The Role of the State in Idaho Land Use Planning

Prior to the recession of 2009-10, Idaho was the sixth fastest growing state by population in the country. Even as the economic downturn reduces the pressures of growth, Idaho\u27s diverse cities and counties continue strive for thoughtful planning that will reflect their community values and needs. This White Paper will examine the role of the state in local land use planning by (1) comparing Idaho\u27s structure to those of states with a more pronounced role in land use planning and (2) discussing the attitudes of Idaho city officials, planners and members of the real estate and development communities about the potential role of the state in Idaho’s local land use planning processes

Why some tribal governments are more likely to partner with state and local law enforcement than others.

In many respects, Indian lands in the US can be considered to be a country within a country. With many tribal governments having their own law enforcement agencies there is a risk of jurisdictional conflict with agencies outside of Indian Country. Thaddieus W. Conner and Stephanie L. Witt take a close look at cross-deputization agreements between law enforcement agencies which allow officers from tribal, state, and local agencies to actively respond to issues regardless of jurisdictional boundaries. They find that the major determinants of such cooperation are the presence of Indian gaming, higher rates of violent crime, as well as organizational resources and capacity

That Could Be Me: The New Voices of Poverty in Idaho

In fall of 2009, Boise State University Radio aired a series of stories highlighting the impacts of the changing economy on ordinary Idahoans. The stories were part of a larger project funded in part by the National Center for Media Engagement. The project culminated in a community roundtable held in September of 2009 at which advocates and policy makers discussed the stories, the larger context of poverty here in Idaho, and made policy recommendations. The Public Policy Center at Boise State University was contracted by Boise State Radio to prepare this short white paper. The paper is divided into three sections: a summary of the stories, second, a review of the recommendations that resulted from the roundtable and third, suggested policy choices for the state

Urban West Revisited: Governing Cities in Uncertain Times

Urban West Revisited offers a colorful primer on challenges faced by elected officials in midsized western cities. Featuring ten bellwether cities—Boise, Eugene, Modesto, Pueblo, Reno, Salem, Salt Lake, Spokane, Tacoma, and Tempe—the exploration finds common problems and hard-fought solutions in difficult times.https://scholarworks.boisestate.edu/fac_books/1365/thumbnail.jp

Democratic Governors are Quicker in Responding to the Coronavirus Than Republicans

While the coronavirus pandemic is a national and international concern, state and local officials find themselves on the front lines of the public health battle. Governors, in particular, have been in the spotlight in recent weeks. New York’s Andrew Cuomo has been praised by news outlets for his leadership at the epicenter of the U.S. outbreak, while others have been criticized for slow responses. A clear partisan gap has emerged in how quickly governors have declared emergencies and issue stay-at-home orders. Democratic governors have issued orders three to four days sooner than Republican governors, on average

Providing Shelter for the Homeless: Faith-Based Organizations as Instruments of the Public Good

Networked public service delivery requires attention to accountability and implementation in the public interest. Using the case of transitional housing in a western US community, we review the challenges of goal incongruence between network members and the resulting management problems. In addition, this case illustrates the role that local governments may play in promoting the primacy of one network member over others through collaborations, contract arrangements and nonmonetary resources and the resulting political and judicial difficulties. The complexity of networked service delivery is compounded when the individual missions of network members supersede public policy goals. In many communities, FBOs, as critical partners in a social service delivery network, may face great variation in expectations about how their organizational mission/faith relates to policy goals. Effective network coordination demands that each network partner recognizes and adapts, when appropriate, to the differing missions/goals of other network partners. However, when public resources are used to bolster the stability of alternative service providers, especially faith-based providers, governmental partners must maintain adequate oversight, with or without the benefit of specific contract provisions

Is It Us? Is It Them? Or is It This Place?: Predicting Civility in State Legislatures

While many scholars and analysts have observed a decline in civility in recent years, there have been few examinations of how political, economic, and institutional structures may partially explain inter-state differences in these trends. We suggest three potential explanations: (1) institutional structures, such as legislative professionalism and gubernatorial power, have created different contexts in which legislators build and maintain inter-personal relationships; (2) partisan competition has led to less bipartisan cooperation and contributed to strained relationships between members of different parties; and, (3) economic inequity and change has contributed to economic anxiety among citizens, contributing to conflict in legislative bodies as elected officials attempt to navigate emerging policy challenges. To test these explanations, we develop an innovative measure of civility using a national survey of lobbyists and a partial Multilevel Regression and Poststratification (MRP) design. Findings suggest that there is some validity to all three explanations, and signifying that civility is at least partially a result of structural issues

