Public Affairs, Public Policy and Public Administration Commons^™

Best Practices For Implementing Agile Methods: A Guide For Department Of Defense Software Developers, Ann L. Fruhling, Alvin E. Tarrell

Information Systems and Quantitative Analysis Faculty Publications

Traditional plan-driven software development has been widely used in the government because it's considered to be less risky, more consistent, and structured. But there has been a shift from this approach to Agile methods which are more flexible, resulting in fast releases by working in an incremental fashion to adapt to the reality of the changing or unclear requirements.

This report describes the Agile software development philosophy, methods, and best practices in launching software design projects using the Agile approach. It is targeted to Defense Department software developers because they face broad challenges in creating enterprise-wide information systems, where Agile …

States And Their Cities: Partnerships For The Future , Harold Wolmam, Edward W. Hill, Patricia Atkins, Pamela Blumenthal, Kimberly Furdell, Jo Anne Schneider, Elaine Weiss

All Maxine Goodman Levin School of Urban Affairs Publications

No abstract provided.

Northeast Ohio Information Technology Workforce Report, Center For Public Management

All Maxine Goodman Levin School of Urban Affairs Publications

No abstract provided.

An Examination Of The Quality Of Supply And Demand Issues Of Northeast Ohio’S Information And Communications Technology Workforce (Phase Ii), Claudette Robey, Daila Shimek, Michael Mcgoun

All Maxine Goodman Levin School of Urban Affairs Publications

This report describes results from research conducted by the Center for Public Management (PM)of the Maxine Goodman Levin College of Urban Affairs at Cleveland State University to gain an understanding of the relationship between the supply and demand sides of Northeast Ohio’s Information, Communications, and Technology (ICT) market, and how supply and demand communicate to provide the skilled ICT workers needed by ICT-related employers. Further, the intent of the Phase II research was to gain an understanding of how post-secondary education institutions link to the ICT employers as providers of students to meet market demand.

The Economic Impact Of The Arts And Culture (Ace) As Economic Development Grant Program On The Greater Cleveland Regional Economy, Center For Public Management, Jacob Duritsky

All Maxine Goodman Levin School of Urban Affairs Publications

This report describes the results of a REMI simulation conducted to measure the economic impact of the Cuyahoga County Arts and Culture as Economic Development (ACE) Grants. The results suggest that the grants have likely contributed to an increase in economic activity in Cuyahoga County.

Brief Description And Analysis Of The Census Bureau's 2006 Population Estimates For Incorporated Places For Cleveland And Other Ohio Cities, Mark Salling

All Maxine Goodman Levin School of Urban Affairs Publications

No abstract provided.

Financial Performance In Connecticut’S Municipalities: A Comparison Of Manager, Mayor-Council And Selectman Forms Of Government, Lesley A. Denardis, A. E. Rodriguez

Political Science & Global Affairs Faculty Publications

This paper assesses the relative performance of the council-manager versus the two predominant political models of government in Connecticut: Mayor-Council and Selectman forms of government. All three will be assessed in terms of their capability to provide for greater efficiency in Connecticut’s municipalities.

Published in New England Journal of Political Science, Volume 2, Number 2, Spring 2007.

Ethnic Differentials In Parental Health Seeking For Childhood Illness In Vietnam, Bussarawan Teerawichitchainan, James F. Phillips

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

The recent introduction of user fees for Vietnam’s primary healthcare services has generated concern that economic policies may adversely affect health-seeking behavior and health outcomes of the poor, particularly among impoverished families who are members of socially marginalized minority groups. This Population Council working paper examines this debate by analyzing parental recall of illness and care-seeking for sick children under age 5 recorded by the 2001–02 Vietnam National Health Survey. Ethnic differentials are evident in all geographic and income levels, although adverse effects of minority status are most pronounced among poor households in remote areas. Results suggest that social equity …

Arkansas Producers’ Attitudes Toward The 2002 Farm Bill And Preferences For The 2007 Farm Bill, Misti Clark, Eric Wailes

Discovery, The Student Journal of Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences

The Federal Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002, otherwise known at the 2002 Farm Bill, contains current legislation regarding federal public policies and programs for U.S. food and agriculture. This legislation will expire in 2007 and thus new legislation will be developed. It is important to have farm producers’ input for developing this legislation because the policies and programs influence their business practices and livelihoods. The purpose of this study was to determine Arkansas producers’ attitudes toward current and future farm legislation based on an analysis of a survey administered to Arkansas farm producers in summer 2006. The main …

Geneva International Centre For Humanitarian Demining 2006 Annual Report, Gichd

Global CWD Repository

Annual narrative report on the work of the GICHD during 2006.

