Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Factors That Impact Direct Democracy And Voter Turnout: Evidence From A National Study On American Counties, Michael Joseph Biesiada

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This dissertation examines factors that impact citizen initiatives and voter turnout. The dissertation contains two parts that build upon each other with fitting theoretical frameworks. The first part investigates the decision for a county government to permit citizen initiatives. This part applies new institutionalism theory as a framework to examine county governance, autonomy, and decision-making. County governments play a vital role in American politics, yet little is known about why some counties permit citizen initiatives while others do not. I address a gap in the literature that focuses on policy outcomes that vary at the county-level due to election laws. …

The Effectiveness Of State Ethics Commissions On Curbing Corruption And The Effect Of Corruption On State Economic Performance, Anthony J. Prato

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This dissertation investigates the effectiveness of anti-corruption policies implemented across the United States that significantly reduce public sector corruption. In addition to the normative desire to combat corruption, it documents, the economic impact that corruption has on each state's per capita gross domestic product. To investigate public sector corruption articles between the years 2010 – 2015were reviewed for news stories that report on public sector corruption at the state level and below. The practical implications of this dissertation, if incorporated into a state level anti-corruption policy, could be used to reduce public sector corruption and increase that states' economic health. …

Conversion Of Pa 611 Public Administration Theory And Practice, Jonathan Anderson

Q2S Enhancing Pedagogy

This project focused on converting PA 611 Public Administration Theory and Practice into an online course suitable for certification by the California State University Quality Learning and Teaching (QLT) program. http://courseredesign.csuprojects.org/wp/qualityassurance/qlt/

Following three workshops and one on one work with Instructional Designer Gary Johnson, PA 611 was converted utilizing the course alignment and accessibility requirements of QLT. Each module is structured to have learning goals, readings, videos and assignments aligned with the Course learning outcomes.

The Relationship Between Admission Criteria And Pre-Service Teacher Preparedness For A Small Rural Educator Preparation Provider, Gerald Mihelic, Chancey Bosch, Kim Boyd, Mary Lou Miller

Administrative Issues Journal

Pre-service teacher preparedness is a measurement of a teacher candidate’s ability to become an effective teacher (Clark, Byrnes, & Sudweeks, 2015). A growing number of Educator Preparation Providers’ (EPPs’) accrediting agencies are insisting that to improve pre-service teacher preparedness, EPPs must increase the rigor of their admission criteria. However, the research is inconclusive regarding whether a relationship exists between admission criteria and pre-service teacher preparedness. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between the Educator Preparation Provider’s (EPP’s) current teacher education program admission criteria and pre-service teacher preparedness measurements to determine if the EPP should increase …

Using Curriculum Mapping And Visualization To Maximize Effective Change, Kelli Schutte, Chris Mccullick, David Line

Administrative Issues Journal

This paper shares the process of developing a fully integrated assessment framework and model for a mapping curriculum. The foundational aspects of this model are the development of layered outcomes that occur at each level of the curriculum and the linking of courses together to ensure building blocks that are progressive within a program. The presented framework not only measures this integrated nature but also allows for assessment that is both summative and formative. A view of the different aspects of curriculum application—from knowledge building, application of knowledge, and transferability of knowledge to new contexts—is a focus of the course …

Letter From The Editors, Administrative Issues Journal Editors

Administrative Issues Journal

No abstract provided.

Examining The Relationship Of Textbooks And Labs On Student Achievement In Eighth Grade Science, Don Jones, Marie-Ann Mundy, Lavonne Fedynich, Anacita Sugalan

Administrative Issues Journal

One of the most important objectives of teachers, parents, school administrators, and students is to improve student scores on standardized tests, such as the State of Texas Assessment for Academic Readiness (STAAR) in eighth-grade science. This quasi-experimental study examined the science achievement scores between schools that used different textbooks and labs when delivering instruction. This study utilized a quantitative approach, using archival data and survey design. Analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) and multiple regression were used to analyze the data while controlling STAAR eighth-grade reading scores to reveal significant differences between classes. The sample and population for this study were predominantly …

"This Doesn't Happen Here": Child Sex Trafficking In Rural Oklahoma, Denise Blum, Tania Benoiton, Sean Kinder

