Public Administration Commons^™

Administration Without Borders, Jonathan G.S. Koppell

Publications from President Jonathan G.S. Koppell

To thrive in 2020, we must conceive of the field of public administration in the broadest possible terms. Phenomena that typically have been treated peripherally in our literature are emerging center stage in recent years, confirming that the “old” boundaries of our discipline do not reflect contemporary reality. After reviewing three key developments—the rise of mixed and nongovernmental institutions in public policy, the increasing importance of market mechanisms, and the assertion of meaningful global regulation—an argument is made for a broader reconception of “publicness” that goes hand in hand with the embrace of governance in lieu of administration.

Organic And Sustainable: The Emergence, Formalization And Performance Of A September 11th Disaster Relief Organization, David A. Campbell

Public Administration Faculty Scholarship

The terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, spawned 252 new nonprofit organizations. We know little about these organizations, including how they emerged, formalized, met constituents' expectations for immediate performance, and ultimately survived. This article explores these issues through a case study of one successful organization, the Windows of Hope Family Relief Fund. Using concepts from disaster, organizational ecology, and entrepreneurship research, the analysis identifies six propositions that link these literatures, notably the role of resource acquisition in formalization and the role of legitimacy in both fund development and organizational endurance. The study contributes new knowledge about the role of collaboration …

City Of Burleson Community Development Department Performance Review, William Crear, Douglas Mcdonald, Brian Stanley, Joyce Stephens

Public Administration Capstone Reports - Archive

The City of Burleson, Texas requested that The University of Texas at Arlington School of Urban and Public Affairs conduct a study to create employee performance evaluation measures for six positions in the Burleson Community Development Department. As such, it is the intent of the student team to coordinate employee performance evaluation measures with the recently adopted Roadmap to a "2030 Comprehensive Plan." The final product will include, but not be limited to, a set of standardized performance criteria for a total of six positions, a format for periodic goal-related performance appraisals in relation to the Roadmap to 2030 Comprehensive …

Mainstreaming Evaluation: Four Case Studies Of Systematic Evaluation Integrated Into Organizational Culture And Practices, Amy M. Gullickson

Dissertations

Following a literature review, a researcher generated a descriptive theory of evaluation mainstreaming, the integration of systematic evaluation into the culture, systems, and job responsibilities of organizations. She then explored the validity and generalizability of the theory in the National Science Foundation’s grant-funded Advanced Technological Education Program using mixed methods research. Four centers were chosen based on quantitative survey responses which suggested that the organizations were likely to be mainstreaming evaluation. For each center, the researcher conducted a site visit, interviews, and document review to understand (i) the processes by and extent to which evaluation became part of everyday operations; …

Procurement Of Information Technology And Canadian Municipalities, Umera Ali

MPA Major Research Papers

This paper examines the trends for the attainment of information technology (IT) and the barriers to the successful procurement of IT. A literature review, survey of IT managers in Ontario municipalities, and three interviews with municipal IT professionals were conducted. The findings reveal that Ontario municipalities are satisfied with their IT projects for using detailed plans, engaging in formal strategic planning, introducing mechanism controls to avoid risks, and using letters of agreement with formally established terms and conditions for projects, all of which are steps towards a successful procurement process. Nevertheless, there are still some barriers for small local governments …

Strategic Recovery Requires Leadership, Christine G. Springer

Public Policy and Leadership Faculty Research

As public managers work toward a successful recovery post-midyear elections, we all must deal with system-wide problems arising from the recession. This requires first recognizing that the crisis continues and must be addressed not just by increasing revenue but by fixing system-wide structural and operational issues.

To do so involves developing the skills required in a recovery, identifying the causes of the crisis so that future crises can be better managed and concentrating on the key areas of leadership expertise needed to effectively communicate and deliver better outcomes.

Irish Healthcare; The Evidence On Communicating Policy., Vivienne Byers

Conference Papers

The complexity of the health care environment necessitates that health policy, legislative objectives, resource allocation models, and management structures be aligned to plan and deliver healthcare services strategically. Policy in the Irish health care system is guided by the National Health Strategy of 2001; in that there should be equitable distribution of health services focused on the need of the citizen-client. Though the Strategy uses the words ‘evidence based’, ‘population health’, ‘equity’, ‘people-centred’ and ‘health and social gain’, there is little evidence that these concepts have gained purchase in the present implementation of policy and planning in Irish health care …

Public Participation In Canadian Local Government: A Study Of The Meadowlily Secondary Plan Process In London, Ontario, Michael Hurley

MPA Major Research Papers

This paper examines whether the facilitation of public participation in local government is a worthwhile objective, using public engagement in the Meadowlily Secondary Plan in London, Ontario as a case study. An online survey was administered to citizens who participated in the City’s land use planning process. The findings reveal that by participating in decision-making, citizens learned about the processes and responsibilities of municipal government, in addition to other forms of learning, which demonstrates that the facilitation of public participation in municipal government is indeed a worthwhile objective.

