Outlined are successful interventions at various institutions of higher education, resources and programs in place to tackle this societal malaise among college students in particular. Next, the paper addresses the issue of food insecurity among the three public universities in the State of Arizona with a focus on what program and resources each of the universities have in place to help students who are faced with food insecurity. Finally, several workable interventions are outlined that could be implemented to address food insecurity among student population in post-secondary campuses across the nation; ranging from the customary food pantry set up to the grandiose for universities that desire to be bold, sustainable, revolutionary, desire to be unique among its peers and be trail blazers in addressing food insecurity among college students.
ContributorsTometi, Peter (Author) / Mook, Laurie (Thesis director) / Legg, Eric (Committee member) / Lucio, Joanna (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of Community Resources and Development (Contributor)
Created2023-05
Description
School safety is a wicked problem due to shifting needs and available information, the diverse actors affected and involved, fluctuating budgetary demands and ramifications, and relations to broader social and political issues. School safety challenges encompass a range of factors, including threats of violence and fears related to school shootings, the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on student mental health and well-being, and research and rhetoric on punitive discipline practices and the school-to-prison nexus, especially regarding the use of School Resource Officers (SROs). Following the murder of George Floyd by police in the Summer of 2020 and the subsequent civil unrest, several school districts across the United States began to reconsider the use of police on campuses, with some choosing not to renew contracts with police departments for SROs. In most cases, school district leaders (e.g., governing boards or superintendency) unilaterally made this decision without authentic school community input or participation in inclusive processes and shared decision-making opportunities. Phoenix Union High School District (PXU), a diverse, urban high school-only district that serves 25,000 students, was one of those districts that did not renew its contract with the local police department for SROs. Instead, PXU undertook efforts to reimagine school safety through two parallel participatory processes: School Participatory Budgeting (PB) and a Safety Committee. Drawing from the literature on school safety, participatory governance, and student voice, I explore school safety's historical and current landscape, specifically the use of SROs and punitive discipline measures, alongside methods of participatory governance within K-12 educational institutions and the benefits, challenges, and implications of student voice in shared decision-making processes. I then chronicle the two processes implemented in PXU using the Empowered Deliberative Democracy (EDD) conceptual framework and a case study methodology. I analyze and discuss the tensions and the transformative potential of participatory processes that include student and school community voices in finding solutions to difficult challenges. In conclusion, I summarize the case study and raise recommendations for using participatory processes to address wicked problems in K-12 educational institutions.
ContributorsBartlett, Tara Lynn (Author) / Schugurensky, Daniel, 1958- (Thesis advisor) / Fischman, Gustavo (Committee member) / Pivovarova, Margarita (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2023
Description
It is essential for nonprofit organizations to evaluate the effectiveness and impact of their programs on their target communities to demonstrate their value and progress to current and prospective stakeholders. Unfortunately, due to finite resources, projects developed and conducted by small international non-governmental organizations (INGO's) are unable to conduct regular evaluations. In this study, I will be conducting an evaluation of a community school project completed by an INGO in order to gauge the project's impact in the community. The evaluation includes a review of previously published literature on the subject, as well as survey data that was gathered to gauge the project's impact. The results of this study found not only that the community school students were beating both the district and national average in examination scores, but also that 100% of students in attendance planned on completing some form of higher education. Furthermore, a majority of the enrolled students would not have had access to alternate forms of education without the community school. For these reasons, the project appears to be meeting all of its current objectives. The evaluation produced several strong recommendations for the school's future improvement such as continuous benchmarking and self-evaluation, increased focus on shifting towards self-sustainability, and an overall improvement of its current facilities.
ContributorsCantu, Marissa Alexis (Author) / Wang, Lili (Thesis director) / Schugurensky, Daniel, 1958- (Committee member) / Department of Finance (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2016-12
Description
As a democratic innovation involving deliberation and decision making, participatory budgeting (PB) often catalyzes powerful changes among individual participants and within their respective communities. Certain models of PB designate autonomous spaces for young people to determine how to spend a portion of a particular budget, typically that of a municipality or school. These processes of youth PB may address recent trends in the underrepresentation of youth in civic spaces. Following the initial launch of youth participatory budgeting (youth PB) in Cluj (Romania), I spent three weeks in Cluj conducting 45 semi-structured interviews with youth PB participants and one focus group with youth PB facilitators. This thesis explores two areas: (a) the main dynamics of the online Cluj youth PB process (team development and organization, themes of projects proposed and their intended impacts, and inclusion throughout the process) and (b) impact of youth PB on participants (participant learning, change, and empowerment). Main findings suggest that organized groups with ongoing projects dominated the youth PB process and that a majority of projects aspired to impact either all residents of Cluj or a specific youth group (e.g. young artists, young engineers), while very few projects intended to impact young people in Cluj broadly. More than 85% of participants reported feeling empowered by involvement in youth PB. Some differences in learning and change were found by gender, ethnicity, and age. Key recommendations for future iterations of this process include establishing deliberation between teams, encouraging informal group development, restructuring the voting process, and enhancing inclusion of ethnic minorities and migrants.
ContributorsBrennan, Ashley Jane (Author) / Schugurensky, Daniel, 1958- (Thesis director) / Almasan, Oana (Committee member) / Levine, Peter (Committee member) / Department of Psychology (Contributor) / School of Social Transformation (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2016-05