Administrative Issues Journal

The sex trafficking of minors is a hard-to-detect and underreported crime. Its insidiousness makes it exceedingly difficult to recognize, and treatment, once a victim is recovered, is long-term and costly. Urban areas are in the spotlight when it comes to the trafficking of minors. However, the unsuspecting rural context consists of specific dynamics that may make children in the countryside more vulnerable than in the city. Using the case of an Oklahoma town, the researchers conducted a presentation on child sex trafficking for school personnel at a K-8 rural school. They administered pre- and post-surveys and conducted follow-up interviews with …

State Of Practice In Accessible Instructional Material Policy In Public Post-Secondary Settings, Veronica Mcgowan

Administrative Issues Journal

For many students, easy access to instructional materials is an expectation of course enrollment. However, for students with disabilities, obtaining instructional materials may involve hurdles such as transcription, captioning, and requesting a braille or large-print version. In order to explore themes related to accessibility and services for students with disabilities, the goal of this study was to examine the similarities and differences between publicly communicated policies related to accessible instructional materials in public post-secondary educational settings. To that end, this study consists of website-provided accessible instructional materials policy of 60 higher educational institutions, representing five American geographic areas and four …

Universities Can Learn Too: Extracting The Value Stram From Small-Dollar Transactions, Richard J. Palmer, Mahendra Gupta, James Brandt

Administrative Issues Journal

Based on survey responses of 350 colleges and universities in North America in 2017, we find that the majority of benefits from purchasing card use are falling to a minority of card-using educational institutions. This study examines the extent to which p-card programs at colleges and universities in North America “fail to launch,” and presents an outline for program selfassessment, identifies common obstacles in implementing a successful p-card program, and provides a roadmap to rehabilitate a languishing p-card program.

Macc Curriculum And Cpa Exam Passage Rates: An Exploratory Study, Evan M. Shough, Beth Stetson, Aubree Walton, Kaimee Tankersley

Administrative Issues Journal

The growing popularity of Master of Accounting programs can be attributed to multiple factors, but the states’ adoption of the 150-credit hour educational prerequisite for Certified Public Accountant licensure was clearly influential in stimulating enrollment growth. Despite the growth and importance of Master of Accounting programs, comparative data of program prerequisites and curriculum is scarce. Equally limited are empirical analyses of the effects of graduate curriculum upon CPA Exam passage rates. To address the paucity of information, we examined the program prerequisites and curriculum of 283 Master of Accounting programs, all of which are based in the United States and …

The Relationship Of Academic Indicators And Professional Disposition To Teaching Skills: A Secondary Data Analysis, Justin J. Wageman, Sarah K. Anderson, Stacy Duffield, James Nyachwaya

Administrative Issues Journal

This study compared teaching skill evaluations and professional disposition evaluations for candidates accepted and denied admission to an educator preparation program based upon GPA and testing requirements. The study sought to determine the relationship between academic and non-academic indicators and teaching skills. The data revealed academic indicators of GPA and test scores do not relate to teaching skills. A correlation was found between non-academic indicators, professional dispositions, and the teaching skills evaluation score. The results suggest professional dispositions may be a stronger indicator of success for admission to educator preparation programs and future licensure than GPA and test scores.

Ready For Action: Developing Classroom Teams To Prepare Students For The Business World, Bradley Wesner, Ashly Smith, Traci Austin

Administrative Issues Journal

The ability to work in teams is one of the most highly valued professional skills. Preparing students to operate effectively in workplace teams, therefore, is naturally a priority for business and management faculty. Managing course-based teams, however, can be a challenging and complicated process for many instructors. This article offers instructors practical solutions to those challenges. After a brief review of relevant literature on workplace and course-based teams, the authors provide the results of a survey of 207 current undergraduate business students conducted in the fall of 2015 in which the authors sought to determine: (1) the factors that influence …

Overcoming Employer Perceptions Of Online Accounting Education With Knowledge, Rhonda J. Richards, Robert Stevens, Lawrence Silver, Stephanie Metts

Administrative Issues Journal

Accounting education is moving toward an online learning environment. While many universities teach in the face-to-face environment, or at least offer that option, there are also many universities offering online accounting education. Attitudes and intentions of potential employers of accounting students need to be understood by academics as well as by university students. Accreditation and training can play a key role in effective online accounting education. The purpose of this study was to identify and examine factors that have a significant impact on employer perceptions of online accounting education. A survey was developed from literature review and interviews and then …

Ecuador: 20 Años De Correspondencias Históricas, Políticas Y Normativas Entre Sociedad Civil Y Estado, Juan Auz, Sofía Jarrín Msc.

