Public Affairs, Public Policy and Public Administration Commons^™

Light-Rail In Louisville: Assessing The Financial Feasibility Of Mass Transit, Brian K. Howell

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

The Louisville-Jefferson County area encompasses a vast area and large population of citizens. To meet the transportation needs of this growing city, the Transit Authority of River City or TARC undertook a study in 1996 to determine potential transportation solutions to traffic congestion in the area. Based on their analysis, TARC determined that a 15-mile light rail transit system would best service their needs. This light rail system would run from the downtown central business district to a park-and-ride facility at the Gene Snyder Freeway.

Prior to undertaking this project, TARC and all those parties involved should ask the fundamental …

What Factors Influence Seat Belt Usage Rates In The United States?: A Meta-Analysis, Tiffany L. Lockhart

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

Problem:

The traffic safety community is interested in reducing the number of lives lost and injuries due to automobile accidents. This can be done in two ways, through advancing automobile safety technology and by changing automobile driver behavior (Desai and You 1992). Seat belt laws are thought to be the behavioral solution because they have been proven to increase seat belt usage among automobile occupants. However, studies on the topic have varying answers when it comes to the degree to which these laws increase seat belt usage and factors which influence on seat belt uses.

Research Questions:

This study uses …

Economic Impact Study For Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government Division Of Parks And Recreation, Melynda L. Milburn

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

When requesting funds, planning activities or soliciting input from the public or elected officials, the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Division of Parks and Recreation needs to be able to document the economic impact of its activities. The challenge is a lack of data to illustrate that impact. Considering this information gap, it would be even more difficult to gain support for a consistent funding source based on the economic impact of Lexington Parks and Recreation programs.

The intention of this capstone is to answer the following questions:

• Does Lexington Parks and Recreation have an impact on money being brought into Fayette …

Does The Environmental Orientation Of Local Officials Affect Local Environmental Policy?, Katherine E. Shanks

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

People often discuss the need to educate local officials about the environment, but little research has been done to support that need. The need to educate this group is based primarily on anecdotal evidence—green partnerships getting underway in Louisville and Lexington and similar efforts in other municipalities that are supported by local officials. Some believe that if you educate local officials about the environment they will become environmentally responsible citizens who promote and support more progressive environmental policies.

Several models exist that describe environmental responsibility. In its most basic form environmental responsibility is a function of knowledge, attitudes and behavior. …

Purchase Of Development Rights In Fayette County: A Hedonic Price Analysis Of Easement Payments, Perry A. Papka

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

In January of 2000, the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government established a purchase of development rights (PDR) program as part of the comprehensive Rural Service Area Land Management Plan. The goal of the program is to purchase conservation easements on 50,000 acres of farmland and natural areas within the county by the year 2020. By purchasing the development rights of these lands, the program intends to preserve the agricultural and natural character of the county that development pressures otherwise threaten.

Typically, PDR programs calculate the value of a conservation easement by subtracting the current value of the property with the …

Matching A Publishing Model To Board Values: A Decision Analysis For The American Society Of Missiology, Betsy A. Northrup

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

Statement of the Problem

Faced with declining revenue, increasing print costs, and an increasingly electronic world, The American Society of Missiology (ASM) has to make a decision and can choose between three alternatives: 1) Continue to publish its quarterly journal, Missiology: An International Review, using its current print-only model and contracting out on-line availability to the American Theological Library Association (ATLA); 2) Accept the offer of a commercial firm in the United Kingdom to manage, publish, and distribute Missiology in return for immediate on-line availability, increased exposure through marketing, and a guaranteed modest income for the Society; or 3) …

Effects Of Charter School Laws On Charter School Performance, Kristen R. Hoffman

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

Problem Statement

Many issues exist in the public school system in the United States today. The main problems are: 1) American students are performing below their peers in other developed nations; 2) American high school graduates have trouble competing in the global economy; 3) Large achievement gaps exist between subgroups of American students. One of the many recommended policy solutions is to create charter schools to induce innovation and competition into the public school system.

