Public Policy Commons^™

Using Input From Administrative Staff To Make Cost-Effective Decisions For Telecommuting, Technology, And Productivity During The Covid-19 Era, Chika Egemba

West Chester University Doctoral Projects

The purpose of this research was to examine if collaborative technologies enhance productivity in the face of remote work during the COVID-19 era using the diffusion of innovation framework. Dothan Housing is a Moving to Work (MTW) Expansion Agency under the Landlord Incentive Cohort #3. This means the agency was granted certain flexibility to pursue innovation. This research study used a post-positivist philosophy and a quantitative research design to investigate the thoughts, opinions, and feelings of Dothan Housing administrative staff about their experience with telecommuting during the COVID-19 pandemic. The participants were selected from among Dothan Housing staff who were …

Unbounding Rationality: Observing And Mitigating K-12 Public Education Administrators’ Cognitive Bias, Julie K. Mesaros

West Chester University Doctoral Projects

Humans tend to simplify complex decisions by employing cognitive bias(es). Cognitively biased decision-making by public administrators can be adversely consequential for public organizations, public employees, and the public interest. Given the historical scope of experimental research on cognitive bias in the social and physical sciences, public administration scholars should continue to advance such research across various public sectors. This dissertation study responded to the long-ago call of Herbert Simon for empirical research situated in specific public or political contexts. This qual-QUAN mixed-method study had two main aims: (1) explore decisions that K-12 public education administrators make in personnel management and …

The Impact Covid-19 On The Healthcare Industry’S Systems And Policies: A Case Study, Jameyshia Franklin

West Chester University Doctoral Projects

People worldwide experienced some impacts from the 2019 Coronavirus at various degree. The healthcare industry worldwide was significantly affected by the high volume of patients being infected with the Coronavirus. The COVID-19 virus brought on several challenges for the healthcare industry and the federal government in the United States. Hospitals operated under severe circumstances to treat sick COVID-19 patients and keep their employees safe from contracting the disease. Government mandated social distancing, mask wearing, and cancelation and closing of services to assist with stopping the spread of the virus. This study aimed to identify how the pandemic affected the healthcare …

Descriptive Analysis Of Open Government Practices Of Four Mid-Sized Cities In New York State, Brian Bray

West Chester University Doctoral Projects

The conceptualization and implementation of open government practices have evolved over the years, encompassing numerous actions that increase transparency, participation, and collaboration. While states mandate some open government practices for municipal governments, they also often implement optional forms independently. This paper examines how four mid-sized cities implement two such optional forms: government boards and open government data.

This study was conducted in three stages. In the first stage, the author used the Democracy Cube framework, a theoretical model developed by Fung (2006), that categorizes various approaches to public participation in government decision-making along three dimensions. This model served as the …

The Powerful Actors Of The Criminal Justice System: Understanding Prosecutorial Discretion From The Viewpoint Of Prosecutors. A Public Administrator's Perspective, Ja'von Long

West Chester University Doctoral Projects

Prosecutors are one of the most powerful actors in the American criminal justice system, yet there is a lack of qualitative research related to the topic. There is also a lack of policy reform that has affected prosecutors in the way that it has other actors of the system such as police officers and judges. The research seeks to increase understanding of how prosecutors view the discretion and power prosecutors hold and seeks to provide more information on the institutional and organizational pressures that can affect prosecutors and their decision-making process. The study further explores how cognitive biases along with …

Offshoring And Subordinate Financialization In Developing Countries, Logan Kuegel

Undergraduate Public Policy Capstone Projects

This study will investigate the relationship between global value chain integration and financialization in the Global South. It is intended for policy research committees in international organizations such as the United Nations (Commission on Trade and Development Special Committee on Cization), the International Monetary Fund (Development Committee), the World Trade Organization, and World Bank. The global production network represents the international division of production through intermediate offshoring, while financialization represents the entrance of traditionally nonfinancial actors (namely firms, governments/banks, and households) into the financial system.

