Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

American Institution Of Public, K-12 Education: An Institutional Field Under A Complexity Paradigm, Jennifer Jean Joyalle

Dissertations and Theses

Institutional fields serve as foundational bedrocks that shape and govern behaviors, norms, and practices within distinct domains of societal and organizational interactions. The emergence of machine learning and the ability to manipulate large datasets offer researchers and decision makers the potential ability to model and visualize the behavior associated with institutional fields.

This proof of concept provides an example of visualizing the changing conditions in the institutional field of public K-12 education in America as a topology. By interweaving three primary strands of theory -- institutional fields, complexity in the guise of complex adaptive systems as a paradigm, and paradigms …

Economic Analysis Of Population-Based Next Generation Sequencing For Breast Cancer, Sapphire Curelaru

University Honors Theses

Breast cancer develops due to accumulated DNA replication insults which causes cancer to uncontrollably proliferate. An individual's predisposition to developing cancer, as well as the composition of a tumor, can be sequenced using genetic tests. Myriad's BRACAnalysis CDx^® seems to be the most utilized genetic test. However, Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) seems to be a better genetic test for breast cancer when compared to Myriad's BRACAnalysisCDx^® in terms of return-time, accuracy, efficiency, and healthcare cost. By using Next Generation Sequencing tests, stakeholders can save money on genetic testing which can be invested in more genetic tests. Payers can …

Developing Public Service Leadership: Understanding The Field Immersion/Comparative Cases Model For Mid-Career Professional Education In Environment And Natural Resources Leadership, Erin M. Steinkruger

Dissertations and Theses

Public administrators in the United States face increasingly complex challenges and are called to leadership by position and in practice. In a hyper-pluralistic society, individuals must lead from where they sit, arbitrating value differences in day-to-day functions and taking on adversity and uncertainty in pursuit of the public good. These individuals are served by a variety of leadership training programs both internal and external to their organizations. This study characterizes the field immersion/comparative cases (FICC) model for public service leadership development and uses a grounded theory approach to build understanding about how individuals learn about leadership; what learning outcomes emerge …

Psu Student Housing Insecurity Interim Report, Jacen Greene, Homelessness Research & Action Collaborative, Portland State University

Homelessness Research & Action Collaborative Publications and Presentations

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Project Background

This study on student housing insecurity and homelessness was funded as part of a HUD FY2023 Community Project Funding Opportunity awarded to Portland State University. Phase 1 of the study, which led to this report by PSU’s Homelessness Research & Action Collaborative (HRAC), includes a literature review; a summary of PSU student survey results; a description of PSU programs based on interviews with staff and administrators; an analysis of programs at other institutions; and a set of recommendations for better addressing student housing needs. Phase 2 of the study will include the results of a comprehensive …

The Factors Contributing To The Resilience Of Thailand's Social Welfare Nonprofit Organizations Since The Onset Of The Country's Prolonged Political Crisis In 2005, Narttana Sakolvittayanon

Dissertations and Theses

Since 2005, nonprofit organizations in Thailand, a transitive country, have experienced survival challenges due to social, economic, and political changes. This study aims to explore the organizational attributes of nonprofit organizations in Thailand that contribute to resilient capacity, which is an ability to survive and continue providing goods and services to fulfill missions when facing challenges. The research questions of this study are what factors have affected the resilience of social welfare nonprofit organizations in Thailand since the onset of the country’s prolonged political crisis in 2005? And to what extent do theories of nonprofit resilience in advanced liberal democracies …

A Policy Proposal For Agricultural Data Governance, Ana Sofía Castellanos Santamaría

Dissertations and Theses

As the digital economy continues to grow and data becomes increasingly important, effective data governance is essential. A data governance framework enables the efficient management, sharing, and integration of data, resulting in better decision-making, increased productivity, and enhanced innovation across industries, including agriculture. However, the agricultural sector in the United States is lagging behind other industries in the adoption of effective data governance practices. Agricultural data governance presents a unique set of challenges due to the wide range of stakeholders involved and the ever-increasing volume of data generated by digital technologies in farming. One key challenge to achieving the benefits …

