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Professional Preparation
Ph.D. - Urban Planning University of California - 1978
M.A. - Urban Planning University of California - 1973
B. Architecture University of British Columbia - 1970
Research Areas
Research Interests
Interests span a variety of policy themes, including education, economic development, justice,
and substance abuse. Current research focus is on population growth and environmental
degradation, the evolution of modern pawn broking, effectiveness of drug and mental health
courts, and exploration of meanings that people attach to sacred structures.
Publications
Chad: Governance by the Grassroots, with G. Desloovere, Local Governance in Africa: The Challenges of Democratic Decentralization, Oluwu, D. and Wunsch, J. (eds), Lynne Rienner, Boulder, CO. 2005. 155-180 2005 - Publication
Where Have All the Hot Goods Gone? The Role of Pawnshops, with J. Francis, Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency. Vol. 1, No. 2, May 2004. 156-179 2004 - Publication
Getting Tough on Juvenile Crime: An Analysis of Costs and Benefits, with C-R. Pi, Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency. Vol. 39, No. 4, November 2002. 363-399 2002 - Publication
Surviving in the Informal Sector, in Arthur, C. and Dash, M. (eds.), A Haiti Anthology: libte, Marcus Weiner Publishers, Princeton NJ. 2000. 129-130 2000 - Publication
Fast Food, in Leary, M., Dermody, B. and Markusen, A. (eds.) Envisioning Cities and Regions, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN. 2000. 145-161 2000 - Publication
Survivre, Les Editions du CIDIHCA, Montreal. 1992. 450 pages. 1999 - Publication
Food Insecurity in Haiti, Crosslines, Vol. 4(8), No. 6. November 1996. 20-22 1996 - Publication
Fast Food in Development, World Development , Vol. 23, No. 9. September 1995. 1555-73. 1995 - Publication
Appointments
Associate Professor University of Texas at Dallas [1988–Present]
Assistant Professor University of Minnesota [1980–1988]
Evaluator United States Agency for International Development [1980–1980]
Economist World Bank [1979–1979]
Assistant Director/Planning Asian Development Bank [1978–1979]
Economist World Bank [1977–1977]
Economist Inter-American Institute of Agricultural Sciences / Inter-American Development Bank [1976–1976]
Economist Haitian Ministry of Finance [1976–1976]
Urban Planner UN Centre for Human Settlements-Habitat [1974–1976]
Regional Planner Southern California Association of Governments [1973–1973]
Projects
The Political Economy of Education in West Africa
1991–1991paper, 8th Annual IEES (Incentives to Improve the Efficiency of Educational Systems) International Conference, Nov. 2-4, 1991, Alexandria, Virginia
The Housing Process in Port-au-Prince, Haiti
1988–1988paper, Conference on Low-Income Shelter and Urban Development Issues and Strategies, July 28-29, 1988, Bridgetown, Barbados.
Economic Integration of Hmong Refugees in the United States
1989–1989paper, Annual Meeting of the Association of American Geographers, March 19-22, 1989, Baltimore, Maryland.
Land Tenure and Informal Housing Processes in Haiti
1990–1990paper, 32nd Annual Conference of the Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning, Nov. 1-4, 1990, Austin, Texas.
Social Policy Planning: Problems Looking for Solutions or Solutions Looking for Problems?
2018–2018paper, 30th Annual Conference of the Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning, October, 1988, Buffalo, New York.
Additional Information
CONSULTATIONS (selected)
Factory Women's Center of Haiti
study of social and financial characteristics of street food vendors, 1989
evaluation of literacy and health training programs for factory workers, 1986-88
Haitian Association of Voluntary Agencies
analysis of association's financial constraints and development potential, 1986
Haitian Council of Bishops
design of national adult literacy and non-formal education program, 1989
preparation of institutional development strategy for Catholic primary schools, 1988
Inter-American Development Bank
analysis of population, income, employment, and housing characteristics, Haiti, 1991
Minnesota State Planning Agency-Governor's Task Force on Poverty and Jobs
analysis of state unemployment and poverty trends, 1984
Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development -Club du Sahel
review of participatory research methods for promoting local development in West Africa, 1997
review of political development component of the Africa Long Term Perspective study, 1995
study of education and political decentralization in the Sahelian countries of West Africa, 1992
Swiss Development Cooperation Agency
evaluation, design and monitoring of project to improve community schooling, Chad, 1993-2000
United States Agency for International Development
design of national household income survey, Haiti, 1998
analysis of household expenditures for education, Haiti, 1995
study of financing of rural community schools, Chad, 1994
evaluation of private primary education project, Haiti, 1993
design of institutional development component for basic education, Benin, 1992
design of surveys on education expenditure and school finance, Haiti, 1991
assessment of agency's proposed 1989-90 strategy for education sector support, Haiti, 1988
design of strategic analysis of agency's disaster preparedness portfolio, 1989
economic analysis of informal housing and land markets, Haiti, 1988
design of institutional devolution strategy for primary education, Haiti, 1988
advice on low-income housing policy for the Caribbean region, 1987
analysis of economic and financial issues in primary education, Haiti, 1985
design of national food consumption, nutrition, and expenditure survey, Haiti, 1985
technical assistance to small business credit program, Tunisia, 1984
analysis of climate for industrial investment, Haiti, 1983
evaluation of worldwide small enterprise assistance program, 1983
presentations on fertility and economic growth, Burkina Faso, 1982 and Mali, 1981
evaluation of rural employment research project, Thailand, 1982
study of the characteristics of rural small enterprise and industry, Cameroon, 1982
analysis of household income distribution, Haiti, 1982
technical assistance to regional development research project, Cameroon, 1981
regional economic analysis, Burkina Faso, 1981
design of regional development programs, Burkina Faso 1980
World Bank
redesign of public primary education project, Haiti, 1993
analysis of adult education requirements in relation to the informal economy, Indonesia, 1990
Awards
J. William Fulbright Senior Specialist, Council for International Exchange of Scholars, 2002
Outstanding Scholarship Award, Comparative and International Education Society, 1990
Outstanding Academic Book, Association of College and Research Libraries, 1989
School activities and committees (recent)
Coordinator, Graduate Certificate in Evaluation Research program, 2009-
member, PAFF Methods Qualifying Examination Committee, 2010-
Inadequate training, limited use of safety equipment and a lack of government oversight contribute to deaths and injuries among construction workers in the rapidly developing Arabian Gulf region, also known as the Persian Gulf, a UT Dallas study found.
