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Full-Text Articles in Public Administration
Exploring Factors Perpetuating The Underrepresentation Of Women Caos In Local Government, Kelly Sutton
Exploring Factors Perpetuating The Underrepresentation Of Women Caos In Local Government, Kelly Sutton
MPA Major Research Papers
Despite women's progress in various professional domains, a persistent gender disparity remains evident in local government's most senior non-elected leadership roles. The underrepresentation of women in municipal city management continues, even though women comprise 47.4% of the Canadian labour force (Catalyst, 2020). This research paper aims to understand the underrepresentation of women in municipal Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) roles by examining theoretical perspectives and drawing from recent qualitative research into the gender imbalance in public sector leadership by DeHart-Davis et al. (2020). This research paper aims to shed light on the need for substantive change by unravelling the complexities surrounding …
Recruiting For The Cao Role: An Evaluation Of The Existing Recruitment Processes In Low And Single Tier Municipalities In Ontario, Ashley Bilodeau
Recruiting For The Cao Role: An Evaluation Of The Existing Recruitment Processes In Low And Single Tier Municipalities In Ontario, Ashley Bilodeau
MPA Major Research Papers
It is no secret that there are challenges associated with the retainment of Chief Administrative Officer position in municipal governments throughout Ontario. This is related to an aging population (O’Flynn; Mau, 2014), a younger generation that is not committed to one employer (Strategy Corp, 2019), a significant turnover rate associated with the political nature of Council (Coulter, 2011) and fierce competition with the private sector (Strategy Corp, 2019). The Chief Administrative Officer role is unique as Siegel argues. He quotes Rost’s definition of the leadership role of the municipal CAO, as someone who “has the ability to move the municipality …
Accountability: A Canadian Municipal Examination On The Impact Of Vehicle And Equipment Training Programs On Preventable Collisions With Municipal Fleet Assets, Jessica Ruddell
MPA Major Research Papers
Annually, close to 1,000 Canadian workers die due to work-related injuries, exposures and disease. A lack of training and skills can contribute to this loss of life for many. Employers of all kinds, including municipalities, have a responsibility to protect workers and reduce risk to the organization through training activities. Known hazards, like the operation of vehicles and equipment require training before a worker can be deemed competent. Inevitably, preventable and non-preventable collisions will occur involving fleet vehicles and equipment. Documenting and analyzing preventable collisions as part of a collision investigation program, can help organizations understand why preventable collisions are …
Recruiting Gen Z Workers To Ontario Municipalities: A Study Of How Ontario Municipalities Can Improve Recruitment Strategies To Attract Gen Z Workers, Kaitlin Bos
MPA Major Research Papers
The generational shift from Millennials to Generation Z (Gen Z) is perhaps the most critical generational shift for modern day municipalities. While Generation Y, Millennials, and the generations before them continue to play a key role in the direction and success of local government organizations. It is important to analyze the trends of the incoming generation of workers to ensure long-term success and prosperity. This research report revolves around the research question, “How can Ontario municipalities improve their recruitment strategies to attract Generation Z workers?” Ontario municipalities must recognize the values of Gen Z’s and reconfigure their external recruitment practices …
Maximizing Electoral Participation: How Accessibility And Outreach Factors Impact Electoral Participation In Online Elections, Christopher Casale
Maximizing Electoral Participation: How Accessibility And Outreach Factors Impact Electoral Participation In Online Elections, Christopher Casale
MPA Major Research Papers
Online voting in Canadian municipalities has proven to result in at least some moderate increase in the number of individuals participating in a given election. What is less apparent is how the implementation of these voting solutions affects voter turnout. This paper seeks to answer the question, what accessibility and outreach factors maximize voter turnout in online elections. This text will analyze six Ontario municipalities who have implemented internet voting for the first time in 2018. Assessing the effectiveness of their voter engagement strategies for that election period.
