Public Policy Commons^™

Managing For Performance: Measurement And Monitoring Of Contracts In The Transit Industry, Olga Smirnova, Juita-Elena (Wie) Yusuf, Suzanne Leland

School of Public Service Faculty Publications

Public agencies contract out to pursue a variety of goals. But, these goals cannot be realized if the performance of contractors is not assessed and monitored. This study examines the state of performance measurement and contract monitoring in the U.S. transit agencies. We focus on three research questions: (1) What monitoring capacity exists within transit agencies? (2) What monitoring methods are used by transit agencies? (3) What performance measures are tracked by transit agencies? We find monitoring units are common in a third of agencies in the study. Service and customer complaints are the most common performance measures, while penalties …

Policy And Planning Mechanisms For Coastal Relocation: Barriers And Opportunities, Anamaria Bukvic

October 30, 2015: Beyond Toolkits: Adaptation Strategies and Lessons

No abstract provided.

Panel Presentation: Norfolk: Thriving With Water, Norfolk Working Group

October 30, 2015: Beyond Toolkits: Adaptation Strategies and Lessons

No abstract provided.

Hampton Roads Resilient Region Reality Check: Increasing Community Resilience And Capacity To Adapt To Changes, Juita-Elena (Wie) Yusuf, Michelle Covi, Burton St. John Iii

School of Public Service Faculty Publications

The Hampton Roads Resilient Region Reality Check event was held on March 17, 2015 at Old Dominion University. The event was built on three key themes: a region-wide, multi-sectoral, and whole-of-community approach that is oriented toward actions to address SLR and flooding. This event was a collaboration between the Urban Land Institute Hampton Roads (HRULI), Old Dominion University (ODU), and the Community Engagement Working Group of the Hampton Roads Sea Level Rise Preparedness and Resilience Intergovernmental Planning Pilot Project.

The overall goals of the event were to (1) capture the perceptions of the Hampton Roads community on their risks associated …

Reducing Coastal Risk – Structural Protection Around Greater New Orleans, Rick Luettich

May 22, 2015: Megaproject Protective Structures for Hampton Roads

No abstract provided.

Popular Financial Reports: Tools For Transparency, Accountability And Citizen Engagement, Juita-Elena Yusuf, Meagan M. Jordan

School of Public Service Faculty Publications

Most governments issue annual financial reports; in the US, state and local governments issue the Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, or its equivalent. However, these reports have been found to be neither readily accessible nor particularly informative to non-financial experts such as the general public. In response, professional associations such as AGA, the Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB), and the Government Financial Officers Association, have promoted the use of different types of popular financial reports as an alternative reporting mechanism. According to GASB, financial reporting plays a critical role as a tool for public accountability in a democratic society. Yet, various …

Integrating Truck Emissions Cost In Traffic Assignment, Peter Foytik, R. Michael Robinson

VMASC Publications

The adverse impacts of greenhouse gasses (GHG) and the imperative for reducing the existing rate of GHG production are well established. In the United States, the largest source of GHG emissions from human activities is from burning fossil fuels, primarily for the generation of electricity and transportation. The transportation sector accounts for 28% of all U.S. GHG production. Heavy-duty vehicles, such as large freight trucks, account for nearly one-fifth of the U.S. total, and this fraction is expected to grow rapidly. Consequently, many efforts are being used to reduce the total emissions of freight trucks. Most efforts emphasize one of …

The Effects Of Discussion And Information On Public Support For Tax And Fee Increases For Transportation, Juita-Elena Yusuf, Lenahan O'Connell

School of Public Service Faculty Publications

This research note compares the effect on willingness to raise taxes and government fees of three common approaches to public consultation: (a) a telephone survey with no information or discussion, (b) a focus group with discussion but no information relating need to the proposed tax or fee, and (c) a focus group with discussion and such information. Our purpose is twofold: (a) illustrate the contribution of pertinent information to public acceptance of tax or fee increases, and (b) suggest a more comprehensive and informative approach to consultation with the public. We do so using the examples of raising the gas …

