Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Leadership, Satisfaction, Commitment, And Turnover Intention In The United Arab Emirates Public Sector, Mohammed Humaid Aljanahi

Dissertations

This study sheds light on the Abu Dhabi Public School employee’s perception, transformational, and transactional leadership style and their nuanced effects on satisfaction, commitment, and turnover intention. The study found that transformational leadership increased satisfaction and commitment, and decreased turnover intention. Also, diverging from theoretical expectation, only some aspects of transactional leadership such as passive management by expectation had a decreased satisfaction, and increased turnover intention. Moreover, the study proved that to an extent western instruments, such as the MLQ (Bass & Avolio, 2004), TCM (Allen & Meyer, 2004), and MSQ (Weiss, Dawis, England, & Lofquist, 1967), do work in …

The Social Construction Of Black Fatherhood In Responsible Fatherhood Policies, Azaliah B. Israel

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Responsible fatherhood legislation bridges the gap between two explicit family policies in order to serve fathers: The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA) of 1996 and the Child Support Enforcement Act of 1975. Historically, these two polices have been racialized and discourse surrounding them may contribute to negative cultural formula stories about the primary targets of responsible fatherhood programs: low-income Black fathers.

The first article addresses the question of whether and how congressional discourse disrupts or legitimizes negative cultural formula stories about Black fatherhood. This study examines congressional discourse during hearings on fatherhood legislation. Members of congress legitimized …

The Bureaucratic Politics Of The Federal Bureau Of Investigation, Cooper Hearn

Political Science Undergraduate Honors Theses

This is a comprehensive study of how the administrative powers of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) have evolved in response to external political forces. To analyze the changes made to FBI administrative powers, this project will assess theories of public administration, bureaucratic politics, various congressional statutes, court rulings, and executive policies that have affected the bureau’s capacity to perform investigations and intelligence operations.

Crafting The Government Mobile Application: A Mixed Methods Analysis Of Public Value Creation As It Relates To Citizen Engagement And Participation In The Development Of Government Smart City Mobile Application, Sean M. Mossey

Graduate Doctoral Dissertations

With smart city and e-government (electronic government) initiatives striving for increased levels of citizen participation, public managers continue to search for a way to increase the utilization of Information Technology (IT) services. However, most efforts focus on linking operations and IT services, rather than facilitating greater means of citizen engagement in government service development (Granier & Kudo, 2016). Furthermore, few studies examine the effect of citizen engagement, particularly in relation to the New Information Communication Technology (NICT), or the smartphone mobile application. These smartphones and their associated mobile applications are quickly becoming one of the primary tools for smart cities …

Medi-Cal Retention, Christina Salvatier

Master's Projects

This research identified the factors that contributed to the decline of Medi-Cal enrollment in the County of Santa Clara (CSC). Additionally, it determined the actions that the County of Santa Clara Health System (CSCHS) can adopt to mitigate such decline. The CSCHS is the local safety-net healthcare provider for the residents of the CSC. Despite the CSCHS experiencing a significant increase in Medi-Cal covered individuals with the implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) in 2010, this trend has overturned by 2019, with the County witnessing a significant decrease in Medi-Cal enrollment rates.

An Evaluation Of California’S Continuously Appropriated Programs Funded Through Cap-And-Trade, Domingo Candelas

Master's Projects

In 2006, the State of California passed AB 32, the Global Warming Solutions Act. Through this legislation, the state sought to reduce its carbon emissions to 1990 levels by 2020. The California Air Resources Board (CARB) was tasked with doing so and thus instituted the Cap-and-Trade program, a market-based mechanism to reduce emissions. Additionally, legislation has further directed funding on an annual basis for various continuously appropriated programs. This paper will examine the efficacy of those continuously appropriated programs and their legislative intent.

A Project Evaluation Of The California Education Code's Aquatic Mandate And Related Safety Protocols In High School Aquatics Courses, Jesus Raygoza

Master's Projects

The California Education Code (CEC) requires high schools to provide swim lessons for their students. How can the CEC and California Health and Safety Code (HSC) be amended to ensure the safety of students in swim classes? What best practices should they follow?

