Policy Design, Analysis, and Evaluation Commons^™

Managing In A Time Of Crisis, Christine G. Springer

Public Policy and Leadership Faculty Research

Some managers shine during a major crisis, while others don’t. As a strategic manager, one must follow a comprehensive protocol that includes the implementation of teams, systems and tools to respond to a crisis. It also requires having an action plan in place to react quickly, manage rumors and respond to victims and stakeholders sincerely while recovering from the crises’ impact. It starts with being willing to ask and answer important questions like: What is the worst that could happen? It then requires addressing how to plan for and avert crises by securing the workplace and the proper management of …

Sustainable Food Systems: Perspectives On Transportation Policy, Kameshwari Pothukuchi, Richard Wallace

Urban Studies and Planning Faculty Research Publications

Global agri-food and transportation systems have dramatically expanded food production and distribution worldwide. This integration, however, also adversely affects human health. The negative effects arise from unequal access to healthy food, unequal access to transportation for agri-food workers, increasing geospatial and economic concentration in the agri-food industry, and an emerging competition between food and fuel. Because the health of individuals is inextricably tied to the health of communities, regions, and ecological systems, health and transportation professionals need to act to both mitigate current disparities and enhance the future viability and sustainability of these systems. This paper offers numerous, specific recommendations …

The Managing Of The Presidency: Applying Theory-Driven Empirical Models To The Study Of White House Bureaucratic Performance, Justin Vaughn, José Villalobos

Selected Works Temporary Series

We argue that scholars of the presidency should begin to apply their rich descriptive understanding of White House organization and personnel to questions of causality. To help guide this effort, we offer a theory-driven empirical model that explains organizational performance. Importing theory from the public management literature, we show how scholars can use the Meier-O'Toole (MO) model to explain performance outcomes and dynamics for key political and policy functions within the institutional presidency. We introduce the MO model and discuss its potential impact on the field of presidency studies.

Obama’S Empty Cupboard: Contending With Administrative Vacancies And The Threat To Neutral Competence, Justin Vaughn, José Villalobos

Selected Works Temporary Series

In this essay, we focus on the public administration challenge concerning the rising number of politically motivated administrative vacancies resulting from George W. Bush's tenure in office with which President Barack Obama must now contend. We argue that the hyper-politicization of personnel decision-making during the presidency of George W. Bush left many parts of the federal bureaucracy understaffed, yet more densely populated by staffers chosen more for ideological and political congruence than administrative competence. For President Obama to achieve key aspects of his policy agenda, he must first attend to fixing these staffing problems and then to reforming the personnel …

Presidential Staffing And Public Opinion: How Public Opinion Influences Politicization, José Villalobos, Justin Vaughn

Selected Works Temporary Series

Scholars traditionally frame presidential efforts to politicize the federal bureaucracy as the result of divergence between the president's preferences and an agency's output. The authors argue that presidential concern with agency output is dynamic and is in part conditioned by the president's relationship with the public. To assess the relationship between politicization and public opinion, the authors use a data set that combines information on presidential efforts to politicize the Council of Economic Advisers from 1989 to 2004 with that of public attitudes concerning the president's handling of the economy. Their results indicate that public opinion does indeed bear a …

The Managing Of The Presidency: Applying Theory-Driven Empirical Models To The Study Of White House Bureaucratic Performance, Justin Vaughn, José Villalobos

Departmental Papers (PS)

We argue that scholars of the presidency should begin to apply their rich descriptive understanding of White House organization and personnel to questions of causality. To help guide this effort, we offer a theory-driven empirical model that explains organizational performance. Importing theory from the public management literature, we show how scholars can use the Meier-O'Toole (MO) model to explain performance outcomes and dynamics for key political and policy functions within the institutional presidency. We introduce the MO model and discuss its potential impact on the field of presidency studies.