Stakeholder Engagement In Urban Public Transportation Agencies In The United States, Tyler Joseph Wolfe

Dissertations and Theses

Major urban public transportation agencies in the United States are often under pressure to engage stakeholders in order to improve both the legitimacy and effectiveness of their transit systems. Based on qualitative methods of directed content analysis, this dissertation answers three related questions: (I) How do internal organizational qualities affect stakeholder engagement? (II) How do external socioeconomic factors affect stakeholder engagement? and (III) Does stakeholder engagement lead to better performance? Using a most similar comparative case study design, this research studies stakeholder engagement in five major urban public transportation agencies (Denver, Oklahoma City, Seattle, Portland, and Memphis). It demonstrates the …

Beyond “Psychic Income”: An Exploration Of Interventions To Address Work-Life Imbalances, Burnout, And Precarity In Contemporary Nonprofit Work, Robbie W. Robichau, Billie Sandberg, Andrew Russo

Public Administration Faculty Publications and Presentations

Nonprofit scholars and practitioners alike adhere to a long-held assumption that nonprofit work is, and will remain, inherently meaningful work. The long-term marketization of the nonprofit sector coupled with the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic has undercut this narrative. Our research on meaningful nonprofit work indicates that while many nonprofit workers do find their work meaningful, pay, flexibility, and work/life balance are increasingly important to them. This commentary suggests that nonprofit leaders can no longer presume that workers motivated by prosocial values will seek out and stay with nonprofit work, satisfied with the “psychic income” that comes from doing good …

Citizens' Preferences On Green Infrastructure Practices And Their Enhancement In Portland, Oregon, Katsuya Tanaka, Hal T. Nelson, Nicholas Mccullar, Nishant Parulekar

Public Administration Faculty Publications and Presentations

Green infrastructure (GI) has been gaining increasing attention due to its efficiency in controlling and purifying urban stormwater runoff, creating environmental amenities, and biodiversity conservation. Nevertheless, the existing knowledge of people's preferences for GI is not yet sufficient for evidence-based policymaking for enhancing GI. This study analyzes citizens' perceptions of the relative importance of six GI practices and estimates their willingness to pay (WTP) to enhance them. To this end, the study applies two types of stated preference methods (best-worst scaling and contingent valuation) to citizen survey data collected in Portland, Oregon. We found that GI practices that are more …

Global Climate Governance: Rising Trend Of Translateral Cooperation, Nataliya Stranadko

Public Affairs and Policy Faculty Publications and Presentations

The transformation from the Kyoto Protocol to the Paris Agreement has been analyzed by international relations scholars, international law, and transnational governance theory. The international relations literature looks at the climate regime from a perspective of power distribution, state interests, institutions, and multilateral negotiations. International law theory focuses on legal analysis and design of international climate agreements. The transnational governance literature examines the participation of transnational actors at different levels of governance. However, each of these theories overlooks a bilateral trend of cooperation in a multilateral setting that arises as part of the construction or reconstruction of the international regime. …

Immigration Federalism In The United States: Constructing A Contemporary Institutional Framework Centered On Local Communities Through A Case Study Approach, Sara Kuehlhorn Friedman

Dissertations and Theses

This research study presents a new model of immigration federalism which integrates existing theories into a framework that emphasizes agency at the local level. Unlike dominant models of federalism that observe the cascading effect of higher-level policy on lower levels of government, this research focuses on empirical evidence at the local level to understand its relation to policy at higher levels. Immigration federalism is receiving substantial interest in scholarly work and in practice, but it lacks a cohesive and comprehensive theory explaining variation at the community level. There is little reason to expect sweeping changes in immigration policy at the …

Hygiene, Storage, And Waste Management For The Unsheltered Community: Gaps & Opportunities Analysis, Jacen Greene, Todd Ferry, Lisa Hawash, Marisa Zapata, Nicholas M. Puczkowskyj

Homelessness Research & Action Collaborative Publications and Presentations

This study, completed in early February 2022, included focus groups and interviews with 18 government employees and service providers, interviews with 19 people experiencing unsheltered homelessness, a review of research literature and news articles on the topic, and previous surveys and research from Portland State University to better understand gaps and opportunities in providing hygiene, storage and waste management to people living unsheltered.

