Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

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

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 …

Forced Adoption: Diffusion And Perception Of Online Education By Postsecondary Faculty Members Before And During The Coronavirus Pandemic, Marcelyn R. Saxton

ETD Archive

Once considered a fringe and unreliable pedagogical approach for higher education, online learning has entered the mainstream. While the adoption of online learning has been on the rise for the past decade, higher education’s forced adoption of online learning in response to COVID-19 has accelerated the curve. It has raised questions on the viability, sustainability, and interest in online learning for teachers, students, and administrative leadership. The most important question is: has forced adoption forever changed pedagogical approaches for higher education? This research attempts to answer this question from the perspectives of the teachers and faculty forced to adopt online …

Governing Addiction: The Role Of The Government In Responding To The Opioid Crisis, Kaila Witkowski

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In light of the growing frequency of health emergencies and epidemics, state and local governments are beginning to take a more active role in response efforts. This role used to be exclusively held by health-related agencies such as health departments. Although public health has made significant progress in the study of these emergencies, they often ignore the existing strategies in the field of emergency management. Thus, limited research exists on the effectiveness of emergency management strategies within the context of public health emergencies. This research fills this gap by examining the impact of emergency management strategies used within the opioid …

The Role Of Women In Public Administration In Saint Lucia, Elizabeth Elicia Bailey

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Women continue to face stereotypes and barriers with their advancement to leadership positions. Nonetheless, there is an increasing number of females in leadership roles partly due to programs and policies for the advancement of women, causing several women to aspire to and take up top leadership positions in the public sector. In Saint Lucia, women hold about 70% of the senior management positions that were once dominated primarily by men. However, little is known about the role of women in public administration in Saint Lucia. This qualitative study aimed to understand the perceptions of male and female leaders relating to …

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

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

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

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 …

Gendered Entrepreneurship Contextualization In Egypt: An Empirical Study On Policies For Women Entrepreneurship Empowerment, Sarah El-Fiky

Theses and Dissertations

The proportion of women entrepreneurs has increased dramatically over the past decade, not just in the developed world but also in developing countries. This led to a significant increase in the governments’ attention towards designing and implementing female-focused policies to allocate adequate resources for empowering women entrepreneurs in Egypt. This paper examines one main question: How does the Egyptian government empower women entrepreneurs through key policy interventions? This is only possible through testing the proposed research hypotheses and investigating Egypt’s publicized policies and governmental interventions. Based on a gender-lens perspective, this research tries to close the gaps in previous research …

The Benefits Of Evidence Based Practices In Public Administration: Does Therapeutic Listening Training Increase Emotional Intelligence To Affect Change Management Outcomes In Public And Private Sector Organizations, John Sillup

West Chester University Doctoral Projects

Abstract

This doctoral dissertation considers change management as it relates directly to evidence-based practices in public administration. The problem under study was the lack of scholarly research on the effect of an administrative leader’s emotional intelligence (EI) has on follower self-efficacy during change management. This study provided findings on the effect of therapeutic listening training as a means to increase emotional intelligence to potentially affect change management outcomes in public and private sector organizations. Change management is a systematic and structured process of developing and implementing strategies and interventions for organizations transitioning from current state to a desired state. The …

Canadian Policymaker Experiences On Reducing Syndemic Stigma For Hiv And Substance Use Disorder, Nickolas James Cherwinski

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

People living with HIV (PLWH) and substance use disorder (SUD) experience highly stigmatized lives fraught by influences such as criminal law and stigmatizing public policies. Despite free access to antiretroviral therapy (ART) and mental health services for all Canadian citizens, suboptimal adherence to ART and administratively cumbersome mental health interventions still exist. Many researchers have found the health services for both HIV and SUD to be dynamic, costly, and difficult to maintain; as such, the purpose of this study was to explore the knowledge gap related to the policy implications of syndemic stigma experienced by PLWH and SUD in Canada. …

Analysis Of Sexual Assault Policy Implementation Through The Narratives Of University Support Professionals, Rachel Cromheecke

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Sexual assaults occurring on university campuses are a national health crisis with statistics revealing 1 in 5 women and 1 in 16 men endure an unwanted sexual experience during their college career. The United States government has modified Title IX to update processes and resources educational institutions must provide to their students affected by sexual assaults. Educational institutions have increased educational resources to inform students about sexual assault prevention, how to recognize a sexual assault, where to go on campus for assistance, and where to report a complaint. However, studies have shown that over 90% of sexual assaults never get …

Alternative Treatment Method For Dementia In The Southwest Region Of Arizona, Angela May Lynch

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The purpose of this qualitative professional administrative study was to explore anddevelop a new innovative method of treatment for dementia clients using reminiscence therapy (RT) in a proposed 24-hour care village in Tucson, Arizona. In this proposed 24- hour care village, patients would remain in an environment conducive to a safe and normal lifestyle. This administrative study is a qualitative study using grounded theory and sources of evidence included current research, personal interviews, and articles. Data were collected from interviews with 10 administrators of memory care facilities in Tucson, Arizona, to determine if existing administrative staff were aware of RT …

The Phenomenology Of Independent Living: Examining The Lived Experience Of Young Adults From Out-Of-Home Care In Wisconsin, Mary M. Mcmanus

School of Business Student Theses and Dissertations

Abstract:

Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis was used to examine how young adults with prior out-of-home care experience make meaning of the Independent Living (IL) process (Smith, Flowers & Larkin, 2009). Participants had been in foster care, kinship care, and informal care settings. All participants were enrolled at the university or had recently graduated from the university. All participants were female, white, and from mixed geographic background. None registered as having disability, although evidence of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACES) was shared. Only one study participant had prior experience with an IL contractor.