Gender Differences In The Use Of Assistance Programs, Juita-Elena (Wie) Yusuf

School of Public Service Faculty Publications

The purpose of this paper is to examine differences in factors influencing use of entrepreneurial assistance programs by male and female entrepreneurs. Design/methodology/approach – Data from the Panel Study of Entrepreneurial Dynamics I are used to determine drivers of assistance program use by men and women using logistic regression. These drivers include size and composition of the start-up team and personal network, experiences of the entrepreneur, team and network; support provided by the team and network, and other factors. Findings – In total, 31 percent of female entrepreneurs and 24 percent of male entrepreneurs in the sample used entrepreneurial assistance …

Exploring A Toll Auction Mechanism Enabled By Vehicle-To-Infrastructure Technology, Andrew J. Collins, Erika Frydenlund, R. Michael Robinson, Mecit Cetin

VMASC Publications

High-occupancy toll (HOT) lanes—an increasingly popular solution for congested roadway networks—give drivers the option to access express lanes. The cost of entry often varies with demand, although no standard method of optimizing these price points exists. Using the principles of a Vickrey auction that incentivizes true-value bids, this paper proposes a tolling system that uses vehicle-to-infrastructure technology to optimize toll operator revenue with HOT lane usage. In the scenario, a roadway network consists of a HOT lane and a general-purpose lane, each with identical physical properties. Drivers can access the HOT lane at the start of the facility or at …

The Community Rating System And Sea Level Rise Adaptation, Shannon Hulst

March 28, 2014: Addressing Current and Future Vulnerability through Floodplain Management

No abstract provided.

Fema Region Iii Coastal Flood Study - Hampton Roads Adaptation Forum, Robin Danforth

March 28, 2014: Addressing Current and Future Vulnerability through Floodplain Management

No abstract provided.

Floodplain Management Ordinance: Virginia Beach, Whitney Mcnamara

March 28, 2014: Addressing Current and Future Vulnerability through Floodplain Management

No abstract provided.

For Whom The Tunnel Be Tolled: A Four-Factor Model For Explaining Willingness-To-Pay Tolls, Juita-Elena (Wie) Yusuf, Lenahan O'Connell, Khairul A. Anuar

School of Public Service Faculty Publications

This research examines citizen acceptance of tolls and road pricing, and specifically focuses on determinants of the individual’s expressed willingness-to-pay tolls to use a tunnel express lane that would be free of traffic delays. We answer the research question “What factors influence citizens’ willingness-to-pay tolls” by empirically estimating a four factor model of willingness-to-pay: (a) direct benefit to the respondent; (b) relative cost over time; (c) community concern; and (d) political and environmental liberalism. We use data about citizen perceptions from the Life in Hampton Roads Survey, a survey of residents of Hampton Roads, Virginia. We find that willingness-to-pay is …

Agent-Based Simulation Of Mass Shootings: Determining How To Limit The Scale Of A Tragedy, Roy Hayes, Reginald Hayes

VMASC Publications

An agent-based simulation was created to examine key parameters in mass shootings. The goal of the simulation was to examine the potential effectiveness of Senator Dianne Feinstein's (D-Calif.) assault weapons and high-capacity magazines bill. Based on the analysis, the proposed law would have a negligible effect on the number of people shot during mass shootings. The assault weapons portion of the proposed bill will have no effect on the number of people killed or wounded in a mass shooting. The assault weapons ban does not seek to decrease the rate of fire of any firearm. Of the parameters tested a …

Outsourcing Expert Services By State Transportation Departments: A Look At Effects On Cost, Quality, And Changing Employment Levels, Juita-Elena Yusuf, Lenahan O'Connell

School of Public Service Faculty Publications

Privatization has increasingly become a policy option for government agencies struggling to meet rising demands for services but with fewer resources. In the transportation arena, many state departments of transportation (DOTs) have privatized by outsourcing highway functions to the private sector. But the outsourcing of technical and expert services such as those related to the design and construction of highway infrastructure may result in a smaller or less knowledgeable DOT workforce that is unable to perform the necessary contract management to ensure the quality of the work done by contractors. We posit an outsourcing process in which DOTs respond to …

The Role Of Politics And Proximity In Sea Level Rise Policy Salience: A Study Of Virginia Legislators’ Perceptions, Juita-Elena (Wie) Yusuf, Burton St. John Iii, Ivan K. Ash

