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Title: The Matthew Effect and public administration research: An analysis of the relationship of institutional prestige to research funding levels and departmental research productivity at U.S. schools of public administration.
Creator: Popejoy, Michael William., Florida Atlantic University, Lynch, Thomas D.
Abstract/Description: The Matthew Effect is a biblical metaphor coined by Derek de Solla Price to describe a violation of Robert K. Merton's Norms of Science particularly the Norm of Universalism. It is based on the principle of accumulative advantage operating in socially stratified systems to produce the same result: the rich get richer at a rate that makes the poor become relatively poorer. Prestige attracts a disproportionate share of scarce resources available for research. Applying the Matthew Effect theory...
Show moreThe Matthew Effect is a biblical metaphor coined by Derek de Solla Price to describe a violation of Robert K. Merton's Norms of Science particularly the Norm of Universalism. It is based on the principle of accumulative advantage operating in socially stratified systems to produce the same result: the rich get richer at a rate that makes the poor become relatively poorer. Prestige attracts a disproportionate share of scarce resources available for research. Applying the Matthew Effect theory to public administration research revealed for the first time in the discipline that the most prestigious institutions did attract more research funding than their less prestigious counterparts. Using measures of prestige, research funding, and research productivity, a series of bivariate and multivariate analyses were run on the sample survey data from 69 respondent U.S. schools of public administration. The results indicated that the schools rated as prestigious did attract more funding and schools that were better funded did more research. Also, schools that actively sought grants achieved more grant funding. However, the reverse was not true. The increased funding levels and increased research productivity did not influence prestige in the short-run. The results support the literature from sociology and education that prestige, funding and productivity are positively related but that prestige is not enhanced in the short-term by higher levels of research productivity or funding. The existence of the Matthew Effect operating on the discipline of public administration was confirmed. The dissertation also focused attention on the relative effects of productivity and prestige on funding levels using grant-getting activities as a measure of faculty research productivity. The results demonstrated that prestige outweighed grant-getting activity, but was not the sole determinate in establishing funding levels.
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Date Issued: 1994
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/12380
Subject Headings: Public administration--Research--United States, Research--United States--Finance, Universities and colleges--Research--United States
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: Managed competition in Florida health care system: An implementation study.
Creator: Feldheim, Mary Ann, Florida Atlantic University, Thai, Khi V.
Abstract/Description: The study examines the implementation of managed competition in Florida as a legislated, decentralized, public-private partnership having the characteristics of a network. The policy subsystem model of Milward and Wamsley was used to examine the network, the network structure, the reasons and rewards for participation, and the normative theory that holds the CHPA network together. A snowballing interview procedure was used to reconstruct the unit of analysis and data were analyzed using...
Show moreThe study examines the implementation of managed competition in Florida as a legislated, decentralized, public-private partnership having the characteristics of a network. The policy subsystem model of Milward and Wamsley was used to examine the network, the network structure, the reasons and rewards for participation, and the normative theory that holds the CHPA network together. A snowballing interview procedure was used to reconstruct the unit of analysis and data were analyzed using grounded theory (open coding, axial coding, selective coding), descriptive statistics, and a matrix for network analysis. Findings on network structure, organizational and/or individual roles and participation provide public administration with important clues on how to survive in an increasingly networked world. In addition, the study demonstrates the usefulness of the policy subsystem model in examining public-private partnerships.
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Date Issued: 1998
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/12559
Subject Headings: Managed care plans (Medical care)--Florida, Health care reform--Florida
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: Integrated solid waste management: Toward a recycling model.
Creator: Yoon, Young-Chai., Florida Atlantic University, Clare, Donald A.
Abstract/Description: Integrated Solid Waste Management systems consist, in order of their occurrence, of source reduction, recycling, composting, combustion, and landfilling. Present theory and practice emphasize recycling as the stage with the greatest potential for dealing with the problem of rapidly growing solid wastes. The central proposition of this dissertation is that the rate of recycling is largely dependent on local political, demographic, economic, and technological conditions. To test this, the...
Show moreIntegrated Solid Waste Management systems consist, in order of their occurrence, of source reduction, recycling, composting, combustion, and landfilling. Present theory and practice emphasize recycling as the stage with the greatest potential for dealing with the problem of rapidly growing solid wastes. The central proposition of this dissertation is that the rate of recycling is largely dependent on local political, demographic, economic, and technological conditions. To test this, the recycling rates of 221 counties of Florida, Minnesota, and Pennsylvania were examined. Primary data were gathered using a questionnaire-based survey sent to all 221 county recycling coordinators. An overall response rate of 62.9 percent was achieved. Twenty-four variables were tested for their relationship to recycling rates. Of these, four demographic variables, two economic variables, and four technological variables were identified as being significantly (p<0.05) related to the recycling rates in one or more states. No political variables were found to be significantly related to recycling rates in any state. A recycling model was developed for each state using multiple regression techniques. The Florida and Minnesota models suggest that recycling is highly influenced by local demographic factors, while the Pennsylvania model suggests that in that state the dominant influence is exerted by technological factors. The study developed the importance of the concept of per capita daily generation of municipal solid wastes. This concept, labeled "CMSW" was not found in the literature, but emerged from the study itself. CMSW, combined with the concept of non-recycled CMSW, were highlighted as practical and theoretically relevant variables for use in future research in the area of solid waste management.
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Date Issued: 1994
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/12363
Subject Headings: Refuse and Refuse Disposal--Management, Recycling (Waste, etc )--Management
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: Information systems management and outsourcing: A study of American city governments.
