Political Science Commons^™

In The Midst Of An Epidemic: How Print Media Shapes Policy Feedback To The Opioid Crisis, Peter S. Federman

Journal of Public Management & Social Policy

As opioid addiction has spread across the country, media discourse around opioid abuse has consistently increased. A content analysis of local newspaper articles from the state of Massachusetts reveals that political and administrative officials conceive of Narcan in distinct ways. Administrators, including police and fire officials, see Narcan as a means to accomplish their organizational mission. Conversely, elected officials are primarily concerned with cost, legal ramifications and the broad impact of the opioid crisis, remaining disconnected from street-level concerns. In delineating these divergent perspectives, this article provides two unique contributions: first, it applies policy feedback theory as a framework to …

The Good, Bad And Ugly Of Innovations In Human Services Administration: Evidence From New York Counties, Lauren Mullins, Jyldyz Kasymova

Journal of Public Management & Social Policy

Counties are often seen as “forgotten” and understudied governments in the family of local jurisdictions. The recent growing demand for public assistance led to a renewed interest in county governance, specifically in relation to the administration of social services. In order to cope with a post-recession growing workload, many counties began using technology and other innovative methods to serve clients effectively. This research seeks to learn and make sense of innovation practices in providing social safety services in several counties in New York State. In particular, we attempt to respond to the following questions. First, what types of innovations are …

Municipal Consolidation And Organizational Realities: A Case From New York City, Bakry Elmedni, Sade V. Mcintosh, Beverly P. Lyons

Journal of Public Management & Social Policy

Consolidation in the public sector has always been conceptualized as a tool for enhancing service provision and fiscal responsibility. The evidence is dubious in both front. Using self-administered questionnaire and follow-up interviews, this study attempts to explain why the merger of two NYC agencies (DJJ into ACS) is incomplete after six years based on employees’ perception. The paper contends that a well-designed and carefully-negotiated merger can lead to harmony while meeting the intended goals of the new organization. The study concludes that because of insufficient efforts in the three phases of merger (pre-merger, during and post-merger), employees were oblivious to …

Municipal Consolidation, Innovations And The Dynamics Of Public Policies, Andrew Ewoh

Journal of Public Management & Social Policy

No abstract provided.

Conditions For Competition: Assessing The Competitive Dynamics Of Us Counties, Josh Mitchell, Lashonda Stewart, John Hamman, Steve Modlin

Journal of Public Management & Social Policy

Research in public policy examines specific theories that drive policy adoption among jurisdictions. One of these theories, referred to in the economics literature as economic competition (or strategic competition), posits that local governments may engage in competition with one another because of the potential interjurisdictional economic spillover effects of certain fiscal policies. In this article, sales tax rates, a common, yet overlooked, policy instrument in the policy literature is examined to determine if sales tax rates drive competition among counties. Testing several hypotheses, this study finds that sales tax rate increases can exacerbate competition among counties. However, this relationship is …

Marginalized: The Missing Public Management Research On Homelessness, Richard F. Callahan

Journal of Public Management & Social Policy

Abstract

Homelessness is long-standing issue in American cities, with significant human consequences. However, current public management research does not typically include research on public agencies responding to the needs of the homeless.

This paper uses a case study to explore the disconnect between public management research and those living on the margins of society as homeless. The case study illustrates the potential for multiple streams of research in public management to effectively research the complexities of homelessness. This paper makes the case for that public agency responses to the varied dimensions of homelessness align with public management research, with the …

Addressing Social Inequity: A Case Study Of Success, Ed Tarlton, Robert Harper, Brandi Blessett, Brian N. Williams, Jarrad Carter

Journal of Public Management & Social Policy

Social equity is relatively easy to define but much harder to accomplish. As a result, achieving social equity continues to be difficult in American society and across the globe. We present a case study of a collaborative effort by two nonprofits to conduct a program for public high schools and local law-enforcement agencies across the United States. The program was designed to acknowledge and address the historic harms that impact police-community relations. Our paper delineates the origins of the problem and our approach, presents data that demonstrate the positive impact the program had on bridging gaps, changing perceptions, and lessening …

Efforts To Diminish Social Inequity In South Africa: Evaluating Life Skills And Income Generation Programs On Maternal Socioeconomic Position In Cape Town, Simone Martin-Howard

