Public Administration Commons^™

Motivations And Conflicts In Prison Medical Contracting, Meagan D. Sok

Theses and Dissertations

State correctional departments are responsible for all medical care incarcerated individuals require. Many systems outsource their medical

State correctional departments are responsible for all medical care incarcerated individuals require. Many systems outsource their medical program. Literature indicates that many of these contracts experience significant issues that negatively impact state resources, including both personnel and money.

This dissertation explores the relationship between prison administrators' motivations and the structure, outcomes, efficiencies, and partner conflicts that arise in the contractual process. Using a framework developed from Incomplete Contract Theory, Contracts as Reference Points Theory and the concept of “essential tension,” this dissertation hypothesizes …

How Police Investigators View Credibility Of Victims Of Sexual Assault Crimes, Lakesha Richele Boone

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Sexual assault is a sensitive topic, and research has become increasingly popular. Most literature focuses on stigma, attitudes, and perceptions that victims and law enforcement have about each other. Law enforcement officers are responsible for making charging decisions based on their investigations and ways by which they determine credibility and reliability of victims. It was unclear what criteria law enforcement officers use to ascertain relevant flaws in victim character and credibility. The purpose of this study was to explore how law enforcement officers evaluate credibility of sexual assault victims during investigations. The feminist legal, just world, and rape myth acceptance …

Sustainable Community Development Case Study Of Collaboration, And Participation Between A Nonprofit Organization And Governance, Nicholas L. Brooks

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractThe Lake Calumet Task Force (LCTF) is a nonprofit community organization that has developed the Green Economic Industrial Corridor (GEIC) plan. The GEIC plan presents the socio-economic needs of Lake Calumet’s communities and proposed improvements to the natural and built environment, which have been neglected for decades. There was a gap in knowledge regarding collaboration and formation of partnerships for the design and implementation of sustainable development strategies across other key stakeholders. The qualitative case study explored how LCTF can combine principles of cooperation, partnership, and participation, with the local governmental agency’s design and implementation strategies, to enlarge upon the …

Structural Empowerment Of Nurse Leaders In New York State During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Tracey Braithwaite

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The current phenomenological study explored the lived experience of Acting Chief Nursing Officers, Chief Nursing Officers, Chief Nursing Executives (henceforth CNOs) at hospitals in New York State who were charged with responding to executive orders while maintaining quality of patient care despite staffing constraints, inadequate supplies, or lack of additional support for the duties associated with their role. Their experience of structural empowerment in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic was also studied. The theoretical framework was Kanter’s theory of structural empowerment that addressed organizational behavior in the context of employee empowerment. The research question addressed how the CNOs perceived their …

Public Service Motivation: African American Senior Military Officers Transitioning To Civilian Service, Ansara Todd Burgess

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Motivation plays a crucial role in public organizations in terms of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation as well as moral obligation. While considerable efforts over the past several decades have led to vast improvements in federal workforce diversification, significant problems still exist involving diversity management and racial representation across all levels of federal government employment. The theoretical framework guiding this study was public service motivation. The purpose of this study was to explore the U.S. federal government’s inability to attract and retain senior executive service African Americans through lived experiences of retired African American military officers who currently work for the …

Perceived Barriers To Obtaining Health Insurance For African American Males Living In Arkansas, Tangelia Clary-Marshall

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Despite the implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) in 2010 and Medicaid expansion, many African American males between the ages of 18 and 64 remain uninsured. Lack of health coverage negatively impacts the economy, communities, and the lives of those who lack health insurance. Hospitals and health care providers are left unpaid when uninsured individuals cannot afford to pay for the healthcare. The purpose of this qualitative study was to discover whether barriers existed for uninsured African American males between the ages of 18 and 64 face in obtaining health insurance coverage, with a goal of influencing public policy …

Disenfranchisement Laws Affecting Voting Rights Of Black Americans In Mississippi, April Masha Jones