Attempting to use a heterodox framework, this paper builds upon literature that synthesizes the two …

Bolstering Resistance To Misinformation Through K-12 Education, Allison Johnson

Undergraduate Public Policy Capstone Projects

Misinformation online and in news media is a problem because it degrades truth and hinders legitimate democratic discourse. As misinformation becomes more prevalent, we need to start finding ways to limit the extent of the problem. To do so, I recommend a policy solution based on inoculation theory. Inoculation theory, as the name suggests, uses the metaphor of a vaccine. When receiving the flu shot, we get a weakened dose of the virus, which in turn helps us to create antibodies and later be more effective at fighting the real flu. In this instance, people are exposed to weakened doses …

Curbing Diabetes Prevalence And Reducing Risk Through Policy, Grayson Blount

Undergraduate Public Policy Capstone Projects

The purpose of this policy brief is to illuminate the dire circumstances surrounding the ongoing diabetes epidemic in Kentucky. Type II diabetes mellitus, a preventable and manageable chronic illness, affects nearly 465,000 Kentuckians currently. Beyond the daily struggle associated with diabetes, many acute complications can arise that are severly detrimental to quality of life, such as blindness or lower extremeity amputation. Additionally, the costs associated with diabetes are tremendous, to patients, to providers, and to the state. It is in the best interest of all stakeholders to do whatever we can in order to reduce prevalence and improve management of …

Municipal Waste In Southern Nevada: Understanding The Obsession With Garbage, Zachary Billot

Calvert Undergraduate Research Awards

This policy brief will analyze the current state of municipal waste, both residential and commercial, in Clark County Nevada. Southern Nevada’s reliance on inexpensive disposal of waste results in lack of support for sustainable investment in waste diversion programs. Clark County lags significantly behind the US in terms of recycling processing due to problems related to collection of materials and limited programs that divert food waste in a city reliant on casinos that dispose tons of food per day. A multifactor approach which includes education, investment in waste diversion, policy change for waste collection and cost, and management of waste …

Peaceful Protestors Or Criminals: The Relationship Between Government, Protests, And Social Movements In The United Kingdom, Madelyn Hindman

Faculty Curated Undergraduate Works

This paper seeks to understand the critical relationship between government officials, protestors, and social movements in the United Kingdom. A three-part case study will examine how the state of the government and legal regulations impact the implementation and outcome of protests or public demonstrations in major social movements. The government along with law enforcement plays a key role in the past, present, and future of how social movements utilize protests. Social movements and organizations must carefully consider the legal regulations surrounding public demonstrations as well as the legal consequences for infringing upon the legal regulations put into place. This study …

Three Essays On Rural Education: Descriptive Studies Focused On Federal Rural Definitions And Policy Changes, Kyung Ha Oh

Theses and Dissertations--Public Policy and Administration

Rural education issues in K-12 public schools are understudied despite a large rural student population in the U.S. This dissertation studies how different federal definitions of rural change how rural school districts and their diverse communities are portrayed, in comparison to their non-rural counterparts. This study also explores the recent federal rural policy changes on rural district revenue and student academic outcomes.

This dissertation consists of three descriptive essays. The first chapter shows how we choose to define ‘rural’ changes what differences are accentuated between rural and non-rural districts. Definitions of ‘rural’ is closely related to who gains access to …

A Multilevel Jurisdictional Analysis Of The Impact Of Walmart On Host Communities, Matt Young

Theses and Dissertations--Public Policy and Administration

This research takes a holistic approach to answer the empirical question about what impacts Walmart has on host jurisdictions. This consists of a thorough review of the extant literature; a formalization of Walmart’s potential impact into a theoretical framework; a consideration of endogeneity within Walmart’s operations from multiple angles; a nationwide analysis of impacts on labor and retail markets at both the county and municipal level; a nationwide analysis of the impacts on housing prices and property tax revenue post Walmart; a multistate analysis of host jurisdictions’ reactions to these changes through the lens of local sales taxes; finally, a …

Three Essays On Consumption Taxation In Indonesia, Partomuan Transparenter Juniult

Theses and Dissertations--Public Policy and Administration

Consumption taxes play a major role in revenue generation for many developing countries. They are also used to encourage or discourage certain consumption behaviors. However, the administrative aspects of implementing these taxes can create challenges for the tax authorities, and lead to distortions in taxpayer behavior. To overcome these challenges, efforts have been made to simplify policies and utilize technology to improve administration and compliance. My dissertation aims to provide empirical evidence on the effects of three consumption or commodity tax policy reforms in Indonesia. The dissertation consists of three essays as follows.