Journal of Public Management & Social Policy

The purpose of this case study was to explore perceptions of the impact of program participation on diminishing social inequity using in-depth semi-structured interviews with marginalized Black and Coloured mothers at a civil society organization (CSO) in the Western Cape Province of South Africa (SA). Narratives from a total of thirty-seven interviews form the basis of this paper. Interviews provide examples of extreme poverty and the importance of within-in program social support networks. This case study highlights the successful efforts of one CSO to alleviate social inequity – through life skills and income generation programming – among impoverished women. Findings …

Social Equity And Body Worn Camera Policies: How Do State Politics Lead To Policy Adoption And Implementation?, Heath Brown, James Wright

Journal of Public Management & Social Policy

Police body-worn cameras (BWC) emerged on state policy agendas to improve public accountability and mitigate social equity concerns in the wake of a national debate on police violence. Some, but not all, states adopted BWC, suggesting several state-level factors determined the policy making process. We develop a two-step political model of state criminal justice policy (adoption and implementation) that incorporates three distinct political actors: law enforcement groups; traditional advocates for civil rights/liberties; and new advocates for social equity/justice. We find that in the first step (policy adoption) traditional civil rights groups are not statistically related to a state adopting a …

From Etiology To Action: Exploring The Origins, Obstacles, Opportunities And Outcomes Of Achieving Social Equity, Charles E. Menifield

Journal of Public Management & Social Policy

No abstract provided.

Have Voucher Will Relocate? Poverty Deconcentration In A Large American City, Kathy Thomas, Nicholas O. Alozie Dr.

Journal of Public Management & Social Policy

The epic failure of fixed public housing projects supports the paradigm that poverty concentration makes poverty and the cycle of poverty intractable. Moreover, neoliberal, free-enterprise theorists interrogate the viability of the state as a provider of social goods and services and press the need for market-based schemes such as housing vouchers. However, how do you de-concentrate the poor voluntarily without government dictating residential choice? This article reports the results of the first ten years of a policy experiment leveraging a mobile voucher program to attempt to achieve voluntary dispersion and de-concentration of the poor in Phoenix, Arizona. Using Phoenix’s 308 …

Barber Shops, Salons, And Spas: The Complexity – And Simplicity – Of Implementing Outreach And Enrollment Contracts Under The Affordable Care Act, Michael Hatch, Rebecca Yurman, Anna A. Amirkhanyan, Jocelyn Johnston

Journal of Public Management & Social Policy

This article examines the implementation of The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) with a particular focus on the states’ contracted outreach and enrollment services. Having collected administrative and perceptual data from key informants, we examined outreach and enrollment contracts in six states that have reduced the uninsured rate by at least 20% of ACA-eligible population. Our findings suggest that the complexity of the law and its structure, as well as the characteristics of contracting were, in effect, “drowned out” by clear patterns of highly collaborative implementation that involved extensive chains of diverse outreach/enrollment actors. These networks – ranging …

Assessment Of Public Sector Service Quality: Gauging Experiences And Perceptions Of Racial Profiling, Aaron C. Rollins Jr.

Journal of Public Management & Social Policy

The absence of a culturally competent public sector workforce has led to increased public scrutiny and heightened levels of distrust. In the field of public safety, this is particularly important due to the sensitive nature of the task performed and the historically strained relationships that exist between racial minorities and law enforcement. Using national survey data to gauge the prevalence of citizen’s experiences and perceptions of racial profiling, this research reveals significant discrepancies amongst minorities and their white counterparts. In response, this research encourages public officials and agencies to eliminate inconsistencies in their interactions with the citizenry as a whole. …

Exploring The Link: Administrative Exclusion And Second Order Devolution, Rhucha Samudra

Journal of Public Management & Social Policy

Devolution was embedded in the 1996 welfare reform. Using the National Survey of America’s Families, this article explores the relationship between living in a Second Order Devolution (SOD) state and administrative exclusion from a welfare program. Results from the logistic model indicate that low-income clients and single mothers living in a SOD state had an increased likelihood of administrative exclusion. Administrative exclusion reflects bureaucratic choices and rules violations—implying some of these individuals and families may be leaving welfare without having achieved self-sufficiency. Results suggest that a careful evaluation of the state welfare performance measure and of the devolution of authority …

