Digital Commons Network^™

Accountability And The Promise Of Performance: In Search Of The Mechanisms, Melvin J. Dubnick

Faculty Publications

This document critically examines the assumed relationship between accountability and performance in public administration reforms, particularly within the context of New Public Management.

Stickiness And The Adaptation Of Organizational Practices In Cross-Border Knowledge Transfers, Robert J. Jensen, Gabriel Szulanski

Faculty Publications

The re-use of organizational practices in multiple locations is a fundamental way MNCs leverage knowledge to seek competitive advantage. Scholars approaching the issue of adaptation from both a market and an institutional perspective argue that, in order to achieve fit with the local environment, some degree of adaptation is advisable with the need for adaptation increasing as the institutional distance between source and recipient locations increases. However, arguments to date have examined the effect of adaptation primarily on a subsidiary's long term performance. A necessary precursor is to understand the effect of adaptation on the transfer process itself as transfer …

Discerning Trends, Contours, And Boundaries In Comparative Education: A Survey Of Comparativists And Their Literature, Steven J. Hite, Bradley J. Cook, Erwin H. Epstein

Faculty Publications

Surely the health and vitality of any academic field relies on the periodic review of its intellectual history, evolving theoretical frameworks, and thematic shifts. Attempts to define a field typically involve lively debates over boundary maintenance. Indeed, the question of whether cooperative education is a "discipline" has been debated at least since the earliest issues of the Comparative Education Review and has continued to be debated in different forums. Leon Tikly and Michael Crossley believe that a comparative and international canon is discernible, although it is one that is "continually being challenged by new theories and approaches from the arts, …

Accountability Through Thick And Thin: Preliminary Explorations, Melvin J. Dubnick

Faculty Publications

This document explores the concepts of thick and thin accountability, their theoretical distinctions, and implications for governance and democratic responsibility.

Book Review. Crafting Tradition, Jo Farb Hernandez

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Affirmative Refraction: Grutter V. Bollinger Through The Lens Of The Case "The Case Of The Speluncean Explorers", Rafael Gely, Paul L. Caron

Faculty Publications

What can a fifty year-old hypothetical about human cannibalism concocted by the late Lon Fuller teach us about the Supreme Court's recent foray into the affirmative action debate in twenty-first century America? Indeed, what can a tax law professor and a labor law professor add to the cacophony of voices of leading constitutional law scholars on the Court's most important pronouncement on race in a generation? We make a rather modest claim, based on teaching both of these cases in our one-week Introduction to Law classes for incoming first year students, that a helpful way to view Grutter v. Bollinger …

Toward A Better Benchmark: Assessing The Utility Of Not-At-Fault Traffic Crash Data In Racial Profiling Research, Geoffrey P. Alpert, Michael R. Smith, Roger G. Dunham

Faculty Publications

As studies on racial profiling and biased policing have begun to proliferate, researchers are debating which benchmark is most appropriate for comparison with police traffic stop data. Existing benchmark populations, which include populations estimated from census figures, licensed drivers, arrestees, reported crime suspects, and observed drivers and traffic violators, all have significant limitations. This article offers a new, alternative benchmark for police traffic stops, a benchmark that has not been previously applied or tested in a racial profiling research setting. The analysis presented compares traffic observation data, gathered at selected, high volume intersections during an ongoing racial profiling study in …

Prosecuting Corruption: The Case Of Pakistan, Masood Khan, Niaz A. Shah, Melvin J. Dubnick

Faculty Publications

The prosecutorial approach treats corruption like any crime, and to that extent it tends to focus on those acts that have been “juridified” – that is, made explicitly illegal and subject to some form of juridical process where the determination of guilt and imposition of sanctions are expected. Under systems where the rule of law is taken seriously, this approach does result in distinguishing between petty actions of dishonesty (e.g., stealing paper clips from the office for personal use) and more significant violations, some of which are formally treated as crimes in the legal system. Elevating corruption to a criminal …

Engaging Evangelism In The Congregation, Pat Taylor Ellison, Patrick R. Keifert

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

No Child Left Behind: Flowers Don’T Grow In The Desert, William T. Armaline, D Levy

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Bridging The Internet Divide: An Analysis Of The Changing Nature Of The Political Communication Of Moveon.Org, Anne Marie Todd, C. M. Sabee

Faculty Publications

This paper looks into the conversations among members on MoveOn’s electronic bulletin boards and MoveOn’s public rhetorical messages, including press releases, advertisements and campaign actions. These conversational and rhetorical media illuminate the links between the communication for internal and public audiences, and offer a look at the changing nature of political communication.

