VOL. 6, NO. 1 – MAY 2007  ISSN: 1540-1499

IN THIS ISSUE…

Observations

By Robert W. Oldendick

Senator John W. Drummond: The Story of a South Carolinian, Military Hero, and Statesman—Part 1

By Richard D. Young

In a two-part series of Public Policy and Practice, the life and achievements of state Senator John W. Drummond will be presented. In this issue, Part 1, the highlights of his life are covered, including his childhood and youth as well as his heroic service during World War II. Part II will be published in the November 2007 issue sketching his intervening years before politics and his more than 40 years as the Senator from Ninety Six.

Behind the Numbers: De-Mystifying the Numbers Behind the Uninsured in South Carolina

By John C. Kresslein and Laura Burns

As part of the South Carolina Indicators Project, the aim of this article “to get behind the numbers” and introduce the reader to those whose lives make up those statistics in the policy area of public health, specifically the uninsured.

The Impact of Improved Public Protection Classification Ratings on Homeowners’ Insurance Rates in Richland County

By Anna Berger, Mark Bondo, and William Tomes

This article addresses what an Insurance Service Office risk assessment is, how ISO affects insurance rates for residential and commercial residents, and shows projected insurance savings for Richland County residential property as they received changes in their Public Protection Class rating.

Education Reform under State Superintendent of Education Dr. Jim Rex

By Fred R. Sheheen

After becoming the new State Superintendent of Education in November of 2007, Dr. Jim Rex named a special committee to explore comprehensive measures to improve public education in South Carolina. Mr. Sheheen was a member of this committee. This article presents some of the major recommendations of the final committee’s report.

Update: South Carolina Public Opinion about Tax Policy

By Edwin A. Self and Robert W. Oldendick

The fall 2006 edition of this journal included an article that reviewed South Carolina public opinion about taxes and tax policy during the period 1989 and 1994. For the purpose of updating that article, two questions about tax issues that were originally asked in the fall of 1994 were included in the Omnibus Survey that was conducted in the fall of 2006 by the Institute for Public Service and Policy Research. This article analyzes the 2006 survey responses and compares them with those in 1994.

Around the Institute

By Edwin C. Thomas

This article highlights some of the Institute’s current programs, studies, and activities.

Any views, construed to be presented in this journal, are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily express those of the Institute for Public Service and Policy Research, the College of Liberal Arts, University of South Carolina, or any other entity of the State of South Carolina.