Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

A Case Study Of Joint Accountability Mechanism And Interorganizational Collaboration In Post-Earthquake Haiti, Jude J. Jean-Gilles

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Abstract: The earthquake that hit Haiti on January 12, 2010, caused massive destruction of its capital city Port-au-Prince and its suburbs and killed over a quarter of million people. The recovery period that followed required effectiveness to plan and mobilize resources. The magnitude of the destruction, lack of local recovery plans or previous disaster experience, and scarcity of local resources inspired the creation of the Interim Haiti Recovery Commission (IHRC), a compilation of local and international stakeholders who agreed to collaboratively address the recovery challenges. Several studies have examined post-earthquake recovery initiatives under the leadership of local governments, but having …

A Case Study Of Joint Accountability Mechanism And Interorganizational Collaboration In Post-Earthquake Haiti, Jude J. Jean-Gilles

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Abstract: The earthquake that hit Haiti on January 12, 2010, caused massive destruction of its capital city Port-au-Prince and its suburbs and killed over a quarter of million people. The recovery period that followed required effectiveness to plan and mobilize resources. The magnitude of the destruction, lack of local recovery plans or previous disaster experience, and scarcity of local resources inspired the creation of the Interim Haiti Recovery Commission (IHRC), a compilation of local and international stakeholders who agreed to collaboratively address the recovery challenges. Several studies have examined post-earthquake recovery initiatives under the leadership of local governments, but having …

Cancel The Behavior, Not The Person, Mckenna M. Wychunas

English Department: Research for Change - Wicked Problems in Our World

A wicked problem is one that is here to stay, no matter how many solutions are thought of. No matter the solution, it will always interfere with another wicked problem, leaving it in an endless cycle. Cancel culture will always exist, even if it becomes less intense, it will still be here. Though there are differing opinions on the topic of cancel culture, I have researched the negative side to canceling, and I have provided examples of real-life people that have been affected by it. Along with that, I have also given a variety of feasible solutions that could help …

Citizens' Perspectives On Accountability Of Nongovernmental Organizations Providing Drinking Water In Northern Ghana, Abdul-Nashiru Mohammed

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractAccountability is an important concept in public administration and across multiple sectors. NGOs work towards achieving their social purpose and yet, they are perceived to be accountable only to their donors but not to citizens. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore perspectives of citizens in three districts: Bongo, Wa, and Sagnarigu in Northern Ghana on how NGOs demonstrate accountability in fulfilling their commitments in drinking water provision. It specifically investigated the lived experiences of citizens: local government authorities, traditional authorities, and individual citizens from the districts. Research literature emphasized upward accountability resulting in a gap observed …

An Evaluation Analysis On Public-Private Partnership Of Road Development By The State Of Virginia, Cavine Chavi-Ann Phillips

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The unremitting nature of road infrastructural development and the strain of internal budgetary issues have pushed many governmental agencies to seek the non-traditional procurement methods of a public-private partnership to satisfy their ongoing needs. Researchers have examined many regions that have used this non-traditional procurement type of public-private partnership to meet their infrastructural needs while facing budgetary issues. I reviewed the state of Virginia's usage of this non-traditional procurement method as an alternative method to traditional procurement to foster their road infrastructural developmental needs. The state of Virginia has used Public-private partnerships to bridge the current gap of the state’s …

How Does Grading Schools Impact Florida’S Teachers And Students? The Need For A New Approach To School Accountability, Luke Aubry Kupscznk

Graduate Doctoral Dissertations

In 1999, Florida began grading schools on an A to F scale. These grades constituted part of the A+ package of policies advanced by Governor Bush’s administration. Schools then earned grades based on student standardized test scores. These changes followed a decade of increasing dismay over the trajectory of American education and preceded national moves towards test-based accountability for students and schools. While many researchers have investigated the effects of high-stakes testing on students, few have looked at the impacts of school-level accountability on non-test outcomes. This study considers the impacts of receiving a failing-grade on variables other than test …

The Impact Of Public Consultation On Business Growth In The Virgin Islands, Arliene T. Penn

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Consistent public consultation in the making of policies and regulations is a problem in the Virgin Islands, affecting small businesses across the territory. Small business owners and the public have challenged the government to be more accountable and transparent in drafting and implementing legislation and regulations. The stakeholders are mainly concerned with those pieces of legislation and regulations that have a behavioral, social, or economic impact on their business, and, in turn, society. There is a lack of research on how the presence or absence of public input in the rulemaking process of business regulations impacts the economic growth and …

Publicness And The Identity Of Public Foundations, Alexandra Williamson, Belinda Luke