Itf Enhancing Human Security Annual Report 2007, Itf-Enhancy Human Security

Global CWD Repository

Since 1998, ITF has grown into an internationally recognized organization, supported by donations from extensive number of governments, public and private organizations, companies and individuals that has already surpassed the figure of 240 million USD. Invaluable experience that has been accumulated in the last 10 years of work of ITF in Mine Action related areas as well as the experience gathered in the operations in the crisis-hit areas in which the Republic of Slovenia has been successfully involved proves that the decision to expand humanitarian and peace keeping operations in and beyond our region is proving to be the right …

Knowledge, Attitudes, Practices Related To Landmines And Unexploded Ordnance, Hi

Global CWD Repository

In Somalia, there is an identified need to undertake a mine risk education program. Although the quantitative number of landmines and UXO has been reliably established since the Landmine Impact Survey conducted in 2003, it is clear that communities living in particular areas of Somalia have a high perception of living in a mined area. An initial first step in designing an appropriate mine risk education program in Somaliland has been established by Handicap International and UNICEF collaboratively through a survey conducted in 2002, which undertook this Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices in three regions of the North West Zone. The …

Public Policy Preferences And Political Attitudes: Exploring The Generational Divide Among African Americans, Dietra Y. Trent

Theses and Dissertations

Since the Civil Rights era, African Americans have come a long way. In the years since the 1964 Civil Rights Act and the 1965 Voting Rights Act, there have been dramatic increases in education, political representation, business ownership, and occupational position. Yet, for all of the economic, social and political advances made in the African American community, many young people are still subjected to inferior schools, housing and depressed communities where crime, drugs, police brutality and HIV/AIDS run rampant. As a result, there is a growing tension among the community over the root causes of their predicament and the most …

Examining Spatiotemporal Change In Neighborhood Crime Using Social Disorganization As A Theoretical Framework: A 10-Year Analysis Of Homicide In The City Of Richmond, Va, Suleyman Demirci

Theses and Dissertations

This study investigates both space and time aspects of neighborhood crime distributions using social disorganization as a theoretical framework in the City of Richmond, VA. Neighborhood crime, in this study, might be considered as any type of index crime aggregated to neighborhood level. For the purpose of the present study, however, neighborhood crime only includes "homicide" categorized as an index crime in the Uniform Crime Report (UCR). Homicides in neighborhoods have been realized as rare events, and have become problematic to establish robust statistical models in the literature. With the focus of neighborhood homicide, this study questions the consistency of …

The Truth About Moral Hazard And Adverse Selection., Mark V. Pauly

Center for Policy Research

This brief is actually going to have two levels. One level will go with the advertised title, and I’ll tell you my current views on the truth about moral hazard and adverse selection. Adverse selection will serve as somewhat of a handmaid of moral hazard, as you will see. That’s one level. The other level, though, which continues to surprise me, is that these two topics—they’re two buzzwords from insurance theory—have generated an enormous amount of policy interest and, yes, passion. Some people passionately believe some things about moral hazard that others passionately disbelieve. And so as part of this …

The Cfe Decision: A Cautionary Tale About The Use Of Numbers, John Yinger

Center for Policy Research

It’s Elementary is a series of essays on topics in education and education policy. The main focus is on education finance in New York State, but general research findings in education and education policy issues in several other states are also discussed. John Yinger, Professor of Economics and Public Administration at the Maxwell School, Syracuse University is the author of most of these essays, although a few are written by or co-authored with other scholars.