Three School of Economic, Political and Policy Sciences researchers analyzed a sample of 519 incidents and interviewed safety experts to understand the types and causes of construction accidents in Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. The study was published online in the journal Applied Ergonomics.
Beginning in fall 2017, the School of Economic, Political and Policy Sciences (EPPS) will offer a new master’s degree in data analytics and research that focuses on the social sciences. The interdisciplinary social data analytics and research degree is designed to meet the demand for graduates who are highly skilled in methods of analysis and research in public, nonprofit and business organizations, said Dr. Simon Fass, associate professor of public policy and director of the new program.
RICHARDSON, Texas (June 12, 2002) -- Dr. Simon Fass, associate professor of public administration and political economy in the School of Social Sciences at The University of Texas at Dallas (UTD), has been named to the prestigious Senior Specialists Roster of the Fulbright Scholar Program, the U.S. government's flagship program in international educational exchange.
As a result of his five-year appointment, Fass, whose work focuses on social, economic and political development in Africa, Asia and the Caribbean, will visit universities overseas for periods of up to six weeks to lecture and conduct collaborative research in the fields of public administration and urban planning.
RICHARDSON, Texas (Dec. 3, 2003) - A professor at The University of Texas at Dallas (UTD) has received a federal grant to evaluate Dallas County's juvenile drug court program.
Dr. Simon Fass, associate professor of public affairs in UTD's School of Social Sciences, has won an award of $52,000 from the United States Department of Justice to study the effectiveness of the innovative drug court program in reducing juvenile delinquency. Fass' grant is part of a larger award of $500,000 that the Dallas County Juvenile Department will use to fund the court for the next three years.
Juvenile drug courts are intensive, judicially supervised treatment programs intended to reduce substance abuse and delinquency among youth and their families. Under the program, judges impose a range of sanctions and incentives to hold youth - who are subject to frequent drug testing - accountable for their actions. The court approach differs from standard judicial practice wherein a young person violating drug laws might simply get a warning for a first offense, be placed on probation for a second, and along the way receive limited or no counseling and treatment.
RICHARDSON, Texas (Jan. 27, 2004) — Dr. Kimberly Kempf-Leonard and Dr. Bruce Jacobs, two professors of criminology, sociology and political economy in the School of Social Sciences at The University of Texas at Dallas (UTD), have been awarded $72,000 by the state Criminal Justice Division to study how the juvenile justice system in Texas responds to the growing number of girls arrested. The funds are part of a larger federal challenge grant program from the U. S. Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.
A goal of the research project will be to help ensure that female juvenile offenders (up to age 16) in the Dallas County Juvenile Justice System are treated equitably and effectively. Specifically, the UTD research will try to determine whether, how, and at which stages there may be differential processing based on gender and to assess current difficulties in the delivery of services for girls and ways in which modifications can make the system better.
Affiliations
PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS
Association of Public Policy and Management
National Association of Scholars
American Association of University Professors
Funding
Implementation and evaluation of Drug Court Parent Empowerment Program
$233,150 - U.S. Dept. of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Juvenile Accountability Block Grant [2007–2008]
Assessment of efficacy of program to prevent relapse among recovering addicts
$54,000 - U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services, SAMHS Administration [2004–2007]
Evaluation of impact of Dallas County Juvenile Drug Court on recidivism
$52,000 - U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of Justice Assistance [2003–2006]
Evaluation of effectiveness of substance abuse treatment programs
$27,000 - Dallas County Juvenile Department [2000–2000]
Cost-benefit analysis of juvenile justice system sentencing
$218,000 - U.S. Dept of Justice, National Institute of Juvenile Justice & Delinquency Prevention [1997–2000]