Center Library
2019 - 2020
This report reviews the roles of governments, hospitals, financial institutions, and nonprofit organizations in alleviating food insecurity. The purpose of this report is to provide information to help the Population Health team at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center and the Foundation for...
Vermont currently has an aging population and is experiencing more out-migration than in-migration. The Federal Reserve recently found that the largest barrier for young professionals staying in and moving to rural areas is the burden of student debt. In S. 331, the state legislature proposes...
Since 1970, the female incarcerated population has been steadily rising, implying an increased demand for more female-centric programming in the New Hampshire Correctional Facility for Women. In this report, we examine the current programming provided by the New Hampshire Department of...
This report provides insight into juvenile justice programs and spending in New Hampshire. To improve the efficiency of spending in New Hampshire, the research team also examined effective evidence-based programs implemented in other states. This report will describe and analyze the...
The Vermont tourism industry has historically served as an effective source of tax revenue for the state. There are disparities in the taxation and regulation of traditional tourist lodging, like hotels, and the new and burgeoning short-term rental market. The Vermont Senate Committee on...
The Vermont State Legislature is currently considering changes to siting processes for grid-scale wind farms. This research paper aims to inform deliberations of the state legislature by providing an overview of the wind farm approval processes in the states of New York, New Hampshire, and Maine...
The introduction of proficiency-based learning standards in public high schools in Vermont has been the object of scrutiny, especially among parents and students who are concerned with the implications of these standards for the college admissions process. The new mandate, which aims to...
By 2025, the State of Vermont intends that 50 percent of the food schools serve be locally produced.[i] As of 2014, 5.6 percent of the food schools serve is locally produced....
Maternities in Kosovo are not being effectively utilized for deliveries or many other aspects of maternal care. Because finite resources are being invested in these facilities without proportional service delivery, the Ministry of Health (MOH) has identified this issue as a priority. In...
This report compiles information relevant to the work of the New Hampshire Service Year Workforce Commission. By surveying New Hampshire’s workforce, service year programs available to young people in the state, and employment and education opportunities offered to service year alumni, the...
As the state of New Hampshire considers adopting the California Clean Cars Program, the key outcomes and takeaways from the implementation of this program in other states provides critical lessons learned for New Hampshire. This report compiles information from five interviews conducted with...
This report addresses the health, economic, and legislative implications of 5G rollout in the state of Vermont. A review of recent scientific literature suggests that exposure to radio frequency radiation could have adverse effects on human health. Many state, municipal, and international...
Letter From Andrew Samwick; Highlights from the Year; Financials
2018 - 2019
Workforce development is a broad term that refers to a myriad of activities by private and public organizations with the goal of strengthening the quality of the workforce. These activities can consist of specific and/or general hands-on trainings, educational classes and instruction,...
Lake Champlain is one of the most frequently visited recreation areas by Vermont residents and visitors alike. The lake generates in millions of dollars from its tourism and fishing industries alone. However, the main wastewater treatment facilities in the state have been leaking semi-treated...
In October 2018, the town of Norwich was denied access to state grants after the Two Rivers-Ottauquechee Regional Commission found that the proposed town plan failed to meet state standards for regional approval.[i] Norwich was cited, in part, for its failure to set a goal for multifamily or...
Child emancipation and the termination of parental rights represent large components of the juvenile legal system. Currently, there is no statute governing the granting of child emancipation in the state of New Hampshire and thus rulings in this area must be made solely on the basis of case law...
Parental alienation is a set of behaviors, sometimes exhibited during divorce proceedings, in which one parent attempts to undermine the relationship between the other parent and their child. This report identifies that such behaviors exist on a continuum with varying levels of psychological...
Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS), or drones, are becoming increasingly prominent in the world. Many people have started using drones recreationally, and there is growing market for drone hobbyists. Businesses have also found creative commercial applications for drones, like using them as a delivery...
This report outlines a roadmap for performing research that will help Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center (DHMC) address its staffing shortage by outlining affordable housing solutions in the Upper Valley. DHMC currently is unable to fill 900 of its 9,000 jobs, in part due to housing issues. In...
This report presents the findings of a three-month investigation conducted by a global health research team from Dartmouth, a university in the United States. The team was asked by Hospital Nacional Docente Madre-Niño San Bartolomé to investigate how the hospital could increase access to its...
Grandfamilies—families in which the grandparents raise their grandchildren when parents cannot—are unique family structures that neither match a nuclear family nor a foster family. In this report, we examine existing support for grandfamilies and provide additional options for New Hampshire to...
Because there is an interest among residents and businesses in expanding local generation of renewable energy, the Town of Wolfeboro, New Hampshire implemented a pilot net metering program in 2008, and the Wolfeboro Municipal Energy Department is now exploring the economic feasibility of...
Education Freedom Savings Accounts, or “EFSAs,” are the primary subject of Senate Bill 193-FN. EFSAs would provide financial support to primary and secondary school students in New Hampshire by the state government to help fund students’ private school education or homeschooling if that student...
This report is the final product of a global policy practicum at Dartmouth College, studying the genesis and implementation of the peace accords signed in 2016 between the Colombian government and the FARC. The report provides relevant background, analysis, and actionable recommendations for the...
Each year, thousands of citizens of Kosovo with cancer and other chronic illnesses die without the benefits of comprehensive palliative care. Palliative care is offered only in limited forms in the country and is not integrated, comprehensive, or multidisciplinary. Nevertheless, the emergence of...
2017 - 2018
Thirty-Five Years of Excellence; Highlights from the Year; Rocky by the Numbers; Financials
Greenland has one of the highest rates of cannabis use in the world. Moreover, cannabis use amongst Greenland’s youth population has emerged as one of the nation’s largest public health concerns. In 2002, 44.1 percent of male and 47 percent of female Greenlandic 15-year-olds had used cannabis....
