Public Administration Commons^™

Considerations For Measuring The Impact Of Policy-Relevant Research, Megan Collado, Lauren Gerlach, Caroline Ticse, Katherine Hempstead

The Foundation Review

Philanthropy, and the research and analysis it supports, has an important role to play in informing policy and making government more effective. Yet all too often, foundations and other research funders struggle to understand whether and how their investments have affected policy.

This article highlights the findings of an 18-month pilot project conducted by AcademyHealth to help the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation better understand the impact of a subset of the foundation’s research grants, across investment types, on health insurance coverage and health reform, and to help inform how the foundation may more systematically track and measure the impact of …

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 …

Policy And Institutional Challenges In Climate Information Services Provisioning In Philippine Agriculture, Dulce D. Elazegui, Agnes C. Rola, Roger A. Luyun, Nico Jayson C. Anastacio, Francis John F. Faderogao, Maria Cristina A. Alvarez

Journal of Public Affairs and Development

Current and immediate information about the increasingly unpredictable weather conditions are needed to augment conventional knowledge in local communities. Policy analysis on climate information services (CIS) provisioning in the agriculture sector is vital and warranted. This paper describes the global and national CIS policies as well as the institutions involved in provisioning through the characterization of pathways from data generation to dissemination. Further, it identifies the various intermediary users of the CIS and how CIS are ultimately disseminated to the municipal agricultural offices and the farmers. Secondary data sources were searched. Primary data were gathered through key informant interviews. Qualitative …

Impact Of The Zambian Agricultural Policy On Grain Trade, Onesphore Karuho

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The agricultural sector in Zambia is supported through the government use of public expenditure programs to spur the production and subsidize the consumption of key grains to stabilize prices. Previous research has documented the effects of public spending on agriculture in terms of food prices and food security. The effects of government spending on the trade of key grains, however, is not well understood. As such, there is a gap in knowledge regarding the impact of agricultural policy on the agricultural trade. The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of Zambian agricultural policy on grain trade. A …

The Effect Of Rules On Racially-Influenced Policing And Police Uses Of Force, Joe D. Mazza

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Public opinion polls have shown the public lacks confidence in U.S. police to use appropriate amounts of force and treat racial minorities fairly, which undermines police legitimacy and the quality of life of all citizens. Although rules have been shown to positively constrain police uses of force, researchers have not demonstrated the effect of rules on racially influenced policing (RIP). In 2005, the RIP directive which prohibits officers from using race as a factor in taking discretionary actions was promulgated in New Jersey. The purpose of this study was to determine through the theoretical lens of Lipsky's street-level bureaucrat theory …

Emergency Managers' Perceptions Of All-Hazards Pandemic Planning Effectiveness In North Texas, Timothy Goss

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

All-hazards pandemic planning is the foundation of current emergency management planning doctrine, yet there is limited information and limited studies related to its effectiveness in mitigating pandemics. The North Texas emergency management community handles incidents of West Nile Virus, H1N1 influenza, and a recent Ebola incident. Despite efforts to mitigate these threats, reported cases and deaths are still occurring from both influenza and West Nile virus. The purpose of this case study was to assess the risk perceptions of emergency planners in a small emergency operation center in North Texas using the cultural theory of risk perception as the theoretical …

Effective Social Media Use By Law Enforcement Agencies: A Case Study Approach To Quantifying And Improving Efficacy And Developing Agency Best Practices, David T. Snively

Master of Public Administration Practicums

In the wake of protests against law enforcement for an array of reasons, law enforcement officers and agencies have a responsibility to recognize and utilize the available mediums of communication with which they may best develop a connection to the communities they serve. Furthermore, law enforcement agencies must be informed that established, traditional methods of news dissemination – such as press conferences and printed articles – are now both ineffective and under-utilized, replaced in large part by social media live-time reports. For that reason, law enforcement agency executives must address both the responsibility to provide appropriately timed updates to critical …

Technology Distractions On Patrol: Giving Police Officers A Voice, Andrew David Dasher

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Distraction while using mobile technology devices such as a cell phone or tablet computer is a common occurrence within the civilian population of the United States. U.S. police officers are increasingly utilizing these types of devices within the patrol environment. However, little is known as to how distraction affects police officers while they interact with these devices in the course of their daily duties. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore how officers process potential officer safety issues on patrol, while interacting with mobile technology, by questioning participants' perception of distraction. This was accomplished through a phenomenological paradigm …

