Public Affairs Commons^™

Sustainability Policy Proposals For The Township Of Montclair, Nj, Fanny Lauby, Josemy Barrera Cabal, Aaron Chauhan, Chase Geer, Carlos Jimenez, Catherine Khitiri, Jonathan Lockette, Andrew Mapes, Coral Mejía, Jack Nacht, Gabriella O’Keefe, Refia Oral, Sanjeev Rao, Jacob Roby, Julnide Saint Juste, Fiona Slatina

Department of Political Science and Law Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

This white paper was written as a course requirement for POLS 324 Advanced Public Policy Analysis at Montclair State University in fall 2025. In the course, students analyze public policy and examine current issues. Public policy analysis can be defined as the development and evaluation of policy solutions to public problems. The course's learning objectives include “critically evaluate the goals and assumptions of different policy proposals,” “create a policy proposal for a public problem,” and “evaluate the proposals developed by their peers.” For the fall 2025 iteration of the course, I invited two offices in the township of Montclair to …

Budgeting For Social Equity: Exploring The (Nearly) Unknown, Bruce D. Mcdonald Iii, Sean M. Mccandless

School of Public Service Faculty Publications

Public administration has become increasingly concerned with social equity, particularly in budgetary processes. Local governments have adopted so-called equity budgeting practices, yet little is understood about how and why they are adopted; what budgeting practices are deemed social equity budgeting versus traditional budgeting; what is required to adopt and implement social equity budgeting successfully; and how success is measured. We analyzed government and nonprofit documents on social equity budgeting, followed by interviews with local government budget directors serving “early adopter cities” of social equity budgeting practices. We developed a framework of social equity budgeting practices to link the findings regarding …

Deciphering Authority: The Balance Of Powers In Local Government, Rayna Martin

Honors Projects

The Balance of Powers Principle, while well-applied in the spheres of federal and state government, is not much discussed when it comes to local government structures. This paper seeks to compare the strengths of some of the more popular forms of municipal governance (i.e., the council-manager and mayor-council systems) to determine, to what extent, the Balance of Powers principle applies in an American local government context. The author then subsequently argues that this principle can be utilized to propose a preferred, counterbalanced model of city government, that uses and relies upon the strengths of all three major authority figures in …

Challenges Of Local Public Administration In Conflict -Affected Countries: Case Of Hadhramaut Governorate In Yemen, Istanbool Ba Abbad

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis explores the challenges local public administration faced in Hadhramaut, Yemen, and explores avenues for reform. The study's main question is: "What are the main challenges confronting local public administration in Hadhramaut, and what pathways can be pursued for reform?" Hadhramaut, known for its relative stability within Yemen's political unrest, was selected as the case study. Despite its stability, the governorate struggles with challenges arising from the conflict. The research aimed to uncover these challenges and suggest guidelines for recovery, envisioning the governorate as a model for the country. The research aimed to investigate the challenges confronted by public …

Exploring Local Elected Officials' Capacity To Govern Effectively, Mario King

Dissertations

A successful local government exemplifies inclusivity, innovation, and deliberate decision-making, all advancing responsible management of taxpayers' resources. In this qualitative investigation, a phenomenological approach is employed to delve into the lived experiences of local elected officials. The aim of this study was to gain insights into the capacity of these local elected officials for success in governance. Subsequently, the insights from these local elected officials' experiences are harnessed to evaluate their influence and impact on municipal performance.

