Taxpayer Dollars Research Articles

Who Says Life Is Fair? Itemizing the IRS Budget for Accountability

The tax code, at present, affords great discretion to the IRS in enforcing its individual provisions. This discretion contributes to distrust among taxpayers, bureaucratic inefficiency, and waste. By allocating funding for specific tax programs, Congress can restore trust, streamline the tax process, and make wiser use of taxpayer dollars.

Novel Human-in-the-Loop (HIL) Simulation Method to Study Synthetic Agents and Standardize Human–Machine Teams (HMT)

This work presents a multi-year study conducted at the University of Toledo, aimed at improving human–machine teaming (HMT) methods and technologies. With the advent of artificial intelligence (AI) in 21st-century machines, collaboration between humans and machines has become highly complicated for real-time applications. The penetration of intelligent and synthetic assistants (IA/SA) in virtually every field has opened up a path to the area of HMT. When it comes to crucial tasks such as patient treatment/care, industrial production, and defense, the use of non-standardized HMT technologies may pose a risk to human lives and cost billions of taxpayer dollars. A thorough literature survey revealed that there are not many established standards or benchmarks for HMT. In this paper, we propose a method to design an HMT based on a generalized architecture. This design includes the development of an intelligent collaborative system and the human team. Followed by the identification of processes and metrics to test and validate the proposed model, we present a novel human-in-the-loop (HIL) simulation method. The effectiveness of this method is demonstrated using two controlled HMT scenarios: Emergency care provider (ECP) training and patient treatment by an experienced medic. Both scenarios include humans processing visual data and performing actions that represent real-world applications while responding to a Voice-Based Synthetic Assistant (VBSA) as a collaborator that keeps track of actions. The impact of various machines, humans, and HMT parameters is presented from the perspective of performance, rules, roles, and operational limitations. The proposed HIL method was found to assist in standardization studies in the pursuit of HMT benchmarking for critical applications. Finally, we present guidelines for designing and benchmarking HMTs based on the case studies’ results analysis.

Healthcare cost associations of patients who use illicit drugs in Florida: a retrospective analysis

BackgroundIllicit drug use increases visits to the hospital. Research is limited on the costs of these healthcare visits by illicit drug.MethodsFlorida’s Agency for Health Care Administration’s emergency department and inpatient datasets from 2016 to 2018 were analyzed. Adults who used an illicit drug were included in the study population resulting in 709,658 observations. Cost-to-charge ratios were used to estimate healthcare costs. Linear regression analyzed associations of illicit drugs with total healthcare cost.ResultsTotal healthcare costs are estimated at $6.4 billion over the 3 year period. Medicare paid for the most patient care ($2.16 billion) with Medicaid and commercial insurance each estimated at $1.36 billion. Cocaine (9.25%) and multiple drug use (6.12%) increased the costs of an ED visit compared to a patient with cannabis SUD. Opioids (23.40%) and inhalants use (16.30%) increased the costs of inpatient compared to cannabis SUD.ConclusionHealthcare costs are high of patients with illicit drug SUD and poisoning, over half of which are paid for with tax payer dollars and to an unknown degree hospital write-offs. Injuries and illness of patients using cocaine and multiple drugs are associated with more expensive ED patient care and opioids and inhalants are associated with more expensive inpatient care.