The Foundation Review

This article investigates understandings of publicness in the context of public foundations in Australia by examining how perceptions of publicness inform and influence the practice and conduct of those grantmaking foundations. As part of a broader study on perceptions of accountability and identity in Australian foundations, the article provides empirical evidence from interviews with managers and trustees from a diverse group of public foundations suggesting that understandings and applications of two dimensions of publicness were significant: donations, or public money; and grantmaking, or public benefit. Further elements of publicness were expressed around foundations’ visibility and the transparency of their operations. …

Prosecutorial Discretion: The Difficulty And Necessity Of Public Inquiry, Bruce A. Green

Dickinson Law Review (2017-Present)

Prosecutors’ discretionary decisions have enormous impact on individuals and communities. Often, prosecutors exercise their vast power and discretion in questionable ways. This Article argues that, to encourage prosecutors to use their power wisely and not abusively, there is a need for more informed public discussion of prosecutorial discretion, particularly with regard to prosecutors’ discretionary decisions about whether to bring criminal charges and which charges to bring. But the Article also highlights two reasons why informed public discussion is difficult—first, because public and professional expectations about how prosecutors should use their power are vague; and, second, because, particularly in individual cases, …

El Derecho De Acceso A Información Pública Como Mecanismo De Control Social: Análisis Comparado En Cinco Países Latinoamericanos, Erik Moreno R., Christopher Ramírez S., Matías Salazar S.

Gobernar: The Journal of Latin American Public Policy and Governance

El presente estudio busca revisar el estado y el desarrollo institucional de las políticas en materia de transparencia y derecho de acceso a la información presentes en la región. Una vez dentro de la conceptualización pertinente, donde se consultan diversas fuentes que tratan el Accountability, se realiza una comparación que permite identificar posteriormente las condiciones para que las herramientas presentes en cada uno de los países analizados, conforme a su propia legislación, permitan ejercer el Accountability y configurar el acceso a la información, tanto como derecho autónomo como medio efectivo de control social a la gestión pública.

What Congress's Repeal Efforts Can Teach Us About Regulatory Reform, Cary Coglianese, Gabriel Scheffler

All Faculty Scholarship

Major legislative actions during the early part of the 115th Congress have undermined the central argument for regulatory reform measures such as the REINS Act, a bill that would require congressional approval of all new major regulations. Proponents of the REINS Act argue that it would make the federal regulatory system more democratic by shifting responsibility for regulatory decisions away from unelected bureaucrats and toward the people’s representatives in Congress. But separate legislative actions in the opening of the 115th Congress only call this argument into question. Congress’s most significant initiatives during this period — its derailed attempts to repeal …

San Francisco's Response To Sexual Assault: Pathways To Creating A Survivor-Centered Criminal Justice System, Bianca Rosen

Master's Projects and Capstones

This research examines the process when adult sexual assault survivors in San Francisco decide to pursue legal justice and how survivors experience the local criminal justice system. My analysis exposes the mistreatment of survivors who participate with local law enforcement and recommends survivor-centered policies that could support the wellbeing of survivors pressing charges. The purpose of this research is to encourage law enforcement practices that prioritize survivors’ self-determination and welfare.

Professional Discretion And The Law: Impact Of Actuaries On The Underfunding And Decline Of Private Sector Single Employer Defined Benefit Pensions In Canada: How Many "Post Nortel" Pension Fiascos Are Brewing In Canada?, Paul Charles Walker

LLM Theses

Considering that private sector single employer defined benefit pension plans must be fully funded by law, the legal issue emanating from their systemic underfunding is whether or not actuaries have been using their discretion in a manner which is within a reasonable interpretation of the margin of manoeuvre contemplated by the legislature, in accordance with the principles of the rule of law. This thesis discusses the merits of potential legal remedies to arrest the underfunding and decline in the number of private sector single employer defined benefit pensions in Canada, including the introduction of single employer target benefit plans, increasing …

Faculty Perceptions On The Student Learning Accountability Movement, Tara Rose

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Literature examining the impact of the student learning accountability movement on faculty perspectives is insufficient, as little is known about how faculty perceive the requirements related to federal, state, and institutional accountability initiatives. This case study investigated the threat posed by the accountability movement on the stability of faculty engagement, while exploring how faculty perceptions of the movement will impact institutional and state policy. Using Levin's system of accountability as the framework for this study, the central research question explored how understanding faculty perspectives on the student learning accountability movement could promote policy within an institution. Data were gathered via …

Popular Financial Reports: Tools For Transparency, Accountability And Citizen Engagement, Juita-Elena Yusuf, Meagan M. Jordan

