Digital Commons Network^™

“Go Hard, Go Early”: Preliminary Lessons From New Zealand’S Response To Covid-19, Thomas Jamieson

Public Administration Faculty Publications

Although the full impact of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic is yet to be realized, New Zealand has suffered comparatively less than other countries, and there were no active cases in the country by June 8, 2020. Building from best practices in emergency management research, several preliminary lessons emerge from the country’s response to the crisis that could be adapted for other settings. In particular, the government acted early and decisively, developed national unity to combat the virus, communicated effectively with the public, and adapted to changing circumstances, especially to address shortcomings in the response. These preliminary lessons provide some …

Incorporating Research Design In Public Diplomacy: The Role Of Listening To Foreign Publics, Juve J. Cortés, Thomas Jamieson

Public Administration Faculty Publications

Research design involves a set of decisions regarding what or who will be studied and the procedures in acquiring and analyzing information. In this article, we apply lessons from research design to public diplomacy, a field focused on engaging with foreign publics. Much prior scholarship sheds light on what PD is and its programs, but less attention has been given to the role of listening to understand what foreign publics think and believe. We propose three interrelated recommendations to improve the quality of implementing PD programs. First, before any program is implemented, we need to correctly identify a perceived issue …

Rural Superintendents: How Do Wyoming Rural Superintendents View And Respond To The Challenges Brought About By External Demands On Their Schools?, Jeanne L. Surface

Faculty Books and Monographs

Very little is known about how superintendents respond to and view the challenges brought about by increasing external performance demands on their schools. This important study uses a multi-case study format to create portraits of five rural superintendents, the challenges they face, and their responses to those challenges. The participant perceptions were organized into five themes: declining enrollment, isolation, board and community relations, celebrated accomplishments, and rural schools in contrast with urban or suburban schools. The superintendents were most proud of changes they had made to improve instruction in their districts. They spoke of challenges with bringing professional development to …

Clear Writing For Public Administrators: A Refresher Workshop, Richard Streckfuss

Publications

Since you have been writing for years and since you have had many hours of classroom instruction in writing, you have a right to be skeptical about a writing workshop. What can be accomplished in a few hours that could not be accomplished in the preceding hundreds?

That question has been the guiding principle behind this material. The most promising approach seemed to lie in comparing the work of professional writers with amateurs. To this end, the writing of a dozen public administrators was compared to the writing of authors published in such works as Harper's, Smithsonian, INC, Nation's Business, …