Reexamining The Impact Of Medicaid Expansion In A Post-Affordable Care Act Environment From A Critical Race Perspective, Ty Price Dooley

Journal of Public Management & Social Policy

The passage of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) in 2010 drastically transformed the health care system in the United States. This paper examines the factors influencing state decisions relative to Medicaid expansion in a post-ACA environment through the lens of Critical Race Theory. This study incorporates economic, geographic and health variables into a model of post-ACA-Medicaid decision-making by using logistic regression to examine State Medicaid expansion from 2010 to 2014. The size of the minority population in state, tobacco use and southern distinctiveness are significant predictors of decision making relative to Medicaid expansion. Findings support that racialized …

Municipal Diverging From “Bureaucracy:” A Case Study Of Organizational Image In Housing Services, Shawn T. Flanigan Ph.D.

Journal of Public Management & Social Policy

This article presents a case study of efforts of a workforce development unit within a local public housing authority to recraft its image as separate from the larger housing authority, in order to better attract participants to its optional supportive services. Using qualitative interview data with Section 8 voucher recipients and public housing authority staff, and descriptive quantitative data from a larger dataset, and drawing on theories of street-level bureaucracies and agency-client interactions, the case study finds that service recipients perceive the housing authority as a largely compliance-oriented organization that is overly bureaucratic, excessively regulating of private spheres of family …

Housing, Medicaid Expansion, And Cultural Competence In Policing And Public Service Delivery, Andrew Ewoh

Journal of Public Management & Social Policy

No abstract provided.

Journal Of Public Management & Social Policy Volume 25, Issue 3, Journal Of Public Management & Social Policy

Journal of Public Management & Social Policy

No abstract provided.

Journal Of Public Management & Social Policy Call For Manuscripts

Journal of Public Management & Social Policy

No abstract provided.

Improving Transgender Policy For A More Equitable Workplace, Nicole M. Elias, Rana Lynn Johnson, Danny Ovando, Julia Ramirez

Journal of Public Management & Social Policy

Sex and gender categories have become more fluid in recent years. With evolving understandings of sexual orientation and gender identity, public administrators are confronted with questions of how to craft policy and make decisions based on new conceptions of sex and gender for transgender employees. Policy and practice is especially challenging in the workplace where sex and gender encompass both personal and professional dimensions. Within the public sector, the federal government is recognized as a leader on these issues, and this work examines federal transgender policy to answer the following questions: 1) how are federal agencies addressing transgender issues in …

The Politics Of School Discipline: A Quantitative Analysis Of The Legalization And Use Of Corporal Punishment In The United States, Kaitlin Anderson

Journal of Public Management & Social Policy

Corporal punishment in schools has been criticized for many reasons related to lower student achievement, delinquency, and mental health, but is still legal in 19 states. Attitudes towards corporal punishment have been linked to political leanings, fundamentalist religion, socioeconomic status, and rurality. In this study, I test whether political culture and voting patterns are predictive of the legality and frequency of corporal punishment use in schools, utilizing data from the Office for Civil Rights. Independent of median household income, educational attainment, state demographics, and the share of Evangelical Protestants, states with more Republican votes are more likely to legalize school …

Neighborhood Concerns And Mobilization Patterns Of Homeowners And Neighborhood Associations, Daniel S. Scheller, Anaid Yerena

Journal of Public Management & Social Policy

What issues and concerns of residential community associations (RCAs) compel them to mobilize and lobby local government? Do these patterns vary by RCA type? We argue that they do, and that neighborhood associations face different concerns than homeowners associations (HOAs). We also believe neighborhood associations are more likely to mobilize and interact with municipal government on behalf of the neighborhood. Using survey and interview data of neighborhood association and HOA presidents in Tallahassee, Florida, we find that neighborhood associations mobilize and interact with municipal government to a greater extent than HOAs. The issues and concerns that compel neighborhood associations to …

Similarity Attraction And Old School Values: African American Led Nonprofits And African American Youth, Susan T. Gooden, Michael L. Perkins, Lindsey L. Evans, Yali Pang