Growlers, refillable containers used for carrying draft beer, are difficult to regulate. That is because they often violate the current alcohol regulation system that prevents individual actors from participating in multiple points of the production to retail process. As a result, different...
On May 26, 2018 more than fifty Upper Valley residents gathered at the Nelson A, Rockefeller Center for Public Policy and the Social Sciences at Dartmouth College for a community discussion on affordable housing in the Upper Valley. The event, co–sponsored by the Rockefeller Center and Vital...
Affordable housing continues to be a concern among Upper Valley residents. There have been numerous reports in local newspapers addressing the issues and the causes of lack of affordable housing options in the Upper Valley. Despite lack of housing options, there have been difficulties in...
Asian Survey, Vol. 58, Number 2, pp. 341-364
Author: Simon Chauchard
Why do candidates give voters handouts during political campaigns? Drawing on qualitative data from Mumbai, this article argues that...
In this report, data from five states that have legalized recreational marijuana are analyzed in order to provide comparative knowledge for the New Hampshire state legislature to consider when discussing marijuana policy. After evaluating similarities between New Hampshire and states that have...
The quality of drinking water is a staple and point of pride for the residents of New Hampshire. Unfortunately, it was recently discovered that the drinking water of several towns of the state has been contaminated by Perfluorinated compounds (PFCs). Although the research on the adverse health...
As a result of the policy changes promulgated by Attorney General Sessions, federal Civil Asset Forfeiture policy has changed. Most notably, the Equitable Sharing Program has been revived, which gives state and local law enforcement agencies the ability to use federal law to seize assets. New...
The Southern Windsor County region in Vermont, which encompasses the towns of Windsor, West Windsor, and Weathersfield, contains many opportunities for those seeking outdoor recreation. Between Mount Ascutney, the wildlife areas, and the network of outdoor trails, the region offers a variety of...
Sobriety checkpoints in New Hampshire are used to deter drunk drivers and to keep New Hampshire roads safe. Though not legal in all states, New Hampshire legitimizes and legalizes these checkpoints through statute with judicial approval. Early in the session, the New Hampshire Committee on...
Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) is an addiction treatment program that pairs therapy with medication to treat substance use disorders. Currently, Vermont (VT) has an extensive MAT infrastructure consisting of regional treatment “hubs” and community-based “spokes.” The state legislature is...
Paid family leave is a major issue that has gained prominence in the past electoral cycles, with both President Obama and President Trump supporting paid leave programs at the federal level.[i]...
Credit is a vital aspect of the global financial system, as it allows consumers and businesses to maintain a constant flow of money that fuels the economy. Without credit, most individuals would not be able to major purchases like a car or a home, and businesses would not be able to acquire the...
This report is the product of over 12 weeks of rigorous research, including two weeks in Liberia. The team consulted development economics, health and policy literature, as well as newspapers and personal memoirs. In country, we met with public and private sector leaders including the World Bank...
The 1999 conflict in Kosovo left the country with some of the worst maternal and infant health outcomes in all of Europe. Although many maternal and infant health indicators have since improved, the fragmented system has allowed other health outcomes to worsen, including dramatically increasing...
2016 - 2017
Paid family leave is an issue that has taken the spotlight at the national level and in states across the country. In March 2016, only 13 percent of private employees in the United States had access to paid family leave. Three U.S. states have paid family and medical leave plans. California,...
Alumni Mentors are Instrumental; Rocky by the Numbers; Preparation Meets Opportunity; Guest Speakers Enhance Student Learning; Financials
Over the past year, New Hampshire Humanities, a statewide nonprofit aimed at connecting and cultivating communities across cultures, has seen a rise in antagonistic outbursts and verbal attacks during its lecture series, Humanities on the Go. They have tasked us with finding a solution to limit...
As the world has become increasingly digital, New Hampshire has stored more information online. Many of the New Hampshire state databases contain sensitive information about individuals, businesses, and property within the state. This report seeks to answer the question posed by Representative...
New Hampshire currently houses mentally ill patients considered dangerous to themselves or others in the Secure Psychiatric Unit (SPU) of the New Hampshire State Prison for Men in Concord. Patients are transferred to the SPU from New Hampshire Hospital when the security level of the Hospital is...
In this report, we value the Connecticut River corridor between Vermont and New Hampshire to analyze the combined economic value the river brings to both states. This report focuses on eight metrics to value the river corridor, including community value-added, recreation, fishing, managed...
This report seeks to provide a greater assessment of needs across the communities that make up the Upper Valley. New Hampshire and Vermont have a large disparity in socioeconomic success between communities across the region. In the Upper Valley, recognizing the variety of needs can better...
Social Impact Bonds (SIBs) are a new and innovative method of funding public programs. In these programs, an investor provides funding for a public program and is repaid by an outcome funder, usually a government entity, upon the successful completion of the program. This funding structure...
In this report, we value the Connecticut River corridor between Vermont and New Hampshire to analyze the economic value for the state of Vermont. This report focuses on eight metrics to value the river corridor, including community value-added, recreation, fishing, managed resources, river...
In the past few years, the growth of the daily fantasy sports (DFS) gambling industry has been remarkable. A derivative of season-long fantasy sports, participants in daily fantasy sports can win monetary prizes depending on the success of the roster (collection of players) they select. In the...
Not only are many current foster parents unsatisfied with the supports offered to them, but inadequate supports may also deter people from becoming foster parents in the first place.[i] To aid Vermont foster parents and the policymakers and organizations that support them, this project explores...
In 2013, Governor Peter Shumlin of Vermont — along with the governors of California, Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, Oregon, and Rhode Island — signed a Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). Per the agreement, the coalition of states committed to...
This report will examine the feasibility of conducting a comprehensive assessment of the state of arts education in Vermont. Because data on arts programming are decentralized, we analyzed a representative sample of school districts, selected based on location and population factors. For this...