Public Policy And Market Reality: Analyzing The Unfunded Liability In The Kentucky Non-Hazardous Employees' Retirement System, Kelly Dudley

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

In 2006, an issue of serious concern to state legislatures was the long-term security of the defined benefits that state and local public pension plans promise to current and future retirees (Snell, 2006). Public pension systems are growing in terms of members and the benefits they offer to their members. Part of this group includes the estimated 77 million baby-boomers who will be living the next 20 to 30 years in retirement (Wharton, 2006). These dynamic changes are raising the burden public pension plans place on government operating budgets. Expecting a large number of their employees to retire, public administrators …

Process Review Of The Final Acceptance For Federal-Aid Highway Projects In Kentucky, Michael M. Loyselle

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

Federal funds for highway construction projects must comply with federal and state regulations. In Kentucky, the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) with the assistance of the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) administers the federal-aid highway program. FHWA and KYTC ensure quality of highway projects by inspections of activities conforming to plans, specifications and cost estimates; as well as with the testing of materials used in the project.

During the last five years, an emphasis stemming from reports of the US DOT Office of Inspector General (OIG) and US General Accountability Office (GAO) related to the financial processes in place to administer the …

Operation Unite: A Qualitative Analysis Identifying Critical Factors For Implementation, Crystal D. Pryor

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

UNITE is an acronym meaning Unlawful Narcotics Investigations, Treatment and Education. It reflects the three-pronged, comprehensive approach deemed necessary to combating substance abuse in Kentucky Fifth Congressional District. Of Kentucky’s 120 counties, 24 of them do not have an organized regional drug task force. Fifteen of these counties with no active drug task force are represented in the Bluegrass Area Development District’s region. Current social and political perceptions across Kentucky recognize Operation UNITE efforts as largely successful. The evaluation responded to the following research questions: What factors lead to success in Kentucky’s Operation UNITE? Are these factors transferable in treating …

Do Per Capita Expenditures Affect The Quality Of State Government Management?, Rachael D. Putnam

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

In recent years, an increase in government accountability has come about in American society. The debate began about the consumer business model of government, with citizens demanding results, not just output, because most people viewed government as inefficient and ineffective. As a response, Vice President Gore National Performance Review endorsed the Government Performance and Results Act (1993) which required federal agencies to have “objective, quantifiable and measurable” goals into the federal government budget process (Kravchuk and Schack, 1996, p.348).

This, in turn, led the way to the Government Performance Project (GPP), a study orchestrated by the Governing magazine, in cooperation …

An Impact Study Of Local Historic District Overlays On Property Values In Fayette County, Ky, Suzann Vogel

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

Beginning with Fayette County’s first historic district in 1958, the process of assigning historic zoning status to qualifying neighborhoods was seen as a viable option for preserving local built cultural resources. More than a communicative symbol, H-1 districting limits dramatic exterior changes and the demolition of structures certified as contributing to the unique character of Lexington, KY. Guided by the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government’s Division of Historic Preservation and Board of Architectural Review, the program currently encompasses 1,851 buildings over 14 districts.

In order to carry out the goal of preservation, historic districting in Lexington is applied in a blanketing …

Preparing For The Future: An Evaluation Of Alternative Methods For Estimating The Needed Capacity Of Nursing Home Beds In Kentucky, Michelle D. Woods

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

Due to the aging of the generation known as “Baby Boomers”, the nation is expected to witness extraordinary growth in the total population ages 65 and over. Population projections provided by the United States Bureau of the Census suggest that this segment of the population will double in size to 72 million by the year 2030. In order to prepare for the anticipated increase elderly Americans, policy officials have been analyzing the potential effects on the nation’s long-term care system. Although Baby Boomers can expect to live longer than their predecessors, as they age, it is predicted that this generation …

Information Technologies And Civic Engagement: Perspectives From Librarianship And Planning, Aimée C. Quinn, Laxmi Ramasubramanian

Library Scholarship

Urban planning and librarianship are parallel fields in many ways. Both have theoretical and practical underpinnings driving each discipline; are interdisciplinary in focus; and both professions gather and disseminate information to stakeholders. Essential to the success of each discipline is an engaged user population. The authors use a case study from the Village of Oak Park to examine and reflect upon the effect of the Internet and other technologies in the public's ability to participate in an open planning process. The Village of Oak Park is known for its architectural heritage and outspoken community. Within its 4.5 square miles live …

The Core Plan Or How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Love The Central City: Shifting Control Of Regional Mass Transit To The Central City, Jeffrey Baltruzak

