Public Affairs, Public Policy and Public Administration Commons^™

Topic Team Feedback From The Strategic Ice Cream Social, Strategic Planning Development Team

Resource Archive

The Strategic Planning Development Team held an ice cream social event where they solicited feedback regarding the mission, vision and values of the university. Topic teams used the information gathered from the university community to help inform their decisions in the strategic planning development process.

Portland State 20/20: Possible Topic Teams, Strategic Planning Development Team

Resource Archive

This brief document offers a list of possible topic teams, and includes feedback on these possible teams from the Strategic Planning Development Team

The Equity Baseline Report: A Framework For Regional Equity, Jared Franz, Cat Goughnour, Duncan Hwang, Kayse Jama, Meg Merrick, Andre Riley, Gerardo Vergara-Monroy

Institute of Metropolitan Studies Publications

The Equity Baseline Report: A Framework for Regional Equity is an authentic community-led report resulting from a yearlong collaborative effort conducted by six local community based organizations (CBOs). The organizations were selected competitively to work under contract with Metro staff to identify, inventory, classify and recommend quantitative and qualitative evidence-based indicators and corresponding data sets that measure the varying degrees by which people experience equity in our region.

Comparing Mode Shares For Non-Residential Destinations In Urban And Suburban Environments, Tasnia Subrin

Civil and Environmental Engineering Master's Project Reports

To ensure facility for multimodal transportation is one of the most important concerns in today's transportation sector, with initiatives being taken to make multimodal transportation popular. The built environment variables have a strong relationship with transportation mode choice, but whether that relationship holds true in urban and suburban neighborhoods in the same manner has not been considered. Using data for three non-residential land uses, this research explores whether the built environment variables in suburban areas influences mode share like it does in urban areas. We used survey data conducted at the establishments regarding respondents' travel characteristics from a previous study, …

Ua37/37 Faculty Personal Papers Arndt Stickles, Wku Archives

WKU Archives Collection Inventories

Personal papers of Arndt Stickles, WKU History professor from 1908-1954. The collection includes articles, speeches, lecture notes and correspondence.

Law’S Power To Safeguard Global Health: A Lancet–O’Neill Institute, Georgetown University Commission On Global Health And The Law, Lawrence O. Gostin, John T. Monahan, Mary C. Debartolo, Richard Horton

Georgetown Law Faculty Publications and Other Works

The law-–global, national, and subnational–-plays a vital, yet often underappreciated, role in safeguarding and promoting the public’s health. In this article, we launch the Lancet-O’Neill Institute, Georgetown University Commission on Global Health and the Law. Commissioners from around the world will explore the critical opportunities and challenges of using law as a tool, while evaluating the evidence base for legal interventions. The Commission aims to define and systematically describe the current landscape of law that affects global health and safety.

Commissioners were chosen from disciplines that range from health, policy, and law to economics and governance. The Commission aims …

Sustainable Chicago 2015: A Political Analysis, Zachary A. Brown

Master's Theses

Over the last decade, many of America's urban areas have developed "sustainability plans" focusing on the long-term viability of their communities. Although many local governments have concentrated on environmental issues, others have incorporated economic and social policies. A new subset of literature has emerged highlighting equity and social justice within the sustainability dialogue. Scholars and practitioners alike argue that true sustainability requires equal access to all three pillars of sustainability for all groups.

Through interviews with public and private actors, as well as content analysis of the plan, this study investigates the structure of the governance network responsible for the …

Winter 2015, Department Of Conflict Analysis And Resolution

DCRS on the Move

No abstract provided.

