Frederick County Department of Housing and Community Development

1. Inclusionary Zoning Policy In Frederick County. The Frederick County Department of Housing and Community Development has identified the need to review their Moderately Price Dwelling Unit (MPDU) program. While the program was meant to increase the stock of affordable housing by requiring developers to build MPDUs when constructing dwellings larger than 25 units, historically a vast majority of developers have taken the Payment in Lieu (PIL) option. This has led to very few affordable units being built through the MPDU program. However, PIL funds are used for other affordable housing projects. Therefore, the county is looking to understand what options there are to increase development of MPDUs while also maintaining some PIL funding.

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2. The Affordable Housing Gap in Frederick County. Frederick County Department of Housing has been combating a gap between the available affordable housing units and those who need them as early as 2000. This gap was initially only between a few dozen to hundreds in the first few years of data being collected compared to the current gap that includes a few thousand units. With the variety of research and focus of studies being done on where the gap lies and why it continues to grow, Frederick County continues to juggle this issue. They continue to implement different incentives and programs as well as elevate their staff, bringing in new members into their department to help alleviate the gap between affordable housing and low-income households. This paper seeks to answer the following questions: Why is there an increasing gap between low-income households and housing units in Frederick County? What efforts and methods have been made or conducted over the years to help support this gap? Do the different incentives and programs currently available help support the needs of those who reside in Frederick County? What can be implemented to decrease or address this gap?

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Howard County Health Department

3. Addressing Substance Use Among Adolescents in Howard County, MD: Needs Assessment & Research Review. Adolescent substance use is concerning across the United States, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic and social isolation. Howard County, MD is particularly interested in supporting students with preventing and addressing current substance use. The Howard County Health Department engages in various activities related to addressing adolescent substance use. This project builds upon the work already being done in Howard County and furthers the conversation about ways to prevent and address substance use and support students in recovery from substance use disorder.

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Montgomery County Department of Environmental Protection

4. Equitable Electric Vehicle Adoption Policies: A Literature Review: There is significant movement across the country to compel households to abandon their internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles in favor of electric vehicles (EVs), on the local, state, and federal level. Most prominently, the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) introduced a series of provisions meant to support the expansion of the EV industry and consumer adoption. At the local level however, policies targeting low to moderate-income households are not as prevalent or widely discussed. Thus, the purpose of this report is to conduct a literature review exploring existing policies at the local level that promote the adoption of EVs among low to moderate-income households, in the hopes that its findings can help inform the Montgomery County Department of Environmental Protection in achieving its zero-emission-vehicle strategy.

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5. Implementation Evaluation of the Montgomery County Consolidated Service Hubs: Like many jurisdictions across the United States, Montgomery County, Maryland saw a dramatic rise in food insecurity during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, existing food assistance organizations were overwhelmed with need. Officials in Montgomery County decided to provide emergency funds to support small, community based organizations in establishing the first Consolidated Service Hubs. These “Hubs” would not only offer food assistance, but would ideally become a “one-stop-shop” for social services and other resources that the community may need. This paper addresses the question “How well are the Montgomery County Consolidated Service Hubs fulfilling their contractual obligations to provide services to residents in need?” To answer this question, I conducted an implementation evaluation of four of the hubs: 20906 or Oak Chapel Hub (referred to in this evaluation as “Oak Chapel”), East County Hub at Kingdom Fellowship (referred to in this evaluation as “Kingdom”), MidCounty Hub at Harvest Intercontinental (referred to in this evaluation as “Harvest”), and UpCounty Hub (referred to in this evaluation as “UpCounty”).

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Maryland Office of Budget Analysis

6. Implementation Evaluation of the State of Maryland’s Current State Managing For Result Training Process. Managing for Results (MFR), administered by the Office of Budget Analysis (OBA) within the Maryland Department of Budget and Management, is Maryland’s strategic planning and performance measurement mechanism - the metrics used as critical inputs during the budget formulation process. OBA is currently exploring how it can improve its MFR training process and materials to serve its trainees better (i.e., agency MFR coordinators). This project sought to support OBA’s initiative by conducting an implementation evaluation that covered these three questions: 1. What does the current MFR training program look like? 2. What are the pain points of the MFR training program? 3. What methods are other organizations/states/countries utilizing to train non-budget staff on performing performance measurement, and how effective are they?