Obama’S Empty Cupboard: Contending With Administrative Vacancies And The Threat To Neutral Competence, Justin Vaughn, José Villalobos

Departmental Papers (PS)

In this essay, we focus on the public administration challenge concerning the rising number of politically motivated administrative vacancies resulting from George W. Bush's tenure in office with which President Barack Obama must now contend. We argue that the hyper-politicization of personnel decision-making during the presidency of George W. Bush left many parts of the federal bureaucracy understaffed, yet more densely populated by staffers chosen more for ideological and political congruence than administrative competence. For President Obama to achieve key aspects of his policy agenda, he must first attend to fixing these staffing problems and then to reforming the personnel …

The Responsibility To Protect: A Policy Forum, Sarah Bania-Dobyns, Kathy Gockel, Kyle Matthews, Jodi Vittori

Human Rights & Human Welfare

Human Rights and Human Welfare is pleased to offer its first policy forum-a new type of review to add to our review essays, book notes and roundtable. In this policy forum we asked practitioners in the field to review a set of policy reports on the responsibility to protect. R2P, as practitioners and scholars alike have come to know this policy area, like many of the human rights concepts addressed by HRHW, is a multifaceted concept requiring perspectives from different fields and professions to address it comprehensively. Further, R2P is a quickly changing policy issue, and academics and practitioners …

Climate Change, Cities And The Poor, John Cleveland, Peter Plastrik

Social Space

Climate change on its own is an intractable issue. What if we look at climate change through a social equity lens? John Cleveland and Peter Plastrik analyse current climate adaption strategies and deliberate a more active role by ‘people on the ground’.

Stepping Up: Managing Diversity In Challenging Times, Carol Hardy-Fanta

Publications from the Center for Women in Politics and Public Policy

Since its launch in 2008, Commonwealth Compact has grown steadily, employing several strategies to promote diversity statewide. The Benchmarks initiative has collected data, analyzed in this report, on a significant portion of the state workforce. Guided by Stephen Crosby, dean of the McCormack Graduate School of Policy and Global Studies at UMass Boston, Commonwealth Compact has conducted newsmaking surveys of public opinion and of boards of directors statewide. In addition, it has convened ongoing coalitions with its higher education partners, and established a collaborative of local business schools aimed specifically at increasing faculty diversity. The Compact has sponsored or co-sponsored …

Presidential Staffing And Public Opinion: How Public Opinion Influences Politicization, José Villalobos, Justin Vaughn

Departmental Papers (PS)

Scholars traditionally frame presidential efforts to politicize the federal bureaucracy as the result of divergence between the president's preferences and an agency's output. The authors argue that presidential concern with agency output is dynamic and is in part conditioned by the president's relationship with the public. To assess the relationship between politicization and public opinion, the authors use a data set that combines information on presidential efforts to politicize the Council of Economic Advisers from 1989 to 2004 with that of public attitudes concerning the president's handling of the economy. Their results indicate that public opinion does indeed bear a …

Lack Of A Will Or Of A Way? Taking A Capability Approach For Analysing Disability Policy Shortcomings And Ensuring Programme Impact In Afghanistan, Jean-Francois Trani, Parul Bakhshi, Ayan A. Noor, Ashraf Mashkoor

Brown School Faculty Publications

The present paper attempts to analyse some of the shortcomings that have impeded efforts in the field of disability in Afghanistan. After an overview of recent disability initiatives, this article presents elements that have contributed to the limited impact. The context of a Conflict Affected Fragile State (CAFS) makes particularly intricate the development of state-capacity as well as the delivery of basic services for the population. To overcome identified gaps, it is argued that Amartya Sen’s Capability Approach (CA) constitutes a relevant framework for designing disability policy and implementation. While the definition of human development has evolved considerably over the …

The Politic 2009 Winter, The Politic, Inc.

The Politic

No abstract provided.

Growth And Stability Of Local Government Taxes: An Analysis Of The Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government’S Tax Revenue Portfolio, Nathan Phelps

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

Adequate tax revenues are critical for a government to operate and maintain the delivery of services that its citizens depend. The stability of these revenues is necessary for a government to accurately forecast future revenue growth and to ensure that balanced-budget requirements are met. The Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government (LFUCG) depends upon five primary tax sources for nearly 95% of its tax revenue. These taxes comprise the city’s tax revenue portfolio and include the business net profits tax, employee withholdings tax, franchise tax, insurance premiums tax, and the property tax. Each of tax possesses unique characteristics that dictate their susceptibility …

Sustainability Significance: An Analysis Of A Community Assessment Survey Distributed By The Bluegrass Regional Planning Council, Kyle Scott

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

PURPOSE:

To analyze information gathered from community leaders and representatives to assist the Bluegrass Regional Planning Council (BRPC) in understanding how the policy issue of sustainable development is prioritized and perceived locally and regionally.

