Public Policy Center Research Articles

College Students as Participants in Our Democracy

Low rates of voter engagement characteristic of the college-age demographic are determined by a host of factors. These factors vary according to geography, demographic variables, and individual inclinations. Those who strive to strengthen our democracy through increasing access to our political system confront many challenges, and there exists no “one-size-fits-all” approach. College campuses, where young voters obviously congregate in large numbers, provide a primary access point for democratic engagement efforts. Institutions of higher education are compelled to respond to the federal mandate put forth by the Higher Education Act to provide information on voter registration. Anecdotal information suggests a greatly varied response to this call. A sample of campus programs attempting to engage college and university voters are presented here, demonstrated by peer-based actions in 1) an institute for civic and community engagement in St. Louis, Missouri, 2) a public policy center in Indianola, Iowa, 3) an intensive interdisciplinary curricular experience in Oswego, New York, and 4) a broad-based voter education initiative in Springfield, Missouri. They differ greatly in terms of funding sources, campus positions of their administrating personnel, curricular versus co-curricular actions, and the degree of administrative support to mobilize and engage members of the campus community. In addition, participating students learn to recognize the agency they wield in molding the political world they want to experience and are more likely to continue their civic engagement post-graduation.

Cell Lines of Illicit Origins and Vaccines

A March of 2021 “Statement from Pro-Life Catholic Scholars on the Moral Acceptability of Receiving COVID-19 Vaccines,” released by the Ethics and Public Policy Center argued that in accepting one of the Covid vaccines that had recently become available, one would not be “in any way endorsing or con­tributing to the practice of abortion, or . . . in any way showing disrespect for the remains of an unborn human being.” That statement received criticism from some opponents of abortion. Here, I raise six questions about the claims or implications of the “Statement” in order to defend it in its main assertions, correct it in some minor matters, and extend its analysis as needed.

New guide developed to provide trauma‐informed care to youth

The National Child Traumatic Stress Network Multisystem Involved Youth Collaborative Work Group and Georgetown University's McCourt School of Public Policy Center for Juvenile Justice Reform have partnered to develop “A Trauma‐Informed Guide for Working with Youth Involved in Multiple Systems.” The purpose of this guide is to help those working with youth involved in multiple systems (YIMS) and their families to use a traumatic stress perspective and provide trauma‐informed care, the executive summary stated. YIMS are children and adolescents who are under the care or supervision of multiple child and family serving systems. They include “crossover youth” or “dually involved youth” who are involved in child welfare (CW) and in the juvenile justice (JJ) system. In addition to CW and JJ involvement, YIMS are also often simultaneously involved in an array of other service systems including immigration, legal, education, family services, physical and behavioral health systems and systems designed to serve those with developmental disabilities or those who experience homelessness.

Misleading News Coverage of Research Findings Poses a Risk to Youth Mental Health and Safety

Misleading News Coverage of Research Findings Poses a Risk to Youth Mental Health and Safety

Study says Netflix series may reduce suicide risk for young adults

A new study found that the third season of the Netflix series 13 Reasons Why, set to premiere later this year, may reduce suicide risk for young adults. Many argue that the show, which tells the fictional story of a teenager who dies by suicide and leaves behind messages for those she claims influenced her decision, glamorizes suicide and presents it as an effective way to end suffering or exact revenge on hurtful classmates (see MHW, May 2, 2017; July 13, 2018), The Philadelphia Inquirer reported April 25. The study, published in Social Science and Medicine, surveyed 729 adults ages 18 to 29 before and after the May 2018 release of the second season. Researchers found students who watched the entire second season were less likely to purposely injure themselves or seriously consider suicide — even when compared with those who did not watch the show. “They were actually better off than if they hadn't watched it,” said Dan Romer, co‐author of the study and research director of the Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania. Those who stopped watching partway through were at greater risk for suicide. Like many in the public health field, Romer thought the show's depiction of suicide was “brutal,” and worried about its inspiring copycat events at a time when suicide is the second‐leading cause of death for 15‐ to 24‐year‐olds, and suicidal thoughts are driving more youths to emergency rooms. “But we've learned that there are some young people who can see positive things in a story like this,” he said. Public health experts suggest Netflix should show more characters seeking help for mental health concerns and getting adequate support from adults in their lives.