Research Question

While many researchers have looked at charter school outcomes, few consider the effects of charter school laws on student achievement. My research question …

Should Louisville Build A Dual Tenant Or Single Tenant Arena?, Chad Allen Harpole

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

The purpose of this research design was to make recommendations to Louisville Metro Council Members, members of the Kentucky General Assembly from Jefferson County and Louisville Metro Mayor Jerry Abramson on the potential revenue and economic impact a potential franchise of the National Basketball Association (NBA) could have on the proposed Louisville Arena Project and the city of Louisville.

Research in the literature review showed that stadiums, arenas and professional teams are poor investments by communities. Despite the research, the new Louisville Arena is going to be built because the Kentucky General Assembly included $75-million in bond financing for the …

Outcome Evaluation Of The Center For Women, Children And Families' Parenting Program, Elena Buzarnescu

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

The evaluation of family support programs employing parent education to achieve prevention of child abuse and neglect is an important consideration for professionals as it can provide a good insight into possible improvements of a program.

A parent education program administered by the Center for Women, Children and Families (CWCF) was assessed using participants’ pre- and post-program scores on the Adult-Adolescent Parenting Inventory (AAPI-2) from 148 parents.

Statistical analysis indicated that parenting knowledge has significantly improved on all five dimensions measured following program attendance. This finding supported the answer to the first research question. To answer the second research question, …

The Elimination Of The Federal Tax Deductibility Of State And Local Taxes: Possible Effects On State And Local Tax Structures, John M. Foster

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

Through the use of intermediaries such as elected officials and hired advocates, people choose the level of resources that will be used for public goods and services, as well as the manner in which those resources will be used. They also decide how these goods and services will be financed. The extent to which governments utilize taxes on income, wealth, and consumption is guided by considerations of political factors, equity, administrative costs, revenue adequacy, and the effects of the tax system on allocative efficiency. Incentives that are embedded in the federal tax system may also influence state and local tax …

Moving Beyond Demographics: Surveying To Find How The Kentucky League Of Cities Can Better Serve The Readership Of City: The Community Issues Magazine Of The Kentucky League Of Cities, Laurent Chiles Rawlings

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

No executive summary.

Unreimbursed Emergency Department Costs Incurred By Hispanic Workers And Their Dependents In Central Kentucky, Sandra L. Senft

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

Health care costs in the United States are a concern to policy makers, healthcare providers, and the population using medical services. Because fewer individuals have health insurance, as costs continue to rise, so have the levels of charity care provided through the Emergency Departments at many hospitals. Hispanics are a growing population thought to be receiving an increasing portion of this care. The Hispanic population in Kentucky has seen a significant increase in recent years, in large part because of the demand for agricultural workers. It has been established that a sizeable part of the Hispanic migrant worker community is …

An Analysis Of Employing The Circuit Breaker As An Alternative Approach For Targeting Aid To Low-Income Students In Kentucky, William Walton

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

Affordability is an essential element of college opportunity. The federal government and the states have acknowledged this belief by adopting policies to ensure that no academically qualified student who desires an education is limited access due to a lack of financial resources. But, many lower-income families today are having trouble paying for college due to a unique set of circumstances. First, the cost of higher education as a percentage of income has been increasing for over a decade, causing families to spend increasingly larger proportions of their incomes to afford postsecondary education. Second, the federal government has shifted its emphasis …

A Retrospective Analysis Of The Impact Of The Henry Toll Fellowship Leadership Development Program, Lizeth C. Fowler

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

The Council of State Governments (CSG) is the premier organization forecasting policy trends for state leaders in all three branches of government. Central to its mission is the development of leadership training for improved decision-making of state elected and appointed officials.

CSG has sponsored the Henry Toll Fellowship Leadership Development Program for state and government officials since 1986. This competitive program invites ten state officials from each of the four regions, West, Midwest, South and East, to participate in an intensive five-day program to learn practical leadership skills and strategies to meet challenges and lead change and innovation.

While the …

An External Communication Audit Of The Kentucky Arts Council: An Analysis Of The Publications Distributed By A State Agency, Jess N. Kropczynski

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

Problem

The specific objective of the audit is to conduct a formal examination of how the Kentucky Arts Council (KAC) is communicating with target authorizing groups outside of KAC, such as artists, arts administrators, educators, media and legislators.