Neoliberal Globalization: A Casus Confessionis, Guillermo C. Hansen

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

“It Has Seemed Good To The Holy Spirit And To Us”: Mission And Ecumenism In The Power Of The Holy Spirit, Lois E. Malcolm

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Symbolic Counter-Speech, Howard M. Wasserman

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Microfinance And Third World Development: A Critical Analysis, Elahi Khandakar, Constantine P. Danopoulos

Faculty Publications

Microfinance is emerging as an integral part of the new development paradigm, described by the phrase "participation and development. "Although the idea has become quite popular among donor agencies, development practitioners, and academicians, theoretical premises on which this idea is founded seem entirely unexamined. Accordingly, this article investigates the academic merits, as well as potential consequences, of this popular poverty alleviating model from the supply-side perspective and asks a provocative question: Do the microfinance ventures have features which suggest that the establishment of this new finance industry in the Third World countries might further complicate their pervasive poverty problems? The …

Federalism And Drug Control, Michael M. O'Hear

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Spotlight: Response To Violence Against Women At The University Of Missouri At Columbia, Mary M. Beck

Faculty Publications

The University of Missouri (“MU”) sits in the picturesque college town of Columbia on the largest and oldest campus of the Missouri University system. MU is a land grant institution created with funds and land appropriated by the Morrill Acts of 1862 and 1890. The University “honors [that public trust] and accepts the associated accountability” by acquiring, creating, transmitting, and preserving knowledge. “MU's primary mission in research and doctoral education . . . provides the basis for service to the people of [Missouri] via outreach programs.” Domestic violence impacts MU's land grant influenced service mission. Its organizational departments, educational units, …

Bringing In The State: Toward A Constitutional Duty To Protect From Mob Violence, Susan S. Kuo

Faculty Publications

Mob violence can inflict devastating costs. Although typically wrought by private individuals, the incidence of riot as well as extent of riot harm often turn on the adequacy of police preparation and planning. Under the English common law, local governments were responsible for providing riot protection for their denizens. In keeping with the English tradition, early state laws in the United States also provided for communal riot responsibility, and when the states ratified the Fourteenth Amendment, state obligations in the riot context were well-established. Despite the common law underpinnings of the governmental duty to protect citizens from mob violence, however, …

Is There A Place For Race As A Legal Concept, Sharona Hoffman

Faculty Publications

What does "race" mean? The word "race" is omnipresent in American social, political, and legal discourse. The concept of "race" is central to contemporary debate about affirmative action, racial profiling, hate crimes, health inequities, and many other issues. Nevertheless, the best research in genetics, medicine, and the social sciences reveals that the concept of "race" is elusive and has no reliable definition.

This article argues that "race" is an unnecessary and potentially pernicious concept. As evidenced by the history of slavery, segregation, the Holocaust, and other human tragedies, the idea of "race" can perpetuate prejudices and misconceptions and serve as …

The World Trade Organization And Participatory Democracy: The Historical Evidence, Peter M. Gerhart

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Maternity Leave Under The Fmla: An Analysis Of The Litigation Experience , Rafael Gely, Timothy D. Chandler

Faculty Publications

We begin with a brief description of trends in female labor force participation and the presence of dual-earner households in the U.S. labor market, conditions which likely led to the need for family and medical leave legislation. We then review various practices that business and government organizations have implemented to balance work and family conflicts, as well as related features of the FMLA, particularly those pertaining to childbirth and adoption. With this background in place, we introduce a framework for examining FMLA litigation. We then review cases litigated in federal court under the FMLA involving requests for family leave due …

