2022 Annual Update

Projects

To learn more about the projects IPI completed in 2022 please review through the tabs.

Sponsored Projects

• ACHD Public Opinion Survey (Sponsored by Ada County Highway District)
• Assessing the Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Idahoans (Sponsored by United Way of Treasure Valley)
• City of Kamiah Data Mining (Sponsored by Boise State University Hazard and Climate Resilience Institute)
• Communities of Excellence 2022 Report (Sponsored by Bluum)
• Connected Canyon County (Sponsored by Valley Regional Transit)
• Creative District Pilot Phase 2 (Sponsored by Idaho Commission on the Arts)
• Drinking Water and Wastewater Infrastructure Needs Survey (Sponsored by Idaho Department of Environmental Quality)
• Guardian Ad Litem Program Evaluation (Sponsored by Idaho Supreme Court)
• Housing Pilot Evaluation Design (Sponsored by City of Boise)
• Idaho Public Television Children’s and Educational Programming Attitudinal Awareness Survey (Sponsored by Idaho Public Television)
• Idaho Statewide Housing Analysis (Sponsored by Idaho Office of the Governor)
• Idaho Transportation Department Division of Motor Vehicles Model Research Project (Sponsored by Idaho Transportation Department)
• Idaho Tribal Court Needs Assessment (Sponsored by Idaho Legal Aid)
• Idaho Wine Industry Survey (Sponsored by Fahlgren Mortine)
• Policy Analysis Technical Assistance (Sponsored by Warm Springs Consulting)
• Resource Nexus for Sustainability Grand Challenge (Sponsored by Hazard and Climate Resiliency Institute)
• State of the Nonprofit Sector (Sponsored by Idaho Nonprofit Center)
• Statewide Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Process Survey (Sponsored by Idaho Parks and Recreation)
• Transportation Safety in Boise, Idaho: Reaching Vision Zero (Sponsored by City of Boise
• Treasure Valley Transportation Habits and the Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic (Sponsored by Valley Regional Transit)
• Treatment and Transitions Program Evaluation (Sponsored by Idaho Department of Health and Welfare)

Unsponsored Projects

• 2021 Eviction infographic
• 2021 Idaho Eviction Study
• Canyon County Transfer of Development Rights White Paper
• CATCH Housing First Slide Deck
• CityGo Annual Awareness Survey
• CityGo Commuting Habits 2021 Survey Results
• Contract Management Strategies of Government CEOs by Contractor Form: A Survey Experiment
• County Government Form and Fiscal Performance
• ESG White Paper
• Good Samaritan Home Independent Living Facility Analysis
• Idaho Rural Industry Clusters Needs Assessment
• The Impact of Local Governing Institutions on the Implementation of COVID Policy
• SPS Growth in the Treasure Valley in 2021
• SPS 8th Annual Idaho Public Policy Survey
• Women Imprisonment in Idaho

Student Projects

MPA Capstone Projects Spring 2022

• Air Quality in Northern Idaho (community partner, Department of Environmental Quality)
• CATCH Equity Analysis (community partner, CATCH)
• Downtown Microgrid Feasibility Study (community partner, deChase Miksis Development)
• Affordable Housing Financing Options (community partner, COMPASS)
• Parklets and Streeteries (community partner, Downtown Boise Association)
• Sustainability Literacy Survey (community partner, Boise State Sustainability Governance Council)
• Nonprofit Strategic Planning (community partner, Whitewater for Well Water)
• Crash Site Analysis Methodology (community partner, Idaho Walk Bike Alliance)

MPA Capstone Projects Fall 2022

• Economic and Social Impact Study (community partner, Hailey Ice)
• International Student Housing Needs Assessment (community partner, Boise State University Center for Global Engagement)
• Medicare Acceptance (community partner, Idaho State Dental Association)
• Program Evaluation (community partner, Poder Idaho)
• Staff and Faculty Survey (community partner, Boise State University Sustainability Governance Council)

Housing Opportunities for All Vertically Integrated Projects Spring 2022

• Adaptive Reuse (community partner, COMPASS)
• Missing Middle Housing (community partner, COMPASS)
• Transitional Housing (community partner, COMPASS)Housing Opportunities for All Vertically Integrated Projects Spring 2022

Housing Opportunities for All Vertically Integrated Project Fall 2022

• Effectiveness of Eviction Prevention Programs (community partner, Jesse Tree)

Motor vehicle service delivery: Analysis of Idaho’s model and policy alternatives

Team: Vanessa Fry, Jacqueline Lee, Cheong Kim, Gabe Osterhout, D’Andre Mathews

The Idaho Transportation Department commissioned IPI to better understand the state’s DMV service delivery model, compare it to arrangements in other states, and research potential policy alternatives. Specifically, the research team considered the advantages and disadvantages of the models used in Idaho and other states, the benefits and challenges of potential solutions, and the language of relevant statutes and regulations.

