Public Administration Commons^™

Bill 150: The Green Energy Act: An Analysis Of Green Energy Politics In Ontario, Peter Markvoort

MPA Major Research Papers

This paper examines the Green Energy Act (GEA) and the economic circumstances that enabled the bill to become law in Ontario. An analysis of electrical power research, planning, and recommendations over the past forty years was conducted. The findings reveal that a variety of changes led to the approval of the GEA, including an environmentally conscious value shift and the economic recession, and the coincidence of these factors allowed forty years of government funded energy research to culminate in a publicly supported piece of legislation.

Revolt Against The Czars: Why Barack Obama’S Staffing Critics Are (Mostly) Wrong, José Villalobos, Justin Vaughn

Departmental Papers (PS)

Rather than view the alleged proliferation of “czars” in recent presidential administrations as a threat to the constitutional order, we consider it part of an ongoing reorganization of the presidential branch designed to maximize leadership capacity as presidents continue to take more responsibility for policy development and implementation, a phenomenon driven as much by congressional abdication as presidential zeal for power. The real debate lies over whether the president can delegate his constitutional authority to those who work beneath him. We posit that presidents may choose to delegate within their own discretion, so long as it is within the limits …

White House Staff, Justin Vaughn, José Villalobos

Departmental Papers (PS)

The White House Staff provides the bureaucratic framework that makes presidential leadership possible. Even though modern presidents continue to face constraints by the constitutional structure and political reality in successfully straddling the expectations gap that continues to enlarge, the staff presents the president with his best opportunity to anticipate and exploit leadership opportunities in the best case and manage crisis and cope with challenges in the worst. In recent decades, scholarly efforts to analyze the influence and importance of the White House staff has continued apace the institution’s own evolution. In this chapter, we evaluate the state of these efforts …

Clackamas County Alternate Work Week Pilot Project, Masami Nishishiba, Jana Bitton, Dennis Kurtz, Charlene Zil

Center for Public Service Publications and Reports

In November 2008, Clackamas County, Oregon began a one-year pilot program: switching employees to an alternate four-day work week, with 10-hour workdays (typically 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., Monday through Thursday). About 828 of Clackamas County's 1,800 employees were affected by the program, which does not extend to emergency service providers.

This report summarizes the evaluation of Clackamas County’s alternate work week pilot project based on the data collected between November 2008 and July 2009.

A Report On The Strategic Economic Development Plan For North Richland Hills 2011., Fatema Ali, Elizabeth Bowlen, Shon Brooks, Danielle Guillory, William Neely, Julius Owino

Public Administration Capstone Reports - Archive

The City of North Richland Hills requested that the student team make a comparative analysis of business development and retention practices in cities of comparable size. In order to suggest strategies to attract and retain businesses in North Richland Hills, the team was requested to conduct research within the business community and communicate with developers and industry leaders. Qualitative findings were compared and are presented in this report along with academic research on business development in the North Texas area. The team found that the strategy in North Richland Hills is similar to that of the other communities in the …

Public Higher Education Governance: An Empirical Examination, Jacob Fowles

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

Public higher education is a large enterprise in the United States. Total state expenditures for higher education totaled nearly $152 billion dollars in FY2008, accounting for over ten percent of total state expenditures and representing the single largest category of discretionary spending in most states (NASBO, 2009). The last three decades have witnessed the introduction of hundreds of pieces of legislation across states which make structural changes to state higher education governance systems (Marcus, 1997; McLendon, Deaton, and Hearn, 2007). Despite the ubiquity of state higher education governance change much remains unknown, both in terms of why states choose to …

Tunisia–The Imprisonment Of Fahem Boukadous (Part One Of A Series), Rob Prince

Human Rights & Human Welfare

To most Americans with the exception of those few who, for whatever reason, have an attachment to the North African country of Tunisia, the name Fahem Boukadous, foreign to American ears, means nothing. It means a good deal more to "Reporters Without Borders” and to the US State Department that actually issued a statement (half way down the page) on his behalf, to the US intelligence agencies and military that have carefully followed the Spring, 2008 uprising in the Tunisian region of Gafsa–deemed the most extensive and militant social protest in that country’s history in the past quarter century.

© …

Arbitrary Arrest And Detention Of Human Rights Defenders In Iran: Subduing The Voices Demanding Rights, Sachchi Karki

Human Rights & Human Welfare

Arbitrary arrest and detention, oftentimes used to curtail the freedom of opinion and expression, as well as the right to association and peaceful assembly, has continued to characterize Iranian regimes since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Such arrest and detention of human rights defenders (HRD)–who individually or with others act to protect and promote human rights—has demonstrated the repressive nature of the Iranian regime. Human rights lawyers, civil society representatives, journalists, and women’s rights movements and trade union activists are among the most commonly targeted HRD.