Changing times for science and the public: Science journalists' roles for the responsible communication of science.

EMBO Reports (2019)e47906 “Across time, public understanding about how science works is affected by journalism”, said Kathleen Hall Jamieson, Director of the Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania. “A journalist, with very little extra effort, can increase the accuracy of public understanding and minimize public vulnerability to distortions of science” [1]. The responsible communication of science has always been an important issue for scientists and journalists, but it has gained more attention during the past few years, owing to growing public interest in the scientific enterprise and demands for accountability. In response to this larger public attention, Jamieson argues that we need to reconsider media narratives about science and research, suggesting that the time is ripe to reexamine the ways and means by which science is communicated to the public [2]. This has gained particular importance in light of the contemporary debate about a “reproducibility crisis”, which has stimulated a tale of a science in trouble based largely on a string of retractions and failures to reproduce experiments in the biomedical and the social sciences. A recent analysis reassessed 21 experimental social science studies published between 2010 and 2015 in Nature and Science, and found that 8 lack crucial evidence to support the authors’ conclusions [3]. Brian Nosek, one of the co‐authors, reasoned that “someone observing these failures to replicate might conclude that science is going in the wrong direction”. He added though that “science's greatest strength is its constant self‐scrutiny to identify and correct problems and increase the pace of discovery” [4]. Increasingly, the narrative that science “is going in the wrong direction” and is undergoing a crisis has been revisited. Daniele Fanelli [5] commented that the narrative of a science in crisis is …

Patients receiving complementary medicine are more likely to die, study finds.

Patients with cancer who received complementary therapy for curable cancers were more likely to refuse at least one component of their conventional cancer treatment, thereby increasing their likelihood of dying, according to a study by Yale University researchers. The research, published in JAMA Oncology, was led by investigators from the Yale Cancer Center and the Cancer Outcomes, Public Policy and Effectiveness Research Center at Yale School of Medicine in New Haven, Connecticut.1 They found a 2-fold greater risk of death for patients who received complementary medicine versus those who did not. Patients with cancer often use complementary medicine, defined as medical therapies that fall outside the scope of scientific medicine, and the rate of use in the United States is increasing. Many patients believe a combination of complementary and conventional cancer treatment will offer them the best chance of a cure; however, limited research exists with which to evaluate the effectiveness of complementary medicines. At the same time, it is not known whether patients use complementary medicines to improve their response to conventional medical therapies or in lieu of them. The researchers studied 1290 patients with breast, prostate, lung, or colorectal cancer in the National Cancer Database, which represents approximately 70% of newly diagnosed cancers nationwide. They compared 258 patients who used complementary medicine with 1032 individuals who did not between 2004 and 2013. Collecting information regarding the outcomes of patients who received complementary medicine in addition to conventional cancer treatments, they found a greater risk of death. Despite having received some conventional cancer therapy, these patients were more likely to refuse other aspects of recommended care such as chemotherapy, surgery, radiotherapy, and hormone therapy. As a result, the investigators concluded that patients who chose to use complementary medicine as a cancer treatment were more likely to refuse other conventional cancer treatments and had a resulting higher risk of death compared with those who did not use complementary medicine. Lead author Skyler Johnson, MD, chief resident in radiation oncology at Yale School of Medicine, says there is considerable confusion regarding the role of complementary therapies. Although these therapies may be useful in helping patients who are experiencing side effects from conventional cancer treatment, they are being marketed as or are understood to be effective cancer treatments, he says.