The University of New Hampshire Law Review

[Excerpt] “Mass transit in the United States is moribund: it plays a meaningful transportation role in only a handful of American regions. It is clear that the status quo—where state-created special-purpose districts (SPDs) provide limited regional mass transit options and new mass transit construction progresses at a glacial pace—is a colossal failure. This failure necessitates a new model of mass transit ownership and management. It is time for the region’s central city to own and operate the region’s mass transit system extraterritorially, free from significant control by the outer cities (the suburbs) and the state. This article calls this arrangement …

Can Organizations Meet Thetest Of Transforming Leadership?, Gill Robinson Hickman

Jepson School of Leadership Studies articles, book chapters and other publications

My subsequent writing in this area takes his definition of transforming leadership from the political context and applies it to formal organizations. Transforming organizational leaders shape collective purpose and developmental processes within the organization that adapt to some social changes and promote others. Though leadership scholars have previously adapted Burns's concept and incorporated it in leader-follower relationships (Bass 1985; Bennis and Nanus 1985; Tichy and Devanna 1986; Bass, Avolio, and Goodheim 1987; Bass, Waldman, Avolio, and Bebb 1987), my work attempts to infuse organizations with Burns's imperative to link leadership with "collective purpose and social change (Burns 1978:3).

Homeownership Rates Among New York City’S Racial/Ethnic Groups And Latino Nationalities In 2000, Laura Limonic

Center for Latin American, Caribbean, and Latino Studies

Introduction: This report examines rates of homeownership among ethnic/racial groups in New York City. The data are broken down by four primary ethnic/racial groups: White, African Americans, Asians, and Latinos. Also examined are homeownership rates within the Latino group by nationality for the nine largest populations among the Latino population in New York City. Methods: Data on Latinos and other racial/ethnic groups were obtained from the 2000 Report of the U.S. Census Bureau, Summary File #4 – HCT4. Cases in the dataset were weighted and analyzed to produce population estimates.

Results: In 2000, the average rate of homeownership in New …

The Flood: Political Economy And Disaster, Mari J. Matsuda

Georgetown Law Faculty Publications and Other Works

As summer faded to fall in 2005, a hurricane hit New Orleans, a city so unique in its history that it has more history than many American cities. It was nonetheless an American city in these telling parameters: a city of luxury alongside squalor, two-thirds Black, one-fourth poor, with the gap between its rich and poor growing at a gallop as the waters of lake and river lapped gently along aging, grass-covered levees.

Freeze the frame before the waters rise, and what do you see? A devastated public school system, where Black children are labeled “failing,” along with their schools. …

National Security And Environmental Laws: A Clear And Present Danger?, Hope M. Babcock

Georgetown Law Faculty Publications and Other Works

Without question, life in the United States has changed significantly since September 11, 2001. The attacks launched from within the United States in broad daylight against non-military targets and innocent civilians, followed by the intentional dispersal of the biological agent anthrax, ushered in an era of uncertainty and fear in this country unlike any in recent memory. The visible manifestations of this fear are still with us--concrete barriers and the closing of public spaces around public buildings, heightened security at airports and train stations subjecting people to invasive searches of their persons and belongings, the sudden, seemingly random appearance of …

Grotius, Ocean Fish Ranching, And The Public Trust Doctrine: Ride 'Em Charlie Tuna, Hope M. Babcock

Georgetown Law Faculty Publications and Other Works

Seventy percent of the world's fish populations are in serious decline; some have been fished to near extinction. While domestic and international efforts are underway to curb the rate at which the remaining fish are being depleted, the demand for fish appears to be outstripping these initiatives--before they can take hold, the fish may be gone. In response to this increasingly dire situation, many countries, including the United States, have turned to fish farming in hope of taking pressure off of certain wild stocks of fish while still meeting consumer demands for them. More recently, non-U.S. fish farmers have moved …

Displaced, But Not Destroyed: The Life And Work Of Irina Yanovskaya Of South Ossetia, Devon Haynie

Kroc IPJ Research and Resources

Women PeaceMakers are paired with a Peace Writer to document in written form their story of living in conflict and building peace in their communities and nations. While in residence at the institute, Women PeaceMakers give presentations on their work and the situation in their home countries to the university and San Diego communities.

Irina Yanovskaya, of South Ossetia in the Georgia-South Ossetia conflict zone, is a journalist, lawyer, chair of the NGO Journalists for Human Rights, children’s advocate focused on post-conflict healing and peace education for children, as well as the mother of four, grandmother of one and a …