Does Long Term Strategic Planning Lead To Improved Financial Performance? A Case Study In Ontario Municipalities, Renato Pullia
Does Long Term Strategic Planning Lead To Improved Financial Performance? A Case Study In Ontario Municipalities, Renato Pullia
MPA Major Research Papers
This research looks at nine municipalities in Ontario that either have or have not adopted a strategic plan of 10+ years and a long-term financial plan of 5+ years, and assesses their financial change based on a set of financial criteria at two different points in time, 2000 and 2019. Using statistical analysis and longitudinal comparison, the research aims to test the hypothesis that strategic planning with a 10+ years’ time horizon provides a framework for longer-term financial decision-making, including strategies and key actions to facilitate multi-year, integrated, strategic decision-making, and provides more financially sound municipal entities than those municipalities …
Examining Connected And Automated Vehicle (Cav) Policy In Ontario: A Modified Multiple Streams Framework Analysis, James Scott
Examining Connected And Automated Vehicle (Cav) Policy In Ontario: A Modified Multiple Streams Framework Analysis, James Scott
MPA Major Research Papers
This research paper utilizes Kingdon’s (1984) Multiple Streams Framework to systematically analyze influential agenda-setting variables in the policy domain of connected and automated vehicles (CAV) in Ontario, Canada. The paper also leverages the Five Stream Confluence Model, a model which builds on the Multiple Streams Framework and is designed by Howlett et al. (2015) to analyze policy formation. The two foundational research questions that will guide the overall direction of this paper are: (1) What influenced Ontario to be the first province in Canada to legislate connected and automated vehicles (CAVs) in 2015? (2) Have influential agenda-setting variables translated through …
Community Improvement Plans: An Analysis Of Content And Outcomes Of Community Improvement Plans In Ontario, Paul Pirri
Community Improvement Plans: An Analysis Of Content And Outcomes Of Community Improvement Plans In Ontario, Paul Pirri
MPA Major Research Papers
Community Improvement Plans are an often used, but seldom studied economic development and planning tool used to spur economic growth within an economically depressed area. But are they effective? This paper answers two questions concerning Community Improvement Plans. First, “How are Community Improvement Plans used in the Province of Ontario?”; and second, “Is the execution of these plans resulting in greater economic prosperity for the communities that have enacted them?”. This work is undertaken by reviewing the content of 202 Community Improvement Plans across the Province of Ontario. Regression tests on municipal assessments from 2001-2018 to determine what effect the …
Beyond Books: Evaluating Maker Spaces In Ontario’S Municipal Library Systems, Lise Conde
Beyond Books: Evaluating Maker Spaces In Ontario’S Municipal Library Systems, Lise Conde
MPA Major Research Papers
This exploratory research paper looks at how Ontario’s municipal library systems evaluate their maker spaces and programming. The literature review provides context on the purpose and value of libraries, the structure and agency of municipal libraries in Ontario and academic and applied studies of program evaluation. The research seeks to answer four questions: What municipal libraries have maker spaces and what are their characteristics? How have they positioned this service in terms of purpose and value? How have they measured success? What can Ontario’s municipal library systems learn from the evaluation of maker spaces to position themselves for the future? …
Local Government Responses To Festivals: An Exploratory Study, Andrew Grozelle
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, …
Factors Influencing Collective Co-Production Of Services At The Municipal Level: A Case Study Of The City Of Hamilton’S Neighbourhood Action Strategy, Brian Kreps
MPA Major Research Papers
The nature of public governance has changed over the past few decades which has led to increased interest in the study of governments working with residents to co-produceservices. The literature identifies different types of co-production including individual, group and collective and it also identifies factors associated with co-production. This paper explores the factors associated with co-production of services at the municipal level. This study uses a case study methodology focusing on the City of Hamilton’s Neighbourhood Action Strategy. The case study was conducted through review of publicly available planning documents, media reports and key informant interviews. The study finds that …
The Leadership Role Of The Chief Administrative Officer (Cao) In Smaller Municipalities: Two Profiles, Robert H.A. Tremblay