This report examines the various policy options that are available to New Hampshire policymakers relating to the regulation of autonomous vehicles, or self-driving cars. In this report, we explore autonomous vehicles legislation across the United States, breaking bills down into specific...
A team of twelve students from the Nelson A. Rockefeller Center at Dartmouth College spent the Fall 2016 term studying the current state of civil society in Ukraine. The students analyzed the relevant documents produced by USAID regarding democracy assessment as well as documents focused...
Journal of Applied Remote Sensing
Author(s): Jonathan W. Chipman, Xun Shi, Francis J. Magilligan, Yaning Chen, and Baofu Li.
Abstract. The Tarim and Konqi Rivers in western China have experienced dramatic changes in...
2015 - 2016
From Theory to Practice: PBPL 85 Global Policy Leadership; Rocky by the Numbers; Intercultural Leadership Competencies; 2016 Dartmouth Experiments Conference; Financials
During the summer of 2016, a nationwide household survey of 1,309 Kosovars was conducted for the Kosovo Women’s Network and the Kosovo Ministry of Health on the state of the healthcare system and on the abilities of Kosovar citizens to access the healthcare system. This report analyzes the...
This report addresses the problem of New Hampshire’s aging population. Major demographic changes in recent years will dramatically shift the population breakdown of the Granite State, particularly as the Baby Boomers approach retirement. In this report, we examine these trends and propose...
Over ten percent of Vermont’s school-aged children attend one of over 100 independent (private) schools in the state. Some of these students receive monetary vouchers to attend independent schools of their choice because their hometowns lack public schools. Unlike the state’s public schools,...
The state of New Hampshire recently introduced House Bill 1138 (NH HB 1138) which establishes the Terminal Patient’s Right to Try Act, a piece of legislation which “allows a patient with a terminal illness access to investigational drugs, biological products, and devices.” This bill seeks to...
We have been tasked by the Education Committee of the Vermont House of Representatives, chaired by Representative David Sharpe, to examine the efficacy of the current special education system in the state of Vermont. We begin by examining the legislative context of special education policy,...
This study examines the consolidation of schools, school districts, and SAUs in New Hampshire as cost saving measures for the state’s education system. With declining enrollments and a shrinking school-age population, New Hampshire’s schools may benefit from consolidation without education...
HANOVER, NH—The Nelson A. Rockefeller Center’s ninth annual NH State of the State Poll surveyed a sample of New Hampshire registered voters (N=362) from April 11-15, 2016 to assess their opinions on policy issues, elected officials, and the state of the economy in New Hampshire and in the United...
New Hampshire is a state of long-held cultural values and a strong history of arts from performance to design. Evaluating how these massive assets contribute to the economy and how the state can continue to provide an environment where people and firms can flourish in these fields is important...
This report addresses the goal of effective and efficient governance. The New Hampshire legislature receives a number of policy proposals each session claiming to be “evidence- based” but has no program evaluation mechanism. Proposals use different definitions and frameworks, and the legislature...
This report provides the New Hampshire House of Representatives’ Children and Family Law Committee with an evaluation of the effects of RSA 461-A (Parental Rights and Responsibilities Act of 2005), RSA 458-C (Child Support Guidelines 2011), and amendments to RSA 461-A (loss of public funds for...
The possibility of establishing a public bank may offer an opportunity for New Hampshire to exercise more control over its finances, and may offer an opportunity for a public sector institution to fulfill public needs that the private sector cannot or will not adequately meet. This report...
Marijuana legalization is a prominent matter in politics today. While 23 states have legalized use of the entire plant for medicinal marijuana, only four (and Washington, D.C.) have legalized the use of recreational marijuana for people ages 21 and older. This report contextualizes the financial...
There is much potential for the New Hampshire electricity grid to run more efficiently and reliably than in its current state. This brief takes on a comparative approach between the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO) in the Midwestern United States and the Independent System...
Substance abuse is currently one of the leading public health concerns in the state of New Hampshire. State Representative James Belanger has proposed House Bill 1603 (HB1603), which aims to establish a drug dealer registry in New Hampshire. This report assesses the potential and challenges of a...
As Lake Champlain, the sixth largest freshwater lake in North America, continues to suffer from excessive phosphorous pollution and expansive algae growth, the State of Vermont faces a costly mandate from the Environmental Protection Agency to curtail the pollution. The cleanup will require a...
In past decades, every presidential administration beginning with President Carter has attempted to secure peace for this terror-filled yet tiny land because doing so promises enhanced stability for the greater Middle East region. But despite billions of dollars in foreign aid, countless ...
2014 - 2015
A Decade of Excellence: The Class of 1964 Policy Research Shop; Rocky By The Numbers; Value-Based Leadership Development; Faculty Manuscript Review; Financials
This report was commissioned by Representative Tracey Emerick to provide a broad overview of local government services with potential for consolidation in New Hampshire. From 50 potential services, we selected eight services that are candidates for regionalization. We carefully considered...
The usage of credit history reports in employment decisions has emerged as a hotly-contested policy issue. For each of the last two legislative sessions, New Hampshire has considered a ban on the practice. Anticipating the possibility of similar proposed legislation in the future, we conduct an...
Prison and jail populations have declined in most states since 2010, but have increased in New Hampshire. Corrections costs have also risen in New Hampshire in recent years. Understanding the reasons for corrections cost growth is complicated by a lack of systematic information on county jail...
Nationally and in New Hampshire, women earn 78 percent of what men earn. 1 The Paycheck Fairness Act in New Hampshire (SB 207), which went into effect on January 1, 2015, looks to close the gender wage gap by allowing employees to discuss their salaries and identify employer...
Vermont’s towns determine compensation for municipal administration individually, and as such compensation for town offices is highly variable. This report compares administrative compensation and across Vermont to the Town of Strafford, with a particular focus on towns of a similar size. Road...