The management of municipal performance encompasses the provision of social services, the maintenance of fiscal operations, and adherence to statutory obligations (Avellaneda, 2008). …

Amplifying Local Leadership: A Twitter Analysis Of Indonesian Responses To The Covid-19 Pandemic, Bevaola Kusumasari, Fadhli Zul Fauzi, Anang Dwi Santoso

BISNIS & BIROKRASI: Jurnal Ilmu Administrasi dan Organisasi

Social media has altered emergency communication between local governments and citizens. Studies on social media and natural disasters are expanding. Few studies have explored the crisis of social media use among local government officials. This study investigated how Indonesian leaders use social media. It used data scraping techniques with the Twitter API and the http://tweepy.readthedocs.io/en/v3.5.0/api.html#tweepy-api-twitter-api-wrapper library to collect tweets from each governor's account in Bahasa, Indonesia, between January 1, 2020, and December 31, 2020. The collected data were stored in a MySQL database to facilitate manual analysis and converted to text format. The data were manually labeled using a three-step …

Extending Research Of Neighborhood Governance Systems: An Empirical Study Of Community Councils In Cincinnati, Ohio, Julie Cencula Olberding, Darrin Wilson, Stefanie Swiger

The Journal of Economics and Politics

Neighborhood governance systems have been developed as a way to enhance citizen engagement in local government, particularly in major cities. Scholarly research on these systems is quite limited, and most articles focus on neighborhood councils in Los Angeles, California. Our study extends this research to another system in a different city – specifically, community councils in Cincinnati, Ohio. Based on Li, Wen, and Cooper (2019), we surveyed their governing board members and analyzed relationships between three aspects of board performance (internal capacity, attention-action congruence, external networking) and three dimensions of community council effectiveness (promoting civic engagement, resolving neighborhood issues, advising …

Municipal Golf Facilities And The Democratization Of Golf: Does Government Structure Make A Difference?, Clifford Smith Blumberg

Public Affairs Dissertations - Archive

The game of golf has a tumultuous history that includes long bouts with classism, racism and sexism. From its arrival to the United States more than 200 years ago, golf has found itself as a barometer for democracy. The symbolism for elitism demonstrated through the demographic makeup of its participants is evident and remained practically unchanged during this time. However, within public administration, there is a massive void in research related to municipal golf policy. This study provides a comprehensive review of municipal golf policy in cities and towns where golf facilities are located in order to determine whether the …

The Silent Crisis: Including Latinos And Why It Matters, Representation In Executive Positions, Boards, And Commissions In The City Governments Of Boston, Chelsea, And Somerville, Miren Uriarte, James Jennings, Jen Douglas

Human Services Faculty Publication Series

The Silent Crisis: Involving Latinos in Decision-Making & Why Latino Representation Matters provides a measure of the economic, social, and political inclusion of Latinos at mid-decade in three cities of the Commonwealth where about one fourth of the state’s Latino population lives. Often wrongly referred to as a “new population,” Latinos have been present in Massachusetts since the end of the 19th century, arriving in large numbers beginning in the 1960s and 1970s and growing to nearly 630,000 persons (9.6% of the population) by 2010. That same year, they accounted for 62.1% of the population of Chelsea, 17.5% of the …

Corruption In Metropolis, Josie Gatti

Graduate Research Symposium (2010 - 2017)

Corruption may be one of the most elusive phenomena in government. We may know it when we see it, but it is subject to individual perceptions shaped by a myriad of influences. The federal system of American governance was indented to impede the gross misuse of power; however, corruption is as much a part of our system today as it is around the world. While the study of the micro and individual level factors that inspire corruption are relevant, governance and business studies have long shown that structure and systems can affect behavior. This research reflects on those institutions and …

Land Values As A Source Of Local Government Finance, Tom Dunne

Books/Book Chapters

Funding local government has been a permanent feature of debates about public policy in Ireland and Many feel that the balance of power between local and central government is weighted too much in

This paper suggests that the concept of economic rent, on which the justification for property taxes rests and its relevance to the property market in a modern, economically successful and urbanised Ireland, needs to be vented, discussed and debated.