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U.S. Department of Education

7. Implementation Evaluation of Title III English Language Programs. This project is a research review of the Education Department’s (ED) Title III, Part A of the English Language Acquisition State Grant program. This program is designed to improve the education of English Language Learner (ELL) children and youth by helping them learn English and meet challenging state academic content and student academic achievement standards. State policies on entrance and exit requirements for English language learners were reviewed and synthesized based on a review of approved Consolidated State Plans and information gathered from ED’s centralized data repository. This served as a use case for why ED requests the reporting from states in order to support monitoring of the implementation of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) of 1965, as amended by SEAs and to provide technical assistance to SEAs and Local Educational Agencies (LEAs) related to their performance data. Based on the analysis conducted there are two dimensions of recommendations. First, addressing gaps in reporting. Second, exit criteria rigor may need to be assessed distinctly from long-term performance when evaluating the full picture of ELLs in a given state.

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U.S. Government Accountability Office

8. Broadband Mapping Projects. In the United States many segments of the population such as lower income Americans, rural Americans and minority groups have unequal access to broadband and there is a lack of data about which specific communities lack broadband access. This problem is called the Digital Divide and the lack of sufficient broadband means that many Americans are unable to access essential services and have limited economic opportunities. This was especially prominent during the COVID-19 pandemic and many communities traditionally lacking broadband access such as rural communities, tribal communities, and lower-income inner city communities suffered significantly more economic, education, and health damage due to the lack of broadband access. Currently, there is a lack of information about which specific communities lack access to broadband. There is a lack of coordination and understanding of current initiatives to gather data and map which communities are most in need of broadband expansion. This leads to major gaps in understanding the extent of the digital divide in many communities. Funding and resources cannot be efficiently allocated to solve the digital divide if there is a lack of clear mapping data about current broadband access. In theory if more mapping data is gathered and organized then resources can be allocated efficiently to the communities that need it most. This will require greater research and understanding of current broadband mapping initiatives. Once current mapping initiatives are understood then large federal broadband initiatives can allocate resources in the most efficient way to the most in need communities. This will enable the development of broadband access in communities that need it most. This will allow residents in those communities to access essential services and opportunities that were not available before obtaining access to broadband.

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9. Evolution and Composition of the Defense Industrial Base. Since the conclusion of the Cold War, there has been major reform in the defense industrial base, primarily focusing on large firm’s looking to consolidate with likewise entities and larger firms acquiring smaller businesses. However, there has been growing concern that the ongoing consolidation has proven to be more problematic than beneficial due to antitrust issues, fair pricing, and concerns of limited supply chains. It is also worth considering emerging technological needs that are critical to mitigate present day cyber security threats. This report will address two theories with subtopics regarding: The composition of the defense industrial base, the structure of the defense industrial base, inclusion small businesses with expertise in cyber warfare, and concerns of mergers that edge antitrust laws.

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10. An Analysis of Roadside Fatalities During the COVID-19 Pandemic. This project set out to determine the extent to which roadside fatalities in the United States increased during the COVID-19 pandemic, and to identify possible causes of any increase. Through analysis of the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), a database of road fatalities compiled by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Transportation Safety Agency, I found road fatalities across the United States slightly increased in the months immediately following the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, despite vehicles traveling billions of miles fewer on American roads. Through my analysis of the FARS database, I have identified three possible reasons for this increase. Firstly, fatal crashes involving drunk driving increased, as did the rate in which drunk drivers got into fatal accidents. Secondly, fatalities as a result of excessive speeding also increased, at a higher rate than fatalities that occurred at a normal speed. Thirdly, pedestrian fatalities reached an all-time high in 2020, continuing a trend from the years prior to the pandemic. The combination of these three factors suggests that even though fewer drivers were on U.S. roads after the beginning of COVID-19 lockdowns, those drivers remaining were possibly more willing to engage in reckless behavior, resulting in deadlier accidents.

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11. Mapping the Federal Broadband Money. The purpose of this report is threefold. First, to look at the federal funding allocated to each U.S. state to determine how funding is being prioritized. Second, to ascertain the factors that correlate with states receiving more or less funding. Third, and finally, to understand the priorities of state governments and challenges, if any, state governments are experiencing while coordinating the distribution of newer sources of federal broadband funding.