Policemoms: Perceptions Of Motherhood And Policy In Ohio Police Organizations, Lacy Kristine Ellis

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Police organizations have a problem retaining female police officers, especially those who are mothers. Women leave the policing profession at higher rates during childbearing and child-rearing years than during any other time in their career. Using feminist theory as a foundation, the purpose of this phenomenological study was to gain a deeper understanding of the lived experiences of policewomen who are mothers and identify factors that contribute to poor retention rates during childbearing and child-rearing years. Data were collected through 11 interviews with policewomen, who were also mothers, in Ohio. These data were analyzed using Saldana's 2-cycle coding procedure followed …

The Lived Experience Of School Bus Drivers: Bullying Prevention On School Buses, Timothy Crable

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

U.S. school bus drivers witness bullying on their buses on a regular basis but are often not consulted on how to prevent bullying or how to maintain a safe environment. Over 24 million U.S. student passengers ride school buses daily, yet the voices of bus drivers have been inadequately represented in the development of school bullying policies. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to examine the lived experience of 12 active school bus drivers and their perceptions of bullying on the bus, driver training programs, school antibullying policies, and other mandated procedures developed for bus drivers. The conceptual framework …

Relationship Between Internships And Employment Competencies Of Degreed Professionals Who Completed A College Internship, Shawn Barnwell

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

An estimated 1.5 million underemployed or unemployed college graduates have one or more college degrees, and many have high loan debt. Policy makers, students, and institutions of higher education are all concerned with the question of how prepared students are to enter the workforce upon graduation, yet little is known about whether internships are a strategy to improve career preparedness and gainful employment after graduation. Guided by Dewey and Kolb's experiential learning theory, the purpose of this nonexperimental study was to evaluate the impact of internships on career preparation from the perspective of graduates, specifically to evaluate whether graduates perceive …

Perception Of Job Satisfaction And Over Qualification Among African Immigrants In Alberta, Canada, Benard Chi Njeundam Chuba

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

African-trained landed immigrants in the Alberta labor market are faced with employment over qualification and professional devaluation. Researchers have documented the precarious labor market position of this cohort and efforts undertaken by federal and provincial Canadian governments to address it. Little is known, however, about how these African immigrants perceive job satisfaction and over qualification. Guided by human capital theory, this phenomenological study focused on the perceptions of job satisfaction and over qualification among 11 landed immigrants of African origin in Alberta, Canada. Data were collected using semi structured interviews. Hatch's 9-step technique was used to analyze data, resulting in …

Leadership Opportunities In Education For Individuals With Disabilities, Sean Daniel Kinder

Administrative Issues Journal

This study examines the perceptions of individuals with disabilities concerning employment opportunities as administrative leaders in public school contexts. A discussion of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, as well as the definition of what is considered a legal disability, as provided in Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. Additionally, this piece explains Critical Disability Theory as a theoretical lens that provides perspective and highlights the methods used in the data collection process. It reports preliminary findings and concludes with a discussion of why this educational issue is of significance.

An Assessment Of The Built Environment And Inclusivity Of Older Adults In Community Planning In Portland, Maine, Elizabeth A. Bissonnette

Muskie School Capstones and Dissertations

This paper focuses on this assessment specific to four: civic participation, housing, transportation, and outdoor spaces and buildings. Four others targeted for study by others include respect and social inclusion, communication and information, community and health services, and social participation. Each domain is reviewed from the perspective of older adults and older although this assessment also benefits people of all ages and abilities. Some data and references were only available with population breakouts of those aged 65 years and older and are noted appropriately.

Determining If Development Capacity Leads To The Attainment Of Redevelopment Goals For Six Communities Affected By Base Realignment And Closure (1988, 1991, And 1993), Paula J. Loomis

School of Public Service Theses & Dissertations

The McGuire et al. model (1994) showed that development of a strategic plan led to higher development capacity, but did not address the relationship between development capacity and redevelopment success. This study examined the link between development capacity and redevelopment success.