Gobernar: The Journal of Latin American Public Policy and Governance

La investigación centra su análisis en la (de) construcción de las dinámicas inter-relacionales del Estado ecuatoriano y la Sociedad Civil en estos últimos 20 años, considerando un corte temporal de dos bloques históricos, que incluyen cambios significativos de las figuras de representación política ecuatoriana y las transformaciones sustanciales del entorno jurídico e institucional del estado. El primer bloque (1996 a 2005), se relaciona a un periodo neoliberal que consolidó una débil y reducida estructura institucional enfocada en proteger los intereses de las elites económicas. El segundo (2006-2017), plantea un cambio sustantivo de las figuras de representación tradicionales y el ascenso …

“La Forma Sigue A La Función”. Organizaciones Parciales De Movimientos Sociales Para La Realización Prefigurativa Del Cambio, Ruth Simsa, Marion Totter

Gobernar: The Journal of Latin American Public Policy and Governance

El propósito de este artículo es analizar cómo los activistas del movimiento español de protesta 15M conceptualizan las prácticas organizativas en relación con los objetivos del movimiento. Ubicamos el concepto “organización parcial” en el contexto de la política de prefiguración. Empíricamente, el trabajo se basa en la investigación de campo realizada en España durante tres años (2014-2016), que incluyó 36 entrevistas cualitativas y observaciones participantes. Los hallazgos indican que los activistas consideran, de un lado, a las prácticas organizacionales como medios cruciales para lograr el cambio social y, de otro lado, a las organizaciones como organizaciones parciales, específicamente, para lograr …

Sostenibilidad Integrada De Las Organizaciones De La Sociedad Civil En Ecuador: Entre La Supervivencia Y La Extinción, Eulalia Flor, Jairo Rivera, Wilson Araque

Gobernar: The Journal of Latin American Public Policy and Governance

Este documento analiza la sostenibilidad de las organizaciones de la sociedad civil (OSC) en Ecuador desde un enfoque integrado. Actualmente las OSC en el país afrontan desafíos relacionados con cambios normativos que regulan su actividad, menor flujo de recursos desde la cooperación internacional -al ser considerado, el Ecuador, un país de ingreso medio-, y, también, la tendencia a un estado de inercia organizacional. La metodología del estudio incluye un levantamiento de información primaria proveniente de la captura y análisis de discursos de los dirigentes de las OSC y de la identificación y análisis de buenas prácticas para la sostenibilidad integrada …

Análisis Cualitativo De Las Organizaciones De La Sociedad Civil En La Realidad Mexicana, Paola García Escorza, Ilse María Fajardo Guerrero

Gobernar: The Journal of Latin American Public Policy and Governance

Las organizaciones de la sociedad civil en México atraviesan con mayor frecuencia por diversos retos políticos, económicos y sociales, por lo que es necesario generar adecuaciones en sus estrategias para que se fortalezcan y logren un mayor alcance en el cumplimiento de su misión. El presente documento tiene como objetivo rescatar los principales resultados de dos investigaciones de corte cualitativo, exponiendo los aspectos internos estudiados y analizados que ejemplifican los desafíos que las OSC tienen ante una realidad exigente que demanda un fortalecimiento continuo. Finalmente, este artículo muestra una perspectiva que abre a nuevas propuestas de investigación, análisis e intervención …

Auto-Organización De Los Trabajadores: Las Empresas Recuperadas En Argentina, Nathalie Colasanti, Rocco Frondizi, Laura González-Ortiz, Marco Meneguzzo

Gobernar: The Journal of Latin American Public Policy and Governance

El objetivo de este artículo es analizar el fenómeno de las Empresas Recuperadas por sus Trabajadores (ERT) en Argentina, el cual ha ocurrido a partir de 2001 en adelante, a fin de responder la siguiente pregunta de investigación: «Como cooperativas de trabajadores, ¿cómo son las ERT particulares?». Para llevar a cabo este objetivo, el diseño de investigación inició con una revisión de la literatura acerca de las cooperativas de trabajadores, y la comparación con teorías específicas sobre ERT. Posteriormente, se utilizó una metodología de investigación cualitativa, con el análisis de dos casos de estudio referentes a las principales ERT en …

Bureaucracy, Civil Society And Ideology In Latin America, Grazielli Faria Zimmer Santos, Paula Chies Schommer