THE STRATEGIES FOR ENHANCING TOURISM SMES’ COMPETITIVENESS:THE CHALLENGES FACING THAILAND TOURISM SECTOR UNDER THE AEC’S LIBERALIZED TRADE IN SERVICES.

21Sep 2018 THE STRATEGIES FOR ENHANCING TOURISM SMES COMPETITIVENESS:THE CHALLENGES FACING THAILAND TOURISM SECTOR UNDER THE AECS LIBERALIZED TRADE IN SERVICES. PornphatuRupjumlong , D.P.A. , AnatchaiRattakul , Ph.D. , KwanmingKhumprasert , Ph.D. And PiphatKovitkanit , Ph.D. Advisor, ASEAN and Asia Studies Center, and Lecturer, Graduate School of Public Administration National Institute of Development Administration. Committee Member of National Education CouncilDirector of Public Policy and Management Center, KasemBundit University. Lecturer, General Management Program, Faculty of Management Science PhranakhonRadjabhat University Director, Maruay Garden Hotel.

The Continuing Rise of Gun Violence in PG-13 Movies, 1985 to 2015.

* Abbreviations: PG-13 — : parental guidance for children under age 13 years R — : restricted to age 17 years and older unless accompanied by an adult The Motion Picture Association of America created the parental guidance for children under age 13 years (PG-13) movie rating in 1984 to “strongly” caution parents about content that may not be suited for children of that age. According to that industry-supported group, “There may be depictions of violence in a PG-13 movie, but generally not both realistic and extreme or persistent violence,” (www.filmratings.com). Unlike PG-13 films, which are open to all, those rated R can only be seen in theaters by those under 17 years who are accompanied by a parent or other adult. In a 2013 issue of Pediatrics ,1 … Address correspondence to Daniel Romer, PhD, Annenberg Public Policy Center, 202 S. 36th St, Philadelphia, PA 19104. E-mail: dan.romer{at}appc.upenn.edu

RETRACTED: Effects of Violent Media on Verbal Task Performance in Gifted and General Cohort Children

At the request of the Journal Editor(s) and the Publisher and/or the author(s), the following article has been retracted. Çetin, Y., Wai, J., Altay, C., & Bushman B. J. (2016). Effects of violent media on verbal task performance in gifted and general cohort children. Gifted Child Quarterly, 60(4), 279-287. doi: 10.1177/0016986216660382 Joseph Hilgard, postdoctoral fellow at the Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania, contacted the journal with questions regarding the pattern of results and conducted reanalyses of the data that called into question the credibility of the data. Unfortunately, the data collection procedures could not be verified because the author who collected the data (Cengiz Altay) could not be contacted following the attempted coup in Turkey. Therefore, as the integrity of the data could not be confirmed, the journal has determined, and the co-authors have agreed, to retract the study.

Evidence-Based Science Filmmaking Initiative: Study No. 1

This Report summarizes the preliminary conclusions of Study No. 1 in the Cultural Cognition Project’s “Evidence-based Science Filmmaking Initiative.” Conducted in collaboration with the Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania, the goal of the initiative is to promote the integration of the emerging science of science communication into the craft of science filmmaking. A principal aim of the first study was to develop a valid and reliable science curiosity scale. The report describes the development of the scale, its psychometric properties, and its success in predicting engagement with a science documentary on evolution produced by Initiative collaborator Tangled Bank Studios. The report also presents evidence on variation in science curiosity, and engagement with the documentary conditional on science curiosity, among culturally diverse groups, including ones holding opposing beliefs on human evolution. Provisional conclusions, and plans for follow up research, are discussed.

