Immigration Policy, Border Security, and Migration Deaths, Article Critique Example

The first article is titled, “Immigration Policy, Border Security, and Migration Deaths: An Impact Evaluation of Life-Saving Efforts Under the Border Safety Initiative,” written by Rob T. Guerette from Florida International University.

1. Identify the research design used. – The research design was meta-analytical in that it used data from two different programs, BSI and BORSTAR, and descriptive. (Robson)
   2. Specify the type of data used to conduct the analysis. – Dependent variables included data on the frequency of individual migrant deaths from state and national vital registration systems and statistics from the BSI Incident Tracking System. (Guerette) Independent Variables used were statistics on yearly U.S. Border Patrol apprehensions. Other data included gender, age, and number of accompanying migrants for deceased or rescued migrants from the BSI Incident Tracking System. (Guerette)
2. Identify the sampling procedure employed. – Data was collected for a time span from 1984 to 2003 from the BSI tracking system and vital registration system. Apprehension data was collected from monthly logs.(Guerette)
   4. Specify the dependent variable of the study. – The dependent variable of the study was the frequency of individual migrant deaths.
   5. Present the key findings of the study.- It was found that migrant deaths peaked in 1998 and 2003 and 2003 was the highest peak. Apprehensions data indicated BSI did not reduce migrant deaths overall.(Guerette)
   6. Identify at least 3 limitations of the study (e.g. threats to validity, reliability, etc.) and explain each. – There are other groups active in life-saving campaigns for migrants so Border Patrol efforts are not the sole cause of any reduction in migrant deaths. There is an absence of systematically recorded data for migrant deaths over an extended time. When aggregated by month, the LRP findings become small enough to make findings only suggestive. (Guerette)

The second article is titled, “ “Striking out” s crime reduction policy: The impact of “three strikes” laws on crime rates in U.S. cities,” by T. Kovandzic, J. Sloan, and L. Vieraitis.

1. Identify the research design used. – Research designs used was a multiple time-series design, a quasi-experimental design.(Kovandzic)
   Specify the type of data used to conduct the analysis.- City-level time-series cross-section data for 1980 through 2000, for all 188 U.S. cities with 100,000 or more population level in 1990 that had UCR data available. (Kovandzic)
   3. Identify the sampling procedure employed.- A basic fixed-effects model was used and linear-specific time-trend variables used for each city. Laws and dates came from Marvell and Moody and were verified by secondary sources. (Kovandzic)
   4. Specify the dependent variable of the study.-Lagged dependent variables. (Kovandzic)
   5. Present the key findings of the study.- Crime rates moved in tandem indicating nationwide forces and the laws do not have a uniform effect on crime.
   6. Identify at least 3 limitations of the study (e.g. threats to validity, reliability, etc.) and explain each.- The identification of undefined similarities affecting city data, there is no variable to control for erratic trends, and collinearity problems among proxy variables. (Kovandzic)

The third article is titled, “Eyes on the Street”: The Impact of Tennessee’s Emergency Cellular Telephone Program on Alcohol-Related Fatal Crashes,” by S. D’Allessio, L. Stolzenberg, and W.C. Terry, III.

1. Identify the research design used.- A multiple time-series research design was used. (Creswell)
   2. Specify the type of data used to conduct the analysis.- Longitudinal data from Tennessee’s Fatality Analysis Reporting System.(D’Alessio)
   3. Identify the sampling procedure employed.- “Comparisons between a series of observations conducted over time and expected to be affected by an intervention and a control series not expected to be influenced by the same intervention.”(D’Alessio)
   4. Specify the dependent variable of the study.- There were two dependent variables, one the highway alcohol-related fatal crash rate and two the non-highway alcohol-related fatal crash rate. (D’Alessio)
   5. Present the key findings of the study.- Data appears to support a view that the THP program is effective, however simple comparisons are only suggestive and more evidence is needed. (D’Alessio)
   6. Identify at least 3 limitations of the study (e.g. threats to validity, reliability, etc.) and explain each. – Study focused on one state, so generalizability of the findings cannot be made. Statements that can be made to suggest improving the THC, such as increasing the number of motorists with cell phones, are limited. Data used cannot determine definitively if the decrease in fatal crash rate on Tennessee’s highways was because of the Star THP program, or an already exiting downward trend. (D’Alessio)

References

Creswell, J.W. (2012). Educational research: Planning, conducting, and evaluating quantitative and qualitative research. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.

D’Alessio, S., Stolzenberg, L., and Terry, W.C. III. “”Eyes on the Street”: The Impact of Tennessee’s Emergency Cellular Telephone Program on Alcohol-Related Fatal Crashes.” Crime Delinquency  (1999): 45; 453.

Guerette, R. T. “Immigration Policy, Border Security, and Migrant Deaths: An Impact Evaluation of Life-Saving Efforts Under the Border Safety Initiative.” 2007.

Kovandzic, T., Sloan, J., and Vieraitis, L. “”Stirking out” as crime reduction policy: The impact of “three strikes” laws on crime rates in U.S. cities.” Justice Quarterly (2004): 21:2, 207 — 239.

Robson, C. (1993). Real-world research: A resource for social scientists and practitioner – researchers. Malden: Blackwell Publishing.