Public Affairs, Public Policy and Public Administration Commons^™

Municipal Layoffs In Southern California: Should Seniority Outweigh Productivity?, Timothy Paul Ousley

Theses Digitization Project

This study consists of literature research providing background and basic knowledge on layoff-related issues, and analysis of data obtained through a survey of human resources professionals in 30 mid-size Southern California cities. The survey provided information on the layoff experiences of respondents' cities and the current state of affairs pertaining to layoff policies, procedures and perceptions.

Creating A Government That Works Better And Costs Less: A Historical Analysis Of Civil Service Reform, James William Thomas

Theses Digitization Project

What this project endeavors to do is to take the complex issue of twenty-first century governmental administration and, through historic analysis using some of the classical and renowed literature of the past, paint a broad brush picture of where we are today, how we got here, and where we are going. This study includes an examination of the dominant ideologies of past reform eras.

Medicaid Forecasting Practices, Dan Williams

Publications and Research

This paper examines forecasting activities among Medicaid agencies in the fifty United States, Washington, D.C., and five U.S. territories (American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, Northern Mariana Islands, and Virgin Islands). Most frequently, studies of state or local forecasting practice focus on revenue forecasting. There are several reasons why comparison of state Medicaid forecast practice may be better than comparison of state revenue forecasting practices. First, there is no consistent reporting of state revenue estimates. States make forecasts when it suits them and report them in a manner that is satisfactory to their governors or legislatures. Collection of data through national …

The Effects Of Education On The Birth Rates Of "Workfare" Program Participants: Implications For Future Welfare Reform, Bryan Anderson Wing

Theses Digitization Project

No abstract provided.

Funding Of Higher Education In Tennessee: A Qualitative Study Of The Perceptions Of State Legislators And Higher Education Leaders, David D. Collins

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to identify issues that are considered important to the legislators and higher education leaders of Tennessee in making decisions that affect the funding of higher education. A further purpose was to identify actions that such individuals believe should be taken by higher education leaders to ensure that higher education is accountable and worthy of continued or increased financial support. Using a qualitative research design, interviews were held with 10 legislators and 6 higher education leaders selected in accordance with the concept of purposeful sampling. Legislative participants included five members from the Senate and five …

Umass Chooses A Political Executive: The Politics Of A Presidential Search, Richard A. Hogarty

New England Journal of Public Policy

Horace Mann, the father of American public education, had served as president of the Massachusetts Senate prior to becoming the state's first secretary of education. Since then, as reformers succeeded in removing politics from the sacred groves of academe, appointing a politician to head the state's educational system fell into disfavor. Relatively recently, however, there have been two abortive attempts by politicians to reach the executive pinnacle of public higher education. Both James Collins, in 1986, and David Bartley, in 1991, were defeated in the quest to achieve this goal. Historical understanding of these battles is necessary to comprehend what …

Gta Reform: City Of Burlington – Identification And Analysis Of The Process Used By The City To Evaluate The “Golden” Report, Mickey Frost

MPA Major Research Papers

This paper examines the policymaking process used by local governments in order to determine whether the rational or incremental model of decision-making is most evident. A case study of the process used by the City of Burlington in response to recommendations made by the GTA Task Force concerning the City’s governance was conducted. The findings reveal that the policymaking process in Burlington was reflective of both models of decision-making, but elements of the incremental model and persuasion were more evident than the problem solving that is associated with the rational model.

An Investigation Of Strategic Planning And Organizational Change: Halton Regional Police Service, Laurie Mcginn

MPA Major Research Papers

This paper examines the strategic planning process used by the Halton Regional Police Service to assess its effectiveness in terms of counteracting staff resistance to change. Case studies of the process that was used in 1991 and repeated in 1995 were conducted. The findings reveal that the working philosophy of strategic planning would be better served by fully recognizing and anticipating employee resistance to change within the strategic planning process and developing solutions to help overcome its effects.

Interorganizational Networking In The Local Government Sector: Case Study Of The Municom Network, Geoffrey Singer

MPA Major Research Papers

This paper examines the potential implications of information and communication technologies on interorganizational relations in the local government sector based on a case study of the Municom Network, which was designed to electronically link Ontario municipalities. The findings reveal that the Municom Network could be an important addition in strengthening interorganizational relationships in the future, as it provides a number of useful tools for direct communication, it is an efficient and powerful means of keeping municipal practitioners updated on events that affect their organization, and it serves as a central repository of municipal information.