The use of payroll cards to pay employees has been a topic of contentious debate in recent years. Although many states have already passed laws regulating their usage, current legislation surrounding payroll cards is lacking in New Hampshire. In this report, we investigate the potential impacts...
In Vermont, the affordable housing review process can take up to a decade, involving communities and developers in lengthy and expensive legal battles that can cause damage to all those involved. The authors of this report have been tasked with researching methods of streamlining the...
President Obama’s job approval rating (34 percent) in New Hampshire remains constant from 2014, while his favorability rating rises to 35 percent from 28 percent in 2014.
New Hampshire Senate trial heats show a potentially competitive race between incumbent Senator Kelly Ayotte (R) and...
Aquaculture is a burgeoning industry in New England, but current aquaculture policy in New Hampshire requires additional infrastructure to adequately allow for economic growth. Due to the lack of a regulatory framework, aquaculturists are currently able to erect illegal structures and operations...
Current Anthropology 56(2): 178-204
Author(s): Calum Blaikie, Sienna Craig, Barbara Gerke, and Theresia Hofer
This...
Created in 2000, the Energy Efficiency Charge in Vermont funds incentives and subsidies aimed at reducing energy consumption and electricity costs for residents and businesses throughout Vermont. Promoting energy efficiency through the Energy Efficiency Charge remains an important policy goal in...
This report presents an overview of natural gas and its role in New Hampshire’s energy future. There has a been a large increase in the use of natural gas in New England in the past decade, but the infrastructure for transporting natural gas has not been updated. Infrastructure constrains have...
In 2013, Vermont developed the Lake Champlain TMDL Phase 1 Implementation Plan to reasonably assure the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency that Vermont will reduce phosphorus loading in Lake Champlain attributable to nonpoint sources. This plan proposes the establishment of the Vermont Clean...
The minimum wage is one of the most debated topics in economics and the political arena. In this report, we analyze the economic impacts, stakeholder perspectives, and public opinion regarding an increase in the New Hampshire minimum wage. The report first reviews the large body of research on...
Journal of Anthropological Archaeology, Volume 39, September 2015, Pages 19–35.
Early and Middle Formative exchange networks in Mesoamerica initiated lasting patterns of interaction that persisted through the...
The need to cultivate political support for nominations to higher office creates a conflict of interest for U.S. attorneys and the prosecutors they supervise in cases involving the two major parties. We find evidence of partisan differences in the timing of public corruption case filings around...
Journal of Cognition and Development 15(4): 599-613
Author(s): Michele Tine
This study was designed to investigate if the working memory profiles of children living in rural poverty are distinct from the working...
Thomas Hobbes once wrote that “the condition of man...is a condition of war.”1
Violence—as a vehicle for achieving greater political goals—is a natural phenomenon. But what policies can reverse the inclination for violence and foster peace instead?
The following...
2013 - 2014
Leadership in Action: The Corrigan Gift; Rocky By The Numbers; Experiential Learning Through Social Entrepreneurship; Faculty Grants; Financials.
New Hampshire does not impose additional license renewal requirements on older drivers. In 2011, the state stopped requiring drivers age 75 and older to pass a road test to renew their licenses. The state’s policies regarding older drivers are now broadly similar to many state policies. Whether...
Wetlands buffer zone minimum requirements are currently devolved to local governments in New Hampshire. Each municipality determines its own buffer requirement, and some towns impose no buffer requirement. This policy brief assesses the desirability of continuing to set the buffer zone...
New Hampshire adopted water management and protection laws in a piecemeal manner over many years, often without addressing the complex relationships between regional water systems and sources of nonpoint pollution. The Department of Environmental Services (DES) is currently implementing a more...
When a child or youth enters out-of-home placement, one of the primary goals of the New Hampshire Division for Children Youth and Families (DCYF) in the Department of Health and Human Services (NH DHHS) is to maintain a stable environment. With more stable living situations, fewer youth re-enter...
This report examines the rate of maltreatment substantiation for youths under the age of 18 in New Hampshire. Substantiation rates refer to the proportion of assessments investigated by the Division for Children, Youth and Families (DCYF) deemed to exhibit evidence of abuse or neglect. New...
New Hampshire is currently entering the evaluation and implementation phase of its e- Courts Project, commissioned in July 2011. The project aims to “...increase efficiency in the New Hampshire Judicial Branch (NHJB) by implementing automated systems through re-engineering of business processes...
Shoreland development along lakes and ponds in Vermont is responsible for considerable impacts to aquatic habitats. These impacts include physical erosion, nutrient loading, and damages to near-shore shallow water environments. Before this year Vermont has not had an official policy managing...
The Northern Pass Project is a proposal for a transmission line route that is designed to deliver electricity from Québec to the New England area. The $1.4 billion project will transmit Canadian hydroelectric power to the New England grid via 187 miles of transmission line, including 32.25...
In 2012 the Vermont Legislature passed Act 79 following the significant loss of inpatient mental health care beds from Tropical Storm Irene. Act 79 provided resources to expand the state’s community-based approach to mental health care, including peer counseling services. This report provides an...
President Obama’s job approval rating in New Hampshire falls to 36 percent (from 45 percent in 2013), while his favorability rating plummets to 28 percent (from 41 percent in 2013).
NH Senate Race within margin of error between incumbent Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D) and challengers Scott...
A transparent system for accessing New Hampshire’s government spending and revenue collection is an essential component of ensuring the state’s accountability to its citizens. The public has the right to understand where its state receives revenue, how its tax contributions are spent, and who...
Mountain Research and Development, 34(2):85-94
Authors: Geoff Childs, Sienna Craig, Cynthia Beall, and Buddha Basnyat
Communities that have thrived for centuries in Nepal's rugged mountain environments are...