Journal of Public Management & Social Policy

This article examines the role of similarity-attraction between African American-led nonprofits and the predominately African American youth they serve. Informed by interview data with executive directors, board members, volunteers, and students, this research captures how similarity-attraction operates in the context of three, well-established African American-led nonprofit organizations by utilizing an old-school values approach. The findings suggest that each of these programs provides a direct focus on African American history and positive role models. Further, these programs teach African American youth how to excel while being black, from people who know first-hand what that experience entails. Nonprofit program leaders become trusted …

Legislation Meets Tradition: Interpretations And Implications Of The Volunteer Protection Act For Nonprofit Organizations As Viewed Through The Lens Of Hermeneutics, Patricia Groble, Nicholas C. Zingale, Joseph Mead

Journal of Public Management & Social Policy

Volunteers enable nonprofit organizations to reach more clients and more effectively fulfill their missions. However, the good done by these volunteers may be offset by their careless behavior. Rising fears that resulting lawsuits and monetary damages would deter potential volunteers from volunteering caused Congress to enact the Volunteer Protection Act. This research studies court decisions to ascertain whether the law fulfills its purpose and considers the implications of these interpretations for nonprofit managers. It also tests the usefulness of the hermeneutical approach to legal interpretation and to determine how the Act has changed as a result of these court decisions …

County Taxation Dynamics, Nonprofits, Equitable Workplace, And Corporal Punishment In The United States, Andrew Ewoh

Journal of Public Management & Social Policy

No abstract provided.

Journal Of Public Management & Social Policy Fall 2017 / Spring 2018

Journal of Public Management & Social Policy

No abstract provided.

Global Homelessness In A Post- Recession World, Jay Bainbridge, Tony J. Carrizales

Journal of Public Management & Social Policy

The Great Recession has resulted in various changes in homeless populations in municipalities throughout the world. From “unsheltered homeless” in NYC to "rough sleepers" in London and to "sans-abris" in Paris, or "poblacion callejera" in Mexico City, the economic crisis of 2008 impacted economies in ways that put severe pressures on housing, particularly at the lower-income-level brackets. After all, the Great Recession was generated by a housing bubble, which then constricted capital markets for housing. After the immediate crisis, economic stabilization was followed by stagflation or deflation. There were flat or decreasing wages in the middle- to low-income brackets and …

Globalization, Democracy, And Public Space: The Case Of The U.S.- Mexican Border Region, Kimberly Collins

Journal of Public Management & Social Policy

The U.S.-Mexican border is a region discussed in public conversations; a place where vendors, disparate groups of people, public art, and many different levels of government converge; it is a place designed to be a gateway between countries. It is a public space, a place where substantive democracy should be paramount. This paper provides a theoretical overview of public space, democracy, and the main bureaucracy in charge, the Department of Homeland Security. It posits that democracy is limited in the border region, with the use of the public space and the functioning of the bureaucracy, and provides suggestions to improve …

Economic Determinant Analysis Of Student Academic Performance In Mississippi Public Schools, Debra Monroe-Lax, Jae-Young Ko

Journal of Public Management & Social Policy

The purpose of this study was to assess the relationship between economic determinants and student academic performance indicators of public school students in the State of Mississippi. It was hypothesized that public school districts with higher economic security leads to higher academic achievement. Data for the study were obtained through the Mississippi Department of Education Children’s First Annual Report for school year 2012 -2013, and the Annie E. Casey Foundation Kids Count Datacenter for 2013. Using bivariate analyses and multiple regression models, the results revealed that students’ academic performance indicators were statistically significantly with weak to moderate effects for each …

"Corporate Psychopaths" In Public Agencies?, Lee W. Hanson, David L. Baker

Journal of Public Management & Social Policy

Corporate leaders with psychopathic traits are the subject of a growing scientific literature. Recently, scholars have begun to examine such personalities in public agencies. In this article, we relate psychopathic public leaders to research on toxic and destructive leadership, leader personality disorder, and the Dark Triad/Tetrad of psychopathic, narcissistic, Machiavellian, and sadistic personalities. Via a brief scenario, we illustrate how the term “corporate psychopath” might be used by lay employees lacking psychiatric expertise as a catchall term for any one of the four dark types in a leadership role. We argue that dark personalities are found in public agency leadership …