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

From Black individuals being enslaved and freed to being incarcerated in modern-day society more frequently than White individuals, the desire to have a voice in the decision-making process has been challenging. Black voters in Mississippi may be underrepresented because of felony disenfranchisement laws. The purpose of this general qualitative study was to examine the lived experiences of Black Mississippians about felony disenfranchisement laws and voting rights. The first research question addressed perceptions of Black Americans in Mississippi regarding the felony disenfranchisement laws. The second research question addressed the experiences related to any political implications among the electorate in Mississippi. The …

Human Resource Professionals’ Perceptions Of Employee Recruitment And Retention Using Linking Total Compensation To Performance Theory, Roshanda Tipton Smiley

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Public sector employers experience challenges with recruiting and retaining qualified candidates. The expectations of employees in today’s market challenge traditional methods and practices of the conventional workplace and provide an opportunity for innovation. In this qualitative study, the lived experiences of seven public sector human resource professionals (HRPs) in employee recruitment and retention were explored using Weldon’s linking total compensation to performance theory to frame the study. Data were collected from open ended, semi structured interviews with seven public sector HRPs. The collected data were thematically coded, resulting in the emergent themes of organizational culture, COVID-19 pandemic, work environment, recognition, …

Resource Development Swot Analysis To Improve Organizational Sustainability For A Grassroots Nonprofit Organization, Felicia Rosetta Frances Wilson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

There are approximately 1.54 million nonprofit organizations in the United States. However, without a resource development plan in place, or unforeseen emergencies such as the COVID-19 pandemic, some nonprofits struggle to meet annual fundraising goals. The purpose of study was to conduct a strength, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) analysis of an organization’s fundraising plans to assist in creating an annual resource development plan. This qualitative case study explored nonprofits within black and brown communities as to what they needed to generate and maintain funding greater than $500,000. Five interviews were conducted among organization leaders, managers, program coordinators, program directors, …

How Government Organizations Can Sustain Remote Work Post Covid-19, Chikwendu Pius Nweke

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractGovernment organizations are unprepared to sustain remote work post-COVID-19. Even though COVID-19 seems to be under control, organizations are still struggling with the aftermath of the pandemic and the need to sustain remote work. Challenges include lack of necessary information technology tools, software, technological skills, strategies for remote work, leadership skills, real-time communication; activity planning and program implementation, scheduling meetings, organizing child care, managing caseloads, fostering team work, and effective supervision. A conceptual framework based on organizational adaptation theory was used to guide this qualitative case study. Since the study was to ascertain how government organizations can sustain remote work …

The Experiences Of Women Executive Leaders In A Leadership Development Program, Angela Ivy Gustus

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The host organization is a nonprofit that has a mission of supporting the work of 19 other separate organizations, 47% of which are run by women. The problem addressed in this research is the host organization’s lack of knowledge related to how to create a leadership development program that will maintain or increase the current gender diversity. The purpose of this research was to gather information about the current leaders to inform the creation of a leadership development program for the host organization based on research conducted at Harvard University. The aim was to understand the experiences of the women …

The Effect Of Public Budgeting Decisions And Tuition Costs On Student Graduation Outcomes In Michigan, Travis Charles Hadden

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractTuition costs for U.S. public universities have steadily risen in response to decreased state funding in the aftermath of the 2008 Great Recession. Researchers have studied the relationship between public budgeting and higher education but have not established the direct effects of budgeting decisions on student graduation outcomes. The purpose of this quantitative study was to understand why state funding has not kept up with tuition prices and how that affects student graduation rates. The effect of (a) tuition costs and (b) Michigan state funding for public universities on student outcomes was examined. Punctuated equilibrium theory and policy feedback theory, …

Understanding The Impact Of Special Education Programs On African American Males, Jacques Houssou

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractAfrican American males placed in special education programs their entire time in high school often experience stigmatizing feelings of lack of self-worth and self-esteem as adults. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore and better understand the influence special education programs may have on African American males’ self-esteem and self-worth. Becker’s and Lemert’s labeling theory and Baumgartner and Jones’s and Gould and Eldredge’s punctuated equilibrium theory guided this study. The focus of the research questions was the influence of special education programs on African American males’ learning experiences and the changes needed. Purposive and snowball sampling techniques …

A Case Study Of Joint Accountability Mechanism And Interorganizational Collaboration In Post-Earthquake Haiti, Jude J. Jean-Gilles