The Greek Debt Crisis: The Need For "Heroic" Economic Policy Reforms In The European Economic And Monetary Union, Peter Robbins

Indiana Journal of Global Legal Studies

Greece is in the midst of a devastating economic and financial crisis that the European Union has been trying ardently to resolve since the default of Lehman Brothers in 2008. A significant number of other European Union (EU) Member States are also in crisis due to various state-level economic and monetary causes. Meanwhile, the European Union has consistently used the existing treaty articles and legislation within its competence to impose traditional and homogenized austerity measures on highly indebted Member States, most notably Greece. In sum, the European Union has zealously advocated for fiscal conservatism driven by the German "diber-fear" of …

Using A Community-Based Strategy To Address The Impacts Of Globalization On Underwater Cultural Heritage Management In The Dominican Republic, Lydia Barbash-Riley

Indiana Journal of Global Legal Studies

This Note addresses the management of the Underwater Cultural Heritage (UCH) in the Dominican Republic as a case study of the effects of two aspects of globalization on cultural and environmental resource management in the developing world: the international convergence of values and the horizontal delegation of state power to private actors due to economic constraints. This Note posits that even as the global community of states moves toward a consensus on the ethical management of the UCH, this convergence combined with the global trend of horizontal delegation may incentivize some lesser-developed countries to deal with the economic pressures of …

A Taste Of Armageddon: When Warring Is Done By Drones And Robots, Brian Stiltner

Philosophy, Theology and Religious Studies Faculty Publications

Discusses the increasing use of drones and weaponized robots. Argues that the international community must put firm ethical guidelines in place before the technology becomes rampant.

Preventing Government Shutdowns: Designing Default Rules For Budgets, David Gamage, David Scott Louk

Articles by Maurer Faculty

In nearly every area of law and governance, default policies exist when lawmakers cannot pass new legislation — typically, the status quo simply remains in effect. To its detriment, U.S. budget making at both the state and federal levels lacks effective defaults. If a new budget isn’t passed by year end, there is no budget, and the government shuts down. This lack of defaults, coupled with a dysfunctional era of budgetary politics, has led to a number of recent high-profile and costly state and federal government shutdowns at the state and federal levels.

To date, legal scholarship has failed to …

Beyond The University: An Initiative For Continuing Engagement Among Alumni, David Osborn, Jennifer Alkezweeny, Kevin Kecskes

Public Administration Faculty Publications and Presentations

In an effort to leverage students’ positive community engagement experiences as they transition to and become alumni, Portland State University (PSU) embarked on a pilot “Continuing Engagement Program.” This article provides a rationale for this effort, an overview of the programmatic elements, lessons learned, and future engagement strategies. The authors situate the Community Engagement Program (CEP) in the current alumni engagement literature, share findings from the PSU program, and hope to inspire additional creative thinking and action to support alumni and other community members’ persistent engagement for positive community change.

But Do Lower-Wage Jobs Follow? Comparing Wage-Based Outcomes Of Light Rail Transit To Control Corridors, Arthur C. Nelson, Matt Miller, Dejan Eskic, Joanna P. Ganning, Jenny H. Liu, Reid Ewing

Urban Studies and Planning Faculty Publications and Presentations

Literature suggests that rail transit improvements should be associated with more jobs and perhaps increasing share of jobs in a metropolitan area. Literature and some research also suggest that such improvements should increase the number of lower-wage jobs accessible to transit. In this paper, we assess both in the context of all 11 light rail transit systems built in metropolitan areas of fewer than eight million residents in the nation since 1981. Using census block-level job data over the period 2002 to 2011, we evaluate change in jobs and change in metropolitan area job share for all jobs, and lower- …

Overcoming Uncertainty And Barriers To Adoption Of Blue-Green Infrastructure For Urban Flood Risk Management, Colin R. Thorne, E. C. Lawson, Connie P. Ozawa, Samantha Hamlin, Leonard A. Smith

Urban Studies and Planning Faculty Publications and Presentations

Blue-Green Infrastructure (BGI) and Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS) are increasingly recognised as vital components of urban flood risk management. However, uncertainty regarding their hydrologic performance and lack of confidence concerning their public acceptability create concerns and challenges that limit their widespread adoption. This paper investigates barriers to implementation of BGI in Portland, Oregon, using the Relevant Dominant Uncertainty (RDU) approach. Two types of RDU are identified: scientific RDUs related to physical processes that affect infrastructure performance and service provision, and socio-political RDUs that reflect a lack of confidence in socio-political structures and public preferences for BGI. We find that socio-political …

Ownership, Public Policy, And Market Conditions : Their Effect On The Provision Of Support Services In Outpatient Substance Abuse Treatment, Young Ah You

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

This study examines in two ways the provision of support services in outpatient substance abuse treatment (OSAT): (1) the extent to which ownership makes a difference; (2) how public policy and market conditions influence the ownership effect. Two types of support services are investigated: free treatment provision and the total number of ancillary services helping underserved populations recover from drug and alcohol abuse.