A Canadian’s Reflections on American Psychiatry

A Canadian’s Reflections on American Psychiatry

Science Advocacy Serves Communities and Scientists

Science is largely funded by taxpayer dollars, and because of this, scientists have a responsibility to ensure that their research is being effectively communicated back to taxpayers and the policy makers who determine the distribution of those funds. The importance and impact of effective science communication is compounded when research is used to inform legislative action. Science impacts policy, and policy can impact science. However, formal education of scientists does not usually include specific training on interacting with science policy. Immersive service learning modalities should be integrated into formal science training programs, especially for Masters and Ph.D. programs. These programs are training our future scientists and should be responsible for introducing a fundamental understanding of the interaction between science and policy to trainees. Currently, service learning opportunities for science policy, communication, and advocacy are being organized by student organizations. This project describes strategies for engaging trainees in science policy ‐ starting with simple and easy policy actions, and delving into more complex event planning and group organizing. We aim to distribute this as a model for the types of educational resources that should be adopted into the curricula of formal science training programs. We propose that formal service‐learning projects around science policy, communication, and advocacy can serve as opportunities to practice integrating scientific knowledge and expertise into dissemination of scientific advancements to the general public and policy makers. Similar trainings are integrated into many clinical health professional programs. After all, service‐learning facilitates learning that persists over a career and a lifetime. Whether advocating for evidence‐based policies, policies which impact the scientific enterprise or STEM education, practicing skills pertinent to science policy can help scientists gain comfort in translating their experiences and experiments into lasting change for the benefit and advancement of humanity and human health.Support or Funding InformationThis work was supported in part by the National Cancer Institute grant CA‐113710(fellowship support for S. Kozlovich), the Research!America Civic Engagement Grant, generous funding from the Associated Students of Washington State University HealthSciences (ASWSUHS), and the Washington State University Health Sciences campus Services and Activities fee committee.

Opportunities for Systematically Valuing Ecosystem Service Benefits Produced by Federal Conservation Programs

Federal agencies invest taxpayer dollars every year in conservation programs that are focused on improving a suite of ecosystem services produced on private lands. A better understanding of the public benefits generated by federal conservation programs could help improve governmental efficiency and economic welfare by providing science-based evidence for use in policy decision-making regarding targeting of federal conservation investments. Of specific concern here are conservation investments made by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). While previous research has shown that efficiency gains are possible using cost-benefit analysis for targeting conservation investments, agency-wide implementation of this approach by policy makers has been constrained by the limited availability of location-specific information regarding conservation benefits. Cost-effective opportunities for integrating location-specific ecosystem service valuation research with USDA conservation decision-making include: (1) institutionalizing funding of comparable studies suitable for benefit transfer, (2) utilizing non-traditional data sources for research complementing benefit transfer, and (3) creating a state-of-the-art program for developing and communicating research in ecosystem service valuation exemplifying the highest standards of scientific conduct.

Does Size Influence Jail Efficiency? An Analysis of Local Jails in the United States

ABSTRACT This study examines the efficiency of local jails in the United States in 2016 using Data Envelopment Analysis with metafrontiers. Metafrontiers envelop jails that have a similar production technology and yield more accurate efficiency estimates. Using an input-oriented model with variable returns to scale, the results suggest that, on average, jails could reduce or reallocate their inputs by 37% given their output level. For managers, the findings provide evidence that jail managers can improve efficiency by carefully assessing how they allocate and use their resources. For policy makers, the results indicate that opportunities exist for implementing cost-saving approaches to maximize taxpayer dollars.

Engaging Scientists in Policy Discourse.

Today's science is largely funded by taxpayer dollars, and because of this, scientists have a responsibility to ensure that their research is being effectively communicated back to taxpayers and to the policy makers who determine the distribution of those funds. The importance and impact of effective science communication is compounded when research is used to inform legislative action. Science impacts policy, and policy can impact science. However, the formal education of scientists does not usually include specific training on interacting with science policy. This article describes strategies for engaging with science policy-starting with simple and easy policy actions, and delving into more complex event planning and group organizing tasks. Whether advocating for evidence-based policies or policies that impact the scientific enterprise or STEM education, practicing skills pertinent to science policy can help you gain comfort in translating your experiences and experiments into lasting change.

Quantifying the intangible impact of the Olympics using subjective well-being data

Hosting the Olympic Games costs billions of taxpayer dollars. Following a quasi-experimental setting, this paper assesses the intangible impact of the London 2012 Olympics, using a novel panel of 26,000 residents in London, Paris, and Berlin during the summers of 2011, 2012, and 2013. We show that hosting the Olympics increases subjective well-being of the host city's residents during the event, particularly around the times of the opening and closing ceremonies. However, we do not find much evidence for legacy effects. Estimating residents' implicit willingness-to-pay for the event, we do not find that it was worth it for London alone, but a modest well-being impact on the rest of the country would make hosting worth the costs.