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12. Assessing the Role of Immediate Annuities in Securing American Retirement. With the decline of defined-benefit pensions, uncertainty around the future of Social Security policy, and the rise of inflation, a previously overlooked retirement product, the immediate annuity, may have renewed relevance for American retirees.This report concludes that immediate annuities are an important tool for certain retirees to consider especially given current barriers to securing retirement. A need exists for the federal government to provide more practical information to retiring workers so they can determine whether an annuity is well suited to their situation. However, policymakers should look elsewhere for solutions to ease the burden of inflation on retirees. Further research should clarify the role of immediate annuities as part of a larger retirement strategy that includes other investment or savings vehicles that may synergize with annuities.

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Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation

13. A Policy Analysis of Non-Incarceration Responses to Human Trafficking and Intimate Partner Violence. Both human trafficking and IPV have gained significantly more attention in US policy in the past two decades, yet a lack of understanding of the prevalence of trafficking and IPV and the needs of survivors pose a challenge for policymakers. Widespread unawareness can be attributed to extreme underreporting of the crimes, which is due in part to a perception of police bias against marginalized communities. Non-incarceration approaches are needed because the perception of police bias affects law enforcement's response to domestic violence, and because survivors' goals are often not accomplished through the criminal justice system. To address the need for more effective, non-incarceration responses, this research aims to answer the following questions: I. What are the needs of human trafficking and IPV survivors that are not met by current program and policy responses? II. What are the distinctions in policy and program responses for human trafficking and IPV survivors? III. What are the distinctions in policy and program responses for sex trafficking and labor trafficking survivors? IV. Which non-incarceration responses prioritize survivor welfare?

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U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

14. Leveraging Data For Health Equity And Civil Rights. Data collection and analysis can serve as a powerful tool to inform target enforcement efforts and to research the causes and effects of health disparities. However currently, the HHS/OCR does not systematically collect data on health disparities. The aim of this project is to develop a plan for the implementation of a data collection program using other agency’s civil rights data collection programs as a model. This project leverages a survey needs analysis, interviews with similar programs and administrative cost and personnel data to identify organizational needs, describe existing models of data collection for civil rights and social equity, and identify costs. This report includes recommendations for data collection content and activities, outlines an implementation plan, and estimates costs associated with the program.

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15. Promising Models for Stakeholder Engagement in Early Care and Education. With lived experience being increasingly prioritized in policy design, implementation, and evaluation, analyzing existing models for engaging individuals with lived experience can provide information as to how to create effective engagement structures and mechanisms. This report examines five states’ stakeholder engagement efforts in the early care and education sphere to understand the strengths and challenges of each model and to identify key considerations as the Office of Early Childhood Development seeks to develop its own engagement practices. After a review of secondary sources and an analysis of 26 interviews, this report describes each state’s structures, engagement framework, examples of policy change resulting from stakeholder input, and considerations of equity in their engagement processes. Then, states are compared across a variety of themes covering non-governmental partnerships, accountability measures, and benefits to engagement participants. Overall, states tend to have several formal engagement bodies with varying scopes and membership, often taking advantage of partnerships with external groups, but face difficulty in directly linking outcomes to stakeholder inputs and closing feedback loops, which can hamper transparency.

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U.S. Department of Justice

16. Body-Worn Camera Application Analysis. The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Office of Justice (OJP), Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) is seeking a needs assessment to better understand Body-Worn Camera (BWC) adoption and implementation data as it relates to the methods, policies, and legal considerations that law enforcement agencies across the U.S. are operationalizing BWCs in. The BWC Policy and Implementation Program (PIP) is a competitive grant program designed to financially support agencies in conducting best practices and utilizing BWCs in a manner that’s most efficient, comprehensive, and appropriate given the consideration of the communities they are policing. In recent years, including the 2022 period which is where my data originates from, the grantees express inconsistent proportions of their grant rewards used on BWC budget provisions that make it difficult for BJA to establish a proper, standardized use of resources; namely, 23 target agencies under the PIP’s “Category 1” classification are reporting gaps in the amount of money allocated toward budget items in travel, personnel, equipment purchase and maintenance, etc. This agency category includes “state, local, tribal, public university or college, park, and transportation authority police,” or anything under government authority or special jurisdiction.

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17. An Implementation Evaluation Of The Department Of Justices’ Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) Program: Identification Of Alignment Within State Programs In Conjunction With Federally-Backed Objectives. The goal of this capstone project is to conduct an implementation evaluation on MAT programs conducted in Rhode Island, Middlesex County Massachusetts, and New Jersey. The project will include the collection of data relevant to the opioid epidemic; most specifically, justice- involved individuals who suffer with Opioid Use Disorder (OUD). The observation of information relevant to the operations of MAT programs within our identified states, allows us to compare the operative findings of those programs to the goal(s) identified by federal stakeholders.

