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In 2020, Arizonans approved Proposition 207, the Smart and Safe Arizona Act, which legalized recreational marijuana sales. Previous research has typically used non‐spatial survey data to understand marijuana legalization voting patterns. However, voting behavior can, in part, be shaped by geographic context, or place, which is unaccounted for in aspatial survey data. We use multiscale geographically weighted regression to analyze how place shaped Proposition 207 voting behavior, independently of demographic variations across space. We find significant spatial variability in the sensitivity of voting for Proposition 207 to changes in several of the predictor variables of opposition and support for recreational marijuana legalization. We argue that local statistical modeling approaches provide a more in‐depth understanding of ballot measure voting behavior than the current use of global models.

Branton, Regina, and Ronald J. McGauvran. 2018. “Mary Jane Rocks the Vote: The Impact of Climate Context on Support for Cannabis Initiatives.”Politics & Policy46(2): 209–32.https://doi.org/10.1111/polp.12248.

Brekken, Katheryn C., and Vanessa M. Fenley. 2020. “Part of the Narrative: Generic News Frames in the U.S. Recreational Marijuana Policy Subsystem.”Politics & Policy49(1): 6–32.https://doi.org/10.1111/polp.12388.

Fisk, Jonathan M., Joseph A. Vonasek, and Elvis Davis. 2018. “‘Pot'reneurial Politics: The Budgetary Highs and Lows of Recreational Marijuana Policy Innovation.”Politics & Policy46(2): 189–208.https://doi.org/10.1111/polp.12246.

 

This dataset includes information regarding 949 social science researchers who signed up for the Social Science Extreme Events Research (SSEER) network between July 8, 2018 and December 31, 2019. Researchers’ information is collected via an online survey that consists of 19 questions and takes approximately 7 minutes to complete. The envisioned audience for this data and other information includes those who are interested in learning more about the composition of the social science hazards and disaster research workforce, the events that they study, and their skills and expertise.This project includes a survey instrument, data, and annual census reports from the National Science Foundation (NSF)-funded Social Science Extreme Events Research (SSEER) network, which is headquartered at the Natural Hazards Engineering Research Infrastructure (NHERI) CONVERGE facility at the Natural Hazards Center at the University of Colorado Boulder. The SSEER network, which was launched in 2018, was formed, in part, to respond to the need for more specific information about the status and expertise of the social science hazards and disaster research workforce. The mission of SSEER is to identify and map social scientists involved in hazards and disaster research in order to highlight their expertise and connect social science researchers to one another, to interdisciplinary teams, and to communities at risk to hazards and affected by disasters. Ultimately, the goals of SSEER are to amplify the contributions of social scientists and to advance the field through expanding the available social science evidence base. To see the SSEER map and to learn more about the SSEER initiative, please visit: https://converge.colorado.edu/research-networks/sseer. All social and behavioral scientists and those in allied disciplines who study the human, economic, policy, and health dimensions of disasters are invited to join this network via a short online survey. This DesignSafe project includes: (1) the SSEER survey instrument; (2) de-identified data, which is updated annually as new researchers join the SSEER network and returning members update their information; and (3) SSEER annual census reports. These resources are available to all who are interested in learning more about the composition of the social science hazards and disaster workforce. SSEER is part of a larger ecosystem of NSF-funded extreme events research and reconnaissance networks designed to help coordinate disciplinary communities in engineering and the sciences, while also encouraging cross-disciplinary information sharing and interdisciplinary integration. To learn more about the networks and research ecosystem, please visit: https://converge.colorado.edu/research-networks/. 