Editors' Introduction - 21st Century Public Management: Environmentalism And E-Government, Andrew I.E. Ewoh, Tony Carrizales

Faculty Articles

The Journal of Public Management and Social Policy, in completing its sixteenth volume, looks to continue bringing together a collection of articles and research that review polices and cases underscoring the area of public management and social policy throughout the United States and around the world. This issue’s contributors provide contemporary analyses of public management and social policies in areas ranging from the fiscal benefits of developing "green" buildings to the organizational life cycle of environmental justice groups. Topics covered in this issue also include the areas of e-government and public contracting. Overall, the issue brings together four general articles …

Fluoridation In The City Of Santa Clara: A Cost Benefit Analysis For The City Of Santa Clara Potable Water System, Nina Hawk

Master's Projects

No abstract provided.

Can The Center Hold? Finding Decentralization In Moroccan Migration, Matthew O’Sullivan

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Since independence, the Moroccan government has pursued a slow, controlled process of decentralization. While recognizing the benefits of local authority, the government does not wish to empower sub-national groups against the central monarchy or diminish its own relevance as the symbolic and administrative face of the nation. Subsequently, in many regions, local and community structures have only experienced limited access to political management. Furthermore, local administrations that rely on the central government for capital are directly subject to the wishes of the state. In regions where heavy outflows of migration are present, though, decentralization moves at a faster pace, free …

Kenya’S Post-Election Violence: Using A Kisii-Luo Case Study For A Critique Of Common Thought, Josh Gwin

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

A first step in a series of studies intended to discover how members of Kenyan ethnic groups elect National, Political and Ethnic identities, and how that election affected the 2007-2008 Post Election Violence, this field study examines as case study the relationship between the Kisii and Luo ethnic groups, setting up a comparison between the Kisii-Kipsigis ethnic relationship. Finding that the questions asked by actors such as the Kenyan National Commission on Human Rights were fundamentally wrong and incomplete, this study identifies questions of more significance to crisis-prevention and begins to identify methods to improve local civic-engagement within a community …

Sustainability Makes Dollars And Sense, John R. Bartle, Gerard Wellman

Faculty Books and Monographs

Environment Omaha has suggested many changes in the metropolitan Omaha area in the hopes of improving Omaha’s environment. We all want a better environment, but is it practical? What will it cost and what improvements can we expect? This document provides answers to these questions focusing on each of the five content areas of Environment Omaha’s study: the natural environment, urban form and transportation, building construction, resource conservation, and community health.

Coping With Disaster: Lessons Learned From Executive Directors Of Nonprofit Organizations (Npos) On New Orleans Following Hurricane Katrina, Steven L. Smith

Dissertations

This dissertation explores the issues and challenges that nonprofit organizations (NPOs) contend with as a consequence of a large-scale disaster, in this case, the Hurricane Katrina disaster in 2005. Through interviews with 10 executive directors of small and medium-size nonprofit, community-based NPOs in New Orleans, this study examines how their organizations coped with the consequences of the storm and the devastating aftermath. The critical issues and coping strategies the executives identified, and the lessons they learned offer insights into (a) nonprofit organizational responses to a catastrophic event, and (b) executive leadership that helped the nonprofit to survive.

This research project …

Preservation Ethics In The Case Of Nebraska's Nationally Registered Historic Properties, Darren Michael Adams

Department of Geography: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This dissertation focuses on the National Register of Historic Places and considers the geographical implications of valuing particular historic sites over others. Certain historical sites will either gain or lose desirability from one era to the next, this dissertation identifies and explains three unique preservation ethical eras, and it maps the sites which were selected during those eras. These eras are the Settlement Era (1966–1975), the Commercial Architecture Era (1976–1991), and the Progressive Planning Era (1992–2010). The findings show that transformations in the program included an early phase when state authorities listed historical resources pertaining to the settlement of the …

Through The Looking Glass: Finding And Freeing Modern-Day Slaves At The State Level, Michelle L. Rickert

Faculty Publications and Presentations

This article delves into the interaction between federal and state laws prohibiting human trafficking. The article advocates for comprehensive human trafficking laws at the state level, including police training, victim aftercare, forfeiture, and prosecution as essential elements. It looks comprehensively at the existing state laws prohibiting human trafficking. Additionally it examines the five existing models for state law and suggests benefits and potential improvements for each model. The article concludes y advocating a holistic law prohibiting human trafficking in the Commonwealth of Virginia.

