PRS Briefs
2017 - 2018
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...
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...
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,...
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...
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...
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...
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 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...
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 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...
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...
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...
2015 - 2016
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...
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,...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
2014 - 2015
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 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...
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...
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 task ed with researching methods of streamlining the...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
2013 - 2014
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...
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 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...
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...
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...
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 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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
2012 - 2013
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...
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,...
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.i Chaired by the Commissioner of the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services, the role and...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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....
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
2011 - 2012
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...
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...
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...
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...
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 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...
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...
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,...
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...
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...
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...
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 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...
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 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...
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...
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...
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...
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 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
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 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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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 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...
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...
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
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.
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...
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...
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 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.
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...
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 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....
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...
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...
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...
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...
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
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...
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...
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...
While rural areas might not be known for their traffic, congestion is a significant problem in the downtown districts of many small New England towns. The towns of Norwich, VT and Hanover, NH have had to deal with traffic congestion in their downtowns. In Hanover, downtown congestion appears to...
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...
Planning for a potential pandemic influenza event is a process being undertaken at all levels of government in states and international agencies throughout the world. Current concern about a potential pandemic stems from the "existence of an influenza virus of pandemic potential," namely a...
Healthy New Hampshire 2010 was published in 2001 by the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services in order to establish baselines and set goals for health indicators in the state. Eleven broad public health focus areas related to disease prevention and health promotion were chosen by...
The manifestations of global warming and climate change can be seen in cities, towns, and villages all over the world, although their specific effects depend on a number of local geographical, political, social, and economic factors. Local governments are in a unique position to address the main...
This policy brief explores problems and policy solutions regarding affordable housing in both Hanover and New Hampshire as a whole. The current standard for affordable living, set by the Department of Housing and Urban Development, is that a family or individual should pay no more than 30...
With continuing population growth and changing land use patterns, rural character has become an important topic of interest for the Town of Hanover. Hanover residents have overwhelmingly responded that preserving the rural character of the town is important, and since 1974 the town has released...
Current in-state landfill capacity is adequate for the next 25 years, when New Hampshire will have to begin the potentially expensive endeavor of exporting waste, according to New Hampshire's Department of Environmental Services. To extend the lifetime of in-state solid waste disposal capacity,...
Cellulosic ethanol is a renewable liquid biofuel that has emerged as a prospective alternative transportation fuel source with significant environmental implications. Sources of cellulosic biomass from which ethanol can be made include, but are not limited to: agricultural wastes such as corn...
In spite of the many uses and likely economic benefits of broadband Internet access, several geographic and demographic factors suggest that New Hampshire's broadband Internet accessibility is not as prevalent as more populated and urban states throughout the country. In particular, New...
House Bill 1462 would establish an Office of Personal Financial Education in New Hampshire's Treasury Department. If passed, the bill would provide financial literacy resources to New Hampshire's citizens and equip the State Treasurer with the authority to coordinate current efforts to improve...
Riparian zones play a crucial role in improving water quality by filtering pollution from surface runoff before it can enter lakes, streams, and other bodies of water. These areas are becoming increasingly degraded by human activities, such as construction and the clearing of vegetation. While...
2006 - 2007
In Vermont, decreasing numbers of students are deciding to attend college in their home state, and extremely low numbers of students remain in Vermont for their adult lives. This so-called "brain drain" of young Vermonters has particularly detrimental effects on the state's economy, as a young...
In 1990, the Environmental Protection Agency estimated that there were nearly one billion scrap tires in stockpiles across the nation. The most recent data of Vermont, reported by the Environmental Protection Agency in 2001, indicates that as many as 200,000 scrap tires are stored in stockpiles...
The benefits provided to communities by urban forestry programs, specifically street tree planting and maintenance, appear to outweigh the costs in all cases studied. As such, street tree planting and management programs may be viable options for communities to consider incorporating if they are...
New Hampshire provides substantial Medicaid funding for children in foster care yet often still struggles with identifying and treating foster children's mental and physical health problems. This report highlights three areas of concern regarding the provision of Medicaid services to foster...