IPI reviewed data from 15 previous surveys distributed by the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators, conducted two new surveys of state DMV administrators and Idaho front-line agents, and held 18 interviews with administrators in select states and local county assessors and sheriffs. The research team analyzed quantitative DMV data in Idaho and other states and conducted a thorough literature review to assess best practices.

The report notes that Idaho’s arrangement enables local access, flexibility, and autonomy, but it also leads to a lack of standardization, blurred responsibilities between state and county decision-makers, and funding challenges. Looking at practices in other states, more centralized arrangements typically enable more standardization and economies of scale but come with fewer points of access, while less centralized ones grant more local access but create inconsistencies in service delivery. Private partners can expand DMV access and ease of use but can also widen inequities and require oversight from the state agency.

Moving forward, IPI researchers identified several policy options for Idaho’s model, including increasing communication between each level of government, addressing local concerns about loss of revenue, formalizing the state-county arrangement or involving other third parties, and preserving local access through opt-in opportunities.

Guardian ad Litem Program Evaluation

Team: Vanessa Fry, Jacqueline Lee, Cheong Kim, Gabe Osterhout, D’Andre Mathews

Idaho’s Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) Programs serve children and youth across the state in child protection cases. These Programs support the state’s guardians ad litem (GALs) who are appointed by the courts to represent children and youth and their best interests in child protection cases. The Idaho Supreme Court commissioned the School of Public Service to perform an external and impartial evaluation of Idaho’s Guardian Ad Litem Program, focusing on a number of research questions aiming to assess recruitment and retention of GALs, perceptions of GALs and CASA programs, and alignment with relevant national CASA standards, Idaho statutes, and Idaho Juvenile Rules.

Key findings include:

• Idaho CASA Programs are making concerted efforts to align with national best practices for child advocacy and with key provisions of Idaho Code.
• Idaho’s seven CASA Programs effectively train GALs on a variety of statutorily-mandated topics.
• Magistrate judges, CASA Program directors, and GALs all indicate overwhelmingly that GALs adequately advocate for the best interests of the child.
• Over the study period (2016-2020) 93% of children and youth in child protection cases had a GAL assigned to their case.
• Consistent challenges were identified by both GAL staff and volunteers and Executive Directors across the state. These challenges have also been noted in previous reports on child welfare in Idaho and include the need for more GALs and an improved working relationship with other key stakeholders in child protection matters.
• Many CASA Programs have plans for recruiting and retention, but need additional support in order to have enough GALs to serve children/youth in child protection cases.

Rural Industry Clusters Needs Assessment

Team: McAllister Hall, Benjamin Larsen, Aisha Kayed, Vanessa Fry

IPI collaborated with Boise State University’s Offices of the Provost and the President to develop actionable insight into the emerging needs and gaps in two rural Idaho industry clusters:

• The energy and cybersecurity industries in Eastern Idaho
• The dairy and dairy processing industries in the Magic Valley

This research will inform academic programming and delivery over the next three to ten years.

To identify the education and industry gaps, IPI surveyed high school students from six Magic Valley school districts and two Eastern Idaho school districts and interviewed or surveyed ten industry leaders from the dairy sector and nine from the energy and cybersecurity sector. IPI used this information to complete a SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) Analysis.

Key findings show that a gap exists between two of the strongest sectors of rural Idaho’s economy and the young Idahoans who are in position to contribute to and benefit from these sectors. Boise State and other universities can help bridge this chasm by considering the following actionable insights:

• Increase and improve relationships between universities, high schools, and industry organizations
• Raise awareness to improve attitudes among Idaho’s youth about industry career opportunities
• Align curriculum with industry needs to promote “soft skills” and increase practical training in degree programs
• Create and strengthen innovative research partnerships to address industry workforce recruitment and retention challenges
• Engage in research to address housing shortages and high housing costs that complicate recruitment and retention