Stability, Equity, And Dignity: Reporting And Reflecting On Oregon Tenant Experiences During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Lisa K. Bates

Homelessness Research & Action Collaborative Publications and Presentations

In mid-March, Oregon leaders ordered unprecedented ‘stay home’ measures to slow the spread of the pandemic Covid-19 virus. The economic impact was immediate, with entire sectors of business in ‘shut down’ mode and others limiting their activity. These emergency orders, necessary for public health, had a dual impact for workers: many were quickly laid off from temporarily closed businesses, while others deemed essential were at risk of viral transmission. Recognizing the potential that many tenants would not be able to pay their rent without work, governments at all levels moved quickly to enact temporary moratoriums on eviction and on foreclosure …

A Practical Guide To Intergovernmental Entities In Oregon: Creating And Managing An Intergovernmental Entity Under Ors 190.010(5), Jim Johnson

National Policy Consensus Center Publications and Reports

The National Policy Consensus Center houses programs that work with government entities and their stakeholders to resolve public policy disputes or implement collaborative solutions to community problems. At times, government collaboration projects evolve into a more permanent arrangement that leads to formation of an intergovernmental entity. This guide addresses the most common questions the National Policy Consensus Center receives about forming intergovernmental entities. The guide provides general answers based on the center’s years of experience with collaborative groups, but it does not provide legal advice. It is meant as a tool for considering the use of an intergovernmental entity. You …

Building A Collaborative Governance Framework: A Five Step Process, Jim Johnson, Wendy Willis, Cat Mcginnis

National Policy Consensus Center Publications and Reports

As collaborative governance groups form and evolve, they increasingly need a clearly articulated organizational structure to advance their strategy and achieve their goals. This guide provides groups with a process for developing a collaborative governance framework.

Re-Engaging Individual Capacities In Service Of Civic Capacity: A Model Of Holistic Civic Engagement Education For The University, Jane Gerald Carr

Dissertations and Theses

A healthy democracy requires active civic engagement. Effective civic involvement can be encouraged by education that helps students learn to respect diverging viewpoints and build skills such as critical thinking about policy frameworks. In higher education, we have seen progress in teaching for civic engagement despite pressures to focus narrowly on career preparation. However, it is important to build on this work in two ways. First, the noncognitive and holistic dimensions of civic engagement have not been thoroughly considered in designing civic education. Second, the field could reach its goals more effectively by adopting teaching strategies that directly help students …

Emergency Management Appropriations In Non-Event Municipalities, Andrew Russo

Student Research Symposium

This study was conducted to discern if emergency management department appropriations in non-event municipalities increase after a major natural disaster. The literature written and research performed over the last decade suggested that a new emphasis on mitigation had resulted in increased collaboration and public support for disaster mitigation programmatically and financially. Conducting this research project entailed investigating if these non-event communities react by increasing their emergency management department (EMD) appropriations to prepare for future disasters. In exploring this question, it is important to convey how research has evolved on the subject of disaster funding, the importance of collaboration in disaster …

Harnessing Sustainable Motivation: A Grounded Theory Exploration Of Public Service Motivation In Local Governments Of The State Of Oregon, United States, Sajjad Haider, Guoxian Bao, Gary Larsen, Muhammad Umar Draz

Public Administration Faculty Publications and Presentations

Employee motivation has always been a matter of concern for both public and private sector organizations. Since the industrial revolution in the late 18th century, organizations have struggled to foster workforce motivation and morale to enhance productivity. While a plethora of literature focuses on private sector motivation research, public sector organizations receive only modest scholarly attention. However, a new concept has emerged in public management literature during the late 1980s and 1990s, later known as public service motivation (PSM). The debate about PSM is premised on the notion that the motivation of public sector employees is quite different from their …

