Current Search: School of Public Administration (x)
View All Items
Pages
- Title
- EXAMINING DIGITAL POLICY TOOL CHOICE AND NETWORK STRUCTURES: A DISCOURSE NETWORK ANALYSIS OF THE FIRST STEP ACT.
- Creator
- Lungu, Maria, Sapat, Alka, Florida Atlantic University, School of Public Administration, Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters
- Abstract/Description
-
Policy formation involves an interplay of decision-making processes that shape all policy process stages. A critical aspect of the design process is selecting policy tools to align with policy goals. The First Step Act (FSA) (2018) aims to reduce recidivism and reform sentencing through a robust policy tool portfolio. However, questions persist about how policy tools are selected. This dissertation evaluates the policy design, tool choices, and collaborative networks associated with these...
Show morePolicy formation involves an interplay of decision-making processes that shape all policy process stages. A critical aspect of the design process is selecting policy tools to align with policy goals. The First Step Act (FSA) (2018) aims to reduce recidivism and reform sentencing through a robust policy tool portfolio. However, questions persist about how policy tools are selected. This dissertation evaluates the policy design, tool choices, and collaborative networks associated with these choices. Grounded in the social construction framework and using content analysis and discourse network analysis (DNA), this dissertation examines how policymakers select policy tools to achieve functionality. Research question one explores the complementarity of the FSA’s policy tool portfolio, and results demonstrate alignment between policy goals and corresponding policy tools. Research question two examines how social constructions of target populations and political affiliations influence policy tool choices; hypothesis one reveals that liberal policymakers align with those with similar political affiliations. Results from hypothesis two indicate liberal policymakers adopt a rehabilitation orientation tool approach, viewing target populations as investments and deserving of support structures. The findings also highlight limited interaction with government agency officials, reflecting a need to incorporate more administrative voices into legislative discourse.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2024
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00014466
- Subject Headings
- Public policy, Decision making, Public administration
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- An Inquiry into Fire Service Consolidation and the Economies of Scale Debate: The Centralization Versus Decentralization Argument.
- Creator
- D’Angelo III, Salvatore A., Thai, Khi V., Florida Atlantic University, College for Design and Social Inquiry, School of Public Administration
- Abstract/Description
-
Addressing the current homeland security challenges requires scholars, practitioners, elected officials, and community partners working in unison to mitigate the hazards confronting first responders. Built on public choice theory, this research addressed a specific component of the emergency preparedness matrix: the most preferred fire service organizational design. The fire department organizational designs in this study included a Florida county, city, and independent special control fire...
Show moreAddressing the current homeland security challenges requires scholars, practitioners, elected officials, and community partners working in unison to mitigate the hazards confronting first responders. Built on public choice theory, this research addressed a specific component of the emergency preparedness matrix: the most preferred fire service organizational design. The fire department organizational designs in this study included a Florida county, city, and independent special control fire district (ISFCD) that serve residents on a full-time platform. The concurrent embedded methodology used attempted to unearth which organizational design achieves economies of scale based on quarterly emergency service calls: the centralized county model or the decentralized city/ISFCD models. This study was an inquiry into the centralization versus decentralization argument, with emphases on fire service scale economies and inter-local service agreements Using multiple linear regression modeling accompanied by face-to-face interviews with the respective fire chiefs, this research showed that the county and ISFCD achieve scale economies over 44 quarters, fiscal years 2004-2014. Moreover, the interviews uncovered that response times were the driving factor behind instituting voluntary inter-local service agreements between the three fire departments. Other positive benefits from the service agreements include an increase in personnel and scene safety, dispatch center protocol enhancements, multi-company/jurisdictional training, overtime savings on large-scale disaster incidents, and trust building. The implications of this research for the scholarly and practitioner community include a better understanding of the technical and allocative efficiencies within the fire service arena. Melding public choice theory with strands of inter-local service agreement literature provides policymakers and scholars with a template for uncovering the fire service production/provision narrative. Though the centralization-decentralization argument is not solved within the research scope presented, the future narrative as uncovered in the research requires a citizenry inclusion. The future public choice prescriptions regarding fire service consolidation requires not only statistical modeling, but a normative democratic ethos tone incorporating multiple stakeholders with the citizens’ concerns at the forefront.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2016
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004674, http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004674
- Subject Headings
- Emergency management -- Decision making, Metropolitan government -- United States, Municipal services -- United States, Organizational effectiveness, Preparedness -- Government policy, Regional planning
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- Charter School Closures in Florida, 2006-2016: A Population Ecology Perspective.