Bedouin Women In The Naqab, Israel: Ongoing Transformation, Marcy M. Wells

Human Rights & Human Welfare

Since its inception in 1948, the state of Israel has based development plans on an agenda of nation-building that has systematically excluded Palestinian Arab citizens such as the indigenous Bedouin. Policies of relocation, resettlement, and restructuring have been imposed on the Bedouin, forcing them from their ancestral lands and lifestyle in the Naqab (or Negev, as it is called in Hebrew) desert of southern Israel. The rapid and involuntary transition from self-sufficient, semi-nomadic, pastoral life to sedentarization and modernization has resulted in dependency on a state that treats the Bedouin as minority outsiders through unjust social, political, and economic structures. …

Niobrara National Scenic River Condition Assessment, Sunil Narumalani, Gary D. Willson, Christine K. Lockert, Paul B. T. Merani

United States National Park Service: Publications

Executive Summary

Niobrara National Scenic River spans a 122-km (76-mile) long reach of the Niobrara River in rural, north-central Nebraska. The scenic river encompasses 9,338 ha (23,074 acres) of land and water, all of which is in private ownership, except for about 320 ha (790 acres). Because the scenic river does not own land, it achieves management goals by coordinating and collaborating with federal, state, and local jurisdictions and private landowners.

The central Niobrara River Valley is often referred to as a “biological crossroads” with plant and animal species representative of northern boreal forest, eastern deciduous forest, rocky mountain coniferous …

The Utilization Of Performance Appraisal In Local Governments: Extent And Challenges, Sandra Hindo

Wayne State University Dissertations

This study examines the utilization of employee performance appraisal in a sample of 59 Detroit-area suburban communities. Despite the emphasis placed on employee performance appraisal in the literature, over half of the communities do not possess formal systems of employee appraisal. Also two variables help explain performance appraisal usage: form of government and extent of unionization.

Importantly, respondents in non-utilizing communities often acknowledge the benefits of systems of performance appraisal but they cite various reasons for not having such systems in place, with the opposition of municipal unions being cited most often. This was true even though many jurisdictions with …

A Multiple Cue Threshold Learning Model Of Selection And Detection : Balancing Judgmental Accuracy With Threshold Learning, April M. Roggio

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Selection and detection problems represent some of the most challenging decision making tasks, especially in the fields of health and medicine. In a population of pregnant women, who is a candidate for a cesarean delivery? Does this mammogram indicate the presence of cancer? Should antibiotics be prescribed for this illness? We must judge

Fiscal Decentralization In Taiwan : A Case Study Of The Centrally-Allotted Tax Revenue Program And Local Financial Accountability, Nai-Ling Kuo

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Fiscal decentralization has generated enormous interest in the past two decades. Despite some remaining skepticism regarding fiscal decentralization, many countries have adopted various forms in an effort to improve public service quality. The primary objectives of this dissertation are to understand fiscal decentralization in unitary countries, to gain information about the role of the equalization program in local finances, and to investigate local financial accountability issues in a unitary country. Three independent but linked studies were conducted to achieve the above objectives. They employ case studies on Taiwan's equalization transfer program, the Centrally-Allotted Tax Revenue (CATR) program, and local financial …

Fair Treatment, Job Involvement, And Turnover Intention Of Professional Employees In Government : The Importance Of Organizational Identification As A Mediator, Shahidul Hassan

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Although organizational justice is a critical issue for effectively managing employees in government agencies, it has been neglected in previous public management research. Further, the limited amount of research that has examined the consequences of organizational justice in government agencies did not clarify the underlying psychological process through which perceptions of organizational justice may influence public sector employees' work attitudes and behaviors. Specifically, previous research did not examine any indirect effect that employees' perceptions of organizational justice may have on their attitudes and behaviors in government agencies. To fill this gap, this dissertation examined the role of organizational identification as …

Barriers To Implementing A ‘Secured By Design’ Program For The Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government, Brent Burchett

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

Officers from the Lexington Division of Police have begun planning the implementation of a popular United Kingdom crime prevention program, Secured by Design, in Lexington, Kentucky. Many municipalities in the United States operate crime prevention by design programs, focusing on how the built environment affects criminal behavior. Secured by Design, a specific crime prevention by design program privately owned by the U.K.'s Association of Chief Police Officers, partners with U.K. police and urban planning departments to encourage adoption of building and design practices believed to prevent crime. Lexington would be the first U.S. city to have a Secured by Design …

Evaluating The Presidential Management Fellows Program: Has The Implementation Of A Standardized Assessment Test Altered Student Selection?, Graham Drake

