Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: Social service practitioners record data every day as they provide direct services to needy clients and report those services to funders. However, with the right resources and point of view, such providers can move further, towards that data to inform their practice on a higher level (program development), and inform others about that population and what works. Drawing from experience within the Analysis and Client Information Systems Department of the Women's Prison Association (WPA), this paper reviews the ways in which data collection from within a service provision context can be done in a way that serves both purposes.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: There is an inherent tension in policymaking in deciding how much information governments should make available to citizens. In democracies, the tendency has been to release more. Authoritarian societies tend to exert greater control over what types of information are released. There are numerous options in between. John Street describes three models which help us understand this spectrum of tensions between politics and technology: 1) autonomous technology, 2) technological determinism and 3) the political choice model of technology. His approach is to explain how the political process has an impact on the development of technology. This paper extends his original models and evaluates their application to the question of how these processes impact information security-related policy.When dealing with information, the debate often lies at the extremes: one side claims that government, even in an open society, has the right to limit the release of information as it sees fit. The other side claims that government has the obligation, especially in an open society, to release information to the public in all but the most sensitive of national security matters. The types of policies that limit or release information are sometimes referred to as Information Security Policies. Our research questions are: What types of information do governments control through its policies? Under what circumstances and with what arguments? This paper will determine what policies are in place, in open societies, to protect and manage the release of sensitive information. These policies fall generally into two categories: 1) those dealing with generally sensitive and private information like medical records or pension benefits; and 2) those dealing with information that has been deemed important to secure for reasons of “national security,” such as the locations/blueprints of nuclear power plants or intelligence gathering operations.We will analyze these policies and programs by compiling a data set of proposed and existing national level information security policies from various types of governments around the world. We are ultimately interested in correlating which countries release or limit which types of information and analyzing the policy content to better understand levels of control or transparency. The conclusion will apply Street’s models to the data to ascertain what might best explain any correlations that we find.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: This research investigated the effect of ambivalence about smoking (i.e., holding both postive and negative views) on college nonsmokers' seeking and processing of anti-smoking information. Data from 432 college nonsmokers were collected through an online survey. Ambivalence was positively associated with both information seeking and information processing. Previous information seeking was also positively associated with information elaboration and thought favorability.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript

Publication Type: Paper/Poster Proposal
Abstract: Research on the knowledge gap has explored individual and social factors that may influence the creation, maintenance, and demise of SES-based differences in information gained as the result of information campaigns. The finding that the information rich tend to get richer while the information poor either stay information poor or gain information at a slower rate has been replicated over time and on a number of topics, leading to a formalization of the research under the knowledge gap hypothesis (Tichenor, Donohue and Olien, 1970). The knowledge gap hypothesis holds that as information flows into a social system, those of higher socioeconomic position are more likely to acquire information at a faster rate than those of lower socioeconomic position, leading to knowledge gaps between higher and lower socioeconomic position populations, compounding existing disparities and inequities (Tichenor, Donohue, and Olien, 1970).
While research on the knowledge gap phenomena has explored factors that can mediate the influence of socio-economic status on information gain, few studies have considered the influence of race and ethnicity on information gain in response to information campaigns. Using data from the National Survey of American Families (NSAF), we examine the impact of socioeconomic status, race, ethnicity, and other factors on social program awareness. The analysis considers awareness of two social programs targeted to those with low- incomes: the States Children�s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), and the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC).
Preliminary analyses indicate that race and Latino ethnicity are important additions to the traditional knowledge gap model of income and education, and mediate the influences of income, education, and awareness of community services. Implications for public communication campaigns, especially those involving eliminating racial and health disparities, will be discussed.