Government-Nonprofit Relationships And The Management Process Of Social Welfare Service Contracting In Korea, Ji Sun Kang

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

This dissertation is an exploratory analysis of a government policy tool− contracting out social welfare services with nonprofit organizations− that aims to identify how contracting relationships between public and nonprofit managers influence the contract management process. The theoretical framework draws on the government-nonprofit relationship literature, especially studies that rely on resource dependence theory and agency theory. Using data gathered from interviews conducted with public officials in district governments and workers in social welfare centers in Korea, this dissertation examines the contract management process, particularly negotiation, monitoring, and evaluation through five critical dimensions of the contracting relationship: power, resources, communication, information …

Performance Management, Evaluation Capacity, And Organizational Learning : A Study Of Nonprofit Organizations, Shahid Umar

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Most evaluation capacity building (ECB) approaches use staff training as the method to build evaluation capacity (EC) in organizations. ECB has rarely been understood and empirically studied at the organizational level. The present study fills this gap by using an organizational learning perspective. Specifically, the study was a response to the following research question: do organizations with high EC differ from organizations with low EC in terms of OLC? OLC was measured using five measures of organizational learning: staff empowerment, staff development, external alignment, experimentation, and clear organizational goals. Data were collected from 26 nonprofit organizations (NPOs) located in the …

Three Essays In Program Evaluation, Jungtaek Lee

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

I evaluate a wider range of public policies with program evaluation methods, difference-in-difference regression method and regression discontinuity design. The first chapter considers the causal relationship between the expansion on dependent coverage of the Affordable Care Act and risky behaviors including smoking and drinking. I also examine the effect of coverage on preventive care and health care utilization. To overcome the endogeneity problem, I exploit a regression discontinuity design to estimate the causal effect of losing health insurance. I find that young adults those who turned 26 are 8 to 10 percent more likely to lose health insurance than young …

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program And Home Food Availability : The Role Of Depression And Household Characteristics, Marta D. Hernandez

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Although about 47 million low-income people participated in the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP) program at the end of 2012, the effect of SNAP participation on some nutrition related outcomes is controversial or unknown. Particularly, the effect of SNAP on food availability at-home has not been examined despite its association with food consumption. In addition, little is known about individual and social factors influencing this relationship. This study examined the effects of the interaction between SNAP participation and depression and the effects of the interaction between SNAP participation and the presence of children under 17 years of age on food …

Legislating For American Empire : The U.S. Congress And Territorial Policy, Timothy Lindberg

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

The United States has always administered territorial governments and the primary entity entrusted with this authority is the United States Congress. This dissertation, using an American Political Development framework, seeks to uncover the variety of ways in which Congressional decision-making over territorial policy has shifted. The goal is to understand how the United States Congress worked toward establishing and maintaining an American Empire via the use of territorial policy. A variety of causal mechanisms causing are investigated, including the demographic targets of policy, partisan conflicts, changing norms and rules of Congress, pressures from other branches or the states, national security …

Predicting Job Performance In Correctional Officers With Pre-Employment Psychological Screening, Shelley S. Hyland

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

There is substantial cost in the hiring and training of a correctional officer, with a high rate of turnover compounding these costs. While pre-employment psychological screening is suggested as one method to prevent these losses, mandates to screen are not as common in corrections as they are in law enforcement. Further, minimal research has examined the validity of psychological testing in correctional officers. This dissertation examined pre-employment psychological screening for 421 correctional officers hired by one of three upstate New York sheriff's departments. Assessments were conducted by Public Safety Psychology, PLLC from March, 1997 to June, 2012. T scores and …

Expecting The Unexpected : A Precautionary Principle Addressing Unconsidered Dangers, John Raymond Milanese

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Most precautionary principles discussed in the regulatory literature argue that one ought to be more risk averse when one is uncertain about the probability of some sig- nificant danger. I explore a new kind of precautionary principle, one that addresses avoiding dangers we did not explicitly consider at all. Since it is unclear how uncon- sidered dangers could be avoided, I sketch a methodology for identifying situations where unconsidered dangers seem especially likely, by drawing from the literature in psychology on heuristics and biases and evaluating our cognitive “blind spots.”