Participatory asset mapping activities were used in both Arkansas and Nebraska to gain an understanding of existing organization-based assets and areas for improvement in the context of emergency preparedness. The main goals of the mapping activities that the Natural Hazards Center team led in Arkansas and Nebraska included: (1) Identifying organizational strengths, capacities, skills, and resources within organizations generally and for children in disasters specifically; (2) Deciphering organizations’ limitations and gaps both generally and in providing support for children in disasters; and (3) Facilitating potential cooperation between and among organizations by generating a shared awareness and understanding of organizations’ collective assets and areas for improvement. Our team constructed and facilitated a participatory asset mapping activity that was conducted during the two facilitated sessions held on December 10, 2018 in Lincoln, Nebraska and December 13, 2018 in Little Rock, Arkansas, and hosted by Save the Children for the Building Capacities to Protect Children Project. Participants in both states included individuals from state-level VOAD member organizations, community-based organizations, emergency management, and partners that provide services for children during disasters and emergencies. A total of 16 individuals participated in Arkansas, and 12 in Nebraska. This publication includes the verbal consent form, participatory asset mapping guidance document, and organizational asset mapping worksheets. The participatory asset mapping facilitator’s guide provides step-by-step instructions for individuals interested in conducting participatory asset mapping. This can be adapted to fit other research and evaluation objectives. The participatory asset mapping protocol was used to facilitate the participatory asset mapping activities among Arkansas and Nebraska VOAD participants and organizational partners in Little Rock Arkansas, and Lincoln, Nebraska, respectively. The organizational worksheets were used for conducting the participatory asset mapping activities in Arkansas and Nebraska and can easily be adapted for use in other contexts or organizational types.Between 2018 and 2020, the Natural Hazards Center at the University of Colorado Boulder conducted an evaluation entitled: Building State Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (VOADs) Capacities to Protect Children in Emergencies. This project was designed to assess the capacity of state-level VOADs to address children’s needs before, during, and after disasters. This project involved multi-method research in the focal states of Arkansas and Nebraska and in collaboration with members of VOADs, emergency management, Save the Children, and other child-serving organizations in both states. The evaluation team conducted participatory engagement exercises, survey research, secondary data analysis and GIS mapping, and an interorganizational network analysis survey. This project includes research instruments and the final reports produced as part of this project. The envisioned audience for these materials includes researchers, emergency managers, and professionals who work for child-serving organizations. 

The 2018 Social Science Extreme Events Research (SSEER) Census summarizes the results of responses gathered from 648 social scientists who filled out the SSEER survey between its release date on July 8, 2018 and December 31, 2018. This report characterizes the diversity and wide range of disciplinary skills and expertise among the research community. It is organized into the following categories: (1) researcher geographic location; (2) disciplinary background and expertise; (3) educational and professional background; (4) level of involvement in hazards and disaster research (core, periodic, situational, emerging); (5) research methods and approaches; (6) disaster types, phases, and specific extreme events studied; and (7) researcher demographic characteristics. The document concludes with further readings, a data citation, and a brief description of the SSEER network. This report—which is the first census of social scientists who study hazards and disasters—responds to longstanding calls to better characterize the composition of the hazards and disaster workforce. The 2018 SSEER Census is available for download via PDF and also online at: https://converge.colorado.edu/research-networks/sseer/sseer-census/. Social scientists who study hazards and disasters can become a part of this network and annual count by joining SSEER at: https://converge.colorado.edu/research-networks/sseer/. More information on SSEER and the other National Science Foundation-funded reconnaissance and research networks is available on the CONVERGE website at: https://converge.colorado.edu/research-networks/.This project includes a survey instrument, data, and annual census reports from the National Science Foundation (NSF)-funded Social Science Extreme Events Research (SSEER) network, which is headquartered at the Natural Hazards Engineering Research Infrastructure (NHERI) CONVERGE facility at the Natural Hazards Center at the University of Colorado Boulder. The SSEER network, which was launched in 2018, was formed, in part, to respond to the need for more specific information about the status and expertise of the social science hazards and disaster research workforce. The mission of SSEER is to identify and map social scientists involved in hazards and disaster research in order to highlight their expertise and connect social science researchers to one another, to interdisciplinary teams, and to communities at risk to hazards and affected by disasters. Ultimately, the goals of SSEER are to amplify the contributions of social scientists and to advance the field through expanding the available social science evidence base. To see the SSEER map and to learn more about the SSEER initiative, please visit: https://converge.colorado.edu/research-networks/sseer. All social and behavioral scientists and those in allied disciplines who study the human, economic, policy, and health dimensions of disasters are invited to join this network via a short online survey. This DesignSafe project includes: (1) the SSEER survey instrument; (2) de-identified data, which is updated annually as new researchers join the SSEER network and returning members update their information; and (3) SSEER annual census reports. These resources are available to all who are interested in learning more about the composition of the social science hazards and disaster workforce. SSEER is part of a larger ecosystem of NSF-funded extreme events research and reconnaissance networks designed to help coordinate disciplinary communities in engineering and the sciences, while also encouraging cross-disciplinary information sharing and interdisciplinary integration. To learn more about the networks and research ecosystem, please visit: https://converge.colorado.edu/research-networks/. 