Gobernar: The Journal of Latin American Public Policy and Governance

This essay analyzes how political and ideological changes affect public bureaucracy and its relationship with civil society regarding different strategies of openness to participation. We suggest a theoretical-conceptual framework to discuss aspects of the political situation in Latin America. First, we discuss the changes that occurred over time, in the state-civil society relationship, which strengthen the latter and amplify a discourse for more participatory democracy. The focus is the role of the public bureaucracy in mediating the relations among the several actors in society, and we examine the way different political and ideological strands influence how open to participation the …

Democracy And Civil Society In Latin America And The Caribbean In A Time Of Change, Susan Appe, Daniel Barragán, Anabel Cruz

Gobernar: The Journal of Latin American Public Policy and Governance

No abstract provided.

Editorial, Nadia Rubaii, Santiago Leyva

Gobernar: The Journal of Latin American Public Policy and Governance

No abstract provided.

Content, . .

Gobernar: The Journal of Latin American Public Policy and Governance

No abstract provided.

Road To Change: A Community’S Story On Strengthening Law Enforcement-Community Relations, Corina Mejia

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

The Youth Violence Prevention Task Force, YVPT, is a branch of the United Way that strives to reduce and prevent violence among youth in the county. The task force functions using a public health approach that emphasizes prevention, intervention, and suppression. In response to the high violence rates among youth, the task force organized dialogue sessions in the community. During the dialogue process, there was a growing need to create a resource for community partners involved in the process. Consequently, a web page that includes; information, updates, and supplemental documents was created to educate partner organizations, the community, and others …

Municipal E-News: Issue 90: December 2018, Mtas

Municipal E-News

The "Municipal E-News" was created by MTAS in 2009 as part of our continuing efforts to meet our mission of providing timely, valuable information and assistance to Tennessee cities.

Project Renew Worcester, Danni Yue, Amy Zhang, Jing Han, Omid Ashrafi, Yiming Xu

School of Professional Studies

n The client for this capstone project is RENEW Worcester which is a fledgling solar power project whose main goals are to bring renewable energy in the form of solar power into local, primarily low-income communities and are committed to the mission of making the transition off of fossil fuels to clean, renewable power. Based in Worcester, Massachusetts, they are a local chapter of Co-op Power which is a consumer-owned sustainable energy cooperative (co-op) made up of numerous different local chapters all over the New England area as well as the state of New York. The problem that we will …

The Development Of County Hr Policies: The Perspectives Of Counties In Two States, Willow S. Jacobson, Kristina T. Lambright

Public Administration Faculty Scholarship

We conducted 40 semi-structured interviews with county HR directors (20 in New York, 20 in North Carolina) to learn more about the development of internal HR policies. Key resources used by directors in both states include other jurisdictions, colleagues in other county departments, state and federal agencies, laws and statutes, professional associations, and information gathered from general internet searches. More than half of the HR directors reported using internal working groups, and almost two-thirds indicated that they systematically reviewed the implications of policies for specific departments. Yet, only a handful of HR directors reported utilizing other promising practices such as …

Effects Of Racial Microaggressions On Black Women’S Work Performance As Government Workers, Samantha-Rae Dickenson

All Theses And Dissertations

This study explored the connection between society’s perception of Black women and their experiences of racial microaggressions in a work environment, and further understand the effect these experiences have on their work performance. Despite federal regulations to eliminate workplace discrimination, there are still racially neutral workplace policies and a lack of inclusion in work environments. Work environments that do not actively account for diversity in formal policies can promote the occurrence of racial microaggressions. Black women’s unique experiences with racial microaggressions may affect their job performance. This study used Critical Race Theory, Intersectionality Theory, and Black Feminist Theory as a …

Community Navigation As A Field Of Practice: Reframing Service Delivery To Meet The Needs Of Communities’ Marginalized Populations, Joby Schaffer, M. Julie Patiño, P. Barclay Jones, Ladawn Sullivan

The Foundation Review

Community navigators help individuals and families access local services and assistance through a combination of referrals and interpersonal support. The Denver Foundation launched the Basic Human Needs Navigator Learning Community in February 2014 to help navigators working with local organizations and community members practicing navigation independently improve their practice and identify similarities and differences in their approaches.

This article discusses the multiyear, peer-learning project, including the general lessons the foundation learned about both navigation and the use of a learning-community approach to reach its field-building goals.

Reports from participating organizations and community members over four years suggest the efficacy of …

Back Matter

The Foundation Review

No abstract provided.