The Public Purpose Journal Celebrates 15 Years with Latest Edition

American University News


The Public Purpose Journal—the peer-reviewed journal of SPA graduate students—unveiled its 2017 edition with presentations from the authors of the six academic articles.
“We are very proud to release the 15th edition of the Public Purpose Journal,” said Editor-in-Chief Kate Osterback, SPA/MPP ’17. “As a student-run organization, our longevity is a testament to the commitment of our students over the years. We are grateful to the SPA faculty and staff, especially Professor Laura Langbein, who has served as a faculty reviewer on all 15 editions of the print journal.”
Paula Acevedo, SPA/MPA ’16, published an article on the rising prices of prescription drugs in her article. According to Acevedo, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act made notable changes to the healthcare system left the pharmaceutical industry largely untouched. Acevedo’s findings point to the potential of implementing legislation that would allow drug importation.
Also on the issue of healthcare, Henry Watson, MPP ’18, analyzed potential improvements for the current system to avoid a complete dismantling of it. His article touched on the challenges caused by rising insurance costs and the withdrawal of insurance companies from the marketplace. Watson identified ways to potentially improve the system, including a general public health insurance option, and an expansion of Medicaid and Medicare.
Jose De Bastos, SPA/MA ’17, whose study was voted “best paper” by his peers and faculty reviewers, focused his research on the role international organizations have in preventing democracies from turning into authoritarian governments. His article focuses on ‘democratic backslidings’ in Hungary and Venezuela, and how the European Union and the United States have, for the most part, failed to defend the democratic values they are founded upon.
Kelly Mason, SPA/MS ’18, published her study on how to prevent people in extremism-prevalent locations from radicalization. Her article focuses on the effectiveness of ‘credible voices’ in stopping an increase in extremism, and ...

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