Justice, Citizenship, Social Cohesion And The Commons, Roger A. Lohmann

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

There is great ferment in political and social theory today due to a number of major changes are taking place in the larger social world and our understandings of it including the crisis of the welfare state; the emergence of more open societies in Russia, Central Europe, Latin America and many of the countries of the Pacific Rim; general movement away from class/stratification and toward group membership as central themes for national politics in many countries; a major crisis of the modernization paradigm; the emergence of a truly-global economy; and the emergence of the internet as a global communications medium. …

The Strategy And Financing Of Economic Recovery In Africa., Ubadigbo Okonkwo

Bullion

The paper examines the impact of Structural Adjustment Programmes (SAP) on investment and growth in Africa and suggests the need for a new development paradigm. Working in partnership with the private sector, African Governments must establish a sound institutional and incentive framework for rapid growth. An alternative development strategy should be market-friendly and people-centred and must give priority to the accelerated expansion of exports and Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs). In view of the bleak prospects for external financing, Africa must rely on domestic financial institutions and capital markets to mobilise the required financial resources for economic recovery.

Managed Computer System Conceptualization: Knowing When To Say No, Menachmen Monnickendam

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Computer systems in human services are often abandoned after significant investments have already been made. A case study of preventing the utilization of a wrong computer system for a child development center illustrates how managed system conceptualization minimized damage. Critical consciousness and adherence to specific computer implementation technology created an environment which supported recurrent system efficacy evaluation. When the system, as initially conceptualized, could not meet practitioners' needs, early project abandonment was achieved. Some considerations for successful system development in human service are presented.

Purchase Of Service Contracting Versus Government Service Delivery: The Views Of State Human Service Administrators, Peter M. Kettner, Lawrence L. Martin

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Purchase of service contracting (POSC) as a mode of human service delivery is based largely on untested normative grounds. This article presents the results of a national study comparing the views of state human service administrators on the relative merits of POSC versus government service delivery in four issue areas: (1) service costs, (2) service quality, (3) bureaucracy and red tape, and (4) effect on government employees. The study results provide some support for POSC in three of the four issues areas. The study finds that geography plays no role in the views of state human service administrators, but that …

Worker Takeover In Industry: The Kamani Tubes Experiment By B Srinivas. Sage Publications, 1993., Nina Jacob

IIMB Management Review

This book is a case study about a recent path breaking attempt by workers, to own and manage the sick company for which they were working. The imperative for such an attempt is, quite simply, survival.

The Management And Regulation Of The Beneficial Use Of Sewage Sludge As An Agricultural Soil Amendment In Riverside County, William Ernst Prinz

Theses Digitization Project

No abstract provided.

Auditing Troubled Employees In The Public Sector, Lila Mehdiyar

Theses Digitization Project

No abstract provided.

Intermunicipal Servicing Agreements: Four Case Studies In Huron County, Jennifer Hosack

MPA Major Research Papers

This paper examines how local servicing problems – with a specific focus on sewage and water services – can be dealt with effectively based on four case studies of municipalities in Huron County. An analysis of municipal and provincial documents and interviews with key stakeholders were conducted. The findings reveal that local servicing problems can be successfully addressed with servicing agreements, which involve adjacent municipalities working cooperatively with one another in order to obtain the level of servicing that they each desire.

The Economic Impact Of A Short Term Event On Tourism: 1994 National Slo-Pitch Tournament, John Macdonald

MPA Major Research Papers

This paper examines whether short-term special events provide a positive net economic benefit to the host community with a specific focus on the 1994 Canadian National Slo-Pitch Championships held in Niagara Falls. A participant survey designed to identify demographic information and direct spending patterns was conducted, in addition to a survey of the hotels that accommodated the participants. The findings reveal that significant economic benefits can be gained by hosting short-term special events and the extent of the economic benefits is increased considerably when the event requires participants to stay in the host community overnight.

Evaluation Of Leadership In Ontario Public Libraries, Reed Osborne

MPA Major Research Papers

This paper examines whether the leadership performance appraisal ratings of public library chief executive officers (CEOs) are influenced by the gender of the CEO. Surveys with 272 board members and management or professional staff at public libraries in Ontario were conducted to determine their evaluations of the CEO for 14 leadership qualities. The findings reveal that female CEOs carry an additional burden in the form of ongoing gender role tensions that male CEOs do not have to endure.

The Incidence And Impact Of Strategic Human Resource Management In Canadian Municipalities, Cheryl Smith

MPA Major Research Papers

This paper examines the incidence and effectiveness of strategic human resource management (SHRM) in Canada based on a survey of 68 municipalities in eight provinces with populations exceeding 38,500. The findings reveal that SHRM is being practiced in a small majority of Canadian municipalities and the majority of the respondent municipalities with SHRM have fully integrated their human resources function within the strategic planning process, which suggests that there is significant potential for the improvement of organizational effectiveness.