Nineteen Years of Public Opinion: The Boise State University Annual Public Policy Survey

Evidence suggests that public opinion has a significant and measurable impact on legislative, executive, and citizen interaction. The state of Idaho is no exception. In this white paper, we examine a sample of the opinions of Idahoans, as expressed in the Public Policy Survey, over the past nineteen years

study protocol for two randomized pragmatic trials

Background Chronic low back pain (LBP) and neck pain (NP) are highly prevalent conditions resulting in high economic costs. Treatment guidelines recommend relaxation techniques, such as progressive muscle relaxation, as adjuvant therapies. Self-care interventions could have the potential to reduce costs in the health care system, but their effectiveness, especially in a usual care setting, is unclear. The aim of these two pragmatic randomized studies is to evaluate whether an additional app-delivered relaxation is more effective in the reduction of chronic LBP or NP than usual care alone. Methods/design Each pragmatic randomized two-armed study aims to include a total of 220 patients aged 18 to 65 years with chronic (>12 weeks) LBP or NP and an average pain intensity of ≥ 4 on a numeric rating scale (NRS) in the 7 days before recruitment. The participants will be randomized into an intervention and a usual care group. The intervention group will be instructed to practice one of these 3 relaxation techniques on at least 5 days/week for 15 minutes/day over a period of 6 months starting on the day of randomization: autogenic training, mindfulness meditation, or guided imagery. Instructions and exercises will be provided using a smartphone app, baseline information will be collected using paper and pencil. Follow-up information (daily, weekly, and after 3 and 6 months) will be collected using electronic diaries and questionnaires included in the app. The primary outcome measure will be the mean LBP or NP intensity during the first 3 months of intervention based on daily pain intensity measurements on a NRS (0 = no pain, 10 = worst possible pain). The secondary outcome parameters will include the mean pain intensity during the first 6 months after randomization based on daily measurements, the mean pain intensity measured weekly as the average pain intensity of the previous 7 days over 3 and 6 months, pain acceptance, ‘LBP- and NP-related’ stress, sick leave days, pain medication intake, adherence, suspected adverse reaction, and serious adverse events. Discussion The designed studies reflect a usual self- care setting and will provide evidence on a pragmatic self-care intervention that is easy to combine with care provided by medical professionals

Acupuncture in Seasonal Allergic Rhinitis (ACUSAR) - Design and Protocol of a Randomised Controlled Multi-Centre Trial

Background: We report on the study design and protocol of a randomised controlled trial (Acupuncture in Seasonal Allergic Rhinitis, ACUSAR) that investigates the efficacy of acupuncture in the treatment of seasonal allergic rhinitis (SAR). Objective: To investigate whether acupuncture is non-inferior or superior to (a) penetrating sham acupuncture and (b) rescue medication in the treatment of SAR. Design: 3-armed, randomised controlled multi-centre trial with a total follow-up time of 16 weeks in the 1st year and 8 weeks in the 2nd year. Setting: 41 physicians in 37 out-patient units in Germany specialised in acupuncture treatment. Patients: 400 seasonal allergic rhinitis patients with clinical symptoms and test-positive (skin-prick test and/or specific IgE) to both birch and grass pollen. Interventions: Patients will be randomised in a 2:1:1 ratio to one of three groups: (a) semi-standardised acupuncture plus rescue medication (cetirizine); (b) penetrating sham acupuncture at non-acupuncture points plus rescue medication; or (c) rescue medication alone for 8 weeks (standard treatment group). Acupuncture and sham acupuncture will consist of 12 treatments per patient over 8 weeks. Main Outcome Measures: Average means of the Rhinitis Quality of Life Questionnaire (RQLQ) overall score and the Rescue Medication Score (RMS) between weeks 6 and 8 in the first year, adjusted for baseline values. Outlook: The results of this trial available in 2011 will have a major impact on the decision of whether acupuncture should be considered as a therapeutic option in the treatment of SAR