Public Affairs, Public Policy and Public Administration Commons^™

The Challenge Of Higher Education, Steven Michels

Political Science & Global Affairs Faculty Publications

The spiraling cost of education, the spread of technology, and the competitive nature of the job market have changed the very notion of what education should be and who should pay for it.

This chapter proposes a series of practical reforms, designed to work within the existing structure of higher education. The underlying assumption is that higher education in Connecticut is best served by allowing the natural forces of the market to determine the direction of growth and development. Minimal government interference will mean the greatest amount of choice and the highest quality of education for students in the state.

The Challenge Of Ethical Political Leadership, Brian Stiltner

Philosophy, Theology and Religious Studies Faculty Publications

Without a solid ethical foundation to state governance, the process of developing and implementing sound public policy is weakened. In addition to the crisis of public confidence, which may turn voters away from politics in disgust, political scandals undermine the quality of the policymaking process.

Connecticut needs watertight laws, vigorous oversight, independent voices, and an electoral process that does not pervert the information voters receive. The responsibility of citizens includes not only voting their consciences but pressing their representatives to put the electoral process and policymaking on a cleaner, more transparent foundation.

The Challenge Of An Aging Population, Nicole Cauvin, Elaine B. Davis

Sociology Faculty Publications

In chapter seven of Public Policy in Connecticut, Nicole X. Cauvin and Elaine B. Davis discuss the policy challenges associated with an aging or "graying" state population. Demographic data clearly demonstrate that Connecticut's population, similar to the population of other states, is becoming older. The authors propose innovative public policies designed to accommodate the long-term health care and social service needs of the state's elderly.

Headscarf Laws In Europe: Legal Necessity Or Human Rights Violation?, Timothy P. Fox

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

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Supervisor Perceptions Of The Quality Of Troops To Teachers Program Completers And Program Completer Perceptions Of Their Preparation To Teach: A National Survey, William A. Owings, Leslie S. Kaplan, John Nunnery, Robert Marzano, Steven Myran, David Blackburn

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Faculty Publications

[First Paragraph]

During winter/spring, 2005, 2,103 Troops to Teachers (T3) program completers and their school administrators from 49 states and the District of Columbia were surveyed to determine whether T3s were more effective in the classroom than traditionally prepared teachers who had comparable years of teaching experience. Respondents also returned information about their schools’ demographics, views about their teacher certification preparation program, and information about themselves, their teaching behaviors, and future plans. Sixty-one percent of the respondents returned completed surveys.

Objectivity And The Embedded Reporter: An Examination Of A Reporter's Ability To Remain Objective While Embedded With Military Troops, Tamara Zaleski Turse

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

This thesis examines the program of embedding journalists into military units during the Second Gulf War to determine if journalists can provide an objective view of the war to the public back home. To fully understand the scope of embedding, this work first reviews the relationship between the media and the military by tracing the evolution of the American war correspondent starting with the U.S. Civil War through to the Second Gulf War. As public opinion is often formed, at least in part, by news reports, whether print or broadcast, this thesis surveyed the public to see if they felt …

Second Year Evaluation Of Tennessee Charter Schools, Steven M. Ross, Aaron J. Mcdonald, Linda Bol

STEMPS Faculty Publications

The purpose of the present evaluation study was to examine the progress made in program implementation, school climate, and student achievement by the seven charter schools. A "mixed-methods" design, encompassing both qualitative and quantitative data, was employed. The questions upon which the evaluation methods are based relate to the progress of individual schools and the overall group in implementing desired strategies for curriculum, instruction, and organization, and in attaining the goals of No Child Left Behind by bringing every child to proficiency in reading and mathematics on the Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program TCAP by 2014. It should be noted that …

A Needs Assessment Of The Homeless Of Birmingham And Jefferson County, Mark Lagory, Ferris J. Ritchey, Kevin Fitzpatrick, J Irwin

Sociology and Anthropology Faculty Publications

The information contained in this report, and summarized here, derives from two data collection activities. One, a point-in-time count of homeless persons in a 24-hour period on January 26-27, 2005 that included a two-page survey of basic demographic information and a needs assessment. Two, an hour-long survey of 161 homeless adults conducted between April 4 and May 25, 2005 providing information on residential and housing histories, duration and causes of homelessness, stressful life events and circumstances, resources, social supports and social capital, mental and physical health, and access to health services.

The State Of American Federalism, 2004: Is Federalism Still A Core Value?, Dale Krane, Heidi Koenig

Public Administration Faculty Publications

Federalism as a political issue was conspicuously absent from the 2004 presidential contest. Unlike many previous campaigns, neither party’s candidate made much mention of problems besetting states and localities. The war against global terrorism and the changing situation in Iraq shaped the election. Progress was made on homeland security, but intergovernmental wrangling over federal grants continued unabated. Federal-state feuds were common in several policy areas, including education, environmental protection, and health care. State finances received a revenue boost as economic growth picked up, but rising costs for Medicaid, education, employee pensions, and prisons clouded states’ financial forecasts. The U.S. Supreme …

Local E-Government In Norway: Current Status And Emerging Issues, Leif Skiftenes Flak, Dag H. Olsen, Peter Wolcott

Information Systems and Quantitative Analysis Faculty Publications

Recent studies indicate that e-government initiatives have not held their promise of improving government services. The majority of efforts to benchmark e-government have had central government as the unit of analysis. This study employs the MeGAP-3 (The Municipal E-Government Assessmen Project) assessment tool to assess the status of municipal e-government in the Agder region in southern Norway, an area with high Internet penetration and mature information and communication technology (ICT) use. MeGAP-3 proved effective in providing a relative positioning of these Norwegian municipalities, but we argue that country specific assessment indicators are needed to complement the tool and enable cross-country …

Report Card: Grading The Country's Response To Columbine, Scott R. Simpson

Buffalo Law Review

No abstract provided.