School of Public Service Faculty Publications

The acceleration of sea level rise (SLR) has become a threat to the stability of nation-states worldwide and associated with risks to environmental sustainability, economic infrastructure, and public health. However, from both an international and U.S. perspective, there is a lack of research examining legislative decision makers’ perceptions about policies regarding SLR. This study addresses that gap by examining how politics and proximity affects Virginia state legislators’ perceptions of the saliency of SLR. A survey of these legislators reveals their perceptions of credible sources of information, SLR-related risk, and who should take the lead to address SLR. While this study …

Re.Invest, Denise Thompson

July 10, 2013: Best Practices and Communications Strategies for Adapting to Sea Level Rise and Flooding

No abstract provided.

Earning Trust And Explaining Complexities As You Communicate Climate Science: The Cause Model, Katherine E. Rowan

July 10, 2013: Best Practices and Communications Strategies for Adapting to Sea Level Rise and Flooding

No abstract provided.

Risky Business: Engaging The Public In Policy Discourse On Sea-Level Rise And Inundation, Karen Akerlof

July 10, 2013: Best Practices and Communications Strategies for Adapting to Sea Level Rise and Flooding

No abstract provided.

"How Big Should My Water Wings Be?", Margaret Davidson

July 10, 2013: Best Practices and Communications Strategies for Adapting to Sea Level Rise and Flooding

No abstract provided.

Usace Flood Risk Management Partners In Shared Responsibility, Michelle Hamor

March 13, 2013: Regional Sea Level Rise Assessment, Adaptation and Flood Mitigation Projects

No abstract provided.

For The People: Popular Financial Reporting Practices Of Local Governments, Juita-Elena (Wie) Yusuf, Meagan M. Jordan, Katharine A. Neill, Merl Hackbart

School of Public Service Faculty Publications

Popular financial reports are reports distributed to citizens and other interested parties who lack a background in formal government financial reporting but who desire an overview of the government’s financial status and activities. This paper examines the current state of local government popular financial reporting in the U.S. The results of a survey of large cities and counties indicate that 75 percent of these local governments have issued popular financial reports and that the types of reports and methods of distribution vary. Many of the reasons for providing popular reports relate to providing information and improving transparency and accountability by …

State Energy-Based Economic Development Policies And Examples, Juita-Elena Yusuf, Katharine A. Neill

School of Public Service Faculty Publications

States have adopted various policies and initiatives to develop and/or expand their energy industries, many of which have been driven by economic development purposes rather than specific energy or environmental concerns. Of the many reasons states have considered explicit energy policies, the direct economic benefits of stimulating the economy—creating jobs and increasing revenues—have often been at the forefront of policy decision making. This research note reviews existing policies targeted at developing the energy industry and presents two typologies of state-level energy policies. The first typology offers an organizing framework for categorizing such policies by energy source (existing vs. new) and …

Forum Notes: Emergency Management, Hr Adaptation Forum

November 16, 2012: Best Practices for Adapting to Sea Level Rise and Flooding

No abstract provided.

Climate Change Up Close And Personal: Impacts On Hampton Roads Region, Russell De Young

November 16, 2012: Best Practices for Adapting to Sea Level Rise and Flooding

No abstract provided.

Adaptation Practices And Lessons Learned, Molly Mitchell

November 16, 2012: Best Practices for Adapting to Sea Level Rise and Flooding

No abstract provided.

Forum Notes: Infrastructure And Utilities Breakout, Hr Adaptation Forum

November 16, 2012: Best Practices for Adapting to Sea Level Rise and Flooding

No abstract provided.

Forum Notes: Land Use And Planning Breakout Group, Hr Adaptation Forum

November 16, 2012: Best Practices for Adapting to Sea Level Rise and Flooding

No abstract provided.

Effective Popular Financial Reports: The Citizen Perspective, Juita-Elena (Wie) Yusuf, Meagan M. Jordan

School of Public Service Faculty Publications

The article presents a study that investigates the views of citizens on the efficiency of financial reports in the U.S. Researchers did a survey to discern the perspectives of respondents about the effectiveness of the said reports in informing other individuals about government finances. Moreover, results reveal that 80% of respondents believed that the reports are effective. [Associates Programs Source, EbscoHost database]