Love, Sex And Politics? Sure. Salary? No Way: Workplace Social Norms And The Law, Rafael Gely, Leonard Bierman

Faculty Publications

A recent article in the New York Times captioned “Love, sex and politics? Sure. Salary? No way” discusses Americans' strong aversion to talking about their salaries. The piece notes that while discussion of financial matters is often acceptable in some parts of the world, it is generally considered “crass” in the United States. In short, discussion by individuals of their salaries and related matters can be seen as violating an American “social norm.” One-third of United States private sector employers have reinforced this norm by adopting specific rules prohibiting employees from discussing their wages with co-workers, rules known as pay …

With And Without Boundaries: Christian Homemaking Amidst Postmodern Homelessness, Brian J. Walsh, Steven C. Bouma-Prediger

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Mothers Who Kill: Coming To Terms With Modern American Infanticide, Michelle Oberman

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Citizenship, Identity, And Transnational Migration: Arab Immigrants To The Us, Caroline R. Nagel, Lynn A. Staeheli

Faculty Publications

The aim of this paper is to evaluate the changing relationships between identities, citizenship and the state in the context of globalisation. We first examine the ways in which scholars discuss changes in the ways in which citizenship and political identity are expressed in the context of international migration. We argue that much of the discussion of transnationalism and diaspora cling to an assumption that citizenship remains an important—though not defining—element of identity. Our position, by contrast, is that migration is one of a number of processes that transform the relationship between citizenship and identity. More specifically, we argue that …

Context Of Learning And Second Language Fluency In French: Comparing Regular Classroom, Study Abroad And Intensive Domestic Immersion Programs, Barbara F. Freed, Norman Segalowitz, Dan Dewey

Faculty Publications

We compared the acquisition of various dimensions of fluency by 28 students of French studying in three different learning contexts: formal language classrooms in an at home (AH) institution, an intensive summer immersion (IM) program, and a study abroad (SA) setting. For the purpose of oral data collection, students participated in oral interviews (similar to the Oral Proficiency Interview) at the beginning and the end of the semester and provided information regarding language use and interactions. Analyses included comparisons of gain scores as a function of the learning context and as a function of the time reported using French outside …

Bringing In The State: Toward A Constitutional Duty To Protect From Mob Violence, Susan S. Kuo

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Content Analysis Of The Leading General Academic Databases, Kelly D. Blessinger, Maureen Olle-Lajoie

Faculty Publications

Title lists from the three leading general academic databases were compared to evaluate journal content. Some of the elements that were analyzed include subject coverage, the quality of titles provided, accessibility issues, and trends over time for these databases. While database title lists are now readily available on the Internet for comparison, as our article illustrates, these lists need further evaluation for proper assessment.

Enchantment With Tibetan Lamas In The United States, Daniel S. Capper

Faculty Publications

This article explores the relationships of non-Tibetan American disciples with Tibetan spiritual teachers (lamas) in terms of theory, practice, and experiential meaning. Contrary to some previous studies, data for this article indicate that submission to the lama is not an end in itself, but rather ideally provides an opportunity for disciples to become lamas themselves. Many disciples may find personal empowerment, oriented around the theme of compassionate social action. Understanding that surrender to the spiritual teacher is only a means to a personally empowering goal clarifies our understanding of many Asian religious practices in the West.

Grandparents’ Rights: What Every Grandparent Needs To Know, Robin Boyle

Faculty Publications

(Excerpt)

Patricia Perkins Slorah, has written an easy-to-read book for grandparents who are considering assistance from the legal community to secure visitation with their grandchildren. The book is aptly titled, Grandparents’ Rights: What Every Grandparent Needs to Know. For grandparents who are unfamiliar with the court system, Ms. Slorah provides helpful guidance. Although any book about the current state of the laws would be outdated at some point in the future as to what certain laws provide, this book provides timeless personal stories of grandparents who have struggled to gain visitation rights with their grandchildren.