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

The Presidential Management Fellows (PMF) Program aims to attract high-performing graduate students into federal service. Given the measured performance of past participants, or Fellows, many Federal agencies use the PMF Program as a cornerstone of their succession planning. Since its inception in 1977, the PMF Program has used a variety of selection mechanisms to identify and assess candidates. The most recent alteration in the PMF Program‟s selection mechanism in 2007 has raised questions of efficiency. While the implementation of a single standardized test has reduced costs and allowed more candidates to be evaluated, it is unknown if this assessment test …

Disability Preparedness: Availability Of Ada Compliant Emergency Shelters Across Pennsylvania, Lisa J. Peterson

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

Since the events of September 11th and Hurricane Katrina, the field and research associated with emergency preparedness have grown substantially. Despite the positive contributions of research, problems relating to the use of emergency shelters during the disasters have surfaced. Through anecdotal evidence and subsequent research, it was soon discovered that the needs of those with disabilities were not adequately addressed at many sites. Many potential residents were turned away at shelters due to their disability, or if allowed in, were forced to live in sites with barriers that could hinder activities of daily living.

To address concerns, emergency management officials …

Foreclosure Mitigation Counseling: An Analysis Of The Households Participating In The National Foreclosure Mitigation Counseling Program In Louisville, Travis Weber

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

Problem Statement

Since 2006 the number of housing foreclosures has increased significantly. This increase is taking a toll on many communities across the nation, including Louisville, Kentucky. The percentage of delinquent mortgage loans in the Commonwealth of Kentucky has risen sharply, jumping nearly 3.5% since 2006, while the percentage of delinquent loans entering foreclosure has risen just as sharply according to the Kentucky Office of the Courts. The number of foreclosed properties proceeding to Master Commissioner sale has more than tripled between 2002 and 2008, to over 3000 foreclosures scheduled to take place. The number of foreclosures is negatively impacting …

A Case Study Of Relative Satisfaction With Justice In State Courts: Perceptions Of Access And Fairness Among Hispanics/Latinos And Whites, Christopher George Bleuenstein

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Previous studies have neglected to focus on the generalized affective satisfaction (diffuse support) to state level courts among Hispanics/Latinos. A western US county was selected for this case study to test a racial and ethnic theory of procedural justice in a region with a large Hispanic/Latino population. Differential experience theory was used as a theoretical foundation and posits that people determine their level of satisfaction with the courts based on their own actual experience with the courts. The main research question was whether Hispanics/Latinos have a different level of satisfaction with their access to, and fairness in, the court when …

The Materialization Of Human Trafficking In The Middle East And Impediments To Its Eradication, Mindy Mann

Human Rights & Human Welfare

As a continental hub that connects Asia, Africa, and Europe, the Middle East offers a strategic location for the trafficking of persons from poor to richer states. Extreme poverty, coupled with the corporate and royal wealth of the Gulf States, creates a regional dichotomy in which Middle Eastern states serve as ‘source,’ ‘transit,’ and ‘destination’ countries for human trafficking. Discrepancies in defining human trafficking within the region, as well as the controversial and illicit nature of the practice, cause research to be sparse and with very few first-hand sources. Nevertheless, this paper examines available literature on the subject and addresses …

Preventing State Budget Crises: Managing The Fiscal Volatility Problem, David Gamage

Articles by Maurer Faculty

Forty-nine of the U.S. states have balanced budget requirements, and every state acts as though bound by such constraints. These constraints create fiscal volatility - the states must either cut spending or raise taxes during economic downturns, while doing the opposite during upturns. This paper discusses how states should cope with fiscal volatility on both the levels of ordinary politics and of institutional-design policy. On the level of ordinary politics, the paper applies principles of risk allocation theory to conclude that states should primarily adjust the rates of broad-based taxes as their economies cycle, rather than fluctuating public spending. States …

Evaluating Compliance With Nfpa 1710: Grapevine Fire Department, Abigail Azima, William Bader, Michael Hennig, Pero Kerkula, Heather Parker

Public Administration Capstone Reports - Archive

The project for the Grapevine Fire Department (GFD) has been undertaken in order to examine their fire response data in correlation to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA). Their set standards that they produce are not mandatory; however, they are ideal when measuring the efficiency of an organization, specifically fire departments. Therefore, the purpose of this project is to research and determine the level of compliance the GFD has within these set standards and to address any shortcomings. The people this research will affect includes the members of the GFD, citizens of Grapevine, and various areas the GFD also covers …

The Identification Of Participation Barriers Associated With Employment Testing In The Ontario Constable Selection System, Glenn Hadley

MPA Major Research Papers

This paper examines the Ontario Constable Selection System (OCSS) to assess whether barriers within the process discourage candidates from competing for a career in policing. Interviews with 11 newly sworn police officers and 12 individuals who chose not to participate in the OCSS testing were conducted. The findings reveal that factors related to the perceived validity of the test, financial cost, and perceived fairness discourage potential applicants from competing.