For reasons ranging from environmental health to the stability and long-term viability of petroleum as a fuel source, exploring alternative energy has emerged as an important issue for the state of Vermont. One aspect of this issue is the prospective wide scale use of biodiesel as a replacement...
In New Hampshire and throughout the United States, a significant portion of the population is not actively saving for retirement. Almost half of New Hampshire workers ages 21 to 64 are not enrolled in an employer-sponsored retirement savings plan. The overall effect of low retirement savings is...
In 2004, education expenditures constituted an average of 21.4 percent of state budgets nationwide. As the largest single expenditure for most state governments, public education programs come under scrutiny for their effectiveness and quality and are constantly adapting to fit the needs of...
Methyl Tertiary Butyl Ether (MTBE) has replaced lead as an on the United States to increase engine combustion efficiency and reduce tailpipe emissions. The use of MTBE was expanded after the 1990 Clean Air Acts Amendments (CAA Amendments) both banned the use of lead as a gas additive and...
2005 - 2006
New Hampshire and Vermont, like many states, face the challenge of providing affordable, high-quality Medicaid programs while operating under budget constraints. One component of these medical expenses is the cost of caring for the steadily rising proportion of obese citizens. Medicaid costs...
The demand for long-term care in the United States is rapidly rising due to the high growth rate of the elderly population. Along with other states, New Hampshire and Vermont must develop financially viable strategies to ensure adequate and efficient programs for long-term care. Medicaid is the...
New Hampshire and Vermont, along with many other states, are currently struggling to contain the continually rising cost of Medicaid. In recent years, prescription drugs have been one of the largest and the fastest growing component of these costs in both states and across the nation. This...
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) defines a brownfield as "real property, the expansion, redevelopment, or reuse of which may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant." In both Vermont and New Hampshire, the majority of...
A current trend in the state parks systems of the United States is "privatization" of certain functions and services. Privatization, as defined by author and Director Emeritus of Florida State Parks, Ney C. Landrum, is the "transfer of responsibility for selected state park functions or...
A Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) is a policy mandate that a given proportion of power supplied by retail electricity providers be derived from approved renewable sources. While there is no uniform approach to the construction or implementation of an RPS policy, several common and important...
Vermont's Career and Technical Education (CTE) program works with high schools to provide students with technical education programs for at least one of their last two secondary years, with the goal of satisfying Vermont's job placement and business demands. CTE offers 64 career and technical...
The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) legislated state accountability in "meeting annual measurable achievement objectives" for student competence in mathematics and reading. The imposition of high-stakes testing is intended to encourage schools to improve education in these areas. The new...
2004 - 2005
Like many states across the nation, New Hampshire and Vermont face the challenge of addressing the rising costs of health care within the constraints of their individual budgets. Both states’ Medicaid programs are struggling to extend high-quality, accessible, timely, and effective care to needy...
Developing the full potential of wind resources in New Hampshire holds great promise for helping to meet the state's energy needs. The U.S. Department of Energy estimates that about 179,000 acres in New Hampshire may be suitable for wind energy development. While much of this land is on federal...
Developing the full potential of wind resources in Vermont holds great promise for helping to meet the state's energy needs. The U.S. Department of Energy estimates that about 177,000 acres in Vermont may be suitable for wind energy development. While much of this land is on federal and state...
Many states have established standards for renewable energy production and sales in the form of a Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS). An RPS specifies that a minimum percentage of the total energy a utility company sells must come from renewable sources such as solar power, wind power, or...
Vermont Yankee is Vermont’s only nuclear facility and produces a significant amount of the electricity consumed within the state. Although the plant’s license is set to expire in March 2012, the plant faces growing pressures to meet its storage needs in the short-term. Yankee currently utilizes...
Like many states across the nation, New Hampshire and Vermont face the challenge of addressing the rising costs of health care within the constraints of their individual budgets. Both states’ Medicaid programs are struggling to extend high-quality, accessible, timely, and effective care to needy...
2017-2018
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...