Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Administering A Ranked-Choice Voting Election: Lessons From London, Ontario, Charlotte Kurs

Centre for Urban Policy and Local Governance – Publications

To elect its mayor and council in October of 2018, the City of London, Ontario used ranked-choice voting instead of the traditional first-past-the-post system; the first Canadian city in decades to use an alternative electoral system. London’s experience as the first Ontario municipality to implement ranked-choice voting allows it to offer its experience as a lesson to other municipalities that may be considering making changes to their voting systems.

From the Ontario government’s review of the Municipal Elections Act in 2016 through to the implementation of a ranked-ballot election in 2018, this report details the experience of City of London …

Public Policy Origins Of U.S. Data, Bert Chapman

Libraries Faculty and Staff Presentations

Provides detailed introduction and overview of public policy origins of U.S. data. Shows how congressional legislation and Office of Management and Budget documents influence compilation and dissemination of U.S. Government data. Stresses how Indiana General Assembly requirements influence compilation of Indiana state agency data and Indiana local government agency data. Places emphasis on roles played in data compilation and dissemination by public policy research institutions/think tanks. Concludes by stressing limitations of data collection by governmental and non-governmental entities.

Public Administration, Methods Approach: History Research--Selected Bibliography, Sue Ann Gardner

UNL Libraries: Faculty Publications

Public administration, methods approach: Historical research. Includes a list of bibliographical references pertinent to the topic.

Public Administration For The Dead And For The Living, Laila El Baradei

Faculty Journal Articles

No abstract provided.

Quantitative Research Methods For Political Science, Public Policy And Public Administration For Undergraduates: 1st Edition With Applications In Excel, Wesley Wehde, Tracey Bark, Hank Jenkins-Smith, Joseph Ripberger, Gary Copeland, Matthew Nowlin, Tyler Hughes, Aaron Fister, Josie Davis

Open Educational Resources

Quantitative Research Methods for Political Science, Public Policy and Public Administration for Undergraduates: 1st Edition With Applications in Excel is an adaption of Quantitative Research Methods for Political Science, Public Policy and Public Administration (With Applications in R).

The focus of this book is on using quantitative research methods to test hypotheses and build theory in political science, public policy and public administration. This new version is designed specifically for undergraduate courses. It omits large portions of the original text that focused on calculus and linear algebra, expands and reorganizes the content on the software system by shifting to …

Quantitative Research Methods For Political Science, Public Policy And Public Administration For Undergraduates: 1st Edition With Applications In R, Wesley Wehde, Hank Jenkins-Smith, Joseph Ripberger, Gary Copeland, Matthew Nowlin, Tyler Hughes, Aaron Fister, Josie Davis

Open Educational Resources

Quantitative Research Methods for Political Science, Public Policy and Public Administration for Undergraduates: 1st Edition With Applications in R is an adaption of Quantitative Research Methods for Political Science, Public Policy and Public Administration (With Applications in R).

The focus of this book is on using quantitative research methods to test hypotheses and build theory in political science, public policy and public administration. This new version of the text omits large portions of the original text that focused on calculus and linear algebra, expands and reorganizes the content on the software system R and includes guided study questions at …

Where Have All The Local Politicians Gone? A Preliminary Examination Of Causes And Impacts Of Acclamation In Canada’S Municipal Governments, Sheena Earl

MPA Major Research Papers

Why are local government acclamations so common, and is it a problem for municipal democracy? This paper provides a preliminary examination of local uncontested elections through the exploration of various opinions and arguments raised on this topic. Since the academic literature on acclamations at the local level is extremely sparse, information was gathered through a content analysis of online newspaper articles and by performing interviews with current mayors from some of the most and least competitive municipalities following the 2018 election cycle. The following eight reasons for the occurrence of acclamations are referenced in the non-academic literature, many of which …

Literature Review: How U.S. Government Documents Are Addressing The Increasing National Security Implications Of Artificial Intelligence, Bert Chapman

Libraries Faculty and Staff Scholarship and Research

This article emphasizes the increasing importance of artificial intelligence (AI) in military and national security policy making. It seeks to inform interested individuals about the proliferation of publicly accessible U.S. government and military literature on this multifaceted topic. An additional objective of this endeavor is encouraging greater public awareness of and participation in emerging public policy debate on AI's moral and national security implications..

