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The Strom Thurmond Institute publishes documents and reports on research in public policy areas at the local, regional, state and national levels.
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Publication Status of tree ordinances in South Carolina(South Carolina State Library, 2003-10) London, Donna; Duffy, Eileen.; Strom Thurmond Institute; South Carolina State Commission of Forestry.In order to support citizens’ efforts to move closer to healthy, stable, and tree-canopied surroundings, it is helpful to know which communities have ordinances and what they are regulating. A number of local governments have faced issues related to drafting and implementing tree ordinances. They know what works well and what doesn’t for their communities, and fortunately, they have been willing to share the information. This study was intended to collect this information in order to enhance awareness of current policy initiatives.Publication State pension funds : assets and obligations(South Carolina State Library, 1997-10-23) Lewis, Bryan E.; Strom Thurmond InstituteThis paper examines the fiscal sustainability of the South Carolina Retirement Systems through fiscal year 2009-10. The trust funds of the South Carolina Retirement Systems are separate from the state general fund, the focus of the fiscal sustainability project. However, if the system is unable to meet its obligations and the state is called upon to make up the deficiency and fulfill its commitments to retirees, that demand will fall on the general fundPublication State expenditures : projections to 2010(South Carolina State Library, 1997-10-23) Strom Thurmond Institute; Hite, James C.What is offered here are not expenditure forecasts, which require forecasts of political decisions that no one can make with reliability. Rather, expenditure projections are offered given certain basic and plausible assumptions. The expenditure projections presented are based upon the 1997-98 appropriations bill. In summary, state expenditures are projected to grow at an average annual rate of 4.5 percent overall with faster-than-average growth anticipated in certain large segments of the budget like corrections and Medicaid/social services. It is believed that these figures provide a suitable foundation for planning purposes.Publication A GIS-based analysis and prediction of parcel land-use change in a coastal tourism destination area(South Carolina State Library, 1999-10-13) Allen, Jeffery S.; Lu, Kang Shou; Potts, Thomas D,; Strom Thurmond Institute; World Congress on Coastal and Marine TourismAs an integrated part of the NASA/SC-EPSCoR Wetland Research Project involving three institutions in South Carolina, this study focuses on the land-use change and its impacts. The overall purpose is to better understand the process of coastal land-use change and its consequences in order to minimize negative impacts and to sustain coastal resources and development around nearby wetlands. For the Murrells Inlet component of the project, four immediate objectives were: Seek an alternative approach that emphasizes human aspects of issues related to land-use change; Develop a parcel based GIS model for assessing land-use change in the past; Apply this model to observe and map tenure change, residential change and commercial change for the Murrells Inlet area; and Build and apply a logistic regression model to predict the possibilities of future land-use change for the area.Publication Land use conflicts on the urban fringe : causes and potential resolution(South Carolina State Library, 1998) Hite, Jim; Strom Thurmond InstituteThe outline of the paper is as follows: We begin with a brief section defining the main terms. We will then examine globalization in history, its causes and its consequences for urban land uses. We will then turn to an examination of what the major players in the conflicts at the urban fringe might want, and consider the set of deals that might resolve those conflicts.Publication Land cover classification in the Upstate South Carolina and the Saluda-Reedy Watershed(South Carolina State Library, 2006-08) Allen, Jeffery; Sperry, Stephen; Pasula, Arvind; Patki, Vrunda; Lu, Kang Shou; Strom Thurmond InstituteThe study addressed land use and land cover changes in the Upstate region of South Carolina over a 15-year period. This region consists of the following counties: Abbeville, Anderson, Greenville, Greenwood, Laurens, Newberry, Pickens, Spartanburg. The development pattern was the primary focus of this study. The study addresses three aspects of change detection to monitoring natural resources and urban growth: 1. Classification of Land Cover - 1985, 1990, 1995 and 2000 2. Detecting the change over the 15 year period 3. Quantifying the area statistics by year and by countiesPublication Modeling growth and predicting future developed land in the upstate of South Carolina(South Carolina State Library, 2007-11) Campbell, Craig E.; Allen, Jeffery; Lu, Kang Shou; Strom Thurmond InstituteFor this study a comparable model, with some improvements, was developed to predict where the growth is most likely to occur through the year 2030 for eight counties in the Upstate region of South Carolina. A geographic information system-based model was developed, combining a binomial logistic regression approach with expert information provided by informed participants from throughout the region. A map created from the output of the growth model shows what the pattern of developed land for the study area might look like by the year 2030. These results can give decision-makers better information from which to implement good growth policy for the future of the region.Publication Planning for college : a comprehensive guide for South Carolina families(South Carolina State Library, 2008-10-22) Watt, Catherine E.; Strom Thurmond Institute. Alliance for Research on Higher EducationThis resource by the Alliance for Research on Higher Education is for families seeking information about accessing higher education opportunities in South Carolina. This incisive and objective publication targets South Carolina families wishing to learn more about affording college and will serve as a practical handbook for students seeking a college degree.Publication The impact of Alcoa Mt. Holly on Berkeley County, the Trident Region, and the remainder of South Carolina(South Carolina State Library, 2011-06-20) Strom Thurmond Institute.; Clemson University. Regional Dynamics & Economic Modeling LaboratoryThe Alcoa Mt. Holly plant, located in Goose Creek in Berkeley County, South