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18. Vanquishing Victim Underreporting: A Policy Analysis on Decreasing Hate Crime Victims’ Reticence to Report: Much of the literature that exists on hate crimes centers on how to curb incidents and on the effectiveness of hate crime legislation as it has expanded over the past few decades. Yet the first step in the process of hate crime reporting begins with the victims themselves. Hate crimes are a unique kind of victimization, and due to their particular characteristics may make victims reluctant to report their experiences, further widening the gap between the number of hate crimes that are reported and the number that are actually occurring. In studying the root causes behind why victims under-report hate crimes and successful reporting procedures, this paper seeks to offer recommendations for how to improve the rates of individuals reporting their bias-motivated victimization, leading to greater understanding of the pervasiveness of hate crimes and trends in order to decrease incidents over time, and provide care and justice for victims.

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19. Needs Assessment for the Office of Justice Programing to Combat Hate Crimes on College Campuses. Hate crimes (sometimes called bias-motivated crimes) are criminal offenses motivated by some form of bias toward a victim on the basis of their perceived or actual race, color, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, or disability. The Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security and Campus Crime Statistics requires postsecondary institutions to report hate crime incidents and the data collected demonstrates that colleges and universities are frequently plagued with hate incidents. “In 2019, of the criminal incidents that occurred on the campuses of postsecondary institutions and were reported to police or security agencies, 757 incidents were classified as hate crimes. This translates to an average of 5.1 hate crime incidents occurring per 100,000 full-time-equivalent students enrolled. The three most common types of hate crimes reported by institutions were intimidation (340 incidents), destruction, damage, and vandalism (295 incidents; referred to as “vandalism” in this indicator), and simple assault (85 incidents).” Colleges and universities have adopted varying models for public safety which can make issuing model guidance or policies challenging.

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20. Memorandum: The knowledge needed at the mid-manager position, commonly referred to as the sergeant or lieutenant, has changed immensely over the past years. With trends in crime consistently shifting and becoming more complex, a mid-manager needs to be more knowledgeable, not only in managing the incident, but in identifying what resources are available to their team, how to deal with the media, insuring all the right agencies are notified, and how to lead their team. When a law enforcement officer is promoted to mid-manager, they typically take some management training, but this fails to address the entire scope of their role. In order to identify what support should be provided to a mid-manager, this project will answer the following research questions: (1) What are the responsibilities of a mid-manager? (2) What evaluation techniques do mid-managers utilize when conducting personnel performance evaluations? (3) How does a mid-manager operate with other agencies and the media? (4) Why do gaps exist among the mid-manager position? (5) What type of training programs can best be used to minimize the gaps? (6) How can the mid-managers ability at a crime scene, when it comes to conducting personnel performance evaluations, operating with other agencies, and with the media be improved?

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21. Supporting Underserved Communities With Substance Use Disorders: COSSUP Grantee Evaluation on DEI Initiatives: The CDC recently reported a 40% increase in opioid-related overdose deaths, primarily or minority populations over the past 3 years. In response to the disparities observed in access to treatment for minorities, the Department of Justice has focused on programming to support these communities. There is unreleased data on the 43 COSSUP grantees that received priority funding or the populations they serve. The Bureau of Justice Assistance Comprehensive Opioid, Stimulant, and Substance Use Program aims to implement and expand comprehensive programs in response to the opioid-crisis. Using external literature on DEI implementation and the grantee data, this project consists of designing and conducting a process evaluation to determine how the program’s inputs and activities match with the overall goal of integrating Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for beneficiaries. An assessment for a select group of grantees to gain a comprehensive understanding of how they plan to promote DEI in comparison to their narrative was also conducted. The results found that many grantees are implementing crucial elements to support underserved communities, while a few implemented none. The assessment revealed that several programs implemented more DEI-related initiatives than originally reported in their program narrative.