Individual interviews were conducted, followed by a focus group. The …

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 …

Understanding The Individual And Organizational Attributes Of Servant Leadership In Local Governments, Pallavi Awasthi

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Servant leaders are driven by a natural feeling to serve first which manifests into a conscious desire to lead. The servant leadership style emphasizes internalizing ethical behavior, along with empathy and service orientation in creating value for the community which is critical in public administration. While the servant leadership concept has gained much interest among business management scholars, it has received little attention in public administration. This dissertation aims to fill this wide gap in public administrative leadership scholarship by investigating the role of servant leadership in public administration.

Specifically, the dissertation seeks to understand individual (servant identity and moral …

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? …

A Need For Richer Public Service Motivation, Adam Dallas Levitus

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

While there are many outstanding questions surrounding the motivations of employees, a key problem is that there is not a defining construct to explain why public employees behave as they do. Although the concept of Public Service Motivation (PSM) has developed over the past three decades to help explain these motivations, there are still disagreements as to the definition, characteristics, and value of PSM. Moreover, this lack of congruity in the literature suggests that the underlying components of PSM, historically studied via cross-sectional quantitative surveys, have not yet been well-defined via rigorous theory-building. Accordingly, this study looks at PSM from …

Predators And Principles: Think Tank Influence, Media Visibility, And Political Partisanship, Timothy Beryl Bland

Theses and Dissertations

By some measures, the major U.S. political parties have become more extreme in their political positions in recent decades, and scholars have raised concerns about whether the policy expertise provided by today’s think tanks has become similarly partisan and polarized. Furthermore, there is a perception that certain overtly partisan and highly visible think tanks wield considerable and growing influence over the policy platforms of the major U.S. parties, using their media presence to shape public and policymaker views of particular issues. Using publicly accessible tax, media, and congressional data, my proposed study assesses the extent to which media visibility and …

Social Comparison As A Policy Tool To Promote Corporate Environmental Responsibility, Enoch Chi Lok Tse

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Measures imposed on the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation, and Parks (MECP) have compelled the provincial agency in Ontario, Canada, to seek policy alternatives in carrying out its enforcement duties. Addressing this problem is important to the public, whose welfare is paramount, and to MECP managers, who must contend with the budget cuts. Smith’s social comparison theory provided the framework for this qualitative research study, in which the perceptions of MECP policy advisors regarding the applicability of social comparison as a policy tool to influence private sector firms to practice corporate environmental responsibility (CER) was explored in relation to air …

Older Adults' Access To Medicaid's Home-And Community-Based Services, Joe Henry Horton

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

As the U.S. population ages, the need for public policies regarding long-term care increases, as the need is unequal to demand. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore and describe the role of senior service providers (SSPs) who have dealt with health policies from being responsible for the decision-making processes of implementing federal and state guidelines in Michigan on access and wait-listing of older adults for home and community-based services (HCBS). The theoretical foundation for this study was the social construction and policy design theory. The central research question sought perceptions of SSPs as to their ability to …

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, …

Fire Training Fatalities And Firefighter Adherence To National Fire Protection Association Standards, Lucas Aaron Garcia

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Sudden cardiac arrest continues to be a major cause of firefighter deaths during training due to a lack of individual firefighter adherence to National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) standards. These standards identify requirements for fire departments to create and maintain fitness programs. Existing research has not identified any relationships between training fatalities and individual firefighter adherence to NFPA 1583, Standard on Health-Related Fitness Programs for Fire Department Members. Using self-determination theory as the foundation, the purpose of this cross-sectional correlation study was to investigate whether individual firefighter adherence to NFPA 1583 has a measurable effect on training fatalities. Survey data …

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

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 …

Increasing Employee Retention Within The Georgia Division Of Family And Children Services, Santoria Lushell Williams

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Walden University

College of Social and Behavioral Sciences

This is to certify that the doctoral dissertation by

Santoria Lushell Williams

has been found to be complete and satisfactory in all respects,

and that any and all revisions required by

the review committee have been made.

Review Committee

Dr. Hilda Shepeard, Committee Chairperson,

Public Policy and Administration Faculty

Dr. Clarence Williamson, Committee Member,

Public Policy and Administration Faculty

Dr. Anne Hacker, University Reviewer,

Public Policy and Administration Faculty

Chief Academic Officer

Eric Riedel, Ph.D.

Walden University

2018

In Fulton County, Georgia, the Division of Family and Children Services (DFCS) child-welfare workers …

Preferences For Employment In The Government Workforce, Michael Christopher Moltz

Doctoral Dissertations

Why do people choose to work for government vs. private business? Addressing this question is necessary to address emerging concerns among public management scholars and practitioners alike about attracting, selecting, and retaining the most qualified people for government employment. The extant literature related to this topic is mostly concerned with attitudes of those who are already employed by government. Less attention is given to those who want to work for government (regardless of current employment circumstances). Furthermore, the literature, with few exceptions, only considers this topic within the context of single-nation studies. Relatively few studies examine the topic in a …