Public Affairs, Public Policy and Public Administration Commons^™

Laws, Norms, And The Institutional Analysis And Development Framework, Daniel H. Cole

Articles by Maurer Faculty

Elinor Ostrom’s Institutional Analysis and Development (IAD) framework has been described as ‘one of the most developed and sophisticated attempts to use institutional and stakeholder assessment in order to link theory and practice, analysis and policy’. But not all elements in the framework are sufficiently well developed. This paper focuses on one such element: the ‘rules-in-use’ (a.k.a. ‘rules’ or ‘working rules’). Specifically, it begins a long-overdue conversation about relations between formal legal rules and ‘working rules’ by offering a tentative and very simple typology of relations. Type 1: Some formal legal rules equal or approximate the working rules; Type 2: …

Opportunity To Learn Mathematics In Low And High Performing Countries : A Cross-National Analysis Of Teachers Enacting The Curriculum And Associated Factors, Treisy Romero Celis

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

This exploratory study compares the opportunities to learn mathematics intended and enacted between countries with high and low student average performance levels, according to the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS). It analyzes the differences in OTL in relation to some of the factors that influence teachers’ instructional decisions. The analysis contributes to the knowledge about teachers’ role in the enactment of mathematics curricular policy and that of curricular governance.

Motivation To Adopt : Understanding Nonprofit Inter-Organizational Collaboration In Delivery Of Social Services, Sung-Eun Kim

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Inter-organizational collaboration has been emphasized by governments, nonprofit funders, and community-based nonprofits for service integration and capacity building. As collaboration has become one of the big buzzwords in nonprofit management and public policy, a large number of studies have focused on cross-sectoral collaborations such as government-nonprofit relationships (Boris & Steuerle, 2006; Bryson, 2011; Gazley, 2008; Gazley & Brudney, 2007; Salamon, 1987, 1995; Young, 2006). However, little attention has been paid to collaboration between community-based nonprofits (Provan, Milward, & Isett, 2002; Takahashi & Smutny, 2001), and the existing literature stays short of specifying the unique features of collaboration between them (Guo …

Student Departure At West Point : An Examination Within A Total Institution, Jason C. Toole

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

The United States Military Academy at West Point recruits, trains, and educates talented young

Antecedents And Consequences Of Performance Information Use In Collaborative Networks, Manabu Nakashima

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

This study aims to explore antecedents and consequences of performance information use in collaborative networks, focusing on the effects of network members’ interaction patterns and relational characteristics on performance information use. Using a case of the Faraway County system of care wherein network participants engaged in collective decision making and service provisions to mentally-ill children and youth, this study addresses three research questions:

The Collateral Effects Of Representation : Three Essays Evaluating Representative Bureaucracy In Practice, Ashley Miller Alteri

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

This dissertation evaluates representative bureaucracy, a public management theory that has been embraced by public management scholars and implicitly embraced by practitioners through the use of diversity hiring initiatives. The theory of representative bureaucracy posits that a bureaucracy will function better if the administrative arm of government, in addition to its political one, is representative of the public. This representativeness is achieved if the bureaucrat shares a common identity with the group or groups they are meant to represent. The three papers within this dissertation provide an analysis of how this theory translates into practice. Specifically, these papers examine the …

Cops And Cells : Theorizing And Assessing The Implications Of Smartphone Surveillance For Policing, Sean Patrick Roche

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

In the United States, police officers are empowered to use force, and are often people’s first point of contact with the criminal justice system. Significantly, in the last decade, the majority of American citizens have acquired smartphone technology, which allows them to document and broadcast police behavior on a scale never before seen. Several high-profile police use of force incidents have been captured on video, and the resulting public outcries suggest that this technology now presents exceptional challenges to the maintenance of police legitimacy. Foucault (1977) argues that power in modern society is achieved by surveillance systems that work to …

Teacher Evaluation Designs In An External Accountability Environment, Cynthia Ellen Gallagher

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Abstract

Public Finance Of Long-Term Services And Supports, Young Joo Park

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Nursing home finance is an important issue for policy makers and healthcare financial managers due to an aging population and the dependence of nursing facilities on public finance. In this dissertation, I have three specific aims: (1) to test whether neighborhood characteristics affect the availability of resources in urban nursing homes in the U.S.; (2) to identify the optimal administrative support for maintaining financially sustainable nonprofit nursing facilities in the U.S.; and (3) to examine the effect of Medicare-Medicaid financial alignment on government expenditure structures. This set of analyses provides a constructive framework for a better understanding of nursing home …

The Influence Of Academic Momentum And Associate Degree Credit Requirements On Community College Student Degree Completion, Daniel Knox

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

This study addresses gaps in the theoretical and policy literature by examining the relationship between associate degree program credit requirements and four student outcomes: associate degree attainment, time to degree, final associate degree grade point average, and persistence. Using student unit record data, a longitudinal quantitative study of a cohort of community college students was conducted for the observational period of fall semester 2011 through winter semester 2016, in order to determine if community college students enrolled in academic programs with higher minimum credit requirements have different outcomes than students in programs with lower minimum credit requirements.