Creator: Kim, Yong-Mi, Florida Atlantic University, Thai, Khi V.
Abstract/Description: An information system is defined as "a system that uses information technology to capture, transmit, store, retrieve, manipulate, or display information used in one or more business processes" (Alter, 1996, p. 61). The use of information systems (IS) in local governments has dramatically increased and diversified over the past ten years. Because IS expenditures are expected to increase, IS management will be a key issue in city governments. In order to explore IS management and outsourcing in...
Show moreAn information system is defined as "a system that uses information technology to capture, transmit, store, retrieve, manipulate, or display information used in one or more business processes" (Alter, 1996, p. 61). The use of information systems (IS) in local governments has dramatically increased and diversified over the past ten years. Because IS expenditures are expected to increase, IS management will be a key issue in city governments. In order to explore IS management and outsourcing in American city governments, three theoretical perspectives and three models are employed. The three theoretical perspectives influencing IS outsourcing are (1) economic factors, (2) diffusion of innovation, and (3) organizational factors. The three models focus on three factors: (1) the percentage of total city budget allocated to total IS expenditure, (2) the percentage of total IS budget allocated to IS outsourcing expenditures, and (3) the percentage of total IS budget allocated to each IS function. In Model 1, the findings show that the population size of city government is inversely related to the total percentage of city budget allocated to total IS expenditures: as the population size of city government increases, the percentage of the total budget of the city government allocated to IS expenditures decreases. In Model 2, three theories to explain decisions regarding IS outsourcing are used. Economic factors influencing IS outsourcing decisions are when: (1) pressure to reduce cost is important, (2) access to cutting-edge technology is important, (3) IS requires a long time for the in-house staff to learn, and, (4) IS facilities are not available. However, city administrators did not express a concern about the loss of control of strategic applications, about being locked into a contract, or even about added costs for business or technology changes when their IS is outsourced. Theories of innovation diffusion includes several factors. The findings show that city IS administrators do learn about IS outsourcing from neighboring governments. Organizational factors that can potentially influence the IS outsourcing decision include the type and population size of city government, available resources, and internal transaction costs. IS outsourcing expenditure as a percentage of total IS expenditure does not vary with the type and size of city government, a finding which requires further investigation. The analysis of different types and sizes of city governments appears in Model 3. When more resources are available to the IS department, the city government is likely to hire IS experts, provide facilities, and engage in a higher rate of insourcing. Internal transaction costs measured by time delays are inversely related to the expenditures on IS outsourcing. In Model 3, IS outsourcing expenditure by function as a percentage of total IS expenditure, three theoretical perspectives are employed to explain this analysis. In the category of economic factors influencing IS outsourcing, asset-non specific IS functions such as data processing/operations and network/telecommunications are outsourced in order to reduce cost while asset-specific IS functions, such as application development/maintenance, are outsourced in order to gain access to cutting-edge technology. With respect to whether theories of innovation diffusion explain the IS outsourcing decision, the findings show that city governments investigate other neighboring governments to determine whether there have been IS outsourcing decisions in the areas of data processing/operations, network/telecommunication, and application development/maintenance. According to the findings, first, small city governments tend to allocate a higher IS outsourcing expenditure as a percentage of total IS expenditure to than do large city governments. Second, large city governments tend to allocate a lower percentage of IS outsourcing expenditure to systems planning/management because large city governments tend to set up this IS function within the organization and, thus, spend money on maintaining this function. Third, the council-manager type of city governments tend to allocate a higher rate of IS outsourcing expenditure to network/telecommunication and application development/maintenance than do the mayor-council type of city governments.
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Date Issued: 1998
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/12582
Subject Headings: Information resources management, Contracting out
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: The Government Finance Officers Association's (GFOA) Distinguished Budget Presentation Awards Program: Differences between successful and denied applicants.
Creator: Long, Donald C., Florida Atlantic University, Lynch, Thomas D.
Abstract/Description: This dissertation focuses on the Government Finance Officers Association's (GFOA) Distinguished Budget Presentation Awards Program. The number of applicants has steadily increased since the awards program was initiated in 1984. In order to win the award an agency must receive a favorable rating by reviewers, based on guidelines established by GFOA. This exploratory research relates to those local government agencies which applied for the award during the 1991-92 fiscal year. Very limited...
Show moreThis dissertation focuses on the Government Finance Officers Association's (GFOA) Distinguished Budget Presentation Awards Program. The number of applicants has steadily increased since the awards program was initiated in 1984. In order to win the award an agency must receive a favorable rating by reviewers, based on guidelines established by GFOA. This exploratory research relates to those local government agencies which applied for the award during the 1991-92 fiscal year. Very limited research has been conducted on this GFOA awards program. No research has identified differences between winning and denied agencies. The broad research question is: Is there a significant difference between winning and denied applicants for the award, according to the studied variables? The hypothesis is that there are differences between the groups, according to the studied variables. A survey of all 584 applicants was conducted during March, 1993. A total of 544 surveys were returned. The statistical techniques employed in the study include t-tests, chi-square analysis, and discriminant analysis. The null hypothesis that there is no difference between the means of the two groups (winning and denied agencies) is rejected for thirteen (13) of the thirty-eight (38) variables. Through discriminant analysis, the research identifies seven variables which create the best discriminant function. These variables include population size (POPULATE), use of performance measures (PERFMEAS), use of word processing (WORDPROC), previous receipt of the GFOA financial reporting certificate (GFOACERT), agency participation as a program reviewer (REVIEWER), number of pages in the annual budget (PAGES), and participants' views that the program uses a fair process of evaluation (FAIR). Future research into the GFOA Distinguished Budget Presentation Awards program should include more detailed analysis into the variables which appear to be associated with winning agencies.