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Abstract: The earthquake that hit Haiti on January 12, 2010, caused massive destruction of its capital city Port-au-Prince and its suburbs and killed over a quarter of million people. The recovery period that followed required effectiveness to plan and mobilize resources. The magnitude of the destruction, lack of local recovery plans or previous disaster experience, and scarcity of local resources inspired the creation of the Interim Haiti Recovery Commission (IHRC), a compilation of local and international stakeholders who agreed to collaboratively address the recovery challenges. Several studies have examined post-earthquake recovery initiatives under the leadership of local governments, but having …

Impact On Retention For Students Participating In Supplemental Instruction At A Community College, Jacqueline Ann Larry

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractTitle III Strengthening Institutions Program is a supplemental grant that was designed to help eligible higher education institutions improve and strengthen academic quality, institutional management, and fiscal stability of eligible institutions. A community college in the Midsouth region was the focus of this quantitative study. Graduation and retention rates have steadily declined, and there are significant achievement gaps in terms of ethnicity and race, program completion, and failure rates in high-enrolled courses among first-year students. Using the retention model, this study involved examining the impact on retention for students participating in supplemental instruction upon entering college during their freshman year. …

The Experiences Of Women Executive Leaders In A Leadership Development Program, Angela Ivy Gustus

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The host organization is a nonprofit that has a mission of supporting the work of 19 other separate organizations, 47% of which are run by women. The problem addressed in this research is the host organization’s lack of knowledge related to how to create a leadership development program that will maintain or increase the current gender diversity. The purpose of this research was to gather information about the current leaders to inform the creation of a leadership development program for the host organization based on research conducted at Harvard University. The aim was to understand the experiences of the women …

The Effect Of Public Budgeting Decisions And Tuition Costs On Student Graduation Outcomes In Michigan, Travis Charles Hadden

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractTuition costs for U.S. public universities have steadily risen in response to decreased state funding in the aftermath of the 2008 Great Recession. Researchers have studied the relationship between public budgeting and higher education but have not established the direct effects of budgeting decisions on student graduation outcomes. The purpose of this quantitative study was to understand why state funding has not kept up with tuition prices and how that affects student graduation rates. The effect of (a) tuition costs and (b) Michigan state funding for public universities on student outcomes was examined. Punctuated equilibrium theory and policy feedback theory, …

Far-Right Extremist Influence On American Immigration Policy, Christopher Joseph Heinrich

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

There is little information on the increase in far-right extremist influence on policymakers’ ideology that affect immigration law. The purpose of this qualitative study was to understand how far-right extremists influence American policymakers in supporting the perspective that immigrants are replacing White Americans and how that affects non-White and/or non-Christian immigration. The framework for this study was based on policy feedback theory by Mettler and SoRelle. Research questions focused on federal legislation that supports anti-immigration between 2017 and 2021 and far-right extremist ideology. Document analysis was done through purposive sampling to select public records of individuals, groups, and laws. Data …

Understanding The Impact Of Special Education Programs On African American Males, Jacques Houssou

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractAfrican American males placed in special education programs their entire time in high school often experience stigmatizing feelings of lack of self-worth and self-esteem as adults. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore and better understand the influence special education programs may have on African American males’ self-esteem and self-worth. Becker’s and Lemert’s labeling theory and Baumgartner and Jones’s and Gould and Eldredge’s punctuated equilibrium theory guided this study. The focus of the research questions was the influence of special education programs on African American males’ learning experiences and the changes needed. Purposive and snowball sampling techniques …

Barriers To The Successful Implementation Of Laws In Saint Lucia, Confia Samantha Jn Paul-Samuel

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractSaint Lucia experiences barriers to successfully implementing some of its enacted laws. As a developing country, when legislative efforts are hampered, the law enactment process is negatively impacted. The purpose of this qualitative study was to understand the potential barriers to the successful implementation of laws in Saint Lucia by examining any effective emerging practices to develop new and innovative approaches and methods in addressing the various issues involved. The conceptual framework for this study comprised parliamentary engagement, public participation and policy making in the law enactment process in similar parliamentary jurisdictions. The research questions focused on understanding the potential …