Impact Of Substance Use And Overweight Status On The Relationship Between Domestic Violence And Bullying, Marcie Fraser

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Domestic violence has been shown to increase the risk of bullying behavior among youth. Substance use and excess weight have also been linked to bullying behaviors. The purpose of this study was to determine what anti-bullying interventions have been implemented throughout the United States, and to identify the role of three risk factors (domestic violence, excessive weight or substance use) on bullying behaviors. For this study domestic violence will be defined as experiencing domestic violence or witnessing inter-parental domestic violence. A literature review (Study 1) was conducted to identify studies and summarize interventions aimed at reducing bullying behaviors among middle-school …

Impact Of Employment Barriers On Individuals With Criminal Records : An Econometric Evaluation Of Criminal Background Checks In New York, Garima Siwach

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Individuals with criminal records face significant barriers to employment, -- a concern which has become stronger in an era of widespread criminal background checks. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has recently drawn attention to the need to balance employers' concerns about the potential risk of hiring such individuals, with increasing employment opportunities for individuals with criminal records, particularly if they are low risk. Despite a large number of individuals with criminal records in the United States working age population, there has been no research to demonstrate the implications of such background checks used for employment determination. This dissertation consists …

Three Perspectives On Social Equity And Public Health Emergency Preparedness And Response Policy, Lucila M. Zamboni

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

In the past 20 years, large-scale disasters have generated economic loss of $660 billion in the United States. Research has identified that low income individuals and economically vulnerable communities are at heightened risk and often experience disadvantages in access to public services during emergencies. Public administration literature has claimed that social equity should be included as a consideration together with economic and efficiency principles when formulating and implementing public policy. Yet there has been limited empirical research that follows this premise. The three studies that comprise this dissertation are guided by one overarching research question: which socioeconomic characteristics at the …

Nonprofits, Governance Arrangements, And Outcomes For Society In Brazil, Marcelo Marchesini Da Costa

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

This dissertation analyzes the contribution of nonprofit organizations to society. The main goal is to discuss through which conditions nonprofits present beneficial results to society, exploring mainly the alternatives of collaboration with the government or a more autonomous action. Using data from Brazil, the first essay discusses nonprofit location. Despite great regional variation, the previous density of nonprofits existing in a municipality has a stronger positive effect that is larger than the effects of social needs or resources available in explaining why new nonprofits choose to locate in certain sites. The second essay analyzes the effect of nonprofits on the …

Graduate Student Financial Support : An Empirical Profile, Thomas Enderlein

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

This study investigated how U.S. graduate students financed their Master’s and doctoral programs in 2011-2012. In particular, it focused on students who were eligible to receive Federal financial aid and loans during that year, using a sample of graduate students included in the restricted-use version of the National Postsecondary Student Aid Study. This study rests its analyses and situates extant literature largely against Human Capital Theory, with return on investment as an underlying rationale for the allocation and use of different forms of Non-family, Non-repayable support for graduate studies. The goal of the study was to sort out the extent …

El “Gran Experimento” Del Socialismo Cubano: Los Retos Durante La Transición Económica, Hannah Bottum

CMC Senior Theses

Esa obra explora las complejidades de la economía y la sociedad cubana ahora, después de las reformas económicas dramáticas de 2012. El fenómeno de la fuga de cerebros refleja un cambio dramático en la economía cubana, en que los salarios públicos y otros subsidios del gobierno ya no están suficientes y los trabajos lucrativos no necesariamente requieren un título avanzado. En un país conocido internacionalmente por su población educado, Cuba tiene una crisis demográfica en que muchas profesionales, particularmente los jóvenes educados, salen del sector público al sector privado o aún emigran del país. El sector privado da una ventaja …

Adolescent Health: Priorities And Opportunities For Rashtriya Kishor Swasthya Karyakram (Rksk) In Uttar Pradesh [Hindi], Sapna Desai

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

The Government of India in 2014 signaled its commitment to adolescent health through introduction of a national strategy, Rashtriya Kishor Swasthya Karyakram (RKSK). Targeting adolescents aged 10–14 and 15–19, the program aims to ensure universal coverage of health information and services for all adolescents—those in and out of school, married or unmarried, and in vulnerable groups. Envisaged as a paradigm shift to address adolescent health beyond sexual and reproductive health, RKSK spans six domains: nutrition, sexual and reproductive health, mental health, injuries and violence including gender-based violence, substance misuse, and non-communicable diseases. This policy brief presents evidence on adolescent health …