- Creator
- Jameson, Jorene, Nyhan, Ronald C., Florida Atlantic University, College for Design and Social Inquiry, School of Public Administration
- Abstract/Description
-
As part of the education reforms of the 1990s, charter schools were proposed as a private alternative to public education, offering parents and their children greater choices. Publicly financed but privately operated, charter schools have now grown in numbers and influence. While there are many studies of student outcomes in charter schools demonstrating mixed results, one negative outcome of charter schools has been less examined. Since inception, 23% of charter schools nationally have...
Show moreAs part of the education reforms of the 1990s, charter schools were proposed as a private alternative to public education, offering parents and their children greater choices. Publicly financed but privately operated, charter schools have now grown in numbers and influence. While there are many studies of student outcomes in charter schools demonstrating mixed results, one negative outcome of charter schools has been less examined. Since inception, 23% of charter schools nationally have closed and these closures are disruptive to parents, children, and their school districts. This paper addresses charter school closures from an organizational perspective. Applying theory from population ecology and resource dependency theory, the population of nonprofit charter schools is examined. What are the primary determinants of charter school success and failure? Florida, with the third highest number of charter schools nationally and, at the same time, the highest number of charter school closures in the United States, is a paradox. This study identifies the significant variables that are related to school survival and failure in the state of Florida over the years 2015-16 through 2015-16. Variables tested in this study, using Survival Analysis (SA), include age, management structure, size, school performance, grants, and density. All variables except density at founding were significant in explaining the unique variance in survival rates among charters. Charter schools sub-contracted by for-profit educational management organizations (EMOs) were larger, achieved higher grades, secured more grants and achieved higher survival rates than their counterpart nonprofit, independent, and charter management organization (CMO) led schools. These results contribute to our understanding of charter school survival and failure, thereby informing public policy options to strengthen the charter school population and the nation’s public education system overall.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2017
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004982, http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004972
- Subject Headings
- Dissertations, Academic -- Florida Atlantic University, Charter schools--Florida., Population ecology., Public policy.
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- Critical Sexual Theory and Postcolonial Studies: Assessing Disability Policies and Narratives of Women with Disabilities in Nepal.
- Creator
- Acharya, Tulasi, Sementelli, Arthur, Florida Atlantic University, College for Design and Social Inquiry, School of Public Administration
- Abstract/Description
-
This dissertation explored the lives of women with disabilities who have to suffer more than men with disabilities despite prevailing disability policies in Nepal that emphasize nondiscrimination against people with disabilities. The study explored the idea that there are policy gaps between disability policies and the narratives of women with disabilities. This dissertation used critical sexual theory and postcolonialism as critical frameworks and narrative analysis as a method to analyze...
Show moreThis dissertation explored the lives of women with disabilities who have to suffer more than men with disabilities despite prevailing disability policies in Nepal that emphasize nondiscrimination against people with disabilities. The study explored the idea that there are policy gaps between disability policies and the narratives of women with disabilities. This dissertation used critical sexual theory and postcolonialism as critical frameworks and narrative analysis as a method to analyze the disability policies and narratives of women with disabilities to explore policy gaps and the need for supportive gender policies. The researcher analyzed the literary works of five female Nepali authors with disabilities: Radhika Dahal, Jhamak Ghimire, Sabitri Karki, Parijaat, and Mira Sahi, in Nepal. With the support of NVivo qualitative research software, and the use of the frameworks and methodology, the researcher discovered the policy gaps and underscored the need for supportive gender policies to address the emotional and psychological needs of women with disabilities.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2019
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00013179
- Subject Headings
- Nepal, Women with disabilities, Disabilities--Government policy, Narratives
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- Does Public Service Ethics Education Include Gender Equity? An Exploration of Gender Inclusion in MPA Ethics Syllabi.
