Published: 12/09/2022
Taher Naser Gannon University MPA Thesis Defense
Taher Naser, a 2014 graduate of the Gannon University Master of Public Administration program recently co-authored and published a paper with Dr. Eric Brownlee, Chair, Marketing, Entrepreneurship, and Sport Business, and Dr. Parris Baker, Director, Social Work and Mortuary Science.
The paper entitled "Neighborhood Characteristics as Predictors of Perceived Safety and Neighborhood Violent Crime" was a result of their community-based research. The study involved surveying neighborhood watch groups and residents about how neighborhood characteristics such as neighborhood disorder and the level of social cohesion influence both the frequency and severity of violent crime. The results demonstrated that high levels of neighborhood disorder and low levels of social cohesion led to increased violent crime frequency and severity.
These findings directly benefited local law enforcement and neighborhood watch groups and increasing social cohesion in a neighborhood while at the same time working to reduce neighborhood disorder, such as blight and vacant housing, may be a viable option for communities hoping to minimize violent crime.
Naser, who is currently working as a college instructor in his home country of Iraq, was recently accepted to the Public Administration Ph.D. program at the National University of Public Service in Budapest, Hungary, where he will continue his studies and research.
The study was published in the December 2022 issue of the Malaysian Mental Health Journal (MMHJ) and can be found online here.