The Contribution Of Sense Of Place To Social-Ecological Systems Research: A Review And Research Agenda, Vanessa A. Masterson, Richard C. Stedman, Johan Enqvist, Maria Tengö, Matteo Giusti, Darin Wahl, Uno Svedin

Urban Studies and Planning Faculty Publications and Presentations

To develop and apply goals for future sustainability, we must consider what people care about and what motivates them to engage in solving sustainability issues. Sense of place theory and methods provide a rich source of insights that, like the socialecological systems perspective, assume an interconnected social and biophysical reality. However, these fields of research are only recently beginning to converge, and we see great potential for further engagement. Here, we present an approach and conceptual tools for how the sense of place perspective can contribute to social-ecological systems research. A brief review focuses on two areas where relation to …

The Flipside Of Industrial 4.0 : Cyber Security Risk, Pratichi Rajan Mallick

Award-winning Essays

Prize-winning paper for the 2017 Bureau Internationale des Containers (BIC) essay contest.

In the current scenario of market volatility and globalization, the shipping industry is under immense pressure in terms of growth, revenue expansion, trading condition and cost optimization. From the advent of steam powered vessels to the current fiasco of autonomous vessel, the industry has evolved albeit slowly to a data focused industry. The wave of data collection, sharing and utilization to optimize operations via automation is the next phase of industry revolution, Industry 4.0. The convergence of real and virtual worlds as a result of digitalization has been …

Tier 3 Intervention: Expulsion, Natalie Hoff, Shir Palmon, Allie Heifner, Reece L. Peterson

Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders: Faculty Publications

Conclusion

Expulsion is a disciplinary consequence that has been around for many years and serves the purpose of removing students who violate the school codes of conduct or pose an immediate threat to the school. While this strategy was created with school safety in mind, it has been found to lead to serious detrimental outcomes for students and has apparently been over used due to zero tolerance policies. Not only do schools use this strategy for behaviors for which it was not intended, it is also applied disproportionally to students based on ethnicity, gender, and disability status. To address these …

Gender Pay Gap In Athletics, George Siliman

Nebraska College Preparatory Academy: Senior Capstone Projects

The pay gap is a measure of what women are paid relative to men. It is important to to minimize the gender pay gap in athletics so it can successfully help society move in forward progression and not hinder on the past. The effects on women in professional sport setting, and the overall difference between males and females in athletics all play a significant role on the fluctuated pay gap.

Women play a prominent role in athletics but the lack of compensation devalues them as competitors and athletes. In sum, I learned about the fluctuation of the pay gap between …

A Serosurvey Of Diseases Of Free-Ranging Gray Wolves (Canis Lupus) In Minnesota, Usa, Michelle Carstensen, John H. Giudice, Erik C. Hildebrand, J. P. Dubey, John Erb, Dan Stark, John Hart, Shannon M. Barber-Meyer, L. David Mech, Steve K. Windels, Andrew J. Edwards

United States Geological Survey, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center: Publications

We tested serum samples from 387 free-ranging wolves (Canis lupus) from 2007 to 2013 for exposure to eight canid pathogens to establish baseline data on disease prevalence and spatial distribution in Minnesota’s wolf population. We found high exposure to canine adenoviruses 1 and 2 (88% adults, 45% pups), canine parvovirus (82% adults, 24% pups), and Lyme disease (76% adults, 39% pups). Sixty-six percent of adults and 36% of pups exhibited exposure to the protozoan parasite Neospora caninum. Exposure to arboviruses was confirmed, including West Nile virus (37% adults, 18% pups) and eastern equine encephalitis (3% adults). Exposure rates …

How China Is Preparing For An Ai-Powered Future, Yujia He

Patterson School of Diplomacy and International Commerce Faculty Publications

U.S. leadership in artificial intelligence (AI) research and development (R&D) may be challenged by China’s recent and centralized policy planning aimed at rapidly developing AI-related technologies. The Chinese government supports AI as a strategic area supported by high-level policies with ambitious and quantifiable targets, inter-ministry coordination, government funding for research and development, support for workforce development, and suggestions for international collaboration and expansion. Still, as a relative latecomer in the global AI race, China faces numerous challenges to implement its policy planning, including short-term skills gap and long-term institutional constraints.

