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ItemEvaluating the impact of zero-rating services: An in-depth look at Facebook's free basics in emerging economies(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2018-05-11) Mehta, IshanFacebook has partnered with mobile carriers in multiple countries to launch its zero-rated service - Free Basics. Free Basics is a platform which hosts not only Facebook, but other select websites which are zero-rated as well.This Master's thesis evaluates the impact of the Free Basics platform in the countries it has launched. In the process of this research, it has been found that there is a lack of evidence-based research on zero-rated services and Free Basics in particular. This Thesis hopes to fill some of that gaps in the literature, by studying the program in seven countries - Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, Ghana, South Africa, Mozambique and Tanzania.
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ItemMethodological challenges of studying social media from the perspective of information manipulation(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2014-07-16) Kollanyi, BenceThe first part of the thesis gives a systematic overview and conceptual analysis of the literature on studying misinformation and disinformation in social media, with a special focus on research projects using large scale data obtained from Twitter and Facebook. The literature review gives a detailed overview of the scope of data collected by the various research projects; the means of accessing the data, which are rooted in the concrete socio-technical arrangement of the various platforms, and the type of analytical tools they apply. Furthermore, it also maps the various theoretical questions behind the research projects. The author of the thesis also gives his own definition of information manipulation and describes a conceptual model of information manipulation in the context of social media. The second part of the thesis applies some of the insights from the literature review to a large Twitter data set collected during the monitoring of African elections. The analysis follows a qualitative approach and focuses on case studies created from specific incidents during the elections. Each of these incidents illustrates a special aspect of the problem of information manipulation in online social media.
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ItemNuclear medicine: policy context for differences between Europe and the United States(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2013-11-19) Roldan Rueda, Diana MarcelaThe World Health Organization published in 2004 a bulletin addressing the gap between research, technology, and its implementation in the health systems of different countries (Haines, Kuruvilla, & Borchert, 2004). Among the barriers described for the implementation of new knowledge in the medical practice is the lack of connection between research results and policy makers. This happens in different subfields within the medical field. The focus of this project is to analyze the differences in implementation of radionuclide therapy technology between the EU and the US. The hypothesis is that this technology has been implemented in the EU earlier and more often than in the US, and that this variation can be connected to the differences in the policies relevant to nuclear medicine. Nuclear medicine is a unique field because of the way radioactive material is used to create diagnostic images and treat illnesses (mostly cancer). Although radiation is used every day in radiotherapy and radiology, the main difference between these two fields and nuclear medicine is the type of radiation used. Radiotherapy and radiology use closed sources of radiation, or particle accelerators that produce radiation, while nuclear medicine uses open sources of radiation that are injected into the patient’s body. This is an important difference because the accelerators used in radiotherapy and radiology can be turned on and off unlike the open sources of radiation used for nuclear medicine. If not handled properly, open sources of radiation may cause radiation contamination. Additionally, the radioactive material must be supplied on a daily basis. With nuclear medicine is possible to create diagnostic images of the body, and to record bodily functions all the way down to the molecular level. It is also possible to treat certain illnesses, such as some types of cancer, in a targeted manner. This is possible because the radioactive material is “connected” with a chemical compound (or drug) that carries the radioactive atoms to a desired location in the body; this is called targeted therapy. It is also possible to inject the radioactive material directly into the organ or region of interest. The targeted therapy and injected techniques are two processes that are part of radionuclide therapy technology. In order to check the status of the implementation of radionuclide therapy I used the practice guidelines published on the websites of the European Association of Nuclear Medicine (EANM) and the Society of Nuclear Medicine (SNM) in the US. Assuming that the practice guidelines are evidence of well-established and implemented techniques in the regions, these documents were evaluated according to their content and publication date. The content analysis was focused on the type of practices described: diagnostic, general, or therapy, as well as the type of radioactive material (or radioactive isotopes) used in such practices. The practice guidelines evaluation was done in Nvivo, a text analysis software. In addition to the analysis of practice guidelines, a bibliometric analysis of four databases (Pubmed, Medline, Biosis, and ISI Web of Science) was conducted in four databases. The keywords used for the search were (“radionuclide therapy” AND case AND report) OR (radioinmunotherapy AND case AND report). Case reports are publications that expose the day-to-day practice of physicians, and allow medical personnel to take a detail look into a specific case. The records from these sources were analyzed in Vantage Point, a bibliometric analysis software. From the policy landscape, three main types of policies were studied in relation to the practice of nuclear medicine: first, the education standards for the different professionals involved; second, the policies related to the approval of radiopharmaceuticals