- Creator
- Evans, Michelle D, Patterson, Patricia M., Florida Atlantic University, College for Design and Social Inquiry, School of Public Administration
- Abstract/Description
-
Public administration emphasizes the importance of diversity (Rice, 2004), representation (Selden & Selden, 2002), ethics, and professionalism, to ensure fairness and equity for all citizens (American Society for Public Administration, 2013a; Cooper, 2012). Research has shown a link between the teaching of ethics and values in leadership courses, and the establishment of consensus for espoused social norms and standards of practice (Begley & Stefkovich, 2007). Through the discourse within...
Show morePublic administration emphasizes the importance of diversity (Rice, 2004), representation (Selden & Selden, 2002), ethics, and professionalism, to ensure fairness and equity for all citizens (American Society for Public Administration, 2013a; Cooper, 2012). Research has shown a link between the teaching of ethics and values in leadership courses, and the establishment of consensus for espoused social norms and standards of practice (Begley & Stefkovich, 2007). Through the discourse within classrooms, and the scholarship of public administration, we create and advance the boundaries of social consensus in areas such as diversity (Hewins-Maroney & Williams, 2007; National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration, 2014a). MPA ethics courses are perfectly situated to espouse and reinforce public service diversity values and educate future public servants. This dissertation uses ethnographic content analysis (ECA) of 48 syllabi from 40 NASPAA accredited universities in the United States (U.S.) dated 2012-2014, to interpret how, or whether, Master of Public Administration (MPA) education addresses or contributes to gender inclusion. The analysis uses feminist theories to reveal if, and to what extent, gender, diversity, and social equity topics have been incorporated into master's level graduate public administration ethics courses, through an examination of ethics course syllabi. This research shows that gender is incorporated into MPA ethics syllabi directly through the gender of professors, authors of course materials, discussion topics, and gendered language. Gender is also demonstrated in the syllabi through images and sub-textual tones that express social norms for gender roles. Gender inclusion is addressed indirectly in the syllabi through course policies and pedagogical choices designed to increase opportunities for participation by students of both genders. Ethnographic content analysis across various stages of this interpretive research study led to the creation of a four-part Gender Inclusion Model. Each tier of this model is made up of inclusion markers influenced by themes in feminist pedagogical literature. The Gender Inclusion Model can be used for future research to examine whether, or how, minorities and diversity are incorporated into higher education curricula. The research compiles a list of best practices, along with a mock syllabus, guided by recommendations from feminist literature.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2015
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004496, http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004496
- Subject Headings
- Public administration--Moral and ethical aspects., Education, Higher--Moral and ethical aspects., Civil service ethics., Political ethics--Study and teaching (Higher), Professional ethics--Study and teaching (Higher), Women in public life., Women in the civil service.
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- Florida University Faculty Compensation: Market Competitive or Not?.
- Creator
- Ford, Lori Allen, McCue, Clifford P., Florida Atlantic University, College for Design and Social Inquiry, School of Public Administration
- Abstract/Description
-
The most important asset of any organization is its people (Danish & Usman, 2010). Whatever the market segment, they are the driving force behind creating and delivering on the organization’s strategic and financial objectives. The ability to attract, retain and motivate the necessary workforce, through use of financial rewards, is a main determinant in the degree to which these objectives are met (Fong & Tosi, 2007; Gomez- Mejia & Balkin, 1992b; Newman, Gerhart, & Milkovich, 2016). While...
