2020 Volume 12

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https://udspace.udel.edu/handle/19716/28792

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    Beyond Keifer Sutherland’s Designated Survivor, Recovering Washington, D.C.: An Examination of the District of Columbia’s Recovery Plan
    (Biden School of Public Policy and Administration, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, 2020) Cox, Zachary
    The popular imagination, as exhibited by the television show Designated Survivor, constructs disaster recovery as a process performed by omnipotent government agents who guide action in ways that are comprehensive, fair, and efficient. However, as the National Disaster Recovery Plan and the District of Columbia Recovery Plan demonstrate, there is little understanding of the processes required to recover from a disaster. This paper examines the Plan for the District of Columbia’s Economic Recovery from disaster and proposes recommendations that could more easily streamline the planning and recovery of disaster in Washington, DC.
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    What is the ‘Energy Efficiency Gap’? Analyzing market failures to energy efficiency
    (Biden School of Public Policy and Administration, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, 2020) Raghoo, Pravesh
    Energy efficiency is key to establishing a sustainable and clean environment for present and future generations. Without initiatives to develop energy efficiency, there are doubts that the path towards greater sustainability can ever be achieved. The literature on energy efficiency has long demonstrated the presence and persistence of an ‘energy efficiency gap.’ This paper examines the nature and size of this gap, identifies vital explanatory factors, and explores approaches by which to bridge the gap between potential and actual improvements in energy efficiency for sustainable development.
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    Consequences and dangers of gerrymandering: An ongoing threat to voter equality and fairness
    (University of Delaware’s Biden School of Public Policy and Administration, Newark, DE, 2020) Schenk, Ellen
    Despite the many movements and organizations dedicated to fighting against gerrymandering, gerrymandering and its various forms remain a current issue in elections. While gerrymandering has been an issue consistently brought before the Supreme Court, there has been no established measure to identify a gerrymandered district. There is a broad scope of literature surrounding suggested measures, such as the efficiency gap, the mean-median gap, and the seats-to-votes curve. Gerrymandering presents a clear and present threat to the equality of elections due to the lack of competition and an unfair process of redistricting. Reforms such as guidelines for commissions and the 2020 census need to be undertaken to ensure a fair and just reapportionment process.