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Date Issued: 1994
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/12376
Subject Headings: Government Finance Officers Association, Local budgets--Awards, Budget--Competitions
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: Employment rates and average wage of Targeted Jobs Tax Credit participants in Florida compared to selected Job Training Partnership Act participants by target groups.
Creator: Gnage, David Charles, Florida Atlantic University, Thai, Khi V.
Abstract/Description: Purpose. The purpose of this study was to examine the third quarter 1992 employment rates and average wages of individuals who were Targeted Jobs Tax Credit (TJTC) certified in Florida during the third quarter of 1987. The employment rates and average wages were compared to a select group of individuals who were released for employment in Florida by the Jobs Training Partnership Act (JTPA) during the same time period. The primary research question concerned the effectiveness of the TJTC...
Show morePurpose. The purpose of this study was to examine the third quarter 1992 employment rates and average wages of individuals who were Targeted Jobs Tax Credit (TJTC) certified in Florida during the third quarter of 1987. The employment rates and average wages were compared to a select group of individuals who were released for employment in Florida by the Jobs Training Partnership Act (JTPA) during the same time period. The primary research question concerned the effectiveness of the TJTC program, a tax expenditure program, compared to the direct budget program JTPA. Problem. The social goal of both programs was to encourage firms to hire those individuals who traditionally experience high unemployment rates. The TJTC approach was intended to increase employment incentives to employers to recruit, hire, and train members of specific target groups. In general, JTPA provides training then releases the individual for employment. Critics of TJTC have claimed that the employers have hired individuals who they would have hired anyway (windfalls) or that they have laid off non-target group members (substitutions). Employers have also been criticized for not providing the necessary training to provide for long term employment. Methodology. The study examined the employment records of four sets of individuals: (1) individuals who were TJTC vouchered but not certified, (2) individuals who were TJTC certified, (3) individuals who completed JTPA training and were not TJTC eligible, and (4) individuals who completed JTPA training, were TJTC eligible but not vouchered. This study included five target groups: disadvantaged youth; disadvantaged ex-convicts; AFDC recipients; disadvantaged Vietnam veterans; and vocational rehabilitation referrals. The economic status was identified as employment rates and mean wages. Both chi-square and log-linear analysis were used to compare the employment rates for each target group and each race, for both TJTC and JTPA one program was more effective in increasing the probability of future employment. Variance analysis was used to determine if one program was more effective in increasing future compensation for members of a target group. Findings. TJTC served many more individuals than JTPA across of the five target groups. JTPA may increase the probability of employment for AFDC recipients and Whites. The mean wage was found to be independent of both TJTC and JTPA. The disadvantaged Vietnam Veterans had the highest mean wage and the AFDC recipient the lowest. The mean wage for Blacks was found to be lower than that of other races.
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Date Issued: 1993
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/12356
Subject Headings: New jobs tax credit--United States, Occupational retraining--Law and legislation--United States, Employees--Training of
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: Abortion policy in the fifty states: A comparative analysis.
Creator: Parsons, Sharon Kay, Florida Atlantic University, Pritchard, Anita
Abstract/Description: This study investigates the influence of state characteristics, socioeconomic, cultural and political, on the variation of abortion legislation and accessibility in the American states. State discretion in abortion issues, historically and including the present time, has resulted in a lack of uniformity of regulations in the 50 states and a wide variance of accessibility to abortion services across the nation. Although abortion is considered one of the most divisive and controversial policy...
Show moreThis study investigates the influence of state characteristics, socioeconomic, cultural and political, on the variation of abortion legislation and accessibility in the American states. State discretion in abortion issues, historically and including the present time, has resulted in a lack of uniformity of regulations in the 50 states and a wide variance of accessibility to abortion services across the nation. Although abortion is considered one of the most divisive and controversial policy issues, it has largely been neglected in the literature as a public policy study at the state level. Therefore, a systematic and empirical basis for explaining the variance in abortion laws and accessibility is also lacking in the research. This study attempts to fill in that gap and the results of the analysis of the data reveals several important findings. First, there is little indication that accessibility is related to state legislation on abortion. Second, the measures for current legislation are not highly correlated. Each policy appears to be a separate issue for state legislators. Third, socioeconomic characteristics, as expected, are important to the pre-Roe measures of legislation and abortion rates. These characteristics are also important to recent abortion rates, Medicaid funding for abortions, and service provision. However, certain political variables, in particular public opinion/ideology, are also important to the variance of current measures. Fourth, traditional state characteristics do not explain the variance in two of the legislative variables included in the study--the number of post-Roe restrictions passed and parental notification/consent requirements. And last, religion, as measured by denominations or religious groups with an anti-abortion platform, does not play an important role in explaining variation in abortion laws or accessibility, contrary to the predictions. A larger percentage of Catholics is associated with increased service provision and less restrictive Medicaid funding for abortions. Fundamentalists are not important to the variation of either legislation or accessibility. This finding, in particular, is in contrast to not only the predictions of this study but also to the popular beliefs and assertions on the subject.
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Date Issued: 1991
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/12285
Subject Headings: Women's Studies, Political Science, General, Political Science, Public Administration
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: Community-oriented policing: Testing the actual faithfulness of implementation by the police and their perceptions of its reduction in social disorganization.
Creator: Collins, William D., Florida Atlantic University, Arneklev, Bruce J.