Best Practices In Land Bank Operation, Kevin O'Brien, Kirstin S. Toth, Claudette Robey, Christopher Gollan, Matthew Sattler, Jacob Duritsky, Sarah Hudecek

All Maxine Goodman Levin School of Urban Affairs Publications

In preparation for the development of a strategic business plan for the City of Cleveland to create an industrial/commercial land bank, the GLFEC conducted a best practices scan that encompassed two phases of primary research. The first phase included a thorough review of more than 41 sources of academic and trade literature on the topics of vacant land utilization and management, land banking, land assembly, and vacant and abandoned property policy. The second phase was a survey of 34 land banks and land redevelopment authorities in the United States. This report summarizes the findings of the research and identifies those …

Strategy For The Implementation Of An Industrial Land Bank, Kevin O'Brien, Kirstin S. Toth, Matthew Sattler, Michael Mcgoun, Jacob Duritsky

All Maxine Goodman Levin School of Urban Affairs Publications

The City of Cleveland plans to create a long-term vision for industrial and commercial land reuse in order to better serve the business and neighborhood interests of its citizens. The implementation of an industrial land bank is one critical way in which to fulfill this goal. This study aimed to develop a strategy to aid the city in the operation and management of rehabilitating commercial and industrial properties for reuse. The objectives of the project were to: * Incorporate a strategy understood by senior managers at the city that identifies a broad economic redevelopment vision, especially for brownfields. * Include …

A Report To The Urban League Of Greater Cleveland: An Assessment Of Business Support Services Available To Existing And Start-Up Small Businesses In The City Of Cleveland, Stuart Mendel

All Maxine Goodman Levin School of Urban Affairs Publications

Developing small businesses is a way to concentrate wealth, employ city residents, improve neighborhood amenities, and provide entrepreneurial role models in urban neighborhood communities currently bereft of such. In a city where well over half of the resident population belong to groupings of people traditionally in the minority, and whose ranking is high in terms of concentrated poverty, nurturing existing and new small minority business enterprises makes good policy sense and offers a systematic intervention strategy to alleviate poverty. This report has been completed to help leadership organizations such as the Urban League of Greater Cleveland and policy-makers such as …

Economic And Fiscal Aspects Of Coastal And Watershed Stewardship Practices, Wendy A. Kellogg, Erica Matheny

All Maxine Goodman Levin School of Urban Affairs Publications

No abstract provided.

Social Indicators In Cleveland's Ward 17, Mark Salling, Sharon Bliss, Joseph Ahern

All Maxine Goodman Levin School of Urban Affairs Publications

No abstract provided.

The Challenge Of Prison Overcrowding And Recidivism, Pearl Jacobs

Criminal Justice Faculty Publications

The state of Connecticut is currently dealing with a growing prison population. Ex-offenders face enormous obstacle trying to reconnect with society and get a job. They have no skills and lack a family support system.Their lack of preparation for successful reintegration into society places them at risk to become repeat offenders. Overcrowding in prisons produces individuals unable to cope or survive in free society.

Many of the recommendations of The Ex-Offender Employability Task Force of the State of Illinois relate to ex-offender employment and are worthy of consideration in employment programs in Connecticut.

We will have a safer and more …

Itf Enhancing Human Security Annual Report 2005, Itf-Enhancy Human Security

Global CWD Repository

The journey towards SE Europe region free from the impact of mines unites various stakeholders – the mine affected communities and their mine action authorities, international and local donor communities, the implementing partners and agencies – in a harmonized cooperation towards a positive end. The mandate of raising and managing funds has been entrusted to the ITF, which proved to be a recognizable and trustworthy partner. In 2005, the ITF funded some 50% of the demining programme in Bosnia and Herzegovina, approximately 20% in Croatia, 75% in Albania and over 50% in Serbia and Montenegro (incl. Kosovo). The overall number …

Spending Health Care Dollars Wisely: Can Cost-Effectiveness Analysis Help?, Milton C. Weinstein

Center for Policy Research

Are we getting the most health improvement possible for our money. In other words, are all the things that we do in medicine really worth it? That is where cost-effectiveness comes in. As a nation, we have been unwilling, at least publicly, to look explicitly at the value, in terms of improved health outcome, that we get for our health care dollars. With advances in medical technology putting unsustainable pressure on health care costs, our historical reluctance to measure value for health care may have to change. I start this brief by describing cost-effectiveness analysis as a method of determining …

The Challenge Of Economic Growth, Thomas D. Corrigan

WCBT Faculty Publications

In order to sustain Connecticut's competitive edge, state government must act as a catalyst in bringing forth the human and capital resources need to make sure that Connecticut's future labor force can successively acquire the skills demanded by the business sector. Looking beyond 2005, and in concert with a competitive tax and regulatory environment, the nurturing of the identified business clusters holds great promise for a renewal of economic vitality.

Social Marketing Applications And Transportation Demand Management: An Information Instrument For The 21st Century, Enda Mcgovern

WCBT Faculty Publications

Concern has been expressed by planners and policy-makers that the “add capacity” strategy used in building more roads to resolve traffic-induced problems is no longer a feasible option. This article explores private transport behavior in understanding how users can be persuaded to adopt a more blended approach (i.e., integrating car, public transportation, and alternative modes on a daily basis). The research methodology adopted focus groups and travel diaries in presenting a number of social marketing message appeals aimed at inducing a change in participants’ travel behaviors. While weaknesses are identified in the social marketing materials, this research concludes that social …

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 …