In the state of New Hampshire, services across all sectors are currently a convoluted tangle. In many areas, a citizen in need of assistance will need to access services across too broad a range of divisions; likewise, a business owner or entrepreneur will often face a confusing matrix of...
With an aging population and ballooning medical expenditures, end of life care has become an issue of prime importance for the State of New Hampshire and the country as a whole. The Physician Order for Life Sustaining Treatment (POLST) paradigm has become a particularly influential approach to...
Journal of Health & Social Behavior 55(1): 108-124
Author(s): Ajit Appari, Denise Anthony, and M. Eric Johnson
Health care in the United States is highly regulated, yet compliance with regulations is variable. For...
Vermont is currently evaluating whether or not to divest its pension plan from holdings in the fossil fuels industry. This report reviews the crucial elements behind the decision to divest. It addresses the legal and fiduciary impacts that frame the decision to divest, as well as the possible...
This report presents an overview of Career and Technical Education (CTE) in Vermont and nationally. A preliminary analysis of curricular opportunities available through Vermont’s CTE programs reveals that while there are many options for students to pursue across the state, programmatic...
Author(s): Lucas Swaine
This article analyzes the moral and political implications of strong moral character for political action. The treatment provides reason to hold that strong...
Sociological Methods and Research 00(0):1-27
Author(s): John Campbell, Charles Quincy, Jordan Osserman, and Ove Pedersen
Many social science studies are based on coded in-depth semistructured...
The purpose of this report is to inform the New Hampshire state government of ways in which various welcome centers in the Northeast area sustain themselves so they may consider the possibility of reopening three centers that have recently been shut down due to budget cuts. Additionally, the...
Cortex, Volume 50, January 2014, Pages 200–203.
People frequently evaluate facial attractiveness and make inferences about character traits from faces, and these evaluations are consistent across observers (...
The tidal wave of growth carrying India for the past decades following the 1991 reforms has proven to be just that – a wave that is now subsiding, leaving the world’s largest democracy stranded on a barren beach. Time is cheap, poverty is plentiful, and growth has taken leave as the GDP annual...
2012 - 2013
Perkins Bass Visitorship; Policy Research Shop; White House Internships; Rocky by the Numbers, and Financials
New Hampshire’s Medicaid program began its transition to managed care on December 1, 2013. This shift to the managed care model of Medicaid represents an attempt to control costs and improve the coordination of health care. The shift to managed care is part of a national trend, as many states...
As a result of the emotional, social, and fiscal costs of suicide, in 2008 New Hampshire formed the Suicide Prevention Council, made up of state politicians, doctors, and mental health experts, in order to closely examine the factors contributing to the rise in youth suicide. The committee...
In recent years, the New Hampshire Site Evaluation Committee has seen an increase in the number and complexity of applications for energy facilities seeking to locate in New Hampshire. Chaired by the Commissioner of the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services, the role and...
This paper examines the potential functions of school resource officers (SROs) in high schools. It investigates various models of SROs currently in place in order to inform the Hanover School Administrative Unit-70 (SAU-70) and the Hanover Police Department on the options for implementing an SRO...
The New Hampshire Information and Analysis Center (NHIAC) aims to provide a forum where law enforcement, public health, and private partners can work together to safeguard the homeland, prevent criminal activity, and respond to hazardous events. In pursuit of this goal, by aggregating health and...
For over seventy years, our nation’s telecommunications policy has been based upon the concept of "universal service." Though in recent years technology has radically changed the landscape of the telecommunications industry, its spread has been dramatically inconsistent. Though revolutionary,...
For hundreds of years the assumption that both small- and large-scale communities would fall into chaos should a wide-scale pandemic or natural disaster hit has permeated public consciousness and manifested itself in local and national emergency preparedness plans. Burgeoning research in...
In this paper, we analyze information technology (IT) innovation strategies across the United States and assess their applicability to the City of Lebanon, NH. Through collaboration with Lebanon’s City Manager, Greg Lewis, we identify three goals that align with both community needs and the...
Chapter 339 of the New Hampshire Revised Statutes (RSA) regulates the sale of specific items in the state and can be found under Title XXXI: Trade and Commerce. The chapter contains many laws enacted in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries that are outdated and not actively enforced....
This project analyzed the impact of the national mortgage crisis on New Hampshire, specifically looking at foreclosures. We did an in-depth comparison of three states—New Hampshire, Vermont, and Maine—and found that New Hampshire was impacted most negatively. Though we cannot draw a definitive...
Nelson A. Rockefeller Center Completes 6th Annual
New Hampshire State of the State Poll
On Politics, Economic Issues, and Social Policies.
Over three-quarters of voters support universal background checks for firearms sales. Voters' views of New Hampshire economy and...
In this report, we analyze the effectiveness of drug courts in New Hampshire, Vermont, and Maine. In order to measure effectiveness, we use four criteria: recidivism rates; cost- effectiveness; impact across race, gender, and age; and social consequences. We find that, for the most part, drug...
Vermont is currently undergoing both a shortage of primary care physicians and a reevaluation of policies in the state related to the practice of naturopathy by naturopathic doctors (NDs). This report details the policy history and current policy environment on naturopathy, identifies the areas...
The New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services, Air Resources Division (NHDES) is charged by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to regulate air pollutant emissions within the state through a system of permits and fees. However, the system currently faces a pressing revenue...
This report analyzes regionalization in both a broad context and as it could potentially apply to specific small towns in Vermont. Regionalization is currently used to varying degrees across New England and has numerous benefits and drawbacks. If properly implemented, it has the potential to...
This report provides an overview of how the current New Hampshire juvenile justice system operates with a particular focus on the system’s placement options and probation and post-detention services. The study team analyzed two key indicators of the system’s efficacy: the juvenile recidivism...