Abstract/Description: Police department attitudes and behaviors associated with faithfully implementing community policing may determine its success for combating social disorganization. The literature review presents a background for understanding community policing and its link to the theory of social disorganization. It is hypothesized that supportive attitudes toward community policing will produce behaviors consistent with its application that may help in combating the disadvantages of social disorganization....
Show morePolice department attitudes and behaviors associated with faithfully implementing community policing may determine its success for combating social disorganization. The literature review presents a background for understanding community policing and its link to the theory of social disorganization. It is hypothesized that supportive attitudes toward community policing will produce behaviors consistent with its application that may help in combating the disadvantages of social disorganization. Secondhand public data of a two-part community policing survey is used to test each hypothesis. Analysis procedures used for this test consist of reliability comparisons, bivariate correlation and finally OLS regression. The results of this thesis indicate a promising causal relationship between supportive attitudes playing a role in shaping behaviors consistent with the performance of community policing techniques. The results also reveal that police agencies that have supportive attitudes toward community oriented policing also perceive that it can have a positive impact in combating social disorganization.
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Date Issued: 2001
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/12869
Subject Headings: Community policing, Police--Attitudes, Police administration, Police-community relations
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: A new framework for determining the magnitude of the corporate tax shelter problem.
Creator: DiCicco, Joel Mark., Florida Atlantic University, Thai, Khi V.
Abstract/Description: This dissertation introduces a new definition of a corporate tax shelter as any deduction taken by a corporation that was not intended as a tax expenditure by Congress. Unlike predecessor definitions of tax shelters that utilize laundry lists of indicators, this new definition effectively excludes tax code abuses, yet allows for the employment of legitimate corporate loopholes. Under this new paradigm of a tax shelter, a simple macro-framework utilizing only readily-available data and public...
Show moreThis dissertation introduces a new definition of a corporate tax shelter as any deduction taken by a corporation that was not intended as a tax expenditure by Congress. Unlike predecessor definitions of tax shelters that utilize laundry lists of indicators, this new definition effectively excludes tax code abuses, yet allows for the employment of legitimate corporate loopholes. Under this new paradigm of a tax shelter, a simple macro-framework utilizing only readily-available data and public information produced results estimating the impact of corporate tax shelters on federal receipts similar to estimates produced by other researchers using complicated econometric models that rely heavily on confidential tax return information.
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Date Issued: 2003
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FADT12041
Subject Headings: Tax shelters--United States, Corporations--Taxation--United States
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: A structural equations model of organizational commitment, job satisfaction as its covariate, and their antecedent variables.
Creator: McFarland, Michael Allen, Florida Atlantic University, Mendell, Jay S.
Abstract/Description: This academic exercise in organizational commitment research explores the causal relationships between organizational commitment, job satisfaction as its covariate latent exogenous variable and nine manifest endogenous variables: (a) organizational conflict, (b) personal values/role conflict, (c) cognitive/affective attitude, (d) intention to leave the organization, (e) job security, (f) role ambiguity, (g) job satisfaction, (h) organizational commitment and, (i) the deficiency in meeting...
Show moreThis academic exercise in organizational commitment research explores the causal relationships between organizational commitment, job satisfaction as its covariate latent exogenous variable and nine manifest endogenous variables: (a) organizational conflict, (b) personal values/role conflict, (c) cognitive/affective attitude, (d) intention to leave the organization, (e) job security, (f) role ambiguity, (g) job satisfaction, (h) organizational commitment and, (i) the deficiency in meeting basic Maslovian needs. This data sample of 400 (faculty members from four public community college districts in south-central Florida) represented urban and non-urban community colleges, large and small campuses, east- and west-coast community colleges, and both full- and part-time faculty. The covariance matrix based on complete data for the sample (n = 400), along with information of the estimated reliabilities, were analyzed using EzPATH, the SYSTAT implementation of structured equations modeling. GFI criteria accompanied diagnostic output and are provided. The path coefficients of the primary model and their respective standard errors complied with accepted statistical methods in most cases. Also, the root mean square residual of the primary model was .0180. The p-value for the primary model was 0.4506 which was supported by a chi-square (χ2) divided by DOF equating to 1.00513. The determined AGFI and GFI indices were .9755 and .9897 respectively. Only the psychological attitudes of conflict, either conflicting standards of the organization or personal values with the organization, and role ambiguity, showed any direct influence by satisfaction and non-significant influence by commitment. Only the psychological attitudes of cognitive/affective attitude, intention to leave the organization, and job security showed any direct influence by commitment and non-significant influence by satisfaction. In this study, job satisfaction and commitment show a mutual causal relationship with each other (represented by the high mutual causation coefficient of 0.94556 SE = 0.02163). The primary model was modified to address both the path of satisfaction being a precedent of commitment (SAT --> COM) and commitment being a precedent of satisfaction (COM --> SAT). Neither of these two models demonstrated goodness of fit criteria as strong as the primary model. This dissertation has shown that by using carefully collected data, it is possible to construct structural equation models consisting entirely of psychological-social variables in a model as large as nine manifest endogenous variables.
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Date Issued: 1994
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/12394
Subject Headings: Job satisfaction--Mathematical models, Organizational behavior--Mathematical models, Organizational change, Personnel management, Employee motivation, Commitment (Psychology)
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: The social ecology of growth management: An analysis of Florida's urban communities.
Creator: Watson, Robert P., Florida Atlantic University, DeGrove, John M.