Call for Action for Malnutrition Policy

The Older Americans Act is anticipated to be reauthorized in the 116th Congress. The law provides critical services, including congregate and home-delivered nutrition services to older adults who might otherwise be at risk of malnutrition. The prevention of malnutrition, a growing concern particularly in older adult populations, would save taxpayer dollars and more importantly, improve health care quality. Identifying and treating malnutrition is more than increasing access to food or addressing food insecurity that warrants the attention of health care providers and our nation’s policymakers. J. Blankenship is vice president, policy initiatives and advocacy, Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Chicago, IL. Bob Blancato is national coordinator, Defeat Malnutrition Today, Washington, DC.

Immigrant Youth in Juvenile Facilities: A State-by-State Review of Recreation Programming

Recent national events have increased attention towards immigrant youth. Youth placed in juvenile justice facilities go through processes overseen by the U.S. Citizen and Immigration Services, the Office of Refugee Resettlement, and the Unaccompanied Children’s Program. While in placement youth are exposed to risk factors and face cultural barriers being in a new country. As publicity of the incarceration of immigrant youth increases, there is an emphatic need for researchers to examine the quality of care youth experience in placement facilities. One of the areas that has not been critically investigated is recreation programming in juvenile justice facilities. Recreation programs grounded in Positive Youth Development have proven to promote healthy development and offer immigrant youth opportunities to adapt to their new environment. Providing youth in juvenile justice facilities access to high quality recreation programming strengthens protective factors in youth to prepare them for adulthood, and reduces the likelihood of their committing an offense, thereby increasing public safety and saving taxpayer dollars. This paper is a first step to establish a clear understanding of the treatment of immigrant youth in detention. In this paper I discuss the results of a comprehensive examination of the minimum requirements for recreation programming in juvenile justice facilities. The results provide clear implications for immigrant youth as well as suggestions for further critical inquiry.

Philosophical Implications of Taxpayer Funding for Prison Education

This paper attempts to address the question of whether it is fair to use US taxpayer dollars on prison education programs. Through a philosophical inquiry from a pragmatist lens and a feminine ethic of care, issues of fairness are clarified. Following the philosophical inquiry, a historical analysis provides some background on the issue of prison history and reform movements in America. Finally, I conclude by briefly highlighting the main arguments in favor of funding prison education programs with US tax payer dollars.

Quantifying the Intangible Impact of the Olympics Using Subjective Well-Being Data

Hosting the Olympic Games costs billions of taxpayer dollars. Following a quasi- experimental setting, this paper assesses the intangible impact of the London 2012 Olympics, using a novel panel of 26,000 residents in London, Paris, and Berlin during the summers of 2011, 2012, and 2013. We show that hosting the Olympics increases subjective well-being of the host city's residents during the event, particularly around the times of the opening and closing ceremonies. However, we do not find much evidence for legacy effects. Estimating residents' implicit willingness-to-pay for the event, we do not find that it was worth it for London alone, but a modest wellbeing impact on the rest of the country would make hosting worth the costs.

A Medical School For The Community.

Funded in part by taxpayer dollars, Dell Medical School has a mandate to improve community health. It's also identifying novel ways to reward value.

Assessing Transportation Assets for Vulnerability to Extreme Weather and Other Natural Hazards

The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) and Kentucky Transportation Center (KTC) at the University of Kentucky developed and performed an assessment of the vulnerability of the state’s national highway system (NHS) to extreme weather events and natural hazards. The assessment was designed as a hybrid process that 1) gathered and analyzed existing and available quantitative data on natural hazards, including meteorological hazards and geological hazards; 2) executed a series of workshops at KYTC districts throughout the state to elicit local expert knowledge on transportation system vulnerabilities; and 3) incorporated all data into a single vulnerability assessment. The workshops involved several facilitated exercises, including map-based discussions and keypad exercises to identify vulnerabilities along highway segments. Data from the mapping and keypad exercises were gathered in a geographic information system (GIS) and combined with the other hazard data to identify vulnerabilities for each highway segment. FHWA’s Vulnerability Assessment Scoring Tool (VAST) was used to process all the data into a single and ultimate assessment. Results from this analysis include a district-level prioritized ranking of NHS segments based on their vulnerability to extreme weather and natural hazard events. Additionally, a district vulnerability assessment report for each district highlighted the most vulnerable assets in the district and discussed their vulnerabilities in detail. This research is intended to aid KYTC in identifying at-risk infrastructure and direct the implementation of preparedness and resilience measures, thus helping to protect the integrity of the transportation system and the sound investment of taxpayer dollars.