This dataset includes information regarding 648 social science researchers who signed up for the Social Science Extreme Events Research (SSEER) network between July 8, 2018 and December 31, 2018. Researchers’ information is collected via an online survey that consists of 19 questions and takes approximately 7 minutes to complete. The envisioned audience for this data and other information includes those who are interested in learning more about the composition of the social science hazards and disaster research workforce, the events that they study, and their skills and expertise.This project includes a survey instrument, data, and annual census reports from the National Science Foundation (NSF)-funded Social Science Extreme Events Research (SSEER) network, which is headquartered at the Natural Hazards Engineering Research Infrastructure (NHERI) CONVERGE facility at the Natural Hazards Center at the University of Colorado Boulder. The SSEER network, which was launched in 2018, was formed, in part, to respond to the need for more specific information about the status and expertise of the social science hazards and disaster research workforce. The mission of SSEER is to identify and map social scientists involved in hazards and disaster research in order to highlight their expertise and connect social science researchers to one another, to interdisciplinary teams, and to communities at risk to hazards and affected by disasters. Ultimately, the goals of SSEER are to amplify the contributions of social scientists and to advance the field through expanding the available social science evidence base. To see the SSEER map and to learn more about the SSEER initiative, please visit: https://converge.colorado.edu/research-networks/sseer. All social and behavioral scientists and those in allied disciplines who study the human, economic, policy, and health dimensions of disasters are invited to join this network via a short online survey. This DesignSafe project includes: (1) the SSEER survey instrument; (2) de-identified data, which is updated annually as new researchers join the SSEER network and returning members update their information; and (3) SSEER annual census reports. These resources are available to all who are interested in learning more about the composition of the social science hazards and disaster workforce. SSEER is part of a larger ecosystem of NSF-funded extreme events research and reconnaissance networks designed to help coordinate disciplinary communities in engineering and the sciences, while also encouraging cross-disciplinary information sharing and interdisciplinary integration. To learn more about the networks and research ecosystem, please visit: https://converge.colorado.edu/research-networks/. 