Show moreThe most important asset of any organization is its people (Danish & Usman, 2010). Whatever the market segment, they are the driving force behind creating and delivering on the organization’s strategic and financial objectives. The ability to attract, retain and motivate the necessary workforce, through use of financial rewards, is a main determinant in the degree to which these objectives are met (Fong & Tosi, 2007; Gomez- Mejia & Balkin, 1992b; Newman, Gerhart, & Milkovich, 2016). While there are many approaches to pay strategy, a key aspect, and the focus of this dissertation, is the market positioning of cash compensation. Specifically examined was the stated policy narrative of market positioning compared to actual pay practice. While compensation practices in the private sector have received significant research attention, much less focus has been given to pay in academia. This work seeks to address this apparent gap and extend our knowledge in this area. Utilizing faculty pay at Florida’s ten major public universities, this dissertation analyzes consistency between the narrative and practice at the levels of university, department, rank, size and region. The findings demonstrated a significant difference between pay and university but inconsistencies across all levels with the stated narrative. Additionally, the results indicate a widening gap between actual pay and the market average between the 2005- 2006 academic year to present.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2016
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004749, http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004749
- Subject Headings
- Universities and colleges--Faculty--Salaries, etc.--Florida., Universities and colleges--Florida--Administration., State universities and colleges--Faculty--Salaries, etc.--Florida., State universities and colleges--Florida--Appropriations and expenditures., College teachers--Salaries, etc.--Florida., Wages--College employees--Florida.
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- Determinants Of Aid Effectiveness In Agriculture: Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) In Haiti.
- Creator
- Pierre, Jean M., Sapat, Alka K., Florida Atlantic University, College for Design and Social Inquiry, School of Public Administration
- Abstract/Description
-
For years, scholars have investigated the effectiveness of aid dollars. Some scholars measure aid effectiveness at the country level in terms of achieving good governance, promoting democratic accountability, accomplishing growth goals, or attaining macroeconomic goals. This study looks at the aid flowing through nongovernmental organizations (NGOs). It posits that effective aid consists of resources and processes that promote sustainability. It attempts to uncover the meaning of...
Show moreFor years, scholars have investigated the effectiveness of aid dollars. Some scholars measure aid effectiveness at the country level in terms of achieving good governance, promoting democratic accountability, accomplishing growth goals, or attaining macroeconomic goals. This study looks at the aid flowing through nongovernmental organizations (NGOs). It posits that effective aid consists of resources and processes that promote sustainability. It attempts to uncover the meaning of sustainability for the NGOs and recipients that are involved in agriculture while surveying how the aid process works. It looks at NGOs and recipients, resource flow, and activities, and sought to understand the elements that could render aid more or less effective in achieving sustainability in agricultural sectors. This study uses a qualitative case study research strategy that focused on developing theory/hypotheses grounded in the data and the literature (Agranoff, Radin, & Perry, 1991). This approach is adopted because (a) the meaning and promotion of sustainability is a complex topic, (b) aid effectiveness is a multi-faceted puzzle, (c) NGOs represent a diverse group, (d) the collaborative process is complicated, and (e) the context (Haiti) is a challenging place. It uses a data triangulation process (Denzin, 1989, 1997) by combining different types of data and sources (personal interviews, observations, and documentation) to arrive at a convergent understanding of the elements that are more or less likely to influence the NGO aid process in the promotion of sustainability in agriculture. This study finds that most NGOs and recipients focus on one or two dimensions of sustainability (economic or environmental); the social or cultural dimensions are somewhat neglected. I also find that funding and funding horizons are two of the major issues that impede the promotion of sustainability in addition to communication and collaboration in the design of the plans, execution, and follow-up. Recipient education, paternalistic attitude, and poverty levels also play a major role in promoting sustainability.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2016
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004757
- Subject Headings
- Economic development--Haiti., Non-governmental organizations., Humanitarian assistance--Haiti--History., Sustainable development--Haiti--History.
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- Administrative Discretion in Public Policy Implementation: The Case of No Child Left Behind (NCLB).
- Creator
- Angervil, Gilvert, Thai, Khi V., Florida Atlantic University, College for Design and Social Inquiry, School of Public Administration
- Abstract/Description
-
This dissertation analyzes administrative discretion in public policy implementation in application of a new framework of integrative approach to administrative discretion developed from deficiencies of the citizen participation, representative bureaucracy, and private-interest groups democracy frameworks. The new framework holds that public agencies use discretion to integrate in decision making views of elected authorities, private-interest groups, public-interest groups, and other groups...