This study examined six base realignment and closure communities. Following the Yin Multiple Case Study Method, each community was evaluated on its own merits before being compared with other communities. In this study the McGuire et al. model was expanded to fourteen variables in three categories; citizen participation, community structure, and development instruments. Redevelopment success was measured by attainment …

The Critical Success Factors Of Public Private Partnerships In Lagos State, Franca Igboka

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In recent years, the Lagos State Government has attempted to adopt public private

partnerships (PPP) with little success, largely as a result of implementation barriers. The

purpose of this quantitative, ex-post facto design study was to evaluate which factors are

considered most predictive of success of PPP implementation in the state, whereby the

prescribed quality of products/services is achieved within a specified time frame and at

the agreed cost. Wood and Gray's theory of collaboration and the network and

collaborations theory by Kamensky and Burlin guided this study. A self-constructed and

validated structured questionnaire was utilized in the collection of …

Framing The Question, "Who Governs The Internet?", Robert J. Domanski

Publications and Research

There remains a widespread perception among both the public and elements of academia that the Internet is “ungovernable”. However, this idea, as well as the notion that the Internet has become some type of cyber-libertarian utopia, is wholly inaccurate. Governments may certainly encounter tremendous difficulty in attempting to regulate the Internet, but numerous types of authority have nevertheless become pervasive. So who, then, governs the Internet? This book will contend that the Internet is, in fact, being governed, that it is being governed by specific and identifiable networks of policy actors, and that an argument can be made as to …

A Vision For Berwick: A Case Study Of The Citizen Initiated Visioning Process For Downtown Redevelopment In Southern Maine, John Stoll

Muskie School Capstones and Dissertations

This Capstone follows the downtown redevelopment visioning process in Berwick from the initial presentation to Town Officials up until formal adoption as an addendum to the Comprehensive Plan. Berwick has a monumental task ahead of it as the Town looks to redevelop an 11 acre abandoned factory site that is located directly where a downtown should be. Residents of Berwick had to work with Town Staff to navigate a considerable amount of lingering controversy and to rebuild trust between the public and local government. Members of the Downtown Vision Committee worked tirelessly to reach out to the community through education …

Exploring The Effects Of Ex-Prisoner Reentry On Structural Factors In Disorganized Communities: Implications For Leadership Practice, G. Michael Davis

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

The purpose of this study is to explore the way(s) in which the disproportionate return of ex-prisoners to socially and economically disadvantaged communities impact(s) specific community structural factors identified in the study. After three decades of withstanding the enduring effects of the mass incarceration, communities stand at the edge of a new era. Economic realities, and the failure of policies designed to deter crime through imprisonment are rapidly ushering in an era of mass prisoner reentry. The complexity of the challenges surrounding the successful integration of offenders to communities requires a new leadership paradigm for justice leaders. This study posits …

Operation New Dawn: Rhetoric Or Real Policy Change?, Josiah Thomas Barrett

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Scholars have long explored questions concerning presidential foreign policy decision making as well as military performance in conducting operations. Studies have covered a wide variety of topics, including the organizational dynamics of the military bureaucracy, the effectiveness of military operations, how presidential rhetorical strategies influence the public agenda in foreign affairs, and, in turn, how public opinion influences presidential foreign policy decision-making. Despite these advances, there remains a notable gap in the literature with respect to the relationship between presidential foreign policy objectives and military bureaucratic responsiveness. In particular, when presidents use rhetoric to introduce key shifts in foreign policy …

Bring Your Own Technology: A Public School Technology Policy Case Study, Cynthia Bauter

Administrative Issues Journal

This case study examines a large Texas school district that implemented a “bring your own technology” (BYOT) technology policy. The study considers teachers’, administrators’, and students’ issues and challenges as a result of the implementation. The study finds that although this policy is aligned with national and state technology integration standards for education, it is problematic in reality. Questions are raised about equity and adequacy, the need for professional development to deal with implementation, and the intention versus the reality of BYOT policies.