Algorithm for Management of the Refractive Aerosinusitis Patient.

For some career military aviators, their ability to continue on flight status is limited by the pressure and pain of aerosinusitis, which is present only while in the flying environment. Failure to treat their disease process can mean the end of their flying careers and the loss of valuable assets trained with taxpayer dollars. Because some medications commonly used in treatment of sinus diseases are not allowed in aviation, this presents a unique problem for their medical management. Surgical treatment must be aimed at treating to symptom relief and not solely disease mitigation. One alternative is operating "beyond the scope of disease" present during a one-atmosphere clinic visit. A case series of nine career aviators with aerosinusitis treated at one academic military Otolaryngology department in a tertiary care facility. Results from a treatment algorithm that balances symptomatology and staged surgical intervention are reviewed. The primary endpoint was return to flight duty. For patients treated according to this algorithm, the mean time to return to flight duty was 3.8 mo, requiring an average of 1.2 surgeries. To date, 100% of career aviators have returned to flight duty using this method. Refractory aerosinusitis represents a potentially career-ending medical condition for the aviator and lost training costs to the taxpayers. Using the treatment algorithm presented, 100% of aviators were able to return to flight duty; a savings of millions of dollars for taxpayers. Future work will focus on modifications to the surgical techniques to reduce the extent of surgery while maintaining satisfactory results. Additional study should be undertaken to assess generalizability of these results in the broader aviation community.

Rethinking Our Metrics: Research in the Field of Higher Education in Prison

Increasing access to higher education in prison often hinges upon a series of seemingly compelling and related rationales: the reduction of recidivism, saving taxpayer dollars, and increasing safety and security (inside and outside of prisons). The purpose of this volume is to move beyond the discussion of recidivism, cost and safety and security metrics and the randomized control trial as the gold-standard for assessing the function and outcomes of higher education in prison. Instead, the collection of essays in this volume forward a more expansive way to understand why and how higher education in prison supports students. Attempting to quantify the rationale for higher education in prison based on recidivism rates, economic savings, and/or community safety statistics will never build a sustainable argument for why higher education in prison is a meaningful and potentially transformative experience for a formerly incarcerated person; in the same way that employment rates will not independently indicate why higher education is a potentially transformative experience for a student on a traditional campus. The effort to question the metrics and methodologies used to assess prison education programs and the outcomes for students as well as to provide alternative ways of evaluating the work of higher education in prison is present in each of the articles in this journal issue.

Advanced Material Development and Manufacturing, with Focus on Infrastructure Renovation

Efficient infrastructure systems such as highways, bridges, buildings, pipelines, flood control systems, and utilities are all necessary for economy growth and a high standard of living. However, our infrastructure is in a dire state, as the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) report card gives the US infrastructure a grade of D+. ASCE attributes the bulk of this low grade to the funding gap of about $2.00 trillion between revenue and infrastructure needs, which in turn costs each household $3,400 per year (ASCE, 2016). Advanced Fibre Reinforced Polymer (FRP) composite materials, comprised of two or more constituent materials, offer a more efficient use of taxpayer dollars compared to conventional materials. FRP composites can provide favourable material properties and enhanced service life, including noncorrosiveness and high strength to weight ratio. FRP composites have been used in infrastructure for over 30 years

Police officers and naloxone: Saving lives with taxpayer dollars requires oversight

Alcoholism & Drug Abuse WeeklyVolume 30, Issue 16 p. 1-3 Articles Police officers and naloxone: Saving lives with taxpayer dollars requires oversight Alison Knopf, Alison KnopfSearch for more papers by this author Alison Knopf, Alison KnopfSearch for more papers by this author First published: 22 April 2018 https://doi.org/10.1002/adaw.31930Read the full textAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditWechat No abstract is available for this article. Volume30, Issue1623 April 2018Pages 1-3 RelatedInformation

A Foundation Funding Frontier

A Foundation Funding Frontier