Deploying Machine Learning For A Sustainable Future, Cary Coglianese

All Faculty Scholarship

To meet the environmental challenges of a warming planet and an increasingly complex, high tech economy, government must become smarter about how it makes policies and deploys its limited resources. It specifically needs to build a robust capacity to analyze large volumes of environmental and economic data by using machine-learning algorithms to improve regulatory oversight, monitoring, and decision-making. Three challenges can be expected to drive the need for algorithmic environmental governance: more problems, less funding, and growing public demands. This paper explains why algorithmic governance will prove pivotal in meeting these challenges, but it also presents four likely obstacles that …

Lowering Disciplinary Rates: Looking At Social And Emotional Learning At Blackstone Academy Charter School, Ariel C. Davey

Public & Community Service Student Scholarship

Social and emotional learning is a method that may benefit school culture and the environment for a student’s learning. Including social and emotional learning to school curriculums, specifically schools that have large numbers of students of color enrolled, allows students to learn how to manage their behavior and emotions and in turn benefiting themselves and others in present and future relationships. With more social and emotional learning is happening in the classroom, discipline towards students may be reflected on and seen as more harmful than helpful to students. As the days pass by, discipline rates for students of color in …

Funding Childhood Science: Life Or Death, Kathleen Garvey

Public & Community Service Student Scholarship

This thesis draws the connection between an individual’s early childhood science education, health literacy comprehension, and quality of health. A better understanding of science leads to an increased understanding of health, benefiting the individual’s own health care as a result. Thus, proper and equitable educational funding of schools for all districts, regardless of income wealth, is essential to public health. In this thesis I propose that integrating effective science curricula into early education can work to reduce disparities in health literacy and ultimately benefit public health. I wish that this thesis will bring awareness to not only the importance of …

Service Work In Youth Development: The Power Behind Extracurriculars, Lyndsy Cadet

Public & Community Service Student Scholarship

At the heart of all underprivileged areas are underfunded public and charter schools that are not given a chance to properly educate the leaders of the future. The wealth disparities across school districts penalized students who live in low socioeconomic and non-dominant demographic neighborhoods. The biggest attack on educational rights is showcased through the achievement and opportunity gap in which the lack of funding and quality educational experience is limiting the quantity of knowledge students are obtaining in inner city, underfunded school districts. Students, regardless of socioeconomic or ethnic background deserve a chance at quality funded public schools in order …

Writing As A Nonprofit Leadership Tool, Samantha Weinberg

Master of Arts in Professional Writing Capstones

When writers use their skills towards a nonprofit’s mission, they can help enhance communities and change lives. There are roles in the nonprofit sector that are very writing centric, such as grant writers and communication specialists, that writers commonly hold. However, writing is also a necessary skill for those in management or leadership positions in nonprofit organizations. This capstone project explores the kinds of writing skills and deliverables that are critical to the responsibilities of nonprofit managers and how writing impacts the effectiveness of nonprofit managers and organizations.

The Coronavirus Pandemic And Public Administration, Laila El Baradei

Faculty Journal Articles

No abstract provided.

The Examination Of Individuals: How People Have The Ability, Power, And Voice To Change The Way People View The World In A Positive Way, Amelia Aaron

Public & Community Service Student Scholarship

Throughout my four years of learning about different people who have changed the world and the different ways in which they have gone about it, I have strived to find myself in qualities that match those of influential leaders and change makers. For the sole purpose of this thesis, I did a year’s worth of research trying to distinguish what qualities, characteristics, and backgrounds create positive and impactful leaders. For a lack of a better word, you could say that I made a formula to fully understand what an individual should be striving towards in order to make a positive …

Ending The Notion Of “I Do Not Belong Here” Recommendations For Predominantly White Institutions To Support First Generation Student’S Success, Perla Castillo Calderon

Public & Community Service Student Scholarship

Ever wonder what it means to be a first-generation college student? This thesis focuses on bringing visibility to the first-generation identity college students carry. Divided in two parts, the first part explains what it means to be first-generation, how mentoring programs are supposed to run, and how beneficial extracurricular activities are for both students and the institution as a whole. This first part is based on research and interviews I have conducted with current undergraduate Providence College students. The second part is a proposal for a centralized space where the first-generation identity is celebrated and have easy to access resources.

Learning From The Shadows: Undocumented Students In Higher Education, Sean J. Richardson

Public & Community Service Student Scholarship

Education policy and immigration policy intersect in dangerous ways which creates conditions for different types of students to be isolated in the development of their education. Immigration policy in the United States is a constantly shifting context. Providence College serves as a microcosm of the United States in the experience of being an undocumented student. This thesis serves as a call to action, but also a peak into the world of the undocumented experience. Through critical research, and experiential learning in my last four years at Providence College, we’re coming to understand how the institution not only condones white supremacy …

Trust In The Truth As A Healing Measure To Long-Lived Histories Of Gendered Violence: A Representation Of Congolese Refugee Women And Their Resilience To Love, Gabrielle Amorelli

Public & Community Service Student Scholarship

This paper explores the historical contexts of the gendered violence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo as a preface to the overall sense of mistrust that remains, especially that of which is forced within women themselves. Paired with personal testimonies of Congolese refugee women living in Providence, RI and formal academic research, I hope this will bring an authentic awareness to the effects that the practice and feelings of trust has on women. I anticipate the personification of the overarching power of resilience that refugee women exhibit to shine through to you as a result of my work.