Show moreThis dissertation analyzes administrative discretion in public policy implementation in application of a new framework of integrative approach to administrative discretion developed from deficiencies of the citizen participation, representative bureaucracy, and private-interest groups democracy frameworks. The new framework holds that public agencies use discretion to integrate in decision making views of elected authorities, private-interest groups, public-interest groups, and other groups that seek to influence implementation. The No Child Left Behind (NCLB) policy is used as the case study, and the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) is the implementation setting. The dissertation answers the following question: How integrative of group views was DOE’s discretionary decision making in the implementation of NCLB? This research applies a structured content analysis method that consists of content analysis and a content analysis schedule (see Jauch, Osborn, & Martin, 1980). Using a Likert question, the dissertation developed six integration levels of DOE’s discretionary decision making from not at all integrative to extremely integrative and found that most decisions were very integrative.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2017
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004808, http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004808
- Subject Headings
- United States.--No Child Left Behind Act of 2001., Education and state--United States--History--21st century., Administrative procedure., Administrative discretion., Public administration--Decision making., Educational accountability--Law and legislation--United States.
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- IS IT WORKING? NARRATIVE PERSPECTIVES ON PERFORMANCE-BASED FUNDING POLICIES IN PUBLIC HIGHER EDUCATION.
- Creator
- Capp, James, Sapat, Alka, Florida Atlantic University, College for Design and Social Inquiry, School of Public Administration
- Abstract/Description
-
Public higher education increasingly relies on performance-based funding (PBF) policies to enhance accountability. These policies attempt to steer institutions towards successful outcomes via performance indicators, such as graduation rates. Nationally, PBF policies continue to grow in popularity despite limited evidence that they are effective (Hillman, Tandberg, and Gross, 2014). Motivated by the apparent conflict between the widespread adoption of PBF policies and the lack of evidence that...
Show morePublic higher education increasingly relies on performance-based funding (PBF) policies to enhance accountability. These policies attempt to steer institutions towards successful outcomes via performance indicators, such as graduation rates. Nationally, PBF policies continue to grow in popularity despite limited evidence that they are effective (Hillman, Tandberg, and Gross, 2014). Motivated by the apparent conflict between the widespread adoption of PBF policies and the lack of evidence that they actually improve outcomes in higher education, this dissertation investigates the perceived impacts of PBF policies. Florida’s public university system serves as the setting for the study due to its uniquely punitive PBF policy design and the model’s non-standardized performance indicators.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2019
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00013290
- Subject Headings
- Higher education and state, Public universities and colleges--Florida--Administration, State universities and colleges--Florida--Finance, Performance-based funding
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- GOVERNMENT AS A STIGMA MODERATOR: THE CASE OF PALM BEACH COUNTY’S ADDICTION RECOVERY INDUSTRY.
- Creator
- Moura, David, Miller, Hugh, Florida Atlantic University, School of Public Administration, College for Design and Social Inquiry
- Abstract/Description
-
This dissertation investigates how government affects stigmatization processes. This line of inquiry is important for two reasons. First, existing models of stigmatization leave government out of stigma processes, or only mention government as a sanctioning body that comes in after stigma processes are complete. Organizational theory research therefore underplays the extent to which government action can influence its citizens. Second, stigma research in public administration and government...
Show moreThis dissertation investigates how government affects stigmatization processes. This line of inquiry is important for two reasons. First, existing models of stigmatization leave government out of stigma processes, or only mention government as a sanctioning body that comes in after stigma processes are complete. Organizational theory research therefore underplays the extent to which government action can influence its citizens. Second, stigma research in public administration and government research is limited to examining how government can assist stigmatized groups, and not on how government affects stigma processes. This inadvertently gives the impression that government is not part of stigma processes. While this may be due to the bulk of stigma theory research being located in the management literature, it is nonetheless a significant omission. Thus, the purpose of this study is to examine how government can influence the proliferation of stigma to then find government’s location in the stigma process.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2019
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00013400
- Subject Headings
- Government, Stigma (Social psychology), Addiction, Palm Beach County (Fla)
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- Task Specialization In The Public Administration Profession: A Job Analysis Of Public Procurement Practitioners.