Women In The Public Sector: Getting Creative With Networking And Mentoring, Nicole Elias, Maria J. D'Agostino

Publications and Research

In academia, we often think of networking and mentoring activity as a means to an end. Networking and mentoring can be exciting and considered beneficial in helping to produce opportunities for new research projects, collaborative events, and personal/professional development. Alternatively, these practices could be seen as unavoidable for the tenure file or "necessary evils" to satisfy service requirements or some other obligation. Regardless of your view or the external demands placed on your networking and mentoring activity, we find that networking and mentoring can be positive and rewarding if you are able to be a bit creative and devote some …

Data Note: Time From Vr Application To Closure In Employment For Adults With Intellectual Disabilities, Alberto Migliore, Uchenna Nwangwu, John Butterworth, Thinkwork! At The Institute For Community Inclusion At Umass Boston

Data Note Series, Institute for Community Inclusion

Getting a job as soon as possible after applying for vocational rehabilitation (VR) services is important for job seekers with intellectual disabilities. This DataNote describes how long it takes for job seekers with intellectual disabilities to go through the steps from application for VR services to determination of eligibility, completion of an individual employment plan, and closure into integrated employment.

Partnerships In Employment: State Self-Assessment Toolkit For Systems Change In The Transition Of Youth And Young Adults With Intellectual And Developmental Disabilities From High School, Cady Landa, Thinkwork! At The Institute For Community Inclusion At Umass Boston

All Institute for Community Inclusion Publications

This self-assessment tool was developed for those who wish to embark on state-wide governmental systems change to improve high school transition and employment outcomes for youth and young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). Its purpose is to aid in the development of a work plan that is based on a review of the state policies, practices, and strategies that impact transition from school and opportunities for competitive integrated employment of youth and young adults with IDD.

This tool incorporates research identifying elements of state government that support high rates of participation in integrated employment (Hall et al., 2007), …

Exploring Opportunities For Urban Youth Inclusion In The Creative Economy In Boston’S Dudley Square, Susan Crandall, Marija Bingulac, Bianca Ortiz-Wythe, Andrew Seeder

Center for Social Policy Publications

Communities throughout the U.S. need to attract and retain businesses and talent to grow and to thrive. One approach to economic development which has gained traction in recent years is the concept of a “creative economy,” which suggests that investing in creative occupations and industries is integral to support economic and culturally vibrant cities.

Although the implementation of creative economy initiatives has successfully boosted economic development in some cities and regions, critics have argued that a focus on the creative economy is fueling urban inequality, focusing primarily on college-educated professionals and ignoring the needs of blue collar and service workers. …

The Road To The Cliff Edge: Understanding Financial Gaps In Public Assistance Programs Available To Massachusetts Families, Marija Bingulac, Caitlin A. Carey, Susan Crandall

Center for Social Policy Publications

To better understand the interaction between public supports and earned income and its impact on overall economic well-being, we conducted research on public support program eligibility criteria, regulations, and administration. We use the concept of “financial gaps” to outline specific problems created by the complex system of public supports built around an inadequate assessment of households’ ability to meet basic needs. The typology we provide is intended to be a tool for advocates, service providers, researchers, and policy makers that will help them hone in on the precise problem and develop appropriate policy interventions.

دور لجان التدقيق في الحد من ممارسات إدارة الارباح وأثرها على جودة التقارير المالية المنشورة للشركات المساهمة العامة العراقية (دراسة تطبيقية على عينه من شركات التأمين المدرجة في سوق العراق للأوراق المالية), علاء حسن كريم الشرع

Muthanna Journal of Administrative and Economics Sciences

هدفت هذه الدراسة إلى التعرف على دور لجان التدقيق في الحد من ممارسات إدارة الارباح وأثرها علـى جودة التقارير المالية المنشورة لشركات التأمين العراقية المدرجة فـي سوق العراق للأوراق المالية. لتحقيق أهداف هذه الدارسة تم تصميم استبانة وزعت على المدققين الداخليين والمحاسبين العاملين في شركات التأمين العراقية العامة بلغ عددها 110 استبانة تم استرداد 100 استبانة وتمت المعالجة الاحصائية المناسبة في التحليل باستخدام البرنامج الاحصائي SPSSوقد توصل البحث الى مجموعة من النتائج نذكر من اهمها أن إعداد تقارير تخص لجان التدقيق وبصفة دورية مرفقة مع التقارير المالية الدورية وبكل صدق وأمانة يمثل دعماً للجان التدقيق لغرض الارتقاء بمستوى جودة التقارير …

The Fountain District: Framework Plan, Kara Boden, Alyssa Brook, Jennifer Davidson, Michael Kimble, Julia Lui, Raina Smith, Steven Rosen, Laura Voss, Victoria Weakley

Urban Design Workshop

The 'South Auditorium' neighborhood established itself in the days when loggers and other workers filled the district’s hotels due to its proximity to the river. In the wake of the Great Depression and as the logging trade declined, the area began to fall into disrepair and development shifted away from the Willamette River. By the 1950s, many of its 2,000+ inhabitants were low-income or elderly and living in small, poorly maintained apartments, shuffling from one to the next as they were forced out of their prior home. The neighborhood was also extremely diverse, housing numerous immigrant families, particularly Italian, Jewish, …