Local Government Responses To Festivals: An Exploratory Study, Andrew Grozelle

MPA Major Research Papers

This study explores the dynamics of ‘bottom-up’ policymaking at the municipal level by analyzing the policy response of the local government to unsanctioned events, such as the annual Port Dover Friday the 13th Motorcycle Festival (PD13) from May 1981 to November 2019. Using this event as a case study, the project seeks to answer the following questions: what has been the local government’s policy approach to PD13? What factors explain this approach and are there alternative approaches to the one chosen? To answer these questions, the paper adopts a multi-method research strategy, which involved a historical review of relevant literature, …

The Successful Implementation Of O. Reg. 588/17: Organizational Factors That Contribute To The Success Of Asset Management Planning For Municipal Infrastructure In Small Ontario Municipalities, Jenna Campbell (Shultz)

MPA Major Research Papers

Asset management planning in Ontario has evolved since the early 2000s and Ontario Regulation 588/17: Asset Management Planning for Municipal Infrastructure came into effect on January 1, 2019. The requirements of the regulation are different for small municipalities, being those having a population of less than 25,000, than for large municipalities. The burden of undertaking large-scale change initiatives, specifically those that are externally initiated, can be especially difficult for small municipalities that often lack the resources and specialized staff to address these changes. This paper explores the organizational factors that contribute to the success of local government asset management planning …

Peer Coaching For Leadership Development In The Public Sector: A Case Study From Local Public Health, Tammy Mackinnon

MPA Major Research Papers

Leadership development is critical for the future of public sector organizations. Its impact on employee satisfaction, collaboration and organizational performance has been well documented. But how do we best develop leadership in the public sector? Trends in the literature call for a shift to more shared, distributed approaches which argue that leadership capacity is necessary at all organizational levels, regardless of positional authority. This study will examine the efficacy of a peer coaching model at imbedding leadership capacity throughout the layers of an organizational structure. Using a case study of leadership development in local public health, this study contributes to …

Rezoning, Real Estate, And The Dynamics Of Displacement In Inwood, Damaly Gonzalez

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This thesis asks how New York City’s rezoning process combine with the dynamics of real-estate sales to create displacement pressures for low-income communities of color. A case study of the recent rezoning of Inwood, a neighborhood in upper Manhattan, in August 2018, will help to illustrate these dynamics. Through an analysis of building sales and extreme rent inflation embedded in a historical and contemporary analysis of zoning and the influence of real-estate developers and owners on these processes, this thesis paints a dire picture of the risks faced by the mostly-Dominican-American renters in Inwood. The principal contribution of the …

Employment Duration And Attrition Of Federal And State Inspectors General In The United States, Frank Chen

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

A recent report by the United States Government Accountability Office (GAO) on inspector general (IG) attrition found growing rates of IG vacancies within federal Offices of Inspectors General (OIGs) (Johnson, 2018). This study identified the growing rates of Acting IGs (AIGs) and their role as interim IGs negatively affect their offices, decreasing productivity, and increasing difficulty in meeting quality inspection and oversight standards. This dissertation identified and analyzed rates of IG employment duration and attrition in federal and state offices of inspectors general (OIG) between 2001 and 2017, starting with a comprehensive review on IG literature and their responsibilities. A …

Factors That Contribute To Good Food Box (Gfb) Program Sustainability: A Survey Of All Known Existing And Discontinued Gfb Programs In Canada, Ellen Pezzetta

MPA Major Research Papers

Access to healthy food, including an adequate supply of fresh fruit and vegetables, is a global health and social issue. The methods of accessing and distributing fresh fruit and vegetables has changed over the past several decades, with greater reliance on import and export of goods, changes in farming and agriculture industries and practices, and acknowledgement of the role of poverty and food insecurity issues. Good Food Box (GFB) programs, primarily intended to reach audiences most vulnerable to food insecurity, distribute fresh fruit and vegetables at affordable, lower than regular retail prices to voluntary participants. This paper explores the factors …

Pay For Success Financing: Diffusion Dynamics In The U.S., Vanessa R. Fry

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Across the United States (U.S.), communities struggle with numerous social and environmental issues while the funding to provide programmatic services to address these issues continues to diminish. As such, actors both inside and outside of government are seeking new policy solutions that both effectively and efficiently address these issues. Significant hurdles to embarking on a new policy approach exist, however, including a lack of up-front funding and a reluctance to take on the risk inherent in implementing new programs. A recent innovation in the policy domain, Pay for Success (PFS) financing, has been specifically designed to overcome these hurdles. Policy …

Banking Supervisory And Regulatory Policy In Developing Countries: An Analysis Of Determinants And Impacts, Nanda Ayu Wijayanti

Dissertations

A decade after the Great Recession in 2007/2008, many developing countries are still struggling to devise appropriate policy actions that enhance banking supervision and regulation and help mitigate large-scale crises in the future. This uncertainty has also left lingering impacts on economic growth, especially in developing countries that have weak institutional mechanisms. This study examines how banking supervision and regulatory reforms are determined in the cross-national context of advanced and developing countries. Using time series, cross-sectional data on 180 countries over a period of 12 years (1999-2011), the purpose is to explore the roles of exposure of financial crisis, trade …

Spatial Data Analysis: Examining The Quality Of Life For Ethiopians And Nigerians In The City Of Toronto And Edmonton, Ebyan Hassan