- Creator
- Steinfeld, Joshua M., McCue, Clifford P., Florida Atlantic University, College for Design and Social Inquiry, School of Public Administration
- Abstract/Description
-
This dissertation examines task specialization in the public administration profession through studying the job tasks that a public procurement practitioner performs, manages, and both performs and manages. The purpose of this dissertation was to establish a baseline to benchmark what these practitioners actually do on their jobs. Factor analysis was used to study a data set of 2,549 respondents that were administered a survey by the Universal Public Procurement Certification Council (UPPCC)...
Show moreThis dissertation examines task specialization in the public administration profession through studying the job tasks that a public procurement practitioner performs, manages, and both performs and manages. The purpose of this dissertation was to establish a baseline to benchmark what these practitioners actually do on their jobs. Factor analysis was used to study a data set of 2,549 respondents that were administered a survey by the Universal Public Procurement Certification Council (UPPCC) in 2012. The research question to be answered involved addressing what job tasks public procurement practitioners perform, manage, and both perform and manage. Hypotheses were examined that predicted task specialization existing within public procurement to the extent that practitioners in more senior job positions display more task specialization and that practitioners from larger organizations also display more task specialization. A review of literature discusses the alternative perspectives on what constitutes professionalism in the public sector. The reasons for focusing on public procurement professionalism were subsequently presented through the literature. The various views of what entails professionalism in public administration were discussed as to responsibility (Stivers, 1994), sociological issues (Simon, 1947), constitutional issues (Lowi, 1995; Rohr, 1986), technical specialization and empirical rigor (Parsons, 1939), as means of contextualizing the nature of public administrators’ roles and responsibilities in conjunction with the job tasks that are executed. Factor analysis was conducted on 75 job tasks in order to identify relationships between practitioner job tasks for the purposes of finding out what it is that public procurement practitioners actually do for their work. The job tasks found to share relationships may be grouped together for further inquiry into the nature of the relationships between job tasks and overarching competency areas of related job tasks. Additionally, factor analyses were conducted to identify relationships between job tasks in public procurement and control variables such as organization size and job position, which were predicted to impact whether or not practitioners perform, manage, both perform and manage, or do neither, for each of the job tasks surveyed.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2016
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004748, http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004748
- Subject Headings
- Public administration., Business logistics--Management., Applied ethics., Professional ethics.
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- The Significance for, and Impact Upon, Public Administration of the Correspondence Theory of Truth or Veridicality.
- Creator
- Slagle, Derek Ray, Miller, Hugh T., Florida Atlantic University, College for Design and Social Inquiry, School of Public Administration
- Abstract/Description
-
The dissertation is about the significance for, and impact upon public administration of the correspondence theory of truth or veridicality, and its underlying epistemological assumptions. The underlying thesis is that, unduly influenced by the success of the natural sciences, and naive in accepting their claims to objectivity, many disciplines have sought to emulate them. There are two principle objections. Firstly, all other considerations aside, the supposedly objectivistic methodologies...
Show moreThe dissertation is about the significance for, and impact upon public administration of the correspondence theory of truth or veridicality, and its underlying epistemological assumptions. The underlying thesis is that, unduly influenced by the success of the natural sciences, and naive in accepting their claims to objectivity, many disciplines have sought to emulate them. There are two principle objections. Firstly, all other considerations aside, the supposedly objectivistic methodologies apparently applied to the explanation and prediction of the behavior of interactions of physical objects, may simply be inappropriate to certain other areas of inquiry; and more specifically objectivist methodologies are indeed inappropriate to understanding of human subjects, and their behavior, relations and interactions, and thus to public administration. The second objection is that it is of course logically impossible for any supposedly empirical discipline, as the natural sciences claim to be, to justify the belief in a supposedly objective realm of things-in-themselves existing outside, beyond, or independently of the changing, interrupted and different 'appearances' or experiences, to which an empirical science is qua empirical, necessarily restricted. Correspondence of any empirical observations or appearances (and the consequent or presupposed theoretical explanations) to an objective realm, upon which the claim to objectivity is based, is unverifiable. In light of the above it becomes evident that far from being objective, the natural sciences themselves, and the empirical observations upon which they are supposedly grounded, are subject to conceptual mediation and subjective interpretation; subjective and inter-subjective coherence replacing objective correspondence as the criterion of veridicality. Consequently it becomes clear that the presuppositions and prejudices of the observers enter, in the forms of concepts and preconceptions, into the very observations, and even more so into the theoretical constructions, or theories, of the natural, and indeed human and social sciences, and their claims to be authoritative and true. Subsequent discussion is then focused on both the coherence of individuals' experiences and understanding, and their inter-subjective coherence - which both rises from and constitutes, a "community". The role of language facilitates such coherence.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2015
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004548, http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004548
- Subject Headings
- Discourse analysis, Information theory -- Philosophy, Philosophy of mind, Polarity (Linguistics), Public administration -- Language, Public administration -- Research -- Philosophy, Social constructivism, Visual perception
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- The impact and effectiveness of capital investments in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009: an assessment using Keynes economic theory.