Community Engagement In Strengthening Neighbourhood Initiatives, Diana Bumstead

MPA Major Research Papers

This paper examines which components of community engagement are critical in ensuring that public policy designed to strengthen neighbourhoods is effective. A detailed case study of the London Strengthening Neighbourhoods Strategy (LSNS) in London, Ontario was conducted and compared to less intensive neighbourhood community engagement case studies from Western Europe, the United States, and Canada. The findings reveal that overall, successful cases of citizen participation use the following components of community engagement in their treatment of residents: representativeness, democracy, influence, transparency, and competence or efficiency.

Assessment Of Medium-Sized Ontario Municipalities’ Hiring Practices, Andrea D’Souza

MPA Major Research Papers

This paper examines whether municipalities incorporate equitable principles within their hiring practices and policies. An anonymous online survey was administered to the chief administrative officers, city managers, and human resources personnel of medium-sized municipalities in Ontario working in the capacity of senior level management, as these individuals are known to be the most knowledgeable about hiring practices and employment equity initiatives. The findings demonstrate that, generally speaking, mid-sized Ontario municipalities are not incorporating strategies within their recruitment and selection processes that work towards reducing employment barriers for designated groups.

Explaining The Variation In The E-Government Characteristics Of Municipal Websites: An Analysis Of E-Content, E-Participation, And Social Media Features In Municipal Websites In Canada, Jordan Dolson

MPA Major Research Papers

This paper examines the variation of specific e-Government features in Canadian municipalities and it assesses the quality of municipal websites by evaluating their ability to meet criteria in the three areas of e-Content, e-Participation, and social media capacity. An e-Government Index was developed to evaluate website quality with respect to the three areas and a study of medium-sized Canadian municipalities – excluding those in Quebec – was conducted. The findings reveal that as a whole, medium-sized municipalities in Canada are more successful at developing the e-Content features of their websites compared to the e-Participation features, demonstrating that they are better …

A Study Of The 2006 Municipal Elections In Ontario Analyzing The Effectiveness Of The Campaign Period And Campaign Spending Of Incumbent Mayors And Their Bids To Be Re-Elected, Wendell Graves

MPA Major Research Papers

This paper examines the 2006 municipal elections in Ontario and the manner in which individual mayoral candidates, including incumbent mayors, exercised the length of their campaign period, as well as the amount of money that the candidates spent during their pursuit of office. A case study of municipal elections in 10 municipalities – Barrie, Belleville, Caledon, Innisfil, Milton, Oshawa, Quinte West, Sarnia, St. Thomas, and Waterloo – was undertaken, wherein five of the incumbent mayors were re-elected and five were defeated. The findings generally support the hypothesis that incumbent mayors who maximize the length of their campaign period while spending …

The Role Of Local Government In Social Policy And Program Development: Impacts Of Municipal Reform, Areej Hasso

MPA Major Research Papers

This paper examines whether municipal reform has led to local government developing self-initiated, innovative social programs that address local needs. Interviews with local government officials and administrators from single- and upper-tier municipalities in Ontario were conducted to gain firsthand accounts of the local government role in the social policy process. The findings reveal that municipal reform, accompanied by the downloading of social services in Ontario, leads to greater levels of autonomy, more flexibility with decision-making, and the ability of local government to take a lead role in the development of social programs and policy.

Active Recreation Incentives For Low Income Adults Living In Rural Communities, Heather King

MPA Major Research Papers

This paper examines whether subsidy programs for low-income adults increase participation rates for active recreation. Focus groups of 30 low-income individuals from Norfolk County between the ages of 25 and 55 were conducted to discuss the barriers to active recreation, in addition to less intensive interviews with residents of seven rural single-tier municipalities in Ontario. The findings reveal that a subsidy program alone does not achieve the goal of increasing participation rates for active recreation and the challenges associated with time, energy, childcare, motivation, transportation, safety, the location of facilities, and cost must also be addressed.

The Role Of Municipalities In Redistribution In Ontario: A Study On Ontario Works, Siu Ming Kwok

MPA Major Research Papers

This paper examines the role of Ontario municipalities in redistribution in an effort to understand the values behind welfare policy, the policy process, and the service provision model. Interviews with 15 Ontario Works stakeholders – including two members of municipal council, three senior level managers of a social services department, four members of community-based organizations, and six Ontario Works recipients – from a mid-sized municipality in Southwestern Ontario were conducted. The findings reveal that with regards to redistribution, municipalities can play an active role in policy implementation at the local scale, while policymaking can be left to the province.