From Realist To Constructivist Theory In Public Administration: Development Of A Quality Perspective, Ernest Edward Sides Iii

Theses and Dissertations in Urban Services - Urban Management

The purpose of this study is to formulate a behavioral theory of public organization development and administration that replaces positivism with constructivism as its underlying paradigm. This study contends that the level of maturity with respect to quality is a function of the degree to which an organization's latent thinking and conceptualization has advanced toward constructivism. The underlying thesis is that public administration and organization behavior stems from multiple realities not possible under positivism. Efficiency is not an appropriate criterion for analysis under the tenants of constructivism and should be replaced with quality as a criterion.

The use of quality …

The Portland Public School Police: Formative Years - 1937 To 1953, Natalie Anne Woods

Dissertations and Theses

This thesis traces the historical evolution of one of the early responses to youth crime and violence -- public school police. In addition, this thesis addresses the lack of information about the creation and implementation of a public school police force, specifically the Portland Public School Police and School District No. 1, during its formative years, 1937 to 1953. Finally, the thesis intends to address two principal questions: A) Why did the Portland Board of Education find it necessary to create their own police agency? While one opinion suggests that there was a real need for school police due to …

Regionalizing Government In Maine: Opportunities For The Future, David Alexander, Alan Baldwin, John Carroll, Elizabeth Chapman, Dorraine Diebold, Lisa Harvey Mcpherson, Daniel Stevenson, Earlene Wilson

Muskie School Capstones and Dissertations

In keeping with his promise to make government work better for the people of Maine, Governor Angus King commissioned the Task Force on Regional Options for Better Government. The Governor charged the task force with recommending some alternative regional arrangements for the delivery of government services currently provided by state or local government. The task force evaluated three services in which regionalism offered some advantages: economic development; demand response transportation; and municipal management information systems.

Competitive Long-Distance Running And Its Effect On The Self-Concept Of Emotionally Disturbed Adolescents: An Evaluative Study, Elizabeth R. Rogers

Theses and Dissertations

This study focuses on the effectiveness of the "Runaway" program, a competitive long-distance running program, in meeting the program goals for the treatment of emotionally disturbed adolescents. The study reviews Piers-Harris Self Concept Scale (SCS) scores of clients in a long-term in-patient treatment facility. A Post-test only research design was used to compare the scores of those who participated in the program to the scores of those who did not. A statistically significant difference in the self-concept of runners and non-runners tested was obtained . The program met the goal of improving the patients' self-concept.

Philanthropic Partnerships: The Theory Of The Commons, Roger A. Lohmann

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

In Anglo-American traditions, the concept of a commons has historically been most frequently attached to shared land in joint use by a village or community. The common theory of voluntary action presents organized collective action as consisting of shared purposes, shared resources and voluntary participation resulting in an evolving sense of mutuality, and moral order, consisting of shared norms of fairness and participation.

Updating The Colorado River Compact, Jeffrey A. Freer

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Water is essential to life in the arid environment of the western United States. For centuries, humans have used the Colorado River to fulfill their needs and until the past 100 years, the use of the river was sustainable. Over the last 100 years, the Colorado River has been dammed and diverted to "reclaim" the arid west for man's use. In 1946, a Department of the Interior report stated that "Tomorrow the Colorado will be utilized to the very last drop. Its water will convert thousands of additional acres of sagebrush desert to flourishing farms and beautiful homes for servicemen, …

Hypertext And The Docuverse: A Research Memo, Roger A. Lohmann

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

The term docuverse was first developed by Apple Computer guru Allen Kay in the late 1960’s. The underlying idea can be traced back decades earlier, to the visionary Vannevar Bush and the Memex (Bush, 1945). According to Kay, a docuverse is a set of related documents together with the linkages between them. In this paper, a docuverse is conceived as a collection of related scholarly documents together with the links, ties and bonds that can bring them together into an integrated logical and conceptual whole. Kay who also coined the term hypertext, which refers to an electronic document with existing …

Implementing Total Quality Management In The Public Sector, Cynthia J. Lewis

Theses Digitization Project

No abstract provided.

A Process Model For Comprehensive Courthouse Security Planning At Thurston County, Michael S. De Vries, Christina L. Bruski

Theses Digitization Project

No abstract provided.

Predicting Strategic Orientations Of Public Research Universities In Economic Development: A Test Of The Resource Dependence Model, Steven Rae Hoagland

Theses and Dissertations in Urban Services - Urban Management

This study is an original application of resource dependence theory to research administration at public universities. It examines the extent to which and under what conditions economic development orientations can be predicted by resource dependence theory. Data analyses concentrate on the combined effects of administrative structure and variations in federal financial support on the economic development orientations of public doctorate-granting universities nationwide.

Data were collected from three sources: (a) published data on the research dollar volume of public universities; (b) higher education personnel directories containing information about research offices; and (c) a mailed survey instrument containing four orientations in economic …