Students graduating from a college or university in the state of Vermont, they are saddled with, on average, $28,273 of debt, which is one of the highest amounts in the nation. Families of both in-state and out-of-state students have difficulty affording increased tuition hikes. Vermont...
As part of coursework for a Sociology course on poverty and public policy, Dartmouth students collaborated with the Upper Valley Haven to perform a qualitative evaluation of the Haven’s Getting Ahead (GA) program. Student interviewers worked in pairs to speak with ten former participants in...
The New Hampshire Retirement System (NHRS) was signed into the New Hampshire Constitution in 1985, making retirement benefits for government employees a legal requirement. Since 1985, the NHRS has undergone reforms including a shift from the use of the Open Group Aggregate equation to the Entry...
Author(s): Deborah Nichols, Hector Neff, and George Cowgill
George Brainerd directed...
Given Vermont’s pressing need to comply with clean water regulations, the state legislature has expressed interest in the possibility of implementing a statewide stormwater utility. The House Committee of Fish, Wildlife, and Water Resources has commissioned the Rockefeller Center at Dartmouth...
Author(s): M. Cecilia Gaposchkin
In 1293, only two years after the fall of Acre, but many years before the end of crusading...
New Political Economy 18(6): 827-844
Author(s): Natalka Patsiurko, John Campbell, John Hall
This paper examines the proposition that the economic performance of advanced capitalist countries depends on...
American Sociological Review 77(6):946-969
Author(s); Marc Dixon and Andrew Martin
To cope with steep losses in membership and eroding legal protections, some unions have begun to look outward for help. Scholars...
Author(s): Beau Sievers, Larry Polansky, Michael Casey, and Thalia Wheately
Music moves us. Its kinetic power is the foundation of human behaviors as diverse as dance, romance, lullabies, and the...
Author(s): Bridget Alex, Deborah Nichols, and Michael Glascock
During the Classic Period, Teotihuacan was an economic centre of central Mexico, but little is known...
Health Services Research 48(2): 354-375
Author(s): Ajit Appari, M. Eric Johnson, Denise Anthony
Objective
To estimate the incremental effects of transitions in electronic health record (EHR)...
2011 - 2012
The 2011 Republican Debate at Dartmouth; Policy Research Shop; Rockefeller Leadership Fellows; Rocky by the Numbers; and Financials
The purpose of this report is to examine refugee resettlement programs in New Hampshire and to explore best practices that can be beneficial to refugees and their host communities. We first provide a brief overview of the status of refugees and the role of the federal and state government in...
The purpose of this report is to outline the history of concussion education, management, and prevention, as well as current action and legislation designed to address this problem. The report defines what a concussion is and its prevalence in sports, along with estimates for the cost of...
Most states began to develop a basic system of parks in the early 1920s. In the 1930s states grew these park systems into decidedly more substantial entities, largely through federal monies distributed as a part of the Roosevelt administration’s Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) program. While...
This report analyzes available models and best practices for longitudinally tracking refugees in the United States. New Hampshire currently tracks refugees at the minimum level required by federal programs, and seeks to explore alternatives that would better evaluate the effectiveness of refugee...
The majority of New Hampshire’s 143 airports are small, unpaved, private facilities. However, this report focuses primarily on the state’s twenty-four public access airports, which together comprise most of the state’s aviation activity. The quality of these twenty- four airports differs...
For the past few decades, the Grafton County Jail has had four types of rehabilitation programs: substance abuse programs, a GED program, a community work program, and a ‘threshold and decision-making program.’ This report examines correctional facility programs in other rural counties for...
Journal of American Medical Informatics Association, 19(3):360-367
Author(s); Ajit Appari, Emily Carran, M. Eric Johnson, and Denise Anthony
OBJECTIVE:
To determine whether the use of computerized physician order...
In 2011, the United States Department of Agriculture ranked Vermont the ninth hungriest state in America. Research shows that children are especially affected by food insecurity. The federal government runs a National School Lunch Program (NSLP) to help families in need provide food for their...
In the context of an increasingly older population and rising medical costs, especially for the elderly population, New Hampshire policymakers have recently decided to shift the state’s resources for long-term care from institutional providers (e.g., county nursing homes) to home- and community-...
New Hampshire legislators recently considered House Bill 624, which would have mandated that the legislature establish all state fees and fines through statute. This measure would have shifted control over the establishment and adjustment of fee amounts from state agencies to the legislature,...
Given the large structural deficit of the State of New Hampshire and the significantly increased eligibility standards for Medicaid under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), the Rockefeller Center has been tasked with assessing the impact of the decision to opt-out of...
The Rockefeller Center’s fifth annual New Hampshire State of the State Poll surveyed a sample of New Hampshire registered voters (N=403) on April 2-5, 2012 to get voter opinions on policy issues, elected officials, and the state of the economy in New Hampshire and in the United States. Sample...
Effective Vermont river management is vital to preserving the economic value of floodplains and waterways while reducing the damage to human property and life. Waterways are an important feature in the Vermont environment, and play a great role in agriculture, nutrient transport, recreation,...
This report analyzes performance management systems for use within the New Hampshire Department of Safety and its divisions. The first part of our report focuses on umbrella systems for department-wide strategic planning. There are several key components to any successful and useful performance...
Presently, New Hampshire is one of twenty states in the country that does not require identification to vote. In 2011, the New Hampshire General Court passed Senate Bill 129, which would have required that voters present a valid state or federal government-issued photograph identification (photo...
This purpose of this report is to assess the costs and benefits of implementing an independent ombudsman office in the State of Vermont. We specifically analyzed the roles, structures, and budgets of state ombudsman offices in the five U.S. states with classical ombudsman offices that have...
Cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs) for retirees in the New Hampshire Retirement System are currently awarded on an ad hoc basis, subject to annual approval by the Legislature. The Legislature wishes to explore alternatives to this approach. This report gives a broad overview of the different...