Hope: The Core Of Social Justice, Emily K. Locke

Public & Community Service Student Scholarship

The purpose of Hope: The Core of Social Justice, is to defend the role of hope in social justice movements. For those who are aware of or who face systematic oppression, the idea of having hope can seem ineffective or even detrimental to any progress in overcoming such systems. But, by clearly defining hope and analyzing its characteristics, one may find that the goal of hope and the goal of any social movement are nearly identical. Philosophical, theological, psychological, and historical references help to shine light on the limited conceptions many have of hope and to support the idea …

Women In County Government Leadership: Using Personal Power To Overcome Self-Sabotage, Jamie R. Crews

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this explanatory mixed methods study was to identify and describe self-sabotaging behaviors experienced by female county government executives and to explore the impact these behaviors have had on their career development. A secondary purpose of this study was to identify strategies employed by female county government executives to overcome self-sabotaging behaviors.

Methodology: An explanatory mixed methods research design was used to explore the use of self-sabotaging behaviors of 9 female county government executives in Southern California. A 10-item survey instrument was administered to participants, followed by a semistructured interview consisting of 13 scripted questions. Data collected …

Illuminating Regulatory Guidance, Cary Coglianese

All Faculty Scholarship

Administrative agencies issue many guidance documents each year in an effort to provide clarity and direction to the public about important programs, policies, and rules. But these guidance documents are only helpful to the public if they can be readily found by those who they will benefit. Unfortunately, too many agency guidance documents are inaccessible, reaching the point where some observers even worry that guidance has become a form of regulatory “dark matter.” This article identifies a series of measures for agencies to take to bring their guidance documents better into the light. It begins by explaining why, unlike the …

Popular Culture Informing Public Administration: Messages And Prospects For Social Equity, Sean Mccandless, Nicole M. Elias

Publications and Research

In the discipline of public administration, popular culture remains under-examined in scholarship and under-utilized in pedagogy. However, the field would benefit from greater integration of popular culture to expand understandings of governance, especially in that it provides important representations of and messaging about some of today's most pressing social equity issues. To contextualize popular culture in public administration, we use critical discourse analysis as a frame to demonstrate how popular culture can inform public administration, especially regarding social equity. We argue that popular culture should be more extensively covered in public administration, because it offers a lens for better understanding …

Perceived Employment Barriers Involving Program Managers Assisting Unemployed Young African American Males, Michael P. Williams

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

For unemployed, young, African American males who face significant barriers to jobs, public employment training centers have become a critical last option. For 2016, the U.S. federal government appropriated more than $6.9 billion to states for Workforce Innovation Opportunity Act programs and approximately $3.4 billion in federal formula funding for partner programs. The research problem in this study concerns the lack of adequate employment-based policies and programs that guide the workforce employment process between program managers and recipients, in particular, young, African American males. Guided by Ingram, Schneider, and DeLeon’s theory of social construction and policy design, this study examined …

The Use Of Performance Measurement And Management In Small Ohio Municipalities, Yvonne M. Christopher

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

As the dominant public management paradigm today, performance measurement and management systems are fundamental to increasing efficiency, accountability, and service quality in the public sector. Research into the practice at all levels of government has been expanding for decades in developed countries. However, the small local governments that comprise most U.S. municipalities are frequently overlooked as a topic of academic inquiry in public administration. This study aims to shed light on the extent to which the performance measurement methods prevalent at the state and federal levels have spread to small municipalities. Using elite interviewing methods and the four-point approach to …

Management-Based Regulation, Cary Coglianese, Shana M. Starobin

All Faculty Scholarship

Environmental regulators have embraced management-based regulation as a flexible instrument for addressing a range of important problems often poorly addressed by other types of regulations. Under management-based regulation, regulated firms must engage in management-related activities oriented toward addressing targeted problems—such as planning and analysis to mitigate risk and the implementation of internal management systems geared towards continuous improvement. In contrast with more restrictive forms of regulation which can impose one-size-fits-all solutions, management-based regulation offers firms greater operational choice about how to solve regulatory problems, leveraging firms’ internal informational advantage to innovate and search for alternative measures to achieve the intended …

Study Abroad And Liminality: Examining U.S. American Collegiate Undergraduate Student Engagement In Risky Behaviors Betwixt And Between Borders, Jill L. Creighton

West Chester University Doctoral Projects

One of the most niche sub-arenas of public administration, higher education administration, involves preparing future leaders and scholars for global perspectives. This original research examined whether collegiate, traditionally-aged, undergraduate student risky behavioral choices rose during the study abroad experience as compared to when in the home collegiate environment. After investigating the literature an opportunity to connect the phenomena of domestic risky behavior, collegiate study abroad, and tourism materialized. The anthropological concept of liminality served as the theoretical perspective that anchored the construction of this research. This study was conducted using a post-positivist epistemology, a non-experimental design, and an original survey …