The Role Of The Academic Analyst In Shared Governance, Rebecca Ann Mathern

Dissertations and Theses

This research explores the roles of academic professionals in higher education, specific to how they engage in decision-making processes. Academic professionals provide important functions in higher education work but there is little in the literature about these actors and their contributions to leadership and governance. A literature review triangulated role theory, organization theory, and the shared-governance field of study to bring together actors within higher education and compare their involvement based on the shared-governance model in operation at different institutions. The researcher introduced the hypothesis that when registrars are not involved in curriculum management, there may be negative effects on …

Oregon Demographic Trends, Charles Rynerson

Publications, Reports and Presentations

This presentation was part of a session called "Demographic Change: Potential Impact in Oregon and the Workplace." Nick Beleiciks, State of Oregon Employment Department Economist, was a co-presenter in the session.

Elliott State Forest: Next Step Considerations For Decoupling From Oregon’S Common School Fund, Peter Harkema, Brett Brownscombe, Amy Delahanty

National Policy Consensus Center Publications and Reports

This report is the product of a series of interviews Oregon Consensus conducted with parties and stakeholders representing key interests related to the Elliott State Forest. The Department of State Lands (DSL) engaged Oregon Consensus to conduct a neutral, third-party assessment for the purpose of gathering perspectives and informing a process and framework for decoupling Elliott State Forest from the State Common School Fund (School Fund) within the framework established by the Oregon State Land Board (Land Board) at its May 9, 2017, meeting. “Decoupling” is generally intended to mean releasing all or a portion of Elliott State Forest from …

Resilient Infrastructure Planning Exercise Summary Of Findings, Portland State Univeristy. Institute For Sustainable Solutions

Institute for Sustainable Solutions Publications and Presentations

According to NOAA (2018), the U.S. spent a record $306 billion on weather and climate disasters in 2017, up nearly $100 billion from the previous record in 2005 following Hurricane Katrina. From unprecedented rainfall and flooding from Hurricane Harvey in Houston, Texas, to ravaging wildfires and devastating mudslides near Santa Barbara, California, cities across the U.S. are grappling with how to better prepare for and recover from catastrophic natural disasters. These events bring into focus the need to prepare for similarly unprecedented events in Portland.

The Resilient Infrastructure Planning Exercise (RIPE) began in early 2017 as an effort to better …

Challenges For Lgbtq Nonprofits To Secure Funding, Leo Aoyagi

Student Research Symposium

From 2003 to 2011, foundation funding for LGBTQ issues grew from $32 million to $123 million in the U.S. But in 2013, LGBTQ issues only receive 0.26% of foundation dollars, which means only 26 cents of every 100 dollars. Further, approximately 43% of all foundation funding for LGBTQ issues were made by private foundations established by LGBTQ members themselves and public foundations that raise their funds primarily from LGBTQ donors, over the past 40 years until 2013.

The main causes of this inequality in funding for LGBTQ NPOs from the mainstream foundations are risk in funding LGBTQ NPOs, funder’s fear …

A Cross-Sector Capabilities, Resources, And Needs Assessment: Research To Support The Drafting Of The Oregon Cybersecurity Center Of Excellence Proposal, Portland State University. Hatfield School Of Government. Center For Public Service, Rebecca Craven, Jess Daly, Elizabeth Gray

Center for Public Service Publications and Reports

Oregon’s Senate Bill 90 (SB90), signed into law and effective as of July 1, 2017, requires the Oregon Office of the State Chief Information Officer (OSCIO) to draft a proposal for an Oregon Cybersecurity Center of Excellence (CCoE). SB90 specifies that the CCoE must include information sharing and incident response support functions, and liaise and participate in cybersecurity initiatives nationwide; the Center also bears responsibility for drafting both a Cybersecurity Strategy and Cyber Disruption Response Plan. The CCoE has also been identified as the body responsible for carrying out strategic initiatives on behalf of the Oregon Cybersecurity Advisory Council (OCAC). …