MPA Major Research Papers

Canadian cities have experienced an increase of immigrants, more notably, from Nigeria and Ethiopia. Both groups have settled in Canadian cities to improve their overall Quality of Life (QOL). Areas such as education, employment, safety, and housing conditions were top priorities in choosing a new location to live. Studies, however, show a large proportion of immigrants from Nigeria and Ethiopia have settled in regions that contradict their desires and actually obtain a ‘high’ standard of quality of life. The research findings show both groups have settled in areas with high unemployment rates; highly educated populates with lower-paying jobs; and lower …

An Examination Of Municipal Policy-Makers’ Responses Towards The Provincial Implementation Of Retail Cannabis Stores Within Ontario, Mark Dean

MPA Major Research Papers

The rationale for this study is founded on the important role of municipal governments within the domain of cannabis legalization in Canada. In Ontario, a strategy of privatization for physical cannabis stores was implemented by the provincial government. The policy gave municipalities the authority to decide whether they opted in or out of physical cannabis stores within their specific communities. This scenario of allowing local governments to determine the introduction of physical cannabis stores has demonstrated a need for a deeper understanding towards the various factors that influence the decisions of municipal policy makers. This is a unique situation that …

Investigating The Effects Of Telephone And Internet Voting On Election Administration In Rural Ontario Municipalities, Carson Lamb

MPA Major Research Papers

Existing research that has been conducted on telephone and internet voting in Canada has focussed almost exclusively on large, urban municipalities. Yet in Ontario, local governments of all sizes have adopted these modes of voting. As a result, very little is known about the effects of telephone and internet voting in rural municipalities and this is problematic. This paper attempts to address this gap in the literature by examining telephone and internet voting in the context of rural municipalities in Ontario. It relies on a qualitative multi-case cross-sectional design to generate exploratory findings on the effects that the adoption of …

Building A Smart City: Insights And Perspectives From The Winners Of Smart City Challenge, Andi Maloku

MPA Major Research Papers

When Canadian Government launched smart city initiative over 130 municipalities, large and small have submitted their innovative ideas. On May 14, 2019, the four winners of the Canadian Smart Cities Challenge were announced in Ottawa: Town of Bridgewater, Nova Scotia winning $5M Prize Category; the Nunavut Communities, Nunavut winning $10M Prize Category; the City of Guelph and Wellington County, Ontario winning $10M Prize Category and the City of Montréal, Quebec winning $50M Prize Category. This paper focuses on these four cities by exploring two main research questions: (1) what does “smart cities” mean for Canadian municipalities; and, (2) what are …

Conceptualizing Governance Decision Making: A Theoretical Model Of Mental Processes Derived Through Abduction, Matt Loesch

School of Public Service Theses & Dissertations

The field of Public Policy and Administration is heavily influenced by the decisions individuals make regarding matters of governance. These types of decisions can affect a broad scope of government-related activities ranging from esoteric debates about political ideology to policy development to specific ways in which people directly interact with public services. Unfortunately, in the view of this research, there is no sufficient model for conceptualizing governance decision making. This creates the focus of inquiry for this work, which is to examine how governance decisions are conceived of and formulated. The purpose of this research is then to analyze the …

An Analysis Of The Differences Between Non-Profit Board Members According To The Method By Which Non-Profit Board Positions Are Acquired, Patricia N. Birungi

School of Public Service Theses & Dissertations

This dissertation examines the differences between individuals who acquire non-profit board positions by actively seeking out these positions and individuals who acquire non-profit board positions in other ways in regards to the concept of public service motivation, antecedents of public service motivation, and characteristics of service. First, Public Service Motivation (PSM) theory is used to study how the concept of public service motivation relates to the method by which individuals acquire positions on non-profit boards. Second, using PSM theory, this dissertation examines how antecedents of public service motivation, such as religious socialization and family socialization, are related to an individual’s …

A Case Study Of Participant Responses To Organizational Change Involving Technology In The National Security Domain: How Informal Processes Iterate Structure And Outcomes, Brian E. Martinez

School of Public Service Theses & Dissertations

Nuanced differences between organizations and the pace of change within the national security domain have routinely produced equivocal results involving information and communication technology (ICT) development. These results are characterized by unpredictable costs, unrealistic delivery schedules, and dubious ICT performance in-use. This research is a case study exploration of organizational change involving technology (also referred to as ICT) in the national security domain of the public sector.