BACKGROUND:

The BRPC conducted a survey as a response to growing interest in the planning community involving sustainable development and more specifically the adoption of sustainable development code. Sustainable development is being defined as “meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.”1 A. How do public officials and other community representatives prioritize sustainability among other policy …

A Participant Model: Predictive Medical And Behavioral Factors Of Prostate Cancer Screening Attendees At Markey, Shana L. Steinbach

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

Problem Statement

The Prostate Cancer Screening Program at the Markey Cancer Center co-sponsors prostate cancer screenings with the Prostate Cancer Education Council. All participation, including African-American attendance, has decreased 38% from years 2006 to 2008 and program managers are seeking insight to improve program participation by acquiring knowledge of behavioral and medical characteristics that may influence screening attendance. Because of the higher incidence of prostate cancer in African-American men (ACS, 2008), a specific program goal is also to increase screening attendance for this minority population.

Research Strategy

Questions that assess participant behavior, personal, and family medical history are analyzed to …

Regulating The Notes : A Case Study Into The Impact Of Government Regulation On The Live Music Performances Of Perth's Original Contemporary Musicians, Christina Ballico

Theses : Honours

The impact of the government's regulation of the live music industry is a relatively new field of research, with studies traditionally investigating the issue from the perspective of venues. Studies such as Vanishing Act (2003) and Live Music Revolution' (2008), conducted into the New South Wales and the other states of Australian live music industries respectively, have provided insight into how regulation can impede the ability for licensed premises to host music. These earlier studies however, have failed to engage with musicians. Instead these studies have investigated how the government regulation impacts on the ability for venues to host live …

The Implementation Of The Kentucky Transitions: A Money Follows The Person Demonstration Grant Program, Amie Goodin

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

Kentucky Transitions is a Kentucky Medicaid program that is funded primarily by a grant from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. The purpose of this program is to transition individuals residing in long-term care facilities back into the community, where they will continue to receive health, social, and other benefits but do so in an approved residential setting. Individuals living in the community may experience higher quality of life and the increased ability to choose how and when they receive services, while Medicaid reaps the projected financial benefit of providing less-expensive community alternatives for care.

Though Kentucky Transitions operates …

Medication Therapy Management: Is It Worth Medicare’S Time?, Jennifer White

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

Problem:

Medication Therapy Management (MTM) is a service that a pharmacist can provide to any of their patients, but mostly to those who are either high risk patients for adverse events or those who are new to chronic medication therapy. As Medicare Part D has begun to cover MTM services, more and more pharmacists and other clinicians are becoming providers of MTM.

The intent of MTM is to decrease adverse events and healthcare costs to both the patient and the third party payer. In realizing the benefits of MTM, it is important to assess these outcomes to see if clinical, …

The Relative Effect Of Alternative Regulatory Actions: Benchmarks For The Compliance And Discipline Process In Different Jurisdictions And Occupations, Robert J. Mcatee

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

The compliance processes of many regulatory agencies have recently come under close scrutiny. The media have portrayed the compliance and discipline processes of many regulatory agencies as being inefficient and not timely in many instances. The Council of Licensure, Enforcement, and Regulation (CLEAR) intends to assist regulatory agencies to do their work in a more efficient and timely manner by providing them with adequate and helpful information.

In the spirit of CLEAR’s mission, a collaborative effort was embarked upon by CLEAR staff and leadership, professionals with experience in the compliance and discipline process along with myself to produce a survey …

Employability After Substance Abuse Treatment In Kentucky: An Analysis Of The Kentucky Treatment Outcome Study, Steven Scrivner

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

Public funding of substance abuse treatment (SAT) in Kentucky dates back to the 1950s when legislators sought to curb the problem of alcoholism through legislative acts. The definition of substance abuse expanded through the years to include other substances such as cocaine, marijuana and opiates.