- Creator
- Byaruhanga, Vincent, Thai, Khi V., Florida Atlantic University, College for Design and Social Inquiry, School of Public Administration
- Abstract/Description
-
The purpose of this study is to find out the effect of government spending on capital investments in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009 on GDP and employment growth. This research utilized US quarterly data from 2003 QI to 2013 QII. In the first part the research used variables from the Keynes economic model and utilized two-stage least square analysis to assess the effect of government spending on GDP. The results from the regression analysis indicate that an increase...
Show moreThe purpose of this study is to find out the effect of government spending on capital investments in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009 on GDP and employment growth. This research utilized US quarterly data from 2003 QI to 2013 QII. In the first part the research used variables from the Keynes economic model and utilized two-stage least square analysis to assess the effect of government spending on GDP. The results from the regression analysis indicate that an increase of one dollar in government spending increases GDP by 1.569 dollars. The researcher found that the general government spending multiplier was 1.9. The coefficient for government spending in the Recovery Act was 0.383, implying that for every one dollar in government spending, Recovery Act spending on capital investments contributed 0.383 dollars.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2014
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004183, http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004183
- Subject Headings
- Business cycles -- United States -- History -- 21st century, Investment analysis, Keynes, John Maynard -- 1883-1946, Keynesian economics -- Mathematical models, Solow growth model, Solow, Robert M., United States -- American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- Investigating Healthy Organizations: Development and Testing of a Public Organization Wellness Quotient (WQ).
- Creator
- McLean, Wilson C., Sementelli, Arthur, Florida Atlantic University, College for Design and Social Inquiry, School of Public Administration
- Abstract/Description
-
This dissertation investigates and further develops organization health theory in the context of public organizations. This is an important line of inquiry for two reasons. First, the healthy organizations literature and healthy organization theory is inchoate and lacks overall coherence (Dejoy et al., 2010), especially in public organization theory and research. As such many organization theorists have called for expansive solutions and insist this requires consideration of the collective...
Show moreThis dissertation investigates and further develops organization health theory in the context of public organizations. This is an important line of inquiry for two reasons. First, the healthy organizations literature and healthy organization theory is inchoate and lacks overall coherence (Dejoy et al., 2010), especially in public organization theory and research. As such many organization theorists have called for expansive solutions and insist this requires consideration of the collective and systemic interactive levels of analysis (Salanova et al., 2012; Schein, 2006). Second, we notice organizations now devoting considerable resources to nurturing individual and organizational health and wellness (Dale & Burrell, 2014; Parks & Steelman, 2008). Ostensibly, this is because health has been demonstrated to enhance or compromise a myriad of organizational outcomes including satisfaction, performance, sustainability, and survival (Pfeffer, 2010; Cooper, 1994). Moreover, organizational health and individual health share a vicarious and interdependent relationship (McHugh & Brotherton, 2000). In response to this “healthy exigency” and in effort to enhance the health of our public organizations, this dissertation employs an interdisciplinary lens to investigate healthy organizations at the systemic interactive level of analysis. The overarching purpose of the study is to provide theoretical contributions and empirical evidence concerning the key factors necessary for the development of healthy public organizations. To accomplish this, I assemble a holistic organizational wellness (HOW) theoretical framework. The HOW framework supports development of a Wellness Quotient (WQ) with data from the 2017 Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey (FEVS). The WQ represents the dissertations main contribution, as currently no standardized measure of public organization health (or wellness) exists. Through a process of discovery and analysis which includes multiple iterations of confirmatory factor analyses and a regression analysis, it is found that the WQ has a significant impact on organization performance and satisfaction. The results also confirm this studies hypotheses the WQ may be useful as a proxy for future healthy public organizations research. In sum, the HOW framework and WQ not only contribute to theoretical and empirical development of healthy public organizations, respectively, but they both may serve as useful tools for public organizational health design and development.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2019
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00013241
- Subject Headings
- Organization--Research, Wellness, Organizational effectiveness, Health
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- Jobs Created? Economic Development as Language Games.