In my first essay, titled “The effect …

A Case Study Of Cross-Sector Collaboration In Community Schools In Central Pennsylvania, Jesscia Knapp

West Chester University Doctoral Projects

As societal problems become increasingly complex, organizations are more frequently embracing collaborative problem-solving methods to address issues that a single organization could not successfully solve alone. One such wicked problem is the state of education in the United States, particularly in low-income communities and school districts. The community school model is a method of education reform that requires cross-sector partnerships in order to be successful. This study examined the factors that led to successful cross-sector partnerships between Communities in Schools of Pennsylvania (CISPA) and two partner school districts in the implementation of the community school model in Pennsylvania. The results …

Integration Of Public Policy Into Civil Engineering Undergraduate Curricula: Review Of Civil Engineering Body Of Knowledge And Course Application, Michelle R. Oswald Beiler

Faculty Conference Papers and Presentations

The field of civil and environmental engineering directly ties with serving the needs of the public through infrastructure development and improvements in sustainable environments. Integrating this reciprocal connection between public policy and civil engineering into undergraduate civil engineering education is critical for the preparation of the next generation of engineers. This project, first, reviews the guidance of public policy in civil engineering programs, such as ASCE’s Civil Engineering Body of Knowledge. Then, a pedagogical application is presented that focuses on the integration of public policy concepts, methods, assessment tools and techniques in a required, upper level course in civil and …

The Linear Evolution Of Local Emergency Management Training In Response To Domestic Terrorism, Jeffrey Januchowski

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractThis paper presents a research study in the field of emergency management. The study aims to identify training or educational needs for the emergency manager at the local level of government to effectively handle disasters. The study uses phenomenon theory with semi-structured interviews that gather data from emergency managers that have experience with major disasters and training requirements. Participants were experts in the emergency management profession with the ability to speak appropriately about the phenomenon. Research questions identified the training methods that produce the best results along with the specific hazards emergency managers may encounter. The research design used questionnaires …

Space Debris Mitigation: A Unified Policy Framework, Forrest Randall Jones

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Space debris is a growing problem that impacts the ability to maneuver and conduct space missions, creates hazards for people on Earth, and has the potential for severe environmental damage. Clean-up efforts are not viable in the modern era due to a lack of viable, affordable, and safe technology conducive to such lines of effort. This leaves mitigative and preventative policy measures as the most effective way to proffer a solution to the problem. Public policy has largely failed to address space debris mitigation effectively due to the fragmentation of policies standards and a lack of horizontal integration of policies …

Cross-Sectional Collaboration In Florida's Emergency Management System, Christopher Stephen Kirkland

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Florida faces a unique set of emergency management hazards prompted by the state’s geography, high volume of tourism, and position as a hub of international trade. The state has developed a highly adaptive emergency management system to deliver humanitarian assistance to Floridians affected by natural and other disasters. Despite the importance of collaboration in delivering humanitarian goods and services to Floridians in times of crisis, little is known as to how collaboration occurs, what impediments exist, and how organizations adapt to the dynamics of natural and other disasters. In this qualitative case study, the integrative framework for collaborative governance was …

Heart Attack Related Firefighter Fatalities And Compliance With Nfpa 1582, Ernest Lindqvist

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Heart attacks have been the leading cause of on-duty firefighter fatalities for many years. Firefighters are subjected to health risks due to occupational practices and exposure to hazards. Firefighter fatality investigative reports suggest that comprehensive medical screenings consistent with the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 1582 standard would reduce deaths from heart attacks. The purpose of this study was to explore the extent to which fire departments comply with the NFPA 1582 standard. Using contextual interaction theory and a generic qualitative inquiry design, data were collected from fire departments that had a heart attack-related firefighter fatality incident. Semistructured interviews were …

The Social Construction Of Performance Enhancing Steroid Policies And Their Impact On U.S. Army Service Members, Trevor Scott Jackson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The United States military has seen a continued rise in the use of illicit performance enhancing substances, particularly androgenic-anabolic steroids (AAS), by service members in highly demanding occupational specialties. Despite these rising trends, there remains a lack of understanding of how U.S. Army substance abuse policy impacts service members’ motivations to use banned performance enhancing drugs. The purpose of this qualitative study was to better understand the motivations of service members who use performance enhancing AAS, as well as the impacts of substance abuse policies on those individuals. This study’s questions asked how social constructs and Army policy impacted service …