Abstract/Description: That growth management as a field of study is relatively young is observable in the lack of theory about the phenomenon. Not surprisingly, the literature contains numerous criticisms of the inadequacy of existing research and calls for the development of empirically-based decision-making models and theory in the field. This paper studies cities and counties in Florida with the objective of analyzing the "social ecology" of urban growth-managing communities. Here, the term social ecology is...
Show moreThat growth management as a field of study is relatively young is observable in the lack of theory about the phenomenon. Not surprisingly, the literature contains numerous criticisms of the inadequacy of existing research and calls for the development of empirically-based decision-making models and theory in the field. This paper studies cities and counties in Florida with the objective of analyzing the "social ecology" of urban growth-managing communities. Here, the term social ecology is used to represent social forces in the policy macroenvironment. At present there is no clear answer as to what community characteristics are associated with growth management policy and what are the social pressures underlying community growth-managing policy orientations. A dynamic and complex policy issue, growth management is conceptualized in this study both broadly and operationally in terms of five major policy issues pertaining to growth management: Economic development/redevelopment; housing; infrastructure; environmental protection; and urban design/community character. Governments of the 36 counties and 28 cities in Florida with populations of at least 50,000 were surveyed to obtain information on their growth management policy priorities. Of the approximately one dozen states currently employing statewide, comprehensive systems to manage growth, Florida is considered a national leader. Furthermore, as it has been experiencing one of the nation's highest growth rates over the past two decades, Florida is an important growth management data source to study. The research involved two stages. The first stage used bivariate statistical analyses and tests of association to identify those variables in the urban social ecology related to each of the growth management policy issues studied, from which descriptive models of association were constructed. The second stage used factor analysis to identify and analyze the principal factors characterizing the growth management policies, from which broad theory about the social ecology of growth management was developed. In summary, this study analyzes and explains growth management policy in terms of three principal factors characterizing the urban community. The study offers descriptive models and theory analyzing the forces that shape growth management policy and thus provides a conceptual framework for policy analysis to assist policy makers with decision making. Equally important, the findings provide direction for further study in the field.
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Date Issued: 1991
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/12286
Subject Headings: Urban Ecology (Sociology)--Florida, Community Development, Urban--Florida
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: A policy implementation analysis: Nurse aide certification in Florida.
Creator: Brannon, Pamela Tarquinio, Florida Atlantic University, Schoenhofer, Savina, Clare, Donald A.
Abstract/Description: Policy implementation is recognized as a major component of the public policy process, and an important area for public administration research. The literature calls for the examination of public projects to improve policy design and implementation, for the comparison of expected implementation with actual implementation, and for the examination of the role of states in implementing federal policy. This dissertation addressed those areas by analyzing the implementation of the Omnibus Budget...
Show morePolicy implementation is recognized as a major component of the public policy process, and an important area for public administration research. The literature calls for the examination of public projects to improve policy design and implementation, for the comparison of expected implementation with actual implementation, and for the examination of the role of states in implementing federal policy. This dissertation addressed those areas by analyzing the implementation of the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1987 (OBRA '87) which contains federal requirements for certification of nurse aides (nursing assistants) who are employed in Medicare and Medicaid funded nursing homes. The dissertation focused on the state of Florida and three levels of analysis: policies and practices of the state, nursing home operations and procedures, and individuals in the certification process. Multiple methods of data collection and data analysis were used and included: an analysis of the history, development and content of the federal policy, interviews with state administrators, a survey of nursing home administrators, an analysis of state certification statistics, documentary analysis, factor analysis and content analysis. Some of the data indicate that, although Florida has had a nurse aide certification process in place since 1982, there may be some uneven implementation of the certification process at the local level, and that race may have an impact on the certification rate. These areas were recommended for further study. A descriptive model, developed from the research design, outlined three dimensions that should be examined in order to conduct a comprehensive analysis of policy implementation: the origin of the policy, the agent of the policy, and the target of the policy. Additionally, a comprehensive analysis should examine the communication between the dimensions. In this dissertation, the federal legislation was the origin, the state of Florida was the agent, and nursing homes and prospective nurse aides were the targets. The descriptive model can be used for future implementation studies whether the origin of the policy is federal, state or local legislation.
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Date Issued: 1993
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/40751
Subject Headings: Nurses' aides--Certification--Florida, Nursing home care--Florida
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: Interstate fiscal disparities among American states: An empirical study.
Creator: Qiao, Yuhua., Florida Atlantic University, Thai, Khi V.
Abstract/Description: Oakland (1994) defined fiscal disparities as "differences in fiscal effort required to achieve a particular fiscal outcome" (p. 199). Fiscal disparities among states create inequity, because the welfare of citizens across the nation is substantially affected by where they live. Since no systematic study about interstate fiscal disparities has been conducted, this dissertation attempts to fill this gap by examining (1) the trends of interstate fiscal disparities in the period of 1970 to 1992...