This research used machine learning and manual content analysis to compare the results of three experiments on interview transcripts. The first experiment investigated linkages between empirical and interpretive elements of organizational change. Empirical …

Assessing The Relationship Between Flood Risk Perceptions And Adaptive Behaviors Of Households, Dontá Council

School of Public Service Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this dissertation research is to examine the multiple relationships that explain household adaptive behaviors to flooding, and if risk perceptions play a mediating role in these relationships. Given the shift in transferring risks from public flood risk governance structures to households, there is a renewed interest in promoting private adaptive behavior amongst households that are vulnerable to flood impacts. Currently, the literature purports that flood risk perceptions rarely account for the variance explained in statistical models that examine household adaptive behaviors. This study analyzed an integrated conceptual framework that explored the mediating role of risk perceptions. The …

Governance And Economic Growth In The Arab World: Evidence From Panel Data Analysis, Adel H. Aladlani

Dissertations

Economic growth has been volatile and slow in the Arab World during the last two decades. Arguing that good governance is a precondition to vibrant economic systems and growth, comparative researchers and development policy practitioners view such a slowdown in growth in the Arab World to be triggered by weak governance performance. This cross-national study examines the relationship between governance and economic growth in the Arab World, which includes 22 member-states of the League of Arab States, over the period 1996-2017. By using World Bank data, governance is operationalized through voice and accountability (VA), political stability and absence of violence …

Exploring, Examining, And Explaining How Participatory Governance Adds Value To Saudi Foundations’ Philanthropic Strategy, Afnan E. Koshak

Dissertations

Foundations’ flexibility, given their independence from fundraising imperatives, competition forces, and accountability pressures, enables them to invest in long-term, high-risk, multi-level experiments to deal with the increasingly complex societal problems. This flexibility, coupled with the growing role philanthropy plays in promoting social welfare across the world, is arguably what makes studies that focus on foundations’ philanthropic approaches of utmost importance.

There is a mounting interest among scholars in the governance of foundations, the systems and processes concerned with ensuring the overall strategic direction of organizations. Influenced by agency and stewardship theories, an increasing number of studies address such topics as …

Government Responsiveness In Matters Of Racial Sensitivity, Vickie Carnegie

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study assesses factors influencing the responsiveness of government officials in Alabama, Mississippi, and South Carolina regarding the public display of the Confederate Flag on state grounds in the aftermath of the Charleston, South Carolina shooting. The purpose of this dissertation research is to understand the factors influencing how government officials make decisions during racially/culturally sensitive events. Two research questions frame this study: 1) What factors are relevant to understanding state government officials' decision- making regarding the display of the Confederate Flag on public grounds? 2) Under what conditions of public decision making regarding the Confederate flag is executive authority, …

Sanctions And The Proliferation Of Terrorism: Cases Of Iran, Libya, And Bosnia-Herzegovina, Savanah Courtney

Public Administration & Policy

This study tests the hypothesis that the use of sanctions as a foreign policy tool produces favorable conditions for an increase in terrorism activity using cases of sanctions against Bosnia-Herzegovina, Libya, and Iran. Using literature as the basis for this hypothesis, data suggests that there is not significant evidence to support this theory using these cases. The circumstances surrounding the political environment and stability of each country tells different stories, where attributing rising terrorist activity to sanctions themselves ignores the complexity of foreign economies their political and social atmospheres in which they operate. This thesis alludes to several questions and …

Changing The Current Perception Of Affordable Housing In Worcester, Simone Mcguinness, William Roberts, Vaske Gjino, Tong Zhou, Mengxin Ma, Sarawadee Sonpuak

School of Professional Studies

One of Worcester Interfaith’s goals is to eradicate the stigma of affordable housing in Worcester. Currently, the perception of affordable housing is of an image of unkept and old residences filled with destitute citizens who cannot afford basic needs to live in a city, let alone housing. This image is perpetuated by media, stigma, and a lack of education of the true reality of affordable housing and who its recipients are. Affordable housing-qualified citizens represent a range of educations, professions, age, race, and income levels. Affordable housing units, too, represent a variety of homes, many of which are extremely well-kept …

For One Child, Zion Bereket, Xin Huang, Yitong Lin, Ruobing Pei, Rachel White, Ziyuan Li

School of Professional Studies

The entirety of this project was completed on the foundation of the three focus areas, which were identified by our client as areas of high need. The client wanted to prioritize these three areas as they believed that these three areas were the most integral to the successful achievement of their mission, as well as to the overall health and longevity of the organization.

Hiv/Aids In The Latino Community Of San Francisco: Past And Present, Jessica Da Silva

School of Professional Studies

There are approximately 122,000 people of Latino origin in San Francisco, which account for 15% of the total population (Census, 2010). Historically, Latinos have and still face several barriers to access healthcare and improvements in health (Aguirre-Molina, Molina & Zambrana, 2001). When the world was exposed to the spread of a new and unknown virus, the broader population suffered from the epidemic. The Latino community in San Francisco was and still is one of the hardest hit by the virus.