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U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development

22. Overcoming Exclusionary Zoning: An Analysis of Policy Options: This analysis seeks to examine policy options at the disposal of local jurisdictions to address exclusionary zoning, which is defined as a set of laws, typically implemented by state and local governments, that restrict the types of homes that can be built in specific neighborhoods. These options that are able to be adopted by local jurisdictions include remaining with the status quo of exclusionary zoning, accessory dwelling units, the widespread elimination of single-family zoning, and the use of fee waivers. As this analysis is being conducted for the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), in addition to these policy options being weighed and compared based on set criteria to determine the best options for local jurisdictions, suggestions for ways in which HUD can incentivize these jurisdictions to address exclusionary zoning will be included as well. Ultimately, this analysis hopes to be a resource for both local jurisdictions and HUD regarding some of the best strategies to overcome exclusionary zoning practices.

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23. Assessing Community Buy-In for and Efficacy of Flood Buyout Programs. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development identified the need for understanding case studies on climate change and disaster preparedness, specifically addressing environmental justice and reducing environmental racism. My research includes an in-depth literature review and two case studies of areas that are prone to natural disasters and the jurisdictions’ policy responses. I examined jurisdictions that have developed flood buyout programs to incentivize and support households to move out of floodplains. The project addresses the following research questions: What is being done to support communities that are at high risk for natural disasters, specifically flooding? What more should HUD do when continuing its disaster recovery efforts? How should HUD continue to support the long-term safety of these disaster-prone communities? What are the racial and environmental justice implications of funding recovery efforts, such as buyout programs, in disaster-prone areas?

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24. Affordable Housing Initiatives: This project is a case study on the production of affordable rental housing in Maryland, with a special focus on the finance aspect. The project seeks to answer two major questions regarding the affordable rental housing supply: What are the successes and challenges regarding Maryland’s affordable housing initiatives? What programs can be replicated in regions similarly situated to Maryland? What recommendations for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development can stem from what is learned in this case study? Data collection includes an overview of Maryland’s current affordable housing initiatives, centering interviews with policymakers at the state, local, and municipality level, as well as for-profit affordable housing developers, nonprofits, and academic organizations. Initial observations reveal the reliance of public-private partnerships (PPPs) to generate affordable housing rentals in Maryland, with a barrier to entry into this space for developers, specifically around the difficulty of combining subordinate debt financing sources. Recommendations include further research into PPP efficiency strategies in the affordable housing market, educational resources for local governments, and targeted funding sources.

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Transportation for America

25. Analyzing Planned Federal Block Grant Spending via Statewide Transportation Improvement Programs Transportation for America (T4A) initiated this project to gain insights on the implementation of two core U.S. Department of Transportation formula grant programs, the National Highway Performance Program (NHPP) and the Surface Transportation Block Grant Program (STBG), in light of increased investments made to these programs by the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA). The primary goal of the project was to determine if and how Statewide Transportation Improvement Programs (STIPs), documents each state produces to outline their planned transportation projects in a four year period, can be analyzed to evaluate a state’s transportation priorities via planned use of NHPP and STBG federal funds. Using three states as case studies, a methodology was developed to determine the proportion of grant dollars each state plans to allocate towards projects focused on construction, maintenance, active transportation, public transit, and passenger rail. This report provides background on the aforementioned federal funding programs and STIPs, details the project methodology used, explores the results and insights gathered, and offers some recommendations for consideration as this project is carried forward by T4A.

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Catholic Relief Services

26. Process Evaluation on CRS’ Global Gender Strategy 2020-2030. The purpose of this process evaluation report is to assess the implementation and impact of the CRS Global Gender Strategy 2020-2030. As the strategy approaches its second year of implementation, it must gather information on its progress. The evaluation aims to identify the critical components of the strategy, understand how they interact to integrate gender across CRS programming and operations, and explore the factors influencing its successful implementation. Additionally, it seeks to assess the level of understanding and engagement of CRS staff with the gender strategy and gather their perceptions of its relevance and need. The evaluation aims to provide recommendations for enhancing the implementation process of the gender strategy, addressing any gaps, and identifying opportunities for improvement. By conducting this evaluation, the report aims to contribute to the availability of evidence, documentation, and guidance necessary for successfully implementing the strategy. The findings and recommendations will support the mid-term review of the strategy in 2025 and facilitate its alignment with the intended goals of promoting gender equality within CRS operations and impacting communities worldwide.