The Future of Sentencing

Research Article| December 01 2015 The Future of Sentencing: Parole Discretion and Risk Reduction Peggy B. Burke Peggy B. Burke Center for Effective Public Policy and National Parole Resource Center Search for other works by this author on: This Site PubMed Google Scholar Federal Sentencing Reporter (2015) 28 (2): 88–91. https://doi.org/10.1525/fsr.2015.28.2.88 Views Icon Views Article contents Figures & tables Video Audio Supplementary Data Peer Review Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Cite Icon Cite Search Site Citation Peggy B. Burke; The Future of Sentencing: Parole Discretion and Risk Reduction. Federal Sentencing Reporter 1 December 2015; 28 (2): 88–91. doi: https://doi.org/10.1525/fsr.2015.28.2.88 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Reference Manager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentFederal Sentencing Reporter Search This content is only available via PDF. © 2015 Vera Institute of Justice2015 Article PDF first page preview Close Modal You do not currently have access to this content.

Youth and surveillance in the Facebook era: Policy interventions and social implications

Facebook’s meteoric rise—from a small Harvard-based website that began in 2004, to a global digital platform with a membership of 1.2 billion people a decade later—has made it one of the most profitable and high-profile corporations in today’s contemporary digital culture. Its aggressive marketing and data collection practices, however, have placed Facebook at the center of public policy debates over consumer privacy in the Big Data era. This paper explores those controversial practices, focusing especially on their effects on youth.More than 80% of teens use social media, which have become an essential arena for personal and social development, and which may well be altering some of young peoples’ behavior patterns. But except for a handful of studies (mostly published in marketing journals) the growing body of academic literature on social media and youth has ignored the role of marketplace forces. Yet economic imperatives and powerful e-commerce business models are fueling the growth of these new platforms, shaping their structures and operations, and both responding to and influencing user behaviors.The driving force behind the growth of social media—and, indeed, all digital media—is a complex set of data collection, tracking, and targeting systems that monitor and monetize individual users’ behaviors as well as their interactions with friends and acquaintances. Facebook’s marketing, data collection, tracking, and targeting operations are specially attuned to key aspects of adolescent development, both tapping into young peoples’ needs and taking advantage of their unique vulnerabilities. Because of adolescents’ emotional volatility and their tendency to act impulsively, they are more vulnerable than adults to such techniques as real-time bidding, location targeting (especially when the user is near a point of purchase), and “dynamic creative” ads tailored to their individual profile and behavioral patterns.Given the unique role that digital media play in the lives of young people, new strategies will be required to ensure that their privacy is enshrined as a fundamental right. One way to accomplish this is to develop a set of “Fair Information and Marketing Principles for Children and Teens,” drawn from the long-established and well-recognized Fair Information Privacy Practices. These principles should take into account the unique needs and vulnerabilities of youth, and be designed to balance the ability of young people to participate fully in the contemporary media culture—as producers, consumers, and citizens—with the governmental and industry obligation to ensure they are not subjected to unfair, manipulative, and deceptive data collection and marketing practices. In order to achieve these goals, advocacy organizations, educators, parents, scholars, and youth need to work together as part of a broad, social movement, making privacy for children and youth part of the larger policy agenda on behalf of all consumers and citizens.

Ensuring quality in genomic medicine: amid the rise in complex laboratory-developed tests, regulatory officials are seeking the right balance on quality assurance.

Ensuring quality in genomic medicine: amid the rise in complex laboratory-developed tests, regulatory officials are seeking the right balance on quality assurance.

Escalating violence in PG-13 movies.

In this issue of Pediatrics , Romer and colleagues1 examine the judgments of parents watching a series of movie clips with sexual and violent content. These clips, viewable at the Annenberg Public Policy Center’s Web site, are a bit unsettling (they include sexual encounters that leave little to the imagination, executions that come by surprise, and battles between humans and robots that end in the graphic “death” of the robot). In this study, as they watched more of the clips in succession, parents became more permissive about the age at which they would allow their own children, as well as children generally, to view the movies from which these clips originated. From this, the authors conclude that frequent moviegoers may become desensitized to the sex and violence they repeatedly see onscreen. This desensitization process, they contend, is 1 reason content in movies rated PG-13, or appropriate for teenagers with parental guidance, has … Address correspondence to Jeanne Van Cleave, MD, 15th Floor C100, 100 Cambridge St, Boston, MA 02144. E-mail: jvancleave{at}partners.org