Carolina, generated an estimated impact of 996 jobs in Berkeley County during 2010, accounting for 2.7 percent of the county’s total employment in that year. The total impact for the Trident region, including Berkeley, Charleston, and Dorchester counties, was an estimated 2,899 jobs, over 1,700 of which were located in Charleston County. The plant, along with all economic activity associated with it, also netted county and municipal governments in Berkeley County approximately $7.3 million in revenues in that year.Publication An economic analysis of low water levels in Hartwell Lake : final report(South Carolina State Library, 2010-11-08) Allen, Jeffery S.; Carey, Robert T.; Dickes, Lori A.; Saltzman, Ellen Weeks; Allen, Corey N.; Strom Thurmond InstituteThis study examines the regional economic impacts of low lake levels on the six county region bordering Hartwell Lake.Publication Analysis of the S.C. Accountability Act & No Child Left Behind(South Carolina State Library, 2003-08-28) Nielsen, Barbara Stock,1942-; Strom Thurmond InstituteThis paper gives the particulars of the S.C. Accountability Act and the No Child Left Behind Act.Publication Fiscal sustainability in South Carolina : trends and issues(South Carolina State Library, 2008-11) Saltzman, Ellen Weeks; Jim Self Center on the FutureThis report examines trends in state revenue and expenditures, especially during the last recession, and identifies current challenges to revenue and spending. The report also examines whether or not the state’s revenue system is likely to be able to support future spending. Comparisons of South Carolina with national trends are based on state revenue data from the United States Census Bureau.Publication The fiscal sustainability of the South Carolina revenue and expenditure system, 1998-2010(South Carolina State Library, 1999-03-15) Ulbrich, Holley H.; Strom Thurmond InstituteIn 1997, a team of researchers from the Strom Thurmond Institute generated projections of South Carolina General fund revenues and expenditures through fiscal year 2009-10, based on plausible assumptions about inflation, population growth, and personal income growth over the next decade and beyond.1 This year, we revisited our projections for the fiscal year just ended and developed revised projections based on actual or appropriated data for the most recent fiscal year, new legislation and other developments, and slight modifications of the assumptions.Publication The fiscal sustainability of the South Carolina revenue and expenditure system, 1997-2010(South Carolina State Library, 1997-11-17) Ulbrich, Holley H.; Strom Thurmond InstituteThis fiscal sustainability project was undertaken in order to offer a basis for assessing the budgetary impact of recent and proposed legislative policy actions that might affect either state revenue or state expenditures. Researchers attempted to develop plausible estimates of future revenue and expenditures in the South Carolina General Fund as well as the projected revenue stream for local governments through fiscal year 2009-10. In order to ensure that the revenue and expenditure projections were unbiased, these projections were made independently and compared only toward the conclusion of the project.Publication The case of amending the U.S. Constitution to define rules for fighting global terrorism(South Carolina State Library, 2006-11) Whitehurst, Clinton H.,1927-; Strom Thurmond InstituteThis highlights reasons for changing the Constitution with regards to terrorism.Publication Ensuring a competitive revenue system for South Carolina : findings and conclusions from an evaluation of the South Carolina revenue system(South Carolina State Library, 2005-11-18) Ulbrich, Holley H.; Strom Thurmond InstituteThe Strom Thurmond Institute explored government revenue in South Carolina from multiple perspectives: theoretical, historical, institutional, economic, political, and statistical. The research compared levels and distribution of revenue sources with those in other states, especially neighboring states. This exploration resulted in seven working papers by six researchers. This paper is a summary of the major findings.Publication Economic variables that influence plantation sustainability in South Carolinas’ coastal zone(South Carolina State Library, 1999-12-09) Reynolds, Carolyn; Strom Thurmond InstituteThe main focus of this study is to identify the key factors that have a significant impact on plantation land conversion in South Carolina. There are many factors that are influential in determining land conversion: land characteristics, external forces, and seller’s and buyer’s characteristics. This study gives an overview of South Carolina’s coastal zone plantations between 1988 and 1998. Characteristics of these plantations such as income, land use patterns, and ownership transfer patterns were defined.Publication Planning for the community forest in South Carolina(South Carolina State Library, 2006-07) London, Donna S.; Ham, Donald L.; Strom Thurmond Institute; Jim Self Center on the FutureSouth Carolina’s cities and counties are authorized to prepare and implement a comprehensive plan within their jurisdiction under the SC Local Government Comprehensive Planning Enabling Act. The comprehensive plan provides a framework for the establishment of policies that support conservation, professional management, and maintenance of community trees.Publication South Carolina revenues and expenditures, historical trends and projections to 2010-11(South Carolina State Library, 2001-08-29) Lanier, Louis R.; Saltzman, Ellen Weeks; Jim Self Center on the FutureThis report looks at South Carolina’s general fund revenues and expenditures— past, present, and future. It examines historical trends in the major components of state general fund revenues and expenditures and how the trends have contributed to the current budget crisis facing state government. It also makes projections of future state general fund revenues and expenditures through 2010-11.Publication South Carolina's state revenue sources(South Carolina State Library, 2006-05) Ulbrich, Holley H.; Strom Thurmond Institute; Saltzman, Ellen WeeksThe state of South Carolina relies on a diverse group of own-source revenue instruments, including individual and corporate income taxes, a retail sales tax, excise taxes, and other taxes, fees, and service charges, to support current services. Federal aid supports specific programs and projects outside the state’s General Fund. In addition, bond issues make possible the construction of large capital projects through long-term debt financing.