Show moreOakland (1994) defined fiscal disparities as "differences in fiscal effort required to achieve a particular fiscal outcome" (p. 199). Fiscal disparities among states create inequity, because the welfare of citizens across the nation is substantially affected by where they live. Since no systematic study about interstate fiscal disparities has been conducted, this dissertation attempts to fill this gap by examining (1) the trends of interstate fiscal disparities in the period of 1970 to 1992 and (2) the determinants of interstate fiscal disparities. The model used in this dissertation is developed after a thorough examination of the literature on fiscal disparities. The dependent variable is interstate fiscal disparity as measured by the difference between a state's general expenditure per capita and the mean general expenditure per capita of the fifty states, and by the standard deviation of the general expenditures per capita of the fifty states. Two groups of independent variables are identified from the literature: state fiscal capacity variables (state personal income per capita, state own-source revenue per capita, and federal grant-in-aid per capita) and environmental cost variables (percentage of state dependent population, percentage of state population living in metropolitan areas, percentage of state population living below the poverty line, and percentage of state population enrolled in public schools). Hypotheses that correspond to the model are tested using cross-sectional regression analyses and a time series analysis. There are three related findings about the trends of interstate fiscal disparities. First, interstate fiscal disparities increased over the period of 1970-1992. Second, interstate fiscal disparities increased in a faster pace during 1980-1992 than during 1970-1979. Third, interstate fiscal disparities increased to a much larger degree in public welfare, hospitals and health than in other state functions. There are two major findings about the determinants of interstate fiscal disparities. Both cross-sectional analyses and time series analysis found state own-source revenue per capita, federal grants-in-aid to state per capita, and previous year's state general expenditure per capita to be statistically related to interstate fiscal disparities. Time series analysis also found that the percentage of state population living in metropolitan areas, the percentage of state population living under the poverty line, and the percentage of state population enrolled in public schools are statistically significantly related to interstate fiscal disparities. The dissertation concludes with policy recommendations that can be used to address interstate fiscal disparities.
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Date Issued: 1998
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/12554
Subject Headings: Finance, Public--United States--States, Intergovernmental Fiscal Relations--United States
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: Restorative justice and organizational change: The process of transformation.
Creator: McLeod, Colleen E., Florida Atlantic University, Bazemore, Gordon
Abstract/Description: Restorative justice has come to the forefront of criminal justice discourse with growing interest and support. Despite increasing research and theory in the past decade, a missing link in the research has been a lack of focus on the role of criminal justice organizations in the implementation process. The purpose of this paper is to examine the capacity of organizational literature to inform criminal justice system organizational transformation so that it is consistent with the values,...
Show moreRestorative justice has come to the forefront of criminal justice discourse with growing interest and support. Despite increasing research and theory in the past decade, a missing link in the research has been a lack of focus on the role of criminal justice organizations in the implementation process. The purpose of this paper is to examine the capacity of organizational literature to inform criminal justice system organizational transformation so that it is consistent with the values, principles and practices associated with restorative justice. The literature review involves an overview of the restorative justice framework, a general presentation of organizational theory, and finally, an articulation of three main categories of organizational literature: bureaucratic, post-bureaucratic, and what is referred to in this thesis as contemporary. This literature analysis contributes to the development of a model for an organization that is consistent with restorative justice and the proposed transition from a bureaucratic organization to a restorative organization. Finally, both evaluative and policy implications for the research findings and proposed model are considered.
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Date Issued: 2002
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/13001
Subject Headings: Restorative justice, Criminal justice, Administration of, Organizational change
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: Rhetoric of Federal Mission Statements: Power, Values, and Audience.
Creator: Donohue, John J., Patterson, Patricia M., Florida Atlantic University
Abstract/Description: Mission statements are an important part of the strategic planning process. In the federal government they are required for cabinet departments. Research about publicsector mission statements has been limited, compared to research on private-sector mission statements. Mission statements are important as artifacts of organizational culture. They introduce and reinforce important organizational values and can be part of a system of control. Within organizational culture and as part of a system...
Show moreMission statements are an important part of the strategic planning process. In the federal government they are required for cabinet departments. Research about publicsector mission statements has been limited, compared to research on private-sector mission statements. Mission statements are important as artifacts of organizational culture. They introduce and reinforce important organizational values and can be part of a system of control. Within organizational culture and as part of a system of control, mission statements may play a role in creating and maintaining certain power relationships. In this research I examine manifestations of organizational culture and power in cabinet-level federal agencies as expressed in the content and rhetoric of their mission statements. The research presented here examines the mission statements of federal departments and their affiliated agencies and offices. It seeks to identify the importance of mission statements outside of their role in the strategic planning process. The methodology used is Ethnographic Content Analysis (ECA). ECA allows for numerical and descriptive data. Numerically, the researcher creates and counts occurrences of relevant categories of analysis and then uses examples as descriptors. This dissertation describes the content of mission statements and compares it to features other researchers have identified as important for mission statements. In general, the federal mission statements studied here do not include many of the elements that previous research has identified as important for mission statements. Second, the research examines the presence in mission statements of values in general and, in particular, two specific groups of values: New Public Management and Democratic Constitutional values. Both types of values are found in federal mission statements, and the research shows that authors of mission statements are making a choice between the New Public and Democratic Constitutional sets of values. Next, this research looks for evidence of statements of power that are included within the mission statements. Borrowing French and Raven's five bases of interpersonal power for its rubric, this research finds evidence of all five bases of power in these organizational mission statements. Finally, this research looks for the intended audiences of the mission statements and finds that it is often unclear.
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Date Issued: 2008
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00000606
Subject Headings: Mission statements, Strategic planning--United States--21st century, Benchmarking (Management), Organizational effectiveness, Corporate culture, Administrative agencies--United States--Planning
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: Stakeholders, Advocacy Coalitions and The Policy Process: Policy Change in Everglades Restoration.
Creator: Taylor, Leslie, Thai, Khi V., Sapat, Alka K., Florida Atlantic University
Abstract/Description: This study is about advocacy coalitions' efforts at influencing the debate surrounding the formulation of the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP). Policy change as utilized in the dissertation views the adoption of CERP as a change in government policy on Everglades restoration that was achieved through competing stakeholders and coalitions. As one of the largest environmental restoration projects ever undertaken in the U.S. and possibly the most complex in terms of reconciling...