Employment after SAT is a critically important outcome for policymakers to consider when allocating funds because it assists in social re-integration, helps to prevent relapse and promotes economic self-sufficiency. Because of this, employment is an important factor to consider when assessing the impact SAT has on its clients (participants).

The Kentucky Alcohol and Other Drug …

Manchester Center: A Comparative Analysis Of Similar Local Nonprofits Using Financial Ratios, Brittani Wilson

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

The Manchester Center is a nonprofit agency located in Lexington, KY whose mission is "to enrich lives in our neighborhood through educational, recreational, and social activities." A project team from the University of Kentucky studied the Center's finances, internal business processes, employee development, and services to customers to develop a balanced scorecard. It became evident to the team that the center was strained financially and additional funds would be beneficial to the organization However, before any suggestions could be made it was important to determine where the Manchester Center stood financially compared to similar nonprofit organizations in the Lexington area. …

Contractors As Military Professionals?, Gary Schaub, Jr., Volker Franke

Faculty Articles

The article presents information on a research study which compared the mindsets of military officers and private security contractors. The results are discussed in terms of U.S. military professionalism. The study indicated a need for better clarification of legal responsibilities in terms of contractor relations with the military. The study is also said to support the view that military combat roles should not be outsourced.

Understanding Generalist Function, F. Matthew Mihelic

Faculty Publications

A major concern in dealing with multi-agent complex adaptive systems is the understanding of how such systems build order in the midst of an otherwise chaotic universe. The ordering principles of such systems that are found at the biological level can be applied to better understanding human organizations, and can also be used to develop or modify highly complex intelligent agent software systems for greater efficacy. This paper describes the theoretical mechanism of how huge multi-agent complex adaptive systems overcome the exponential increases in entropy that would otherwise cause system collapse, through the use of agents that function to maintain …

Transition Teams Matter, Christine G. Springer

Public Policy and Leadership Faculty Research

As President-elect Obama comes to office, his administration faces daunting challenges and yet many expect that his diverse team of cabinet appointees may serve as a model for future transitions. In order for this administration to be truly successful, more is required. There must be functional teams in place not only at the cabinet level but also at the public administration level within each agency that operate according to clearly defined decision-making protocols and understand what they are accountable for and are willing to own the results achieved. This requires leadership, team skill and an alignment process so that progress …

Emergency Managers As Change Agents, Christine G. Springer

Public Policy and Leadership Faculty Research

Since 2001, FEMA and others have been defining and refining competencies for emergency management professionals. In so doing, they have addressed directly and indirectly the qualities of leaders. We know that leadership is not a person or a position. It is a complex relationship between people, based on trust, obligation, commitment, emotion, and a shared vision of the good. We also know that transformational or change-based leadership has become an organizational necessity given the fact that emergency management as a profession is just now coming into its own and emergency management jobs are not traditional in terms of the how, …

Eric K. Leonard On The Future Of Human Rights: Us Policy For A New Era Edited By William F. Schulz. Philadelphia, Pa: University Of Pennsylvania Press, 2008. 314pp., Eric K. Leonard

Human Rights & Human Welfare

A review of:

The Future of Human Rights: US Policy for a New Era edited by William F. Schulz. Philadelphia, PA: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2008. 314pp.

The Politic 2008 Fall (Special Issue), The Politic, Inc.

The Politic

No abstract provided.

The Politic 2008 Fall, The Politic, Inc.

The Politic

No abstract provided.

Contract Management: A P.A. Education For Boundary Managers., M. Ernita Joaquin

Public Policy and Leadership Faculty Research

Graduates of public administration programs might reasonably be expected to accurately spell out, even in their sleep, POSDCoRB. After all, it was Luther Gulick's rock-hewn formulation of the skills involved in public administration, circa 1937. Almost seven decades later, in their book Governing by Network, Stephen Goldsmith and William Eggers called for a
/="/">cultural transformation in the way we build capacity in the public sector, and, as I see it, crafting a new POSDCoRB for our time.