in the different drug administration entities; and finally, the policies concerning the production of radionuclide therapies in the two regions. The main finding of this project is that Europe and US have different policy approaches that affect, directly or indirectly, the nuclear medicine field. The main differences are in the standards of education for nuclear medicine specialist that is divided between radiologist and nuclear medicine specialists in the US; the production of radioactive material, which is commercially supplied by a very few reactors in the world, none of them in the US; and the drug administration institutions, which have very different approaches approving new drugs. Aditionally, Europe has implemented more radionuclide therapy technologies than US. From the practice guidelines analysis, it was evident that the US started publishing guidelines for nuclear medicine several years before Europe. The US published its first guideline in 1994, while the EU’s first guideline was published in 2000. However, as of July 2013, the European association had published more guidelines with 54 unique ones versus 49 from the US. EU also leads in the number of guidelines in regards to therapy, with 13 versus 2 from the US. Additionally, there is more variety in the radioisotopes used in therapy than the ones in diagnostics, and all the radioisotopes are mentioned in the European guidelines, while the US doesn’t have guidelines that mention Lu-177, Re-186, and Y-90 isotopes. From the bilbiometric analysis it was evident that Europe had published case reports for more time and more frequently than the US regarding radionuclide therapy. The first case report record from Europe was published in 1988, almost a decade before the first case report in the US. Additionally, the US has only 10 publications that match the keywords while the EU has 37. In conclusion, the EU has more practice guidelines on radionuclide therapies regarding more types of illnesses and more radioisotopes, and Europeans have published more case reports on these therapies, which indicates that the EU has implemented radionuclide therapy technology more fully than has the US. The differences in the policies and standards in education for Nuclear Medicine may influence this difference, because EU has a more standardized education and a more unified professional field than US. While the EU has a proposed syllabus for nuclear medicine practitioners, medical physicists, and radiopharmacists, in the US the education is neither standardized nor unified. Two different boards can certify physicians specializing in nuclear medicine: the American Board of Radiology and The American Board of Nuclear Medicine. The first one does a Nuclear Radiology certification for which the physicians are not required or allowed to conduct radionuclide therapies, while the American Board of Nuclear Medicine requires more nuclear medicine training and involves diagnostics and therapy. These differences are important in the implementation of radionuclide therapy techniques, because not all the nuclear medicine physicians in the US are trained on this aspect or allowed to practice it. For that reason a fraction of the professionals may not be interested or informed about these techniques, leaving the field of nuclear medicine in the US behind its EU counterpart. The policies that involve the production of radioisotopes and the market for this good deeply affects the status of the field in both regions. Since most of the radionuclide materials for therapies are produced in nuclear reactors, this is a very complex topic. Nuclear reactors are recognized for their capability to produce nuclear energy and not frequently associated with medicine. The precautionary approach that some regions apply to this topic may affect the availability of the radioisotopes in local markets. The EU has more nuclear reactors capable of the production of materials for radionuclide therapies, while the production of radioisotopes in the US is less and it focused on research. Therefore, the EU has a more stable and reliable supply of radioisotopes, which allows them to use the technology in everyday practice. Finally, the drug administration entities seem to differ in the clarity of their procedures for the approval of radiopharmaceuticals. The EU tools for approval are clear and easy to find, which may encourage European researchers to work on new radiopharmaceuticals and to carry their findings to the application level. The European Medicines Agency has a Radiopharmaceutical Drafting Group that supports the creation and approval of radiopharmaceuticals. In addition, one of the practice guidelines from the European Association of Nuclear Medicine (EANM) is about the approval of new drugs. This is not replicated in the US; although the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has a special group that works with radiation therapies and devices, there are no references to a group that relates to radiopharmaceuticals, or the information is not as easy to find. It also looks like the Society of Nuclear Medicine (SNM) is focusing more on research and approval of Positron Emission Tomography (PET) radiopharmaceuticals than on therapy based ones. This is understandable since the radioactive material for PET images is produced in cyclotrons available at many clinics and hospitals around the world. In conclusion, nuclear medicine is a very diverse field that is capable of important contributions to medicine. However, the radioactive nature of the material needed for the development of new radionuclide therapies presents a barrier to the development of new drugs. The availability of the drug and the personnel trained in these matters are the most important factors for the successful use of this technology. Although the US and the EU have been collaborating more and more in the creation of standardized procedures for nuclear medicine, it is evident that the EU has more experience in the day to day application of the technology, and the technology is also more accessible in the EU by the physicians interested in it. A trained and informed group of professionals can raise awareness in the public and influence the policy making by monitoring agencies to create clearer paths for drug approvals, and pushing for laws that approve the research and production of alternatives for radioisotopes production such as Low Enriched Uranium reactors.