Show moreThis study is about advocacy coalitions' efforts at influencing the debate surrounding the formulation of the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP). Policy change as utilized in the dissertation views the adoption of CERP as a change in government policy on Everglades restoration that was achieved through competing stakeholders and coalitions. As one of the largest environmental restoration projects ever undertaken in the U.S. and possibly the most complex in terms of reconciling stakeholder views and understanding the science of restoration, the federal government and the state of Florida were keen on providing a formal participatory process for stakeholder input. The formulation process leading up to the adoption of CERP forms a unique study in our understanding of coalition behavior, their efforts at influencing governmental policy and the way the deliberative and participatory process worked. The major purpose of the dissertation is to examine the perceived effectiveness of stakeholders and coalitions, specifically the environmental and agribusiness coalitions, to influence policy change in Everglades restoration. The study looks at how policy change was achieved within the formal institutions established and other infonnal channels developed through cooperation and consensus. Utilizing the Advocacy Coalition Framework (ACF), interest group and coalition building literature, I hypothesize that the influence of coalitions in bringing about policy change is affected by five factors: internal factors such as (I) heterogeneity of stakeholders' beliefs, (2) membership size and external factors including (3) the presence of policy brokers, (4) change in the systemic governing coalition, and (5) presence of multiple coalitions. These factors are assumed to have contributed to altering or changing the dynamics and the direction of discourse in the policy process. Data was drawn from interviewing stakeholders who are members of the environmental and agribusiness coalitions and from secondary sources. The study shows that both the environmental and agribusiness coalitions perceive their efforts to be effective and instrumental in impacting the events and issues in the restoration process and particularly in influencing policy change. The study also reveals that the deliberative and participatory process, although sometimes contentious, has been a successful mechanism in allowing stakeholders to influence the formulation of CERP.
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Date Issued: 2007
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00000615
Subject Headings: South Florida Ecosystem Restoration Program, Wetland Restoration--Government Policy--Florida--Everglades, Everglades (Fla)--Government Policy, Political Planning--Florida, United States--Politics and Government--2001---Decision Making
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: Urban economic development planning for the disadvantaged: A case study of the cities of Fort Lauderdale and Pompano Beach, Florida.
Creator: Robertson, Naomi., Florida Atlantic University, Prosperi, David
Abstract/Description: Although federal, state, and local governments have invested millions of dollars in social and economic programs, many citizens do not possess the basic necessities of life. The gap between the "haves" and "havenots" continues to grow. According to a 1990 Bureau of the Census report, the poverty rate among blacks in America is 31.9 percent; hispanics, 28.1 percent; and whites, 10.7 percent. Further, young black males have one of the highest unemployment rates in the nation. For example, the...
Show moreAlthough federal, state, and local governments have invested millions of dollars in social and economic programs, many citizens do not possess the basic necessities of life. The gap between the "haves" and "havenots" continues to grow. According to a 1990 Bureau of the Census report, the poverty rate among blacks in America is 31.9 percent; hispanics, 28.1 percent; and whites, 10.7 percent. Further, young black males have one of the highest unemployment rates in the nation. For example, the Department of Labor reported that during the fourth quarter of 1991, the unemployment rate of black males between the ages of twenty and twenty-four was 21.5 percent; hispanic males, 12.3 percent; and white males, 9.8 percent. Consequently, cities are faced with high unemployment rates, declining tax base, large welfare rolls, and increased crime. To combat these and other problems, an economic development planning approach which closes this gap must be developed. The economic development planning and implementation activities of the Cities of Fort Lauderdale and Pompano Beach, Florida, are explored to determine the extent to which they are addressing the needs of disadvantaged residents, particularly African-Americans. Questionnaires (surveys) and personal/telephone interviews are the basic techniques used to collect data. Based on the corporate-center, the distributive-corporate, and the corporate-distributive approaches to economic development planning and implementation, responses are analyzed to classify each City's approach. Responses concerning selected development projects are also analyzed to determine the extent to which these projects are addressing identified needs of the economically disadvantaged. The results indicate that both Cities have on-going economic development programs, which are attempting to close the gap between the "haves" and the "havenots," however, certain segments of the population are still excluded. A conceptual framework, "team enrichment" or the people-centered approach, is developed to bridge the gap between economic development planning and the needs of the disadvantaged. Team enrichment yields team empowerment. Team empowerment is the catalyst for community empowerment, which in turn achieves social, political, and economic power. Power is achieved through the actions of a community economic development (CED) triangle, which is held together by a strong community-public-private alliance.
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Date Issued: 1992
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/12311
Subject Headings: Cities and towns--Growth, Economic development--Planning, Fort Lauderdale (Fla )--Economic conditions, Pompano Beach (Fla )--Economic conditions
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: Does evaluation make a difference? The effect of evaluation on remedial education in Florida's community colleges.
Creator: Lyes-MacLachlan, Shari., Florida Atlantic University, Leip, Leslie A., Nyhan, Ronald C., Holden, Eileen
Abstract/Description: Throughout the nation, many community college students arrive at the doors of public higher education without college-level skills. As the need for remediation over the years has grown, the controversy over who should be responsible for it---and whether it should be provided at all---has also grown. In Florida, more than 60 percent of all incoming college students must enroll in one or more remediation courses in the areas of reading, writing, or mathematics. Florida law requires students to...