Policy Process In Ontario: An Analysis Of The Process For The Implementation Of A By-Law To Restrict Or Limit The Number Of Cats In A Household In An Urban Municipality, Lois O’Neill

MPA Major Research Papers

This paper examines the policy process for the implementation of a by-law to restrict or limit the number of cats in a household in Owen Sound. An analysis of the policy process and the identified problem was conducted, in addition to a consideration of the external factors that influence the municipal policymaking process and a survey of other small urban municipalities to determine if they had encountered a similar problem and considered implementing a similar by-law. The findings reveal that the policy process for the implementation of this type of by-law was alike in all municipalities with the outcome depending …

Venture Philanthropy In 2009: Developments In The Field Since "Virtuous Capital", Annika Many

Master in Public Administration Theses

This study will examine the evolution of the field of venture philanthropy since the late 1990s and will provide an updated guide to the types of organizations utilizing venture philanthropy strategies across the United States and internationally. The purpose of this research is to investigate how the field has changed as it has matured, to identify the key players and learnings of organizations across the field, and to develop a framework for the types of organizations that have been the most successful in implementing the venture philanthropy model.

Integrated Citizen Survey Plan For The City Of Southlake, Katie Bailey, Orisa Durggin, Anaiah Johnson, Chris Smith, Amanda Thomas

Public Administration Capstone Reports - Archive

The City of Southlake conducts a Citizen Survey every two years. The purpose of the survey is to measure resident’s satisfaction levels in the community and opinions on city services and policy issues. Since 2005, Southlake began incorporating their strategic plan into the survey to attempt to measure their success with meeting the goals of their strategies. This project was undertaken in an effort to ensure alignment of the survey questions with the strategy map, to analyze survey administration tools and techniques being used, and to provide a report of best practices within the realm of citizen surveys. The data …

Issues, Assets And Opportunities: A Survey Of Service Satisfaction For The Kennedale Fire Department And Municipal Court, Crystal Anderson, Kentesheia Dockery, Stephanie Portugal, Arthur Vasquez

Public Administration Capstone Reports - Archive

The City of Kennedale proposed that the University of Texas at Arlington's School of Urban and Public Affairs investigate customer satisfaction of services offered by the Fire Department and the Municipal Court. The City of Kennedale's mission is aimed at exemplifying excellence. A survey tool was researched, developed and implemented to customers who have received services from the Fire Department and the Municipal Court within the last six months.

Ict Usage In Microfinance Institutions In Uganda, Joseph Kaumba Ssewanyana

The African Journal of Information Systems

Microfinance institutions (MFIs) are always often faced with high operating costs to provide financial services to the poor people and Small and Medium Enterprises. Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) has been found to promote the dual objective of microfinance - sustainability and outreach to the poor people. Using a quantitative survey and descriptive research approach, this paper has established the extent to which ICT has been used in the microfinance institutions in Uganda. Despite the barriers, ICT usage in MFIs has been on the rise; and different applications and technologies have been adopted by some MFIs to control costs, create …

The Obama Administration's Challenges After The 'War On Science': Reforming Staffing Practices And Protecting Scientific Integrity In The Executive Branch, Justin Vaughn, José Villalobos

Selected Works Temporary Series

In this article, we examine the difficult leadership position President Barack Obama inherited as he took office with respect to science and technology policy making and implementation, particularly following the Bush administration and years of the so-called "war on science." We contend that the Obama administration's challenge is not only to take substantive policy action, but also to reform certain administrative practices, particularly in light of the previous administration's practice of the politics of strategic vacancies, a managerial technique that rearranges an agency's ideological inclinations not through the usual forms of active politicization (i.e., by filling the appointee ranks with …

The Obama Administration's Challenges After The 'War On Science': Reforming Staffing Practices And Protecting Scientific Integrity In The Executive Branch, Justin Vaughn, José Villalobos

Departmental Papers (PS)

In this article, we examine the difficult leadership position President Barack Obama inherited as he took office with respect to science and technology policy making and implementation, particularly following the Bush administration and years of the so-called "war on science." We contend that the Obama administration's challenge is not only to take substantive policy action, but also to reform certain administrative practices, particularly in light of the previous administration's practice of the politics of strategic vacancies, a managerial technique that rearranges an agency's ideological inclinations not through the usual forms of active politicization (i.e., by filling the appointee ranks with …