academic work

 
 

academic appointment: university of calIFORNIA, berkeley

In 2022, Dr. Megan Gall accepted an appointment with the University of California, Berkeley to work with scholars on research around the 2020 redistricting cycle and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

We are working on several papers and will make announcements when we get to publication.

Scholars charge the study of political realignments, or critical elections, as non-falsifiable events so rare that no two realignments share the same catalyst. Despite those noteworthy criticisms, non-direct ways to look for evidence of realignment are valuable and there are two historic periods, the Slavery and the Civil Rights Eras, which share shifts in racial policy as the catalyst. Armed with caches of data and novel spatial statistics, political geographers are moving this research program forward. They confront troublesome global analyses with a recognition and demonstration of the more refined, local nature of electoral geography. Following them, I thread racial issues through time periods separated by more than 100 years using the theoretical structure of issue evolution proffered by Carmines and Stimson (1989) and the power theory prevalent in political science. The Moran’s I cluster statistic and geographically weighted regressions (GWR), a local modeling technique, drive the analyses. Results do not succinctly follow the patterns predicted in the issue evolution framework however through the Moran’s I, there is solid evidence that the Civil Rights Era was a political realignment. The Slavery Era dynamics are tested and the innovative application of the Moran’s I is advanced as a viable statistic for measuring realignment. The power theory and subsequent intergroup conflict/threat hypothesis is applied to both eras. The Slavery Era GWR analyses, negating some historic narratives, demonstrate the 1860 election as a slavery-driven ideological vote. Other historic discrepancies are examined. The Civil Rights Era GWR analyses shows strong evidence of a threat response and supports the contention that the election was a realigning one. Overall, analyses strengthen and elucidate the argument that global analyses obscure important patterns and details and support the importance of investigating electoral behavior at a localized scale.

masters thesis: the efficacy of ‘broken windows’ policies in american cities

By Megan Gall

Objectives: Investigate the impact of city bans on ‘aggressive panhandling’, a specific ‘brokenwindows’ policing policy. Variables operationalize broken windows theory and control for two alternative theories of crime causation: collective efficacy and economic impoverishment.

Methods: Eighteen pooled time-series cross-sectional models including 180 U.S. cities through an 11-year period (1986-1996) are used. Dependent variables are derived from FBI Part I crimes. Independent variables are derived from policy data and U.S. Census demographics.

Results: Considered together, property crimes, but not violent crimes, are statistically impacted by aggressive panhandling bans. However when crime types are modeled independently (e.g. homicide, burglary, etc.) social demographics and conditions relate in non-static ways. Broken windows theory/policy is, to a limited extent, efficacious.

Conclusions: Finding present broader implications. Analyses must examine impacts of policy across crime types. A re-examination of crime causation theories attempting to parse out where and when specific theoretical lens are useful is required.

certification: Certified geographic information science professional (GISP)

Since 2014, Dr. Megan Gall has maintained professional GIS Certification through the GIS Certification Institute.

According to the GISCI website, a Certified GIS Professional:

  • “Meets the minimum standards for ethics, educational achievement, professional experience, and manner in which he or she contributes back to the profession.”

  • “Abides by higher guidelines for ethical behavior.”

  • “Continues to educate and reeducate her or himself while preparing for recertification.”

  • “Is more than a practitioner of GIS technology.”

  • “Is a professional, engaged in the profession and networking with other professionals.”

masters thesis: THE SCOPE AND NATURE OF PANHANDLING AND RELATED CRIME IN DENVER, COLORADO

By megan gall

‘Broken Windows’ was a criminological theory used throughout 1990s and 2000s the crack down on low-level crimes in urban neighborhoods throughout the country. In January 2006, Denver kept pace with national trends and passed one new ordinance and elaborated on two existing ordinances detailing regulations for panhandling. The Denver ordinances are designed to regulate panhandling in an attempt to lower overall crime, to ease citizen concern regarding transient populations and to connect people in need of social services with the appropriate organizations. Research objectives are accomplished using geographic information science (GIS) crime mapping and analysis techniques. Criminological theories influencing police strategies and mapping techniques provide the framework for the research. These tools and ideas were used to determine the relationship between panhandling, crime and quality of life issues and to determine the effectiveness of public policy in Denver.

Effectiveness of the ordinances must be questioned since the ordinances focused on reducing panhandling and therefore reducing crime did not have favorable outcomes in this study. The study suggests that panhandling is a social problem rather than a criminal problem. Perhaps the problem may be better addressed with community resources rather than law enforcement.