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ItemPolicy implications of municipal investment in Georgia's wireline broadband networks(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2013-07-09) Stevens, IrenaThe Community Broadband Investment Act, introduced in the Georgia legislature in 2012 and 2013 is a reflection of a broader national debate over the role of government investment in broadband infrastructure. The bill would limit local governments' ability to invest in broadband infrastructure for their communities because of arguments that government entry into the telecommunications sector crowds-out private competition, does not serve the public adequately, and lacks a comprehensive business model or best practices. A closer look at the history of utility regulation and various economic perspectives on the proper government role in utility provision reveals that government has had an extensive historical role in utility infrastructure investment and regulation, and several economic doctrines support the conclusion that government can be helpful in facilitating effective broadband service to their communities. Case studies of different models of municipal broadband networks in Georgia reveal that government entry can facilitate private sector competition, often provides quality service, and has a set of best practices. The success of municipal broadband reveals an evolution in the approach to telecommunications regulation from a regulated monopoly approach to a public-private cooperation approach which considers public participation with private entities on a dynamic scale. Government-entry into the broadband market was a rational decision for several Georgia communities due to their unique set of circumstances, and while municipal broadband may not be the answer to many communities' problems with meeting public demand, communities should be allowed to maintain flexibility in their decision-making about how to best serve their residents, effectively allowing them to decide which combination of public and private advantages they can leverage to meet the demand of their communities in relation to their unique local characteristics.
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ItemFederal science funding in the America Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009: an assessment of two policy process frameworks(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2011-11-18) Hutto, Tamara E.In order to understand how policies are made, analysts need to be able to explain and describe the policy making process. This is a complex task due to the variety and complexity of policy making environments. The difficulty lies in accounting for the multiple actors who come and go, differing preferences, and impending problems and solutions sets which vary by policy environment. Therefore, there is a need to approach the understanding of policy processes from several different theoretical perspectives to aid in evaluating the multifaceted variations which ultimately affect policy making. An improved description of processes can lead to more accurate predictions of possible future policies, improved advocacy efforts, and enhanced problem solving. Two policy process frameworks, the Multiple Stream Framework (MSF) and the Institutional Analysis and Development (IAD) framework, were applied to a recent significant change in science policy. An understanding is developed to explain how federal science funding survived within the highly controversial and costly American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA). The volatile and unpredictable nature of science policy lends itself well to the MSF, while the more static IAD is less useful to explain how and why the funds stayed in the bill. This is telling about the scope and adaptability of the two frameworks, where each may be better suited for different policy environments. The MSF being more appropriate for unstable and capricious policy issues and the IAD better matched for policy issues which have a somewhat more stable environment.
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ItemThe impact of framing on policy passage: the case of assisted reproductive technology(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2011-09-07) Smith, Heather K.In the last 30 years, in vitro fertilization (IVF) has created a significant amount of controversy around the world. Within the U.S., policy movement has been limited, occurring primarily at the state level, which has created a fragmented system of rules to manage the technology. However, there appear to be indications that how the issue is presented, and which actors are chosen to be represented in legislation, may impact the passage of policy, thereby also providing a reason for why little policy movement has occurred. In this study, pieces of federal, California and Georgia legislation were examined for the occurrence of differing frames, as identified by the actors presented, in order to determine whether different frames occurred in passed legislation than those found in failed legislation. It was determined that, while actors did not differ significantly between passed and failed legislation, there were some slight differences between actors used at the federal level, as well between the different state levels. Even further, the presentation of actors and their interests did appear to differ slightly between passed and failed legislation.