School of Public Service Faculty Publications

Most governments issue annual financial reports; in the US, state and local governments issue the Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, or its equivalent. However, these reports have been found to be neither readily accessible nor particularly informative to non-financial experts such as the general public. In response, professional associations such as AGA, the Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB), and the Government Financial Officers Association, have promoted the use of different types of popular financial reports as an alternative reporting mechanism. According to GASB, financial reporting plays a critical role as a tool for public accountability in a democratic society. Yet, various …

Outsourcing Expert Services By State Transportation Departments: A Look At Effects On Cost, Quality, And Changing Employment Levels, Juita-Elena Yusuf, Lenahan O'Connell

School of Public Service Faculty Publications

Privatization has increasingly become a policy option for government agencies struggling to meet rising demands for services but with fewer resources. In the transportation arena, many state departments of transportation (DOTs) have privatized by outsourcing highway functions to the private sector. But the outsourcing of technical and expert services such as those related to the design and construction of highway infrastructure may result in a smaller or less knowledgeable DOT workforce that is unable to perform the necessary contract management to ensure the quality of the work done by contractors. We posit an outsourcing process in which DOTs respond to …

The Role Of Brazilian Civil Society In The Tax Reform Debate: Inesc’S Tax Campaign For Social Justice, Evilasio Salvador, International Budget Partnership

International Budget Partnership

When the Brazilian government sent a new tax reform proposal to Congress in 2008 that would exacerbate the already high level of economic inequality, the Institute for Socioeconomic Studies (INESC) came together with other leading civil society organizations to form the Movement to Defend Social Rights under Threat by Tax Reform (MSDR). The coalition was united in advocating for fairer taxes on incomes and assets and protecting funding for social programs for the poor. INESC and MSDR worked with the government and parliament, participated in public hearings, and produced several technical analyses which, in combination with a number of external …

Freeing Funds To Meet Priorities And Needs: Sikika’S Campaign To Curb Unnecessary Expenditure In Tanzania, Peter Bofin, International Budget Partnership

International Budget Partnership

In 2008 the Tanzanian Prime Minister, Mizengo Pinda, ordered government ministries to reduce unnecessary expenditure on workshops, allowances, seminars, and luxury vehicles. While populist commitments by leaders are not unusual in Tanzania, this particular one seemed to be a direct response to Sikika’s media and advocacy campaign. This case study shows that a focus on media outreach and raising public awareness may not be enough to bring about changes in contexts where budget allocation processes are closed and there are strong internal pressures to maintain the widespread patronage and rents that can be drawn from recurrent expenditures in the budget. …

Ghana: Budget Monitoring By Send-Ghana And Its Partners Helps Improve Nutrition For Children And Support Local Farmers, Tony Dogbe, Joana Kwabena-Adade, International Budget Partnership

International Budget Partnership

Between 2007 and 2010, the Social Enterprise Development (SEND-Ghana) Foundation, one of the IBP’s partners, monitored the performance of the Ghana School Feeding Programme (GSFP, a government program that integrates social protection interventions), engaging with 50 district assemblies, 50 focal civil society organizations (CSOs), and 50 District Highly Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC)/Citizens Monitoring Committees (DCMC) in seven regions across the country. SEND-Ghana used information from this monitoring exercise to promote improvements in the program with district assemblies and officials from collaborating ministries, departments, and agencies directly at the national, regional, and district levels, but also indirectly through the media.

The …

Evidence For Change: The Case Of Subsidios Al Campo In Mexico, Guillermo M. Cejudo, International Budget Partnership

International Budget Partnership

The Subsidios al Campo campaign used Mexico’s freedom of information laws to obtain official data on the recipients of agricultural subsidies, and then published the data online. Its analysis brought a large amount of new information into the public domain, and managed to shift the debate about agricultural subsidies from a focus on their overall size to a discussion of how equitably they were being distributed, challenging a powerful agricultural industry in the process. The Mexican Ministry of Agriculture reacted by reforming the system to ensure that subsidies were flowing only to those that needed them.

The full version, short …

Samarthan’S Campaign To Improve Access To The National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme In India, Ramesh Awasthi, International Budget Partnership

International Budget Partnership

In India the implementation of the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA), which guarantees a minimum of 100 days of unskilled work per year to every poor rural family that needs employment, has been ridden with bureaucratic glitches and widespread corruption. This case study examines a civil society campaign to address problems in the NREGA’s administration and mobilize people to demand work under the scheme.

The full version, short summary, and one page summary of this case study are available in English. Summaries are also available in Spanish, French, Arabic, and Chinese.