Employee Engagement And Marginalized Populations, Brenna Miaira Kutch

Public Administration Dissertations and Final Research Papers

Portland State University (PSU) is strongly focused on equity and inclusion as evidenced by its strategic priorities, active Office of Global Diversity and Inclusion (OGDI), and many employees and students who care about inclusion and social justice. There is, however, less focus on the employee experience. With nearly 4,000 staff, faculty, administrators, and student workers, PSU runs on the people passionate about serving its mission, but depending on the area of the university in which one is employed, experiences can range from supportive and trusting to micromanaging and disrespectful.

This report examines the employee experience, or employee engagement, at PSU …

Municipal Co-Distribution Of Goods – Business Models, Stakeholders And Driving Forces For Change, Olof Moen

PSU Transportation Seminars

The presentation provides background information and illustrates driving forces of the development of municipal co-distribution of goods in Sweden. The business model is “somewhat unique” to Sweden, given the country’s comprehensive welfare sector through which local governments are often the main transport buyers in smaller municipalities without industries or commerce. In this respect, Sweden has been a pioneer in streamlining public administration at all levels replacing manual work procedures and paperwork with the use of computers and digital information, with an overall aim to allow for spending on social and political reform policies. The main business model used in municipal …

Building Powerful Partnerships: Lessons From Portland's Climate Action Collaborative, Jennifer H. Allen, Fletcher Beaudoin, Beth Gilden

Institute for Sustainable Solutions Publications and Presentations

There is growing interest in partnerships between universities and communities and how such collaborations can help address the wicked challenges facing the world today. This article traces the development of the institutional commitments at Portland State University (PSU) in its efforts to build sustainability-focused community–university partnerships. The Institute for Sustainable Solutions at PSU has served as a mechanism to catalyze and nurture such partnerships on and off campus. This article examines two cases under the Portland Climate Action Collaborative that illustrate how community–university partnerships have emerged, what impacts they have had on the community, and what factors contributed to their …

Impact Of Bike Facilities On Residential Property Prices, Wei Shi

PSU Transportation Seminars

As many cities are investing in street improvement or transportation infrastructure upgrade projects to provide better bike access or more complete bike networks, the economic value of bike infrastructure and bike facilities remains an area where many practitioners, planners and policy makers are seeking more conclusive evidence. Using residential property values as indicators of consumer preferences for bicycle infrastructure, this study focuses on advanced bike facilities which represent higher levels of bike priority or bike infrastructure investments that have been shown to be more desirable to a larger portion of the population. Estimating ordinary least squares hedonic pricing models and …

Underutilization Of Federal Benefits In Oregon: Programs And Strategies, Raúl Preciado Mendez

National Policy Consensus Center Publications and Reports

The report results demonstrate the dependence low-income Oregon families have on the six federal programs and the challenges families face when attempting to access federal resources. The barriers to access are often structural in that they are embedded in the procedures and structure of the program. Based on its analysis, the report presents a series of reforms and support activities that Oregon state agencies and nonprofits could adopt to improve family access for each program.

Rubrics As A Foundation For Assessing Student Competencies: One Public Administration Program’S Creative Exercise, Billie Sandberg, Kevin Kecskes

Public Administration Faculty Publications and Presentations

Since implementation of the Network of Schools of Public Policy, Affairs, and Administration (NASPAA) standards for accreditation in 2009, public administration programs have been developing programmatic competencies that reflect NASPAA’s universal standards. Likewise, myriad efforts have analyzed data related to student and program progress toward achievement of these competencies. This article adds to that conversation by recounting the approach to assessing competencies used in the Department of Public Administration at Portland State University. There, newly developed rubrics reflect each of the department’s 10 competencies to examine whether students are acquiring the desired knowledge and skills. This article discusses the development …