Monitoring Students And Enforcing Information Technology Use Policies In Universities, Jimmy D. Speers

Administrative Issues Journal

This paper presents the results of an Internet survey of university Information Technology (IT) managers on the use/abuse of IT resources by a university’s students. The survey sought data on university size, public/private organization, whether there were policies in place on acceptable use of IT resources, possible student use and actions, and finally how IT resources were monitored if they were monitored. Results revealed that most universities had policies on the proper use of IT resources but were very unlikely to monitor use/abuse of IT resources mainly due to a lack of personnel. Some potential abuses were identified and respondents …

Mobilizing Alumni Constituents For Legislative Advocacy In Higher Education, Elizabeth Saxman Underwood

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Adequate funding has become a critical issue for institutions of higher education, affecting outcomes such as accessibility, affordability, and quality of education. The recent economic recession has been detrimental for state funding, resulting in budget cuts for higher education in a majority of states. Overall, state funding has not kept pace with the rising costs of education. Additionally, the issues of state governance and institutional autonomy have also become heightened. Thus, many higher education institutions are initiating advocacy programs with their external constitutions. Because alumni are integral group of an institution's constituent base, and often exhibit the most passion for …

A Comparative Analysis Of Cultural Competence In Beginning And Graduating Nursing Students, Deborah Davenport, Helen Reyes, Lance Hadley

Administrative Issues Journal

The ethnic proportions of the population in the United States are rapidly changing, with the nation’s minority population at approximately 101 million. This is also true for the West Texas region, where locally in a city with 183,000 residents, 43 different languages are spoken suggesting that cultural education needs to be included in nursing program curricula. Therefore, a study was conducted during a period of curriculum revision to determine if the current nursing curriculum at West Texas A&M University offers enough education and experience for graduating nurses to care for such a diverse population by comparing their perceptions of cultural …

Generic Wish-Lists For State-Centric Policies, Edzia Carvalho

Human Rights & Human Welfare

The Central America depicted in the article under review resembles a region visited by the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse—colonial Conquest, civil War, Famine and other natural disasters, and poverty, disease and Death. Added to this list of woes are the recent drug-fueled conflict, democratic instability, weak state capacity, and the socio-economic fallout of the economic recession in the United States. While the first half of the article records these problems, the author shifts gears in the second half and provides an array of responses to these challenges, with a forceful recommendation that states in the region focus their efforts …

"Courting" Time: Assessing The Policy And Planning Issues Related To Adoption Of Case Processing Standards In The Kentucky Judicial System, John B. Dobson

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

No executive summary.

Policy Mandated Collaboration, Jan Ivery

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This exploratory study examined the collaborative strategy used by Tri Cities Partnership (TCP) to facilitate the collaborative process required by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to receive Continuum of Care funding. The study examined partner perceptions of TCP's leadership, organizational structure, benefits and drawbacks of participation, and relationships with partners. A follow-up survey and key informant interviews explored themes related to organizational affiliation with TCP, benefits and drawbacks of participation, relationships with partners, challenges impacting the ability of TCP to facilitate collaboration and strategies for involving key stakeholders. The study also identified factors that motivate …

Training Module In Regional And Municipal Governance Of Public Private Partnerships, Louis Gunnigan

Conference papers

This module concentrates on the issues important to those who will be setting up PPPs and who are involved in government at a regional or municipal level.

The module is centred on five tasks, namely:

• How to identify PPP opportunities and to find the best private sector partners for a PPP;
• How to organize a PPP programme within a government by enhancing cooperation amongst the relevant departments and ministries, local, regional and national authorities;
• How to be an effective manager and leader in a dynamic PPP unit;
• How to engage public support for PPPs;
• How to use international instruments to …

A Historical Descriptive Analysis Of Federal, State, And Local Education Policy And Its Influence On The Music Education Curriculum In The New York City Public School 1950-1999, David Crone

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

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Councilmanic Perceptions Of Water Policy For The Lake Gaston Water Supply Project In Virginia And North Carolina, Beverly Mcafee Hedberg

Theses and Dissertations in Urban Services - Urban Management

The purpose of this case study is to analyze the perceptions of city council members in formulating and implementing policy on the Lake Gaston Water Supply Project in Virginia and North Carolina. A comparison of the perceptions of twenty-three members of three city councils: Henderson, North Carolina; Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina; and Virginia Beach, Virginia serves as the basis for analysis. Their perceptions of the issues and how they view other actors in the intergovernmental arena, within the context of the Lake Gaston Water Supply Project.

Specifically, the research examines how city council members view (1) water-policy issues, (2) the …