A primary objective of this larger evaluation project was to develop a baseline understanding of the existing connections across Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (VOAD) member and partner organizations in Arkansas and Nebraska, including identification of opportunities for additional or more extensive collaboration. To address this objective, the evaluation team constructed an interorganizational social network analysis (SNA) survey to measure the degree to which VOAD member organizations in Arkansas and Nebraska: (1) engage in various levels of collaboration, (2) contact one another, (3) exchange essential resources, and (4) perceive the benefits and challenges associated with collaboration. In addition to measuring VOAD collaboration and exchanges, we assessed the extent to which child-serving organizations were represented within Arkansas and Nebraska VOAD networks and whether they were sought after for child-focused resources. To do this, we developed two survey instruments that were identical other than one survey included VOAD, emergency management, and child-serving organizations in Nebraska, and the other included such organizations in Arkansas. We also updated the introductory text in each survey to represent the names of the focal states and organizational partners. In total, 34 participants from Arkansas VOAD and their partners and 43 participants from Nebraska VOAD and their partners completed the SNA survey. The intended audience for this survey instrument includes researchers as well as practitioners and policy makers interested in the use of social network analysis in disaster research. As indicated by the highlighted text in the instruments, future users of this survey will need to update organizational names in the text and network question rosters. Please see the highlighted instructions in the survey for further guidance on replicating the instrument.Between 2018 and 2020, the Natural Hazards Center at the University of Colorado Boulder conducted an evaluation entitled: Building State Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (VOADs) Capacities to Protect Children in Emergencies. This project was designed to assess the capacity of state-level VOADs to address children’s needs before, during, and after disasters. This project involved multi-method research in the focal states of Arkansas and Nebraska and in collaboration with members of VOADs, emergency management, Save the Children, and other child-serving organizations in both states. The evaluation team conducted participatory engagement exercises, survey research, secondary data analysis and GIS mapping, and an interorganizational network analysis survey. This project includes research instruments and the final reports produced as part of this project. The envisioned audience for these materials includes researchers, emergency managers, and professionals who work for child-serving organizations. 

As part of the larger Save the Children evaluation, our research team developed and disseminated an online survey to VOAD members and those partnered or affiliated informally with Arkansas and Nebraska state-level VOADs. The intent of this survey was to assess individual and organizational levels of disaster preparedness and the state of child-centered disaster preparedness activities. The Natural Hazards Center team created one survey, which was then updated to be specific to each state. The survey is divided into the following six sections: (a) organizational characteristics, VOAD involvement, and experience with disaster; (b) knowledge and awareness about children in disasters; (c) capacity for child-focused disaster response; (d) readiness for child-focused disaster response; (e) perceptions about child-focused disaster response; and (f) demographic information. We used the online survey platform Qualtrics to disseminate surveys through anonymous survey links. These links were sent to Arkansas and Nebraska VOADs and their partners on December 3, 2018. In all, a total of 24 surveys in Arkansas (7 of which were partially completed), and 46 surveys in Nebraska (13 of which were partially completed) were submitted via Qualtrics by December 17, 2018. This publication includes the final survey instrument, which may be of interest to other evaluation researchers.Between 2018 and 2020, the Natural Hazards Center at the University of Colorado Boulder conducted an evaluation entitled: Building State Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (VOADs) Capacities to Protect Children in Emergencies. This project was designed to assess the capacity of state-level VOADs to address children’s needs before, during, and after disasters. This project involved multi-method research in the focal states of Arkansas and Nebraska and in collaboration with members of VOADs, emergency management, Save the Children, and other child-serving organizations in both states. The evaluation team conducted participatory engagement exercises, survey research, secondary data analysis and GIS mapping, and an interorganizational network analysis survey. This project includes research instruments and the final reports produced as part of this project. The envisioned audience for these materials includes researchers, emergency managers, and professionals who work for child-serving organizations. 

Methods matter. They influence what we know and who we come to know about in the context of hazards and disasters. Research methods are of profound importance to the scholarly advancement of the field and, accordingly, a growing number of publications focus on research methods and ethical practices associated with the study of extreme events. Still, notable gaps exist. The National Science Foundation-funded Social Science Extreme Events Research (SSEER) network was formed, in part, to respond to the need for more specific information about the status and expertise of the social science hazards and disaster research workforce. Drawing on data from 1,013 SSEER members located across five United Nations (UN) regions, this article reports on the demographic characteristics of SSEER researchers; provides a novel inventory of methods used by social science hazards and disaster researchers; and explores how methodological approaches vary by specific researcher attributes including discipline, professional status, researcher type based on level of involvement in the field, hazard/disaster type studied, and disaster phase studied. The results have implications for training, mentoring, and workforce development initiatives geared toward ensuring that a diverse next generation of social science researchers is prepared to study the root causes and social consequences of disasters.