The Leadership Role Of The Chief Administrative Officer (Cao) In Smaller Municipalities: Two Profiles, Robert H.A. Tremblay
MPA Major Research Papers
This research project describes the leadership roles of the municipal Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) in smaller municipalities through two profiles of experienced professionals working in southwestern Ontario. The CAO is the organizational superior to all municipal employees. The position is the main conduit between council and administration, and is ultimately responsible for policy development and implementation. The profiles were developed through semi-structured interviews. On a much smaller scale, this replicates the method employed by Siegel in his 2015 book, Leaders in the Shadows: The Leadership Qualities of Municipal Chief Administrative Officers (University of Toronto Press). The profiles reveal that there …
Job Recruitment & Retention In Rural Ontario: A Model Of Physician Recruitment, Applied To The Recruitment Of Local Government Professionals In Bruce County, Mollie Kuchma
MPA Major Research Papers
There are many differences between medical practices in urban and rural settings. As it relates to the recruitment of physicians, there is substantially more emphasis placed on the significance of physicians within rural municipalities and a number of resources are employed to recruit physicians to those areas. Similarly, rural local government organizations experience many of the same fundamental differences compared to urban local government organizations, but lack many of the resources necessary to recruit professionals to rural areas. As a result, rural municipalities struggle to fill vacancies and often lack the required knowledge and skills that are necessary to fulfill …
Ideas Matter: A Comparative Analysis Of Two Neighbourhood Regeneration Programs Associated With The Administrations Of Two Toronto Mayors Between 2005 And 2012, Kathy Wiele
MPA Major Research Papers
This paper examines how the neighbourhood regeneration programs of David Miller and Rob Ford in Toronto compare based on the approaches to public administration taken by each mayor. It uses a comparative analysis of the two cases with a specific focus on Miller’s Priority Neighbourhoods (PNs) and Ford’s Neighbourhood Improvement Areas (NIAs). The findings reveal that the two programs are based on different approaches to public administration, with Miller emphasizing the community development approach and Ford favouring the economic model of public administration.
Community & Political Participation Of Municipal Employees: An Analysis Of The Community And Political Participation Of Municipal Employees In The City Of London, Jennifer Harmer
MPA Major Research Papers
This paper examines the types of community and political participation municipal employees favour and the effect of political activity regulations on participation based on a survey administered to public service employees in the City of London. The findings reveal that many municipal employees consider themselves to have a high amount of discretion in their duties and the commitment to public service transcends the workplace and translates into exceptional levels of participation in the community, but many are reluctant to engage in overt forms of political participation.
The Theory Disconnect: Reconciling Theories Of Justice, Ethics, And Morality With The Practice Of Public Administration, Alexander Delorey
The Theory Disconnect: Reconciling Theories Of Justice, Ethics, And Morality With The Practice Of Public Administration, Alexander Delorey
MPA Major Research Papers
This paper examines the disconnect between theories of good public administration and the actual practice of public administration. An analysis of the relationship between theory of all types and the practice of public administration – with a specific focus on the apparent discrepancy between theories of justice and the field – is conducted. The findings reveal that the on-the-ground practice of public administration is not governed by justice, ethics, and morality but rather by professional guidelines and norms.
Municipal Staff-Council Relations In Theory And Practice: Examining The Hamilton Gore Park Fiasco, Vincent Sferrazza
Municipal Staff-Council Relations In Theory And Practice: Examining The Hamilton Gore Park Fiasco, Vincent Sferrazza
MPA Major Research Papers
This paper examines concerns regarding the roles and responsibilities of councillors and bureaucrats within the policymaking process based on a case study of the Gore Park Rejuvenation Program in Hamilton. The findings reveal that if the expectations of councillors and bureaucrats are not coordinated, problems will eventually occur and, more specifically, if councillors do not prudently assess issues and bureaucrats fail to act responsibly, policies will not be properly formulated or delivered.