The Legal Aid Referral Center (LARC) keeps a complete a record of its incoming and outgoing phone calls in the form of an electronic dataset. However, it lacks the resources and necessary statistical tools to draw meaningful information from the data. Our goal is to develop a strategy to...
The Grafton County Correctional Facility is over 110 years old, overcrowded, and in poor condition. In 2005 the National Institute of Corrections funded a Physical Plant Assessment which cited numerous deficiencies caused by the physical condition of the main building of the old facility. In...
Ethnic and Racial Studies, 35(2), 2012
Author(s): Natalka Patsiurko, John Campbell, and John Hall
Many claim that national economic success depends upon cultural homogeneity. We collect new time-series...
2010 - 2011
Legal aid is the provision of assistance to people otherwise unable to afford legal representation and access to the court system. Forms of legal aid have existed since the early 1900s, primarily through private funding. In 1974, Congress created the Legal Services Corporation (LSC) to provide...
In recent years, much attention has been paid to the need to innovate and reform public schools. One response to this education reform movement was the creation of charter schools. This report looks at the charter school movement in New Hampshire and the current condition of charter schools in...
This policy brief considers the potential effects of the recent Medicaid expansion on the provision of long term care in New Hampshire. In 2010, Congress passed national health care reform that aims to impact positively the residents of the State of New Hampshire by easing the strain of long...
This policy brief is a project for the Burlington Housing Authority (BHA) conducted by the Rockefeller Centers Policy Research Shop. The goal is to provide information about three distinct Homelessness Prevention and Rapid Re-Housing Initiatives for the BHA. Drawing on three case studies, the...
This report assesses the effectiveness of the Local Transportation Facilities (LTF) program in Vermont. It finds that while the program is useful for relatively large and not pressing infrastructure developments, it can be overly burdensome and inflexible for municipalities with immediate needs...
The goal of this report is to provide an overview of shared decision making as a health care practice and related policy options for the state of New Hampshire. Through evaluation of current research and salient case studies, this report seeks to highlight the opportunities and challenges of...
International Center for Business and Politics (48): 1-28
Author(s): John Campbell and Ove Pedersen
Comparative political economy has been dominated since the 1970s by two waves of...
The City of Claremont, New Hampshire approached the Rockefeller Centers Policy Research Shop about methods for surveying housing stock in the city. At that time, Claremont had just received a U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) grant with provisions attached to its award. One...
This report assesses the suitability of two renewable energy incentive programs, property tax exemptions and Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE), for Lebanon, New Hampshire. We find that property tax exemptions are popular in theory but are seldom claimed in the New Hampshire municipalities...
There is currently an ongoing debate in the United States Congress over the Environmental Protection Agency’s jurisdiction in regulating greenhouse gas emissions. Due to competing interests, a federal policy regulating the emissions has yet to pass through Congress. Many experts believe that it...
This report examines the effects and implications of the 1996 New Hampshire law that transferred seventeen-year-old offenders to the adult criminal justice system. It analyzes the benefits and drawbacks of this decision with the available budget and recidivism data. The report also compares New...
Developmental Neurophysiology 36(3): 302-318
Author(s): Donna Coch, Priya Mitra, Elyse George, Natalie Berger
Event-related potentials (ERPs) and behavioral accuracy judgments were...
This report analyzes data obtained through research of past literature, consumer satisfaction survey analysis, and original interviews with mental health providers. The objective is to provide relevant information about past and present mental health services in New Hampshire, the impact of...
This report’s goals are to evaluate how New Hampshire’s tax and incentive structure affects business investment in the state, compare it to other states’, and discuss policies that could enhance business investment in different areas of New Hampshire’s economy. To evaluate New Hampshire’s...
This report has been prepared for the Vermont Child Poverty Council (VCPC), a subcommittee of the Vermont state legislature tasked with reducing childhood poverty by fifty percent by the year 2017. The VCPC tasked the Policy Research Shop to find out whether or not the data for measuring a...
This report on the Nelson A. Rockefeller Center’s third annual “State of the State” poll captures the opinions of New Hampshire residents in regards to economic, budgetary, environmental, and social policy issues and other questions. In addition to reporting the overall opinions on these subject...
This report has been prepared for the Vermont Child Poverty Council, a special coalition of lawmakers, state officials and social workers tasked by the legislature to study ways to decrease child poverty by fifty percent by 2017. The Vermont Child Poverty Council asked the Policy Research Shop...
2009 - 2010
New Hampshire has the most restrictive duration requirements to receive state disability benefits in the nation. While all other states and the federal government only require that an applicant be unable to work for one year, New Hampshire requires that an applicant be unable to work for four...
This report describes a research project undertaken by Dartmouth students seeking to evaluate how effectively the New Hampshire Judicial Branch’s web site supports litigants who chose to represent themselves (“pro se”) in civil and family court. Servicing these people’s needs effectively via the...
The following analyses are the product of all research and data collected by a group of Dartmouth undergraduate students working in the Policy Research Shop at the Rockefeller Center from October 2009 to May 2010. Most of the data was collected through interviews with shelter directors and state...
New Hampshire’s “Renewable Portfolio Standards” legislation sets the goal that by 2025 a quarter of the energy used in the state will be generated from renewable resources. Currently, approximately nine percent of the energy consumed in the state is produced by renewable sources. Even though...
The Rockefeller Center’s third annual State of the State surveyed a sample of New Hampshire registered voters (N=406) to get their opinions on policy issues, elected officials, and the state of the economy in New Hampshire and in the United States. Sample demographics and polling methodology are...
New Hampshire has the only state park system in America that is entirely self-funded. The New Hampshire State Legislature is interested in determining whether the current self-funding scheme can provide sufficient funding to maintain the quality of New Hampshire’s state parks. To address this...
