University of Maryland, Baltimore County
Department of Public Policy e-News
No. 9 – October 2008
In this issue:
MIPAR releases analysis of Maryland slot machine revenues
The Maryland Institute for Policy Analysis and Research (MIPAR) has completed an analysis of the impact of introducing video lottery terminals (VLTs, also referred to as slot machines) in Maryland. The report found that while the state's estimates of gross revenues, and revenues for the Education Trust Fund, are within the range projected through a sensitivity analysis, uncertainty exists about how much revenue the introduction of 15,000 VLTs in Maryland will actually generate for the state. The report also reviews a range of social costs and benefits, which had not been done in previous studies on the potential impacts of VLTs in Maryland. MIPAR Senior Research Associate Judith Shinogle was the principal author, with assistance from Robert Carpenter (Economics), Scott Farrow (Economics), and Donald F. Norris (MIPAR and Public Policy).
UMBC Named “Up-and-Coming” Campus
UMBC is among the top 5 national universities named an "Up-and-Coming" campus in U.S. News & World Report's Best Colleges Guide. The University was ranked 5th by college presidents, provosts and admissions deans among 70 colleges and universities “that have recently made striking improvements and innovations.” The article went on to say: “...[UMBC] has overcome the limitations of its suburban campus and a high proportion of first-generation college students by forging partnerships to capitalize on job opportunities in the Baltimore-Washington corridor, where local businesses compete for talent with government and the military.”
New Combined Degree Program with UMB School of Medicine
The Department of Public Policy has established two new joint degrees, an MD/MPP and the MD/Ph.D. in Public Policy, with the University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) School of Medicine. These joint degrees provide opportunities for students at the UMB School of Medicine to expand their knowledge and skills into the field of public policy. For more information, contact Sally Helms, UMBC Administrator of Academic Affairs (helms@umbc.edu; 410-455-3202).
Facutly and Students Conduct Research at Democratic National Convention
A team of faculty and students, led by Tyson King-Meadows (Political Science), traveled to the 2008 Democratic National Convention (DNC) to conduct research. The team used questionnaires and interviews to examine the political ideology, experiences and demographics of DNC delegates attending Black and Women’s Caucus sessions at the convention. This non-partisan project was funded by the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation through MIPAR to enhance the education of future leaders.
Faculty
Marvin Mandell (Public Policy) will assume the presidency of the National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration (NASPAA) at their 2008 Annual Conference this month. NASPAA promotes excellence in public service education. The membership includes over 250 U.S. university programs in public affairs, public policy, public administration and nonprofit management. NASPAA accreditation recognizes that a master's program in public affairs has
gone through a rigorous process of voluntary peer review and meets NASPAA's standards. The UMBC Department of Public Policy is one of only 3 NASPAA accredited programs in Maryland.
An article in the September 24, 2008 Education Week references research by Dave Marcotte (Public Policy) and Ph.D. student Steve Hemelt, on how lost learning time from snow days can affect students’ achievement on standardized math and reading tests.
Nancy Miller (Public Policy) has received funding from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to conduct a study to explore state level growth in the working age nursing home population.
David Salkever (Public Policy) is co-principal investigator on a grant from the National Institutes of Mental Health to Johns Hopkins University. The project, in partnership with the Hilltop Institute, will study how the switch from Medicaid coverage of pharmaceuticals to Medicare Part D has impacted persons with severe mental illness who are on both Medicare and Medicaid.
Students
Ph.D. student Frances Carter has received supplemental funding from the National Institutes of Health to support her current project, Analyzing the Impact of the Meyerhoff Scholars Program. The award provides support through the Research Supplement to Promote Diversity in Health-Related Research Program.
Publications
In “Skating Toward Deregulation: Canadian Developments,” Tim Brennan (Public Policy and Economics) examines the institutional developments and economic issues presented during the debate on the Canadian government’s decision to not regulate local telecommunications exchange service. The article appeared in the Federal Communications Law Journal (2008), Vol. 60, No .2.
In a journal article "Having One’s Cake and Eating It, Too: Combining True Experiments with Regression Discontinuity Designs” (Evaluation Review 32, No. 5), Marvin Mandell (Public Policy) examines an alternative to traditional experimental designs that randomly assign subjects to treatment and control groups.
John Rennie Short (Public Policy) is editor of The Sage Companion to the City (Sage Press, 2008), a compilation of essays on all areas of urban studies, from society to culture to the economy.
David Salkever, Stephen Johnston (MPP, 2007) and colleagues propose a new approach to the use of cost-benefit data analysis that recognizes the differences in risk levels among program participants. The article, “Enhancing the Net Benefits of Disseminating Efficacious Prevention Programs: A Note on Target Efficiency with Illustrative Examples,” was published in Administration and Policy in Mental Health Research (2008), Vol. 35, No. 4.
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