Research Strategy

The external communication audit is an instrument used to gauge authorizers’ feedback on the publications distributed regularly by the agency. This audit is designed to paint a picture of the current communication patterns, policies, practices, capabilities and needs in order to make informed recommendations for the improvement of communication. The specific research question guiding this audit is: How effective are …

Financial Efficiency In The Nonprofit Sector: An Analysis Of Factors Affecting Expense Ratios Of Kentucky Nonprofits, Emily A. Lane

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

Statement of Problem

Recent events in both the public and private sectors have lead to an environment of mistrust and caution surrounding the way organizations are managed and funds are handled. For the nonprofit sector, this has led to an emergence of charity rating or watchdog organizations and increased scrutiny of finances. Individual donors, charity rating agencies, and funding institutions have begun using expense ratios as a measure of financial efficiency. Decisions on the financial efficiency of organizations are being made without a good understanding of what factors affect these ratios.

Research Questions

The purpose of this paper is to …

Does The Voluntary Standards For Excellence Program Improve Reporting Qualities & Financial Ratios Of Nonprofit Organizations?, Harmony Little

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

Problem Statement

The issue of accountability in the nonprofit sector has increased over the past few years, and along with it, questions about the adequacy of information in the 990 forms filed annually by nonprofits to the IRS. The intent of the 990 form is to provide the public with necessary information to evaluate the performance of a nonprofit; however, a number of studies show that there are significant errors on the 990 returns. At the same time, there has been a rise in nonprofit watchdog groups who use the information available on the 990 forms to calculate nonprofits’ financial …

Where Supply Meets Demand: Women In Diesel Mechanics, Emily Raine

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

In 2004, with a participation rate of 59.2 percent, women represented 46 percent of the total U. S. labor force. This same year, women earned an average of $573 per week, approximately 80 percent of men’s median weekly earnings. It is rarely disputed that a gender wage gap exists; rather it is the cause of this differential that is often the subject of debate. Empirical evidence indicates that the wage differential can be attributed to factors such as differences in education, labor market experience, and occupational choice.

Research has consistently shown that increases in educational attainment will lead to positive …

Public Authorities And Determinants Of Aggregate Debt: Kentucky's Municipal Governments, Derek J. Bridges

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

Special purpose entities, or Public Authorities, constitute a substantial portion of the public sector. In Kentucky, these entities provide large percentages of the services offered by state and local governments, employ thousands, have immense budgets, and issue large quantities of debt. It is this debt issuance that may be of concern to public administrators.

The purpose of this study was to examine the numbers and types of Authorities operating in a selection of Kentucky municipalities and how these Authorities, combined with other possible determinants, affect the levels of aggregate debt in the jurisdictions. A combination of analytical methods demonstrated that …

Evaluating Awareness Of Community Health And Human Services By The Hispanic Population In Lexington, Kentucky, Pilar Corbellini

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

Over the past 10 years, Hispanics, predominately Mexicans, have become a notable component of immigration in Kentucky. At the same time, the city of Lexington has striven to increase and stimulate community efforts to help and support people in need. Over 2000 non-profit organizations exist in the city and surrounding areas that unite community support to assist people seeking help.

Among non-profit agencies, particularly the United Way of the Bluegrass, there is a perceived idea that people in need and seeking help are overwhelmed with information about available community human and health services. Notwithstanding this perception, a different reality seems …

Interlocal Cooperation In The Bluegrass Area Development District: What Factors Lead To Success?, Lora B. Littleton

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

Regionalism, or interlocal cooperation, is an important consideration for elected officials in the Bluegrass Area Development District. The reasons to join in a partnership and the suspected outcome are of great concern to the judge-executives and mayors but also to the communities they serve. In order to assist elected officials in their decision-making capacities, this study was designed to primarily analyze what factors lead to success in regional projects within the Bluegrass ADD. A secondary consideration was to look at when and why local governments enter into regional efforts.

A statistical analysis was performed on a sample of regional projects …

First Responders On The Front Line: Measuring The Effect Of Mobilization On Emergency Services, Kate Pringle

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

Statement of Problem

National guardsmen are a unique human resource issue because their association with the guard is frequently part-time with another position, such as a State Trooper, acting as primary employment. When mobilized, the guardsman leaves an opening in their department, which must be available upon return. This can create operational and management stresses, especially if the guardsman has unique skills. Moreover, the loss of personnel can mean critical loss of manpower to small emergency service departments.

Research Question

• What affects the impact of mobilization?