This report examines the DWI repeat offender adjudication process both within New Hampshire and nationwide. Following a review of recent literature, analysis of current policies throughout the United States, and detailed case studies, authors conclude with New Hampshire-specific policy...
Through interviews, surveys, and focus groups this report examines student leadership at Dartmouth College. From the research I identify three main trends for discussion--the differences in characteristics and leadership styles between genders, the causes and practice of authoritarian leadership...
Central to New Hampshire’s decision on expanding gambling in the state is the social impact such a decision will have on current residents. This report examines how gambling regulatory bodies, state legislatures, and departments of health have addressed expanded gambling in thirty-four states....
New Hampshire has the stated goal of expanding its renewable energy portfolio. An option for New Hampshire to achieve that goal is through the use of biomass fuel. The state’s vast reserves of potential biomass fuel make it particularly well suited to this source of renewable energy.
New...
The rules and regulations that govern the access that third parties have to the ballot in New Hampshire are some of the nation’s strictest. This report specifically outlines these relevant state laws, summarizes the constitutional dimensions of ballot access laws, and assesses New Hampshire’s...
Nations and Nationalism 16(1): 89-107
Author(s): John Campbell and John Hall
The teleological functionalism of Gellner's theory of nationalism has been much criticized. Attention here is on a...
The following report analyzes the results of the 2009 “New Hampshire State of the State” poll conducted by the Rockefeller Center at Dartmouth College in May of 2009. Specifically, this report studies respondents’ answers to questions in the poll relating to political activism, the current...
2008 - 2009
Corrigan Family Gift Launches Leadership Initiative at Dartmouth; Learning and Living Leadership; The Role of Alumni and Friends;
This report discusses the potential to create partnerships in sustainability with surrounding local businesses and academic communities. While the Town of Hanover can set an example by instituting sustainable public policies and practices, it will ultimately have to rely upon local businesses...
This report explores a variety of creative ways in which local governments, both in the United States and in foreign countries, have funded projects aimed at increasing their environmental sustainability.
Workshop in Business Opportunities, or WIBO, is an entrepreneurial training and development program that originated in the Harlem district of New York City in 1966. The 16-week course introduces participants to a variety of concepts essential for the successful operation of a small business. In...
This report provides a general overview of the structures of local governance in New Hampshire cities and in New Hampshire towns with populations in the 10,000 to 20,000 range, and compares them to the city of Lebanon’s system of local governance.
The City of Lebanon (the City) is considering the immediate purchase of a one-acre portion of the 19.1 acre Westboro rail yard from the New Hampshire Department of Transportation (NHDOT). The City is additionally entertaining the possibility of purchasing the southern portion of the site if...
Dartmouth College operates in a unique position in the Town of Hanover where the College has the right to discipline students and enforce laws alongside local law enforcement forces. Dartmouth College’s jurisdiction extends over all campus property and over all students at the College. Dartmouth...
This report was written in order to address the potential benefits of coordinating the New Hampshire Department of Corrections (DOC) across all levels of government, from county to state. It analyzed this possibility through the lens of the overflowing prison populations, particularly the large...
Due to the lack of cohesion amongst Vermont’s local transportation systems, coordination is an endeavor that is currently being considered. The current twenty-six transportation systems of Vermont have been able to operate themselves through various forms of localized and federal funding streams...
In the spring of 2008, The Rockefeller Center Policy Research Shop published Policy Brief 0708-02, detailing statistics and policy options relevant to New Hampshire House Bill 1462, which sought to establish an Office of Personal Financial Education in the New Hampshire Treasury Department....
Insufficient retirement savings is a growing issue for both the citizens of the State of New Hampshire and those of the entire United States. This report analyzes academic research, current business models, and the retirement systems of other states to ultimately offer solutions to the savings...
In our state, lack of access to mental health and substance care is a pressing issue. Over the last decade, New Hampshire (NH) residents have consistently reported high rates of alcohol and substance abuse in comparison to national averages, yet the state's efforts and infrastructure to deal...
Voter suppression, defined in this report as any behavior intended to deter an eligible voter from casting a ballot, has been an ongoing concern in the debate surrounding election law and election administration. This report outlines the history, practices, and legislation surrounding major...
Due to the lack of cohesion within Vermont Transportation system, the ability to have an enhanced unified system secured financially has been on ongoing issue. The current twenty six transportation systems of Vermont have been able to operate themselves through various forms of localized and...
During the week of April 28-May 2, 2008, students in the Policy Research Shop conducted a telephone survey of New Hampshire registered voters. Calls were made between the hours of 6:30pm and 9:30pm on Monday through Thursday evenings. Additional calls were made during daytime hours on Tuesday...
2007 - 2008
Three significant events in 2008--the presidential election, the 100th anniversary of Nelson Rockefeller's birth, and the 25th anniversary of the Rockefeller Center--provided many opportunities to expand and enhance the Center's programs for students, faculty, and the community.
Poverty is a persistent problem in New Orleans. Pre-Katrina figures reveal that a large percentage of the city's population lived below the poverty line. The storm has only exacerbated the conditions as well as the racial pattern of who experiences poverty. Many policy makers are looking to...
Over the next ten years, New Hampshire faces a $1.74 billion deficit in its plan to build and repair state highways and bridges according to the New Hampshire Department of Transportation. In order to avoid delays in construction and potentially hazardous transportation infrastructure conditions...
Lead poisoning has been linked to numerous behavioral problems and health conditions among children with elevated lead blood levels. This report first focuses on methods that have been used for primary prevention and then gives several policy recommendations that can be implemented in New...
In response to increased awareness, both nationally and in New Hampshire, of the mental health needs of prison inmates this report aims to provide New Hampshire policymakers with a better understanding of the status, challenges, and policy options New Hampshire faces with regard to mental health...