Show moreThroughout the nation, many community college students arrive at the doors of public higher education without college-level skills. As the need for remediation over the years has grown, the controversy over who should be responsible for it---and whether it should be provided at all---has also grown. In Florida, more than 60 percent of all incoming college students must enroll in one or more remediation courses in the areas of reading, writing, or mathematics. Florida law requires students to take non-credit "College-Preparatory" classes if they score below mandated cut-off scores on state-approved placement tests. The central theory of this study is that ongoing, comprehensive and systematic evaluation that is effectively communicated and utilized in Florida's colleges can make a significant contribution to the College Preparatory program. While this study examines budgetary factors and student achievement rates, it focuses particularly on evaluation, the extent to which evaluation is being performed in the College Preparatory program, and how that evaluation throughout the state has changed over a five-year period. The study identifies four general areas of evaluation: (1) student-level evaluation, (2) program-level evaluation, (3) evaluation via communication in the organization and (4) utilization of evaluation in the organization. It analyzes the relationship between each area and the perceptions that faculty, administrators and staff have of remedial program success, and it distinguishes among faculty, administrator and staff perceptions of evaluation and preparatory program success. In the end, it is the synthesis of the four general areas of evaluation, along with input from its various stakeholders, which result in effects on remedial education.
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Date Issued: 2004
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FADT12105
Subject Headings: Curriculum evaluation, Community colleges--Evaluation, Education--Research--Methodology, Remedial teaching--Evaluation
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: From policy to practice to management: A restorative justice framework.
Creator: O'Brien, Sandra Pavelka, Florida Atlantic University, Bazemore, Gordon, Washington, Charles W.
Abstract/Description: Two distinct models have guided the juvenile justice system during the past century---individual treatment/rehabilitation and retributive justice. While its historical orientation has been individual treatment, in recent years it has become predominately punitive (Bazemore and Day, 1998; Bazemore, 1993). The organizational mission and goals of the juvenile justice system have become internally inconsistent as it tries to satisfy competing goals, such as punishment, treatment, and protection...
Show moreTwo distinct models have guided the juvenile justice system during the past century---individual treatment/rehabilitation and retributive justice. While its historical orientation has been individual treatment, in recent years it has become predominately punitive (Bazemore and Day, 1998; Bazemore, 1993). The organizational mission and goals of the juvenile justice system have become internally inconsistent as it tries to satisfy competing goals, such as punishment, treatment, and protection of public safety. Currently, justice professionals have sought to clarify the aims of juvenile justice management and policy. Several possibilities exist for the future of the juvenile justice system. One proposal for the future of the juvenile justice system is to abolish the juvenile court by combining it with the adult court to create one criminal court (Feld, 1993; 1999). Another proposal is to reaffirm the individualized treatment/rehabilitation model. Finally, restorative justice holds promise as a transformative, guiding philosophy for the future of the juvenile justice system, a departure from the traditional thinking about the role of juvenile justice in society (Bazemore, 1993; Bazemore, 1999; Daly and Immarigeon, 1998; Hahn, 1998). Justice professionals are considering a new approach to the justice system, a reorientation of how to think about crime and justice (Zehr, 1997). Restorative justice provides an alternative "lens" for viewing and developing new responses to juvenile crime. This alternative perspective may potentially have a profoundly, positive effect on the justice system by incorporating community participation, victim involvement and restoration (Dunlap, 1998; Zehr, 1990; Zehr, 1997). This study includes the results of a national telephone survey of key juvenile justice professionals who have been identified by key informants in each state as possessing knowledge and experience related to the status of restorative justice in the fifty states. A significant number of states and local juvenile justice systems are setting policy for the development and implementation of innovative programs and practices based on restorative justice principles. Case-study analyses of two states were also included. The case-study states are Minnesota, a government initiated, community-driven model, and Pennsylvania, a government-driven model. Each state has successfully developed and implemented a restorative justice approach using its respective model.
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Date Issued: 2000
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/12646
Subject Headings: Restorative justice, Juvenile justice, Administration of
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: FAU Climate Change Initiative Priority Theme: Research, Engineering, and Adaption to a Change Climate.
Creator: Berry, Leonard, Koch, Marguerite, Center for Environmental Studies, Benscoter, Brian, Comas, Xavier, Devlin, Donna, Fadiman, Maria, Gerstein, E., Herzing, Denise L., Hindle, Tobin, Milton, Sarah L., Oleinik, Anton E., Proffitt, C. Edward, Restrepo, Jorge I., Root, Tara L., Wyneken, Jeanette, Xie, Zhixiao, Zhang, Xing-Hai, Esnard, Ann-Margaret, Mitsova, Diana, Murley, J., Vos, J., Escaleras, Monica, Mehallis, M., Shaw, Eric H., Hardman, Guillermo [John], Lambert, Julie, Thomas, G., Arockiasamy, Madasamy, Bloetscher, Frederick, Carvalho, G., Dhanak, Manhar R., Frisk, George V., Kaisar, Evangelos I., Kalva, Hari, Meeroff, Daniel E., Rodriguez, Jarice, Scarlatos, Panagiotis (Pete) D., Shankar, Ravi, Teegavarapu, Ramesh, Brown, Clifford T., McAfee, Francis, Widener, Patricia, Dalgleish, Fraser R., Hanisak, M. Dennis, McMulloch, S., O'Corry-Crowe, Gregory, Pomponi, Shirley A., Reed, John K., Scarpa, John, Voss, Joshua, Heimlich, Barry N., Alvarez, R., Jolley, J., Edwards, A., Charles E. Schmidt College of Science, Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute, College of Business, Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters, College of Education, College of Engineering and Computer Science
Date Issued: 2010
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00003457
Format: Citation

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