LINK: http://internationalbudget.org/publications/samarthan%E2%80%99s-campaign-to-improve-access-to-the-national-rural-employment-guarantee-scheme-in-india/

Children’S Right To Early Education In The City Of Buenos Aires: A Case Study On Acij’S Class Action, Fernando Basch, International Budget Partnership

International Budget Partnership

Through a complex litigation strategy that involved “freedom of information” requests, budget analysis, and media dissemination, the Civil Association for Equality and Justice (Asociación Civil por la Igualdad y la Justicia, or ACIJ) pressured the formerly reluctant government of the city of Buenos Aires, Argentina, to acknowledge a legitimate unsatisfied claim related to school vacancies for initial-level education and commit to making significant policy changes. This case study examines the ACIJ campaign and draws lessons for civil society engagement in public finance processes.

The full version, short summary, and one page summary of this case study are available in English. …

Show Me The Money: Budget Advocacy In Indonesia, International Budget Partnership

International Budget Partnership

In "Show Me the Money: Budget Advocacy in Indonesia," authors from five civil society organizations – IDEA, the Inisiatif Association, Lakpesdam NU, the Centre for Information and Regional Studies (PATTIRO), and the Indonesian Forum for Budget Transparency (FITRA) – present five case studies on their budget work to fight against corruption and improve the allocation of government resources, and five case studies from smaller organizations based in various local districts in the country.

In addition, check out the related two-page summaries that explore the impact of civil society budget work in Indonesia to improve policies and outcomes in school funding, …

Earthquake Reconstruction In Pakistan: The Case Of The Omar Asghar Khan Development Foundation’S Campaign, International Budget Partnership

International Budget Partnership

The devastating earthquake that shook the Hazara region and the Azad Kashmir province in Northwest Pakistan on October 2005 led to a flood of donor money for reconstruction and rehabilitation in the affected areas. Three years later many people were still without adequate housing or critical public infrastructure. This is partly the result of unfulfilled government promises and the slow pace of reconstruction projects. This case study describes how a large coalition of civil society organizations (CSOs) and citizens embarked on a campaign to jump-start Pakistan’s efforts to rebuild. The campaign was led by the Omar Asghar Khan Development Foundation, …

South Africa: Civil Society Uses Budget Analysis And Advocacy To Improve The Lives Of Poor Children, Neil Overy, International Budget Partnership

International Budget Partnership

In South Africa a range of civil society organizations and coalitions have been central to post-Apartheid efforts to protect vulnerable children through social security grants. This case study describes how the persistent campaigning of these organizations has contributed to significant budget and policy changes over the last decade such as the expanded eligibility for the Child Support Grant.

The full version, short summary, and one page summary of this case study are available in English. Summaries are also available in Spanish and French.

LINK: http://internationalbudget.org/publications/south-africa-civil-society-uses-budget-analysis-and-advocacy-to-improve-the-lives-of-poor-children/

The Politics Of Partnerships. A Critical Examination Of Nonprofit-Business Partnerships, Maria May Seitanidi

Maria May Seitanidi

The widespread partnering phenomenon in the US and the UK spurred a significant amount of literature focusing on its strategic use. The Politics of Partnerships diverges by examining if partnerships can deliver benefits that extend beyond the organisational to the societal level resulting from the intentional combined efforts of the partners. The book offers under the chronological stages of formation, implementation, outcomes a critical examination and proposes a holistic framework for the study of partnerships allowing for observations beyond any single stage.

Resources On Partnerships & Groups, Maria May Seitanidi

Maria May Seitanidi

This is a list of Groups on Partnerships

Reading List On Nonprofit-Business Partnerships, Maria May Seitanidi

Maria May Seitanidi

This is a reading list for those interested to pursue research on nonprofit-business partnerships

The Growth Of Nonprofit Accounting And It's Impact On Human Services, Roger A. Lohmann

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Changes in nonprofit accounting standards and practices have spearheaded a quiet revolution in financial management practice in social agencies and the delivery of human services during the past three decades. These changes have gone hand-in-glove with other changes in the political arena to dramatically transform the ways in which human services are organized and delivered. At the core of this transition has been the movement from fund to enterprise accounting, together with such larger political developments as the expansion of grant-based relations with government into the performance management environment of purchase of service contracting.

The New York Police Officer: Democratic And Moral Accountability In Conflict, Sarah Ryan, Dan Williams

Publications and Research

The following case draws upon two views of accountability. One is democratic accountability the other is accountability to one's own moral conscience. As the story unfolds, other facts may get in the way but these central views should not be forgotten. The focus of this case is on the individual. However, the material also covers institutional decisions and policies that deserve considering. The institutional story is the background, not the foreground, of this case. Yet, when the institutional features are considered, they may give new insight to the individuals' decisions.