The proposition is that if a greater understanding was created about the economic characteristics of landed property both value capture and local property taxes would achieve greater public …

Critical Digital Infrastructure Protection: An Investigatoin Into The Intergovernmental Activities Of Information Technology Directors In Florida Counties, Joah Nicole Devenny

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

As cyber attacks become more sophisticated, the risk to all networked computer systems increases. Whether public or private, whether federal, state, or local, the threat is equally real. Consequently, local governments must respond accordingly to understand the threats, take measures to protect themselves, and determine how to respond in the event of a system breach. Additionally, since cyber criminals do not respect geographic or administrative boundaries, local leaders must be prepared to instantly interact with other governments, agencies, and departments to suppress an attack. Guided by the theory of intergovernmental management (IGM), this exploratory research investigated how Information Technology (IT) …

Nebraska Home Rule Project: Nebraska Municipal Survey, Robert F. Blair, Dale Krane

Publications

The purpose of the survey was to collect information from Nebraska municipal officials on how state government affects their operations and to identify potential areas for improvement.

A Comparative Analysis Of Southern Nevada Municipalities, And Their Active Participation To Implement Historical Preservation, Rhonda M. Reeves

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

A comparative analysis of southern Nevada municipalities, and their active participation to implement historical preservation is the foundation of research for this paper. The city of Las Vegas and surrounding municipalities have varying preservation programs in place. The distinctions between the municipalities historic preservation programs foster little protection for the historic site itself in most cases. Historic preservationists are actively bringing to the attention of government the importance of preservation, and are seeking more and more action on the part of the government to implement historic preservation mandates and protection.

The federal government funding for historical preservation within states is …

Local Governments And Public Facilities Construction In Nebraska: Expenditures, Cooperation And Operation Of Joint Facilities, Center For Public Affairs Research (Cpar)

Publications

This study of public facilities construction was completed by the University of Nebraska at Omaha, Center for Public Affairs Research for the Nebraska Commission on Local Government Innovation and Restructuring.

Municipal Revenue Sources: Analysis Of Omaha's Options -- 1987 Update, Center For Public Affairs Research (Cpar)

Publications

This report updates a study conducted by the Center for Applied Urban Research in 1983. The first section of this report compares the revenue structure of Omaha with the revenue structure of other U.S. municipalities. The comparisons are based on data contained in the U.S. Bureau of the Census publications, City Government Finances in 1980-81 and 1984-85. The categories of comparison cities are all U.S. cities, cities with populations between 300,000 and 500,000, and ten cities that are comparable to Omaha in size and central/ core city percentage of total metropolitan area population.

Microcomputers In City Hall: Case Studies Of Their Uses And Effects, Donald F. Norris, Vincent J. Webb

Publications

Microcomputers first appeared on the commercial marketplace in 1976. Since then, an estimated 40 million microcomputers have been sold and more are being sold each day. A survey conducted in 1982 found that 13 percent of American cities owned microcomputers and that 35 percent planned to buy one or more microcomputers within two years (Norris and Webb, 1984). A follow-up survey conducted three years later found that between 75 percent and 90 percent of city governments owned microcomputers (Scoggins, 1986).

Microcomputer And Local Government, Donald F. Norris

Publications

In 1976, two young Californians named Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak started a revolution. It was a quiet revolution... no shots were fired... no demonstrations occurred... there were no casualties, but it was a revolution nevertheless... a revolution that will have long-lasting results. That year these two young men developed the Apple, the first commercially successful microcomputer.

Microcomputers And Small And Rural Local Governments: Final Report To The W.K. Kellogg Foundation, Donald F. Norris

Publications

On June 17, 1982, the Center for Applied Urban Research at the University of Nebraska at Omaha received an award of $72,212 from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation to conduct a training and technical assistance program in microcomputers and small and rural local governments. The overall purpose of this project was to enhance the management capabilities of these governments through the use of computers. The following is a brief report on the activities undertaken during the second year of the project.

Computing In Small Local Governments In Nebraska, Donald F. Norris

Publications

A 1983 study found that patterns of computer use among small local governments (cities under 50,000 and counties under 100 ,000) in seven plains and mountains states were not substantially different from the patterns of computing detected in earlier studies of larger governments. The 1983 study also found that, among other things, basic "housekeeping" functions were the most frequently automated activities; that computer adoption was associated with governmental size, form, type, and metropolitan status; and that most governments owned in-house minicomputers.