Transformaciones de la familia conyugal en Chile en el período de la transición democrática (1990-2011)

The conjugal family (marriage by choice, for life, based on love for the couple, living in a home, to procreate and raise together the children: the woman in charge of raising and of housework, and the male as breadwinner and authority) was at the center of public policy in Chile during much of the twentieth century. This article deepens on the changes occurred in this family configuration in the last two decades of democratic transition, from its historical context, tensions and conflicts. Information was re-processed from data bases of the CASEN Surveys 1990, 2000, 2009 and 2011, the data on two-parent households with at least one child, to deepen the knowledge about this family setting, undertaking the necessary caution, since CASEN is a household survey and not a survey of families.

Polls and Elections Party Identification in the 2012 Presidential Election

In 2000, 2004, and 2008 the Annenberg Public Policy Center (APPC) utilized the rolling cross‐section National Annenberg Election Survey (NAES) to analyze changes in self‐identified party affiliation across the course of the campaigns. Using APPC's Institutions of Democracy 2012 Political Knowledge 6‐wave telephone survey, conducted during the final two months of the campaign and immediately following the election, we compared shifts in party affiliation to comparable periods in those prior three elections. The analysis of the relatively shortened periods, examined as cross‐sections, show a more fixed affiliation. Nonetheless, there is variability from election to election especially among self‐identified Independents.

A Cátedra UNESCO de Direito à Educação da Faculdade de Direito: Democracia, cidadania e direito à educação

Democratic regimes strengthen in the extent of their acceptance by the majority, which means knowledge and confidence in the political and legal institutions. Quality education is relevant to democratic governance and citizenship formation, since providing access to cognitive tools necessary for political relevance. The interactions between democracy, the right to education and public education policies were analyzed by the UNESCO Chair on the Right to Education at the University of Sao Paulo Law School in the research project “Brazil, 25 years of democracy” in partnership with the USP Public Policy Center. The research focus is the activity of the Supreme Court (STF), the Superior Court of Justice (STJ) and the National Congress, in the period between 2000 and 2010.

Successful Practices for the Strategic Use of Political Parody and Satire

On November 28 and 29, 2012, ten scholars of political parody and satire and six parody/viral video producers met at the Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania to share their expertise, discuss the democratic uses of parody, and develop a set of strategies to guide the successful use of political parody in generating positive democratic outcomes. The symposium, P6: Professors and Practitioners Pontificate on Political Parody and Persuasion, was cosponsored by the Center for Political Communication at the University of Delaware and funded in part by a grant from the Omidyar Network’s Democracy Fund. The meeting served as a follow-up to the yearlong Annenberg Public Policy Center online project, FlackCheck.org . FlackCheck.org , the sister site to its companion FactCheck.org , is an educational site that uses entertaining visual formats and humor to inform the public and debunk false political claims. The November conference began with a keynote from Trevor Potter, former head of the FEC and lawyer to Stephen Colbert and his satirical—though very real—super PAC, Americans for a Better Tomorrow, Tomorrow.

Cultivating Political Incivility

Various scholars, pundits, and journalists, along with a majority of the American public believe incivility in politics is increasing. Nevertheless, the Annenberg Public Policy Center’s (APPC) baseline measure of political incivility remains relatively flat. How can these incongruous conclusions be reconciled? This article suggests that perceptions of political incivility are a function of viewing distinct genres of television news media: “hostile” cable news versus network news. Using a content and secondary data analysis, this article demonstrates that (1) cable news outlets provide more coverage of elite political incivility than do network news outlets and that (2) cable news viewers perceive politics to be more uncivil than do network news viewers. Combined with previous research, the results suggest cable news viewers may perceive more incivility in national politics than actually exists. Theoretically, this article provides support for genre-specific media cultivation effects. Implications for cultivation theory and incivility are discussed.