Comparing Organizational Configurations Of Principal Autonomy In Finland And New York, Harry Leonardatos

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

This exploratory study compares organizational configurations of principal autonomy in Finland and New York State. Evidence from Finnish school site visits and surveys distributed to principals in New York State and Finland is utilized to compare principal autonomy in two distinct educational settings.

The Relationship Between Hospital Safety Culture And Variation In Adverse Events : What Is The Evidence From Nys Hospitals?, Kathleen Ciccone

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Background: There is widespread acknowledgement that patients often suffer from adverse events that occur in the provision of medical care (Leape et al., 1991; Kohn et al., 2000). A notable percentage of these events stem from poor practices and unreliable hospital safety systems (Leape et al., 1991; Kohn et al., 2000; Chassin, 2013). Although the literature has been mixed regarding the association between perception of safety culture in hospitals and rates of adverse events, policy makers and healthcare thought-leaders have called on hospital leadership to improve safety culture as one strategy for decreasing harm to patients.

The Economics Of Financing Education And Gender Composition Of Schools : Retention And Learning Outcomes In Public Primary Schools Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (Kp) Province, Pakistan, Bushra Rahim

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

The purpose of this study was to explore the impact of school-level factors (physical resources, teachers’ and schools’ characteristics) and system-level factors (delegation of financial authority to public primary schools through Parent Teacher Councils (PTCs)) on two educational outcomes - retention rates to the last grade of primary school and learning outcomes - in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province, one of the least‐developed and conflict-affected provinces in Pakistan.

Linking Goal Perceptions To Employee Performance In The Public Sector : Assessing The Mediating Role Of Psychological Empowerment And The Moderating Role Of Work Context, Jaehee Jong

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

A substantial number of management and psychology studies have examined the positive effect of goal setting on organizational outcomes (Locke & Latham, 1990, 2002). Conceptually, goal setting theory is as applicable for motivating an employee in the public sector as it is for motivating an employee in the private sector (Latham, Borgogni, & Petitta, 2008). There have, however, been relatively few studies that have examined employee motivation as a linking mechanism between goal setting and employee performance in the context of public sector organizations (Perry, Mesch, & Paarlberg, 2006; Wright, 2001, 2004). In addition to suggesting the motivational mechanism underlying …

Teachers' Perceptions Of The Impact Of Education Policy On Their Teaching, Professional Development, And Sense Of Efficacy For Literacy Instruction, David Clickner

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

This study examined teachers’ (a) perceptions of the impact of policy on their teaching and professional development, (b) knowledge of policy initiatives and the protocols their schools have in place to support them, (c) perceptions of policy, and (d) self-efficacy for literacy instruction and professional development’s impact on it. The investigation focused on three policy initiatives: Response to Intervention, the Common Core State Standards, and the Annual Professional Performance Review program, New York State’s teacher evaluation system. The sample included K-4 classroom and special education teachers and literacy/reading specialists working in New York State. Results revealed that respondents’ perceptions of …

Something Old And Something New, Ryan Pranger 15

Honor Scholar Theses

No abstract provided.

Kenya Adolescent Sexual And Reproductive Health Policy, Ministry Of Health Kenya

Reproductive Health

This document is a review and revision of the National Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health Policy of Kenya, which involved in-depth consultations with a wide range of stakeholders through literature review, interviews, consultative meetings, and reviews of the various drafts. Many changes took place at the national and international levels that needed to be taken into account as the policy was reviewed, including the Constitution of Kenya (2010) with its attendant devolved governance structure as well as demographics, and social, economic, and technological environment. The government has made concerted efforts as part of Vision 2030 to respond to adolescents and …