Microcomputers And Local Government: A Handbook -- Instructors' Manual, Donald F. Norris

Publications

This handbook, and its accompanying instructor's manual, was written to be used with a one- or two-day workshop on microcomputers and local governments. The handbook was designed· for the local government official with little or no familiarity with microcomputers and their applications to the world of government.

Small Local Governments And Information Management, Donald F. Norris

Publications

During the past few years, an increasing amount of research has been conducted on the subject of computers and information management in small local governments. These are defined as cities of less than 50,000 population and counties of less than 100,000. Much of this research has been conducted within single states or multi-state regions in the United States. One of its primary purposes seems to have been to assist in the development of training and technical assistance programs on computers and information management for small local. governments.

Microcomputers And Local Government: A Handbook -- Participants' Manual, Donald F. Norris

Publications

This handbook has its origins in a conversation between the author and Dr. Theodore Maher in the spring of 1981. The conversation centered on the role that we believed soon would be played by microcomputers in local governments and the concomitant need for training and technical assistance in the acquisition and use of microcomputers.

Computers And Small Local Governments: Uses And Users, Donald F. Norris

Publications

This article examines the adoption and use of computer technology by cities under 50,000 and counties under 100,000 in seven plains and mountain states. Smaller local governments were found to lag considerably behind their larger counterparts in computer adoption and extent of use. However, pat terns of use were not substantially different, with basic "housekeeping" functions being the most frequently automated.

Computer adoption was associated with size, government form and type, and metropolitan status. No relationship was found between financial status and computer adoption. Most governments used in-house computers, and most of these systems were minicomputers. The frequency of microcomputer …

Computers And Small Local Governments: A Survey Of Computer In The Plains And Mountain States, Donald F. Norris, David R. Dimartino

Publications

In July, 1982 the Center for Applied Urban Research (CAUR) of the University of Nebraska at Omaha was awarded a grant from the W. K. Kellogg Foundation to develop and test a training and technical assistance program to help small and rural local governments acquire and use microcomputer technology. This effort contains two major parts: 1) demonstrations of prototype methods in one or more Nebraska local governments that they can use to acquire microcomputer systems, and 2) development of training programs, training materials, and a film on microcomputers for local government officials.

Municipal Revenue Sources: Analysis Of Omaha's Options, Murray Frost

Publications

The purpose of this report is to examine and evaluate revenue sources that can serve as supplements or alternatives to Omaha's current revenue structure.

Microcomputers And City Governments, Donald F. Norris, Vincent J. Webb

Publications

In 1976 a revolution occurred. blood was shed, but the effects No shots were fired, no of the revolution in electronic data processing have been felt throughout the country. What is more, its effects will continue to be felt for many years to come.

Budgeting For Nebraska Local Governments, John W. Swain

Publications

Budgeting is a complex set of activities. To those unfamiliar with its details, it is a mysterious rite conducted annually, and even those familiar with the process give a multitude of definitions. The simplest definition is that budgeting involves the acquisition and allocation of resources.

Microcomputer And Local Government: A Program For Small And Rural Communities, Donald F. Norris

Publications

For the first time since the Great Depression, local governments throughout the United States have begun to experience severe revenue-expenditure imbalances. Inflation, rising expectations, and citizen demands for services have produced governmental intervention into heretofore untouched areas. Combined with the generally decreasing rate of local revenue growth and with reductions in federal and state aid, this has produced serious fiscal problems for many local governments. With resources no longer available to provide prior levels of public services, many local governments have had to cut back on their activities.

Nebraska Program For Technology Transfer: An Operational Framework, Jack Ruff

Publications

All over the country interest has been growing in developing methods to assist local governments to utilize the products of science and technology more rapidly and effectively. This has led to the development of various arrangements for providing both information dissemination and basic research.