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ItemThe influence of parks and greenspace on the value of commercial real estate(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2011-04-25) Strippelhoff, CadeThe effect of parks on residential real estate has been well recorded; however little research has been done to estimate the effects of parks on commercial real estate values. With the help of Geographic Information Systems and the transactions of nearly 10,000 properties from 2000 to early 2011, I produced three different hedonic commercial real estate sales models. Controlling for building characteristics, demographic variations within census groups, and locational attributes, I find that proximity to parks plays a role in the valuation of some property types. Little evidence is found to support the hypothesis that properties in proximity to parks are valued higher; however co-location of parks and other attributes could play a beneficial role in supplying cities with more parks while boosting surrounding property values.
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ItemExamining the representativeness of Georgia's state water plan(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2010-11-18) Marshall, Amanda ChristineThis thesis provides an analysis of the Georgia statewide regional water planning process; a system deemed to be operating in the adaptive management framework. The principal focus of this analysis is to detail a novel paradigm capable of dynamic response to changing resource demands which stems from adaptive management principles and ensures representativeness. The paradigm extends directly from application of the theories of bounded rationality and adaptive management. Development of the framework is accomplished through application of theory and correlated empirical analysis. Extreme drought conditions signal a punctuated-equilibrium effecting statewide water resource management which in turn drives the issuance of an executive-level directive to prioritize and effectively manage critical state water resources. This study evolves directly from analysis of the current effort to establish unified regional water plans which address rapid population growth, and escalating water resource conflicts with Alabama and Florida while satisfying priorities established within the executive directive. Fundamental to this analysis is the survey of currently seated regional water planning council members. The essential function of the survey is to provide a qualitative assessment of the perceptions of appointed council members. These perceptions influence water management techniques prescribed by the final policy. While this is a fuzzy correlation, a primary function of this analysis is to quantify the strength of correlation between perceptions and developed policy. This survey details appointed council member attitudes and attributes and affords analysis of future decision making outcomes. The method prescribed herein unifies multi-level decision making processes under a dynamic adaptive management paradigm, and is intended to link the regional water planning processes with continuous annual assessment in order to achieve the pluralistic benefits of adaptive management decision making.
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ItemMBE policy as economic development: an examination of public contracting in Georgia(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2010-07-09) Dickson, Austin CartwrightMany scholars suggest that Minority Business Enterprises help disadvantaged populations and achieve greater equity in society. Rooted in the affirmative action policies of the 1960s and 1970s, Minority Business Enterprise designations have become a standard way for the federal government to assist minority entrepreneurs as well as protect against discrimination in contracting. Some scholars even suggest that these policies go beyond protection from discrimination and actually foster economic development in minority communities. This thesis examines those claims and utilizes an example from 12 years of the Georgia Department of Transportation's records on contracting with MBEs to answer the question: who is helped by these federal policies? This examination sheds light on the current literature linking MBEs with economic development as well as adds to the sparse literature on outcomes for MBE policy. The results of data analysis show that , over a 12-year period, White female business enterprises receive the twice as many contracting dollars as all other Minority Business Enterprises combined.
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ItemCampesino community participation in watershed management(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2010-07-08) Galewski, NancyA series of threats face campesino communities' water management practices in the Callejón de Huaylas (upper region of the Santa Watershed). Competition for water resources is escalating due to increasing demand, decreasing supply, and a rise in contamination levels, leaving campesino communities in a precarious state as a result of their marginalized position in Peruvian society. Competition for water resources occurs between upstream and downstream users and amongst sectors including mining, agriculture, hydropower, and domestic water users. The national government recently passed an integrated water resource management system to improve water governance. However, bureaucratic tendencies make it unlikely that campesinos will receive an adequate share of resources. Campesino communities in the Callejón need to adopt new strategies to improve their position vis á-vis other sectors and resist capture of resources. Campesinos are important to the discussion of water resource management because they have long established systems of self-regulated management and need to be included in the new system of watershed governance. This research first examines local water management strategies and integrated water management through four characteristics: 1) how is water framed, 2) is decision-making participatory, 3) is water management appropriate to the local and regional level, and 4) is it possible to monitor activity and impose consequences for unauthorized water usage. Interviews with campesino community members and leaders, local officials, regional representatives, and non-governmental organizations found opportunities to collaborate between groups and transfer some management responsibilities to a more regional watershed scale. Second, this research examines the opportunities and barriers to scaling up traditional management practices to meet regional needs while ensuring local water availability. Scaling decision-making is imperative for successful integrated water management and will allow campesino communities to continue to manage their water to meet local needs. Shifting the decision-making scale may facilitate more effective watershed governance with campesino community participation.