How To Shift Into High Gear: An Analysis Of The Implementation Of London’S Bicycle Master Plan, Kenneth Man

MPA Major Research Papers

This paper examines the impediments to the implementation of the Bicycle Master Plan (BMP) in London, Ontario. Interviews with key BMP stakeholders, a literature review, archival research, and participant observations were conducted. The findings reveal that various political and structural and administrative obstacles have impeded the progress of the construction of on-road bicycling facilities in the city, including pressures to maintain the transportation policy status quo, a general lack of advocacy for bicycling-related issues, the problematic assignment of key implementation officials, low levels of data collection, and the absence of a formalized public consultation process.

The Political Business Cycle In Ontario: An Empirical Analysis Of Financial And Demographic Data Across Medium To Large-Sized Ontario Municipalities, Robert Mcgarva

MPA Major Research Papers

This paper examines whether there was a political business cycle in Ontario municipalities from 2000 to 2006. An analysis of the top 70 lower- or single-tier municipalities by population was conducted based on financial and employment data obtained from the Ontario Financial Information Return and Municipal Performance Measurement Program websites, in addition to Statistics Canada. The findings reveal that there is weak evidence for the existence of a political business cycle in Ontario municipalities between 2000 and 2006.

Law Enforcement Expenditures And Crime Rates In Canadian Municipalities: A Statistical Analysis Of How Law Enforcement Expenditures Impact Municipal Crime Rates In Canada, Matthew Slotwinski

MPA Major Research Papers

This paper examines what impact law enforcement expenditures have on municipal crime rates. An analysis of 65 municipalities representing nine provinces across Canada was conducted using data collected from the Police Resources in Canada reports from 1997 to 2007 and Census data from 2001 and 2006. The findings reveal that although a significant absolute relationship between expenditures and crime rates exists, there is no indication that law enforcement expenditures have an impact of statistical significance on crime rates.

Eviction Notice – Arrears Due: A Report On Ontario Social Housing Providers’ Discretion To Evict, Valentina Trglavcnik

MPA Major Research Papers

This paper examines the factors that may influence social housing eviction rates in Ontario in terms of local authority, autonomy, and discretion over eviction. A survey and interview of staff members of the largest public housing providers in 12 Ontario municipalities were conducted. The findings reveal that there are several factors that influence each social housing corporation’s eviction rate and there are many explanations for why social housing administrators may or may not decide to evict.

اثر استخدام الانترنيت على تسويق خطاب الكراهية من وجهة نظر المحللين وذوي الخبرة والعلاقة والفنيين من مختلف شرائح المجتمع الاردني, ظاهر رداد حسن القريشي, تيسير محمد العفيشات

Muthanna Journal of Administrative and Economics Sciences

استهدفت الدراسة الكشف عن أثر استخدام الانترنت تسويق خطاب الكراهية”، وقد استخدمت الدراسة المنهج الوصفي التحليل في منهجيتها، ولخصوصية وحساسية موضوع الدراسة فقد اختار الباحثان وحدة معاينة الدراسة من ذوي الخبرة والمعرفة واساتذة جامعيين وصحفيين ومحللين سياسيين واجتماعين وفنيين من مختلف شرائح المجتمع الاردني، والذين تم تحديدهم بناءً على دراسة استطلاعية قام بها الباحث قبل توزيع استبانات الدراسة، وقد تم تصميم استبانة مخصصة لغايات جمع بيانات الدراسة من وحدة المعاينة، حيث تكونت الاستبانة من (68) فقرة لتجيب على أسئلة الدراسة من خلال استطلاع أراء مفردات وحدة المعاينة، تم توزيع (100) استبانة، وتم استرجاع (92) استبانة أي بنسبة (92%) من مجموع …

Antecedents Of Servant Leadership: A Mixed Methods Study, Curtis D. Beck

Department of Agricultural Leadership, Education, and Communication: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The purpose of this mixed methods study was to explore the antecedents of servant leadership. The sequential explanatory research design consisted of two distinct phases: quantitative followed by qualitative. The Phase One quantitative survey collected data from 499 leaders and 630 raters from community leadership programs in the United States using the Servant Leadership Questionnaire (Barbuto & Wheeler, 2006). During Phase Two, selected leaders from phase one (N = 12) were interviewed to explain those results in more depth. The data were coded and analyzed for possible themes. Triangulation was used to analyze the quantitative and qualitative data to validate …

A Communication Intervention In A City Government Organization Using The Appreciative Inquiry Theory Focusing On Communication, Teamwork, And Leadership To Improve Work Group Performance, Mary T. Figone

Master's Projects

No abstract provided.