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27. Assessing Performance Measurement Indicators and Developing Impact Evaluation Strategies for the Productive Development Fund The Ministry of Economy of El Salvador (MINEC) aims to promote economic and social development by increasing production, productivity and the rational use of the country's economic resources. Within MINEC, the Directorate of Innovation and Competitiveness (DIC-MINEC) is the executing unit responsible for carrying out projects and activities aimed at supporting the increase of production and productivity and industrial diversification. To fulfill its objective, the DIC-MINEC manages and operates the Productive Development Fund (FONDEPRO). The Productive Development Fund (FONDEPRO) is a fund that serves as a means to support and facilitate the enhancement of the competitiveness of enterprises through matching grant schemas. Currently, the DIC-MINEC has a performance measurement system for monitoring and measuring inputs, outputs, and immediate results. The project has two objectives: 1. To review the performance measurement indicators and, if necessary, suggest new measures and/or procedures. 2. To suggest strategies to perform an impact evaluation of FONDEPRO to estimate its impact

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El Salvador Ministry of Economy

28. Assessing Performance Measurement Indicators and Developing Impact Evaluation Strategies for the Productive Development Fund Get Doug.

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29. Memorandum: Over the past 10 years, the digital services sector has been growing exponentially worldwide, but not every nation has the human talent and experience to keep up with the demands set by nations such as the United States. In El Salvador, there is little base for people to specialize in different fields within the digital services sector, which then subsequently leads to gaps in the ability to create human talent and develop new solutions to grow the digital services sector. The lack of new people working for local firms within El Salvador allows large international corporations to take over the field, this then creates a lack of international interest and talent in the development in El Salvador. Working alongside the Directorate of Innovation and Competitiveness within the Ministry of Economy in El Salvador, I (1) mapped US Universities with fellowship or internship programs for the private sector and (2) designed an internship program to attract young graduate and Ph.D. student experts in the development of the digital services sector and (3) designed an implementation method for the program. Together we are working towards supporting and promoting innovation and firm competitiveness by bringing US students and their expertise to firms in El Salvador. I will be looking towards knowledge transfer programs for insight with the outcome being to investigate new trends in the digital service sector that can be brought to El Salvador.

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30. Implementation of the basis for an Environmental Management System based on ISO 14001:2015 standards in the Ministry of Economy: The Ministry of Economy of El Salvador (MINEC) has an organizational environmental policy consisting of at least 36 documents representing sub-policies. These include the formal “Institutional Environmental Policy,” as well as supporting documents such as the “Environmental Aspects Identification and Evaluation Register,” “Guidance for developing the Institutional Environmental Management Program,” “Record of Determination of Legal Requirements and Other Requirements Related to Environmental Aspects,” “Initial Environmental Review,” and others. To determine how MIINEC could strategically update its documents, policies, and processes it is necessary to first understand what the discrepancies are between organizational performance and the guidance of international standards on how to design and implement an environmental management system. By highlighting individual discrepancies and synthesizing themes from the data of what gaps exist, MINEC can determine how to strategically implement the policy in a way that considers the guidance of the standard.

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FWD.us

31. A Case Study on their Annual Day of Action Campaign: My client, FWD.us, is a bipartisan political organization that works to reform the U.S. Criminal Justice and Immigration Systems. It has a University Program that brings together college and university students, faculty, and staff from across the country to advance immigration reform. One of the ways in which it carries out its mission is through an annual “I Stand With Immigrants” (ISWI) Day of Action Campaign. This campaign mobilizes students across the country– at over 150 colleges and universities– and organizations to stand with immigrants on pertinent issues facing the U.S. and celebrate immigrant heritage. This project report interrogates their theory of change and assesses their annual ISWI Day of Action Campaign. Throughout the report, I use the terms “FWD.us” or “University Program” to refer to my client, and “Day of Action” and “ISWI day of action,” or “campaign” all interchangeably.

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Inter-American Development Bank

32. Supporting Amazonian indigenous communities’ integration in local, regional, and global value chains: This project analyzes different policies implemented to support underrepresented exporters’ performance in the global trade context. In particular, the policy analysis seeks to answer to what extent active trade inclusion policies -based on international best practices- can support export growth in the Amazon region, with emphasis on underrepresented and marginalized exports. The policy analysis will solve this question through two mechanisms. First, reviewing international best practices sheds light on feasible policy interventions that have achieved the desired outcomes that, in turn, might be doable in the context of underrepresented and marginalized exporters in the Amazonian region. Second, contrasting the international best practices findings with the analysis of the existing policies that Colombia and Peru are implementing on this matter is salient to draft policy recommendations to strengthen the ongoing policies and draft the guidelines for new programs that the IDB could support.

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