• How are Kentucky’s emergency services affected by military mobilization as opposed to other types …

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Contracting Waste Collection In Kenton County: Will Inter-Municipality Cooperation Decrease Cost?, Thomas A. Rauf

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

Inter-municipal cooperation can be a valuable tool used by cities to decrease the costs of public services. An analysis of waste collection costs in Kenton County have indicated that using inter-municipal cooperation to change the contracting method from the sixteen cities individually contracting to the cities contracting as one unit (inter-municipal cooperation) will not decrease the cost of waste collection per household per year. Inter-municipal cooperation might still be appropriate given other criteria, such as equity, ensuring that all households have the same or similar waste collection services.

This study recommends that (1) the cities of Kenton County not proceed …

The Color Purple: Can Alternative Election Systems Better Represent American Political Behavior?, Krista Rinehart

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

No executive summary.

Accountability In Public Administration Education: Assessing The Martin School, Natalie Schneider

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

Accountability is required for programs to maintain accreditation and is essential to the overall success of graduate programs like the Martin School. To show that it is meeting the stated goals, the Martin School has put tracking measures in place to gauge the success of the Master of Public Administration (MPA) program. These measures include pre and post skills assessments and an alumni survey among others. Analysis of the results is used to determine where goals are being met as well as areas where improvement is possible, and make necessary and appropriate adjustments.

The pre-test is given at orientation and …

Measuring Environmental Compliance Assistance Outcomes: A Benefit Cost Analysis Of The Kentucky Business Environmental Assistance Program, Kenya K. Stump

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

The 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments (CAAA) established, in section 507, the Small Business Stationary Source Technical and Environmental Compliance Assistance Program (SBTCP). SBTCPs under the CAAA are designed to provide small stationary air pollution sources with technical and compliance assistance, develop tools and disseminate information, communicate requirements under the Act, and assist small businesses with pollution prevention.

In Kentucky, the compliance and technical assistance program is known as the Kentucky Business Environmental Assistance Program (KBEAP). Since the program’s inception, measures of performance have primarily focused on outputs. With the establishment of Goal 5 of the 2003-2008 Environmental Protection Agency …

Organizational Structures And State Departments Of Transportation, Candice Y. Wallace

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

No executive summary.

An Exploratory Analysis Of The Fayette-County Urban League Senior Community Service Employment Program (Scsep): What Are The Barriers Facing Scsep Participants, Kelly S. Woodall

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

Statement of the Problem

The Lexington Fayette County Urban League Senior Community Service Employment Program is a federally funded program designed to assist low-income senior citizens find unsubsidized employment. To accomplish this mission the SCSEP utilizes a number of activities in an effort to address barriers that inhibit successfully finding unsubsidized employment. The Executive Director believes that the extent to which she can successfully address the barriers of those considered hard-to-place will have an impact on how well the program meets future mandates.

Research Methodology

The research is an exploratory analysis of the barriers that current and former (successfully placed) …

Securing The Commonwealth: Changing Emergency Preparedness In Kentucky: A Study Of The Efforts Of The Department Of Homeland Security In Changing Emergency Preparedness At The County Level, Christopher Cross

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

Statement of the Problem

During the first 24 to 72 hours following a terrorist attack, local officials and first responders will be responsible for dealing with the initial aftermath. While most officials—federal, state, and local—have all acknowledged that domestic preparedness must occur at the bottom of the governmental structure, it is unclear if any changes to emergency response planning have actually occurred at the local governmental level.

Research Questions

The intention of this capstone is to answer the following questions:

1. Has change in emergency response planning occurred at the county level?

2. Are there regional differences present in terms of organizational …

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Survey Of Physical Agility Testing And Officer Fitness Levels In Kentucky Police Departments, Charles Nathan Brown

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

Statement of Problem

HB 455 brought about the 1998 Omnibus Crime Act which created the Police Officer Professional Standards;16 requirements to becoming a peace officer in Kentucky. Five of the standards defined minimum physical agility standards. Though physical agility testing has had a history of controversy, validation studies have been created to support this practice. Though officers are testing for a level of physical agility upon entering the police officer field in Kentucky, no statewide policy has been passed to ensure that this level be maintained. This study examines the presence of physical agility testing in Kentucky police departments and …