- Creator
- Tinsley, Steven, Patterson, Patricia M., Florida Atlantic University, College for Design and Social Inquiry, School of Public Administration
- Abstract/Description
-
State and local governments in the U.S. spend an estimated $80 billion annually on economic development incentives and subsidies. The economic development discourse is dominated by a jobs-centered narrative, with the concept of "jobs created" at its core. This work examines the current jobs-centered narrative and how it came to be. It identifies the practices and processes by which the current narrative persists and proliferates, analyzing its implications, which include the narrative's role...
Show moreState and local governments in the U.S. spend an estimated $80 billion annually on economic development incentives and subsidies. The economic development discourse is dominated by a jobs-centered narrative, with the concept of "jobs created" at its core. This work examines the current jobs-centered narrative and how it came to be. It identifies the practices and processes by which the current narrative persists and proliferates, analyzing its implications, which include the narrative's role in the use of corporate subsidies and incentives. This work is a critical history, identifying the point of establishment of a new equilibrium in the economic development narrative (Gaddis, 2002), utilizing ethnographic description to examine behaviors within the economic development arena. Language game dynamics (Wittgenstein, 1953) working to establish "public" meaning (Geertz, 1973) within economic developmen t are explored. Baudrillard's Phases of the Image (1994) are employed to view alternative meanings of the term "jobs created". Policy emulation (Bennett, 1991) as a means for the replication of economic development practices is examined. The work differentiates between policy emulation and convergence, arguing that emulation can and does occur in the absence of convergence, but can also act as its agent. Convergence was established as a possible end result of emulation, and necessary elements such as disparate starting policy positions must first be present in order for convergence to occur. The analysis reveals that the current jobs-centered narrative in economic development is a result of a complex language game. The economic development language game is a multi-faceted game with well-established roots and mechanisms for self-preservation and perpetuation. Emanating from communities' sense and fear of loss, relying on an unchallenged library of professional jargon which the public only vaguely understands, and ever reinforcing itself through the use of state and international industry organizations, the game is deeply entrenched in the field of economic development. The study concludes with recommendations for mitigation of the effects of the game. These findings have implications for how economic development aims and successes are measured and communicated, how governments expend resources in economic development and how the industry regulates its own activities.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2015
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004552, http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004552
- Subject Headings
- Economic development -- United States, Economics -- Methodology, Entrepreneurship -- United States, Industrial promotion -- United States, United States -- Economic conditions -- 21st century
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- Reframing our understanding of nonprofit regulation through the use of the institutional analysis and development framework.
- Creator
- Vienne, Denise R., Nyhan, Ronald C., Florida Atlantic University, College for Design and Social Inquiry, School of Public Administration
- Abstract/Description
-
Regulation of the nonprofit sector is a subject of significant debate in the academic and professional literature. The debate raises questions about how to regulate the sector in a manner that addresses accountability while preserving the sector’s unique role in society. Central to the debate is the role of self-regulation. The nonprofit sector is recognized and defended as a distinct third sector in society. Cultural norms and values differentiate the purpose of the sector from the...
Show moreRegulation of the nonprofit sector is a subject of significant debate in the academic and professional literature. The debate raises questions about how to regulate the sector in a manner that addresses accountability while preserving the sector’s unique role in society. Central to the debate is the role of self-regulation. The nonprofit sector is recognized and defended as a distinct third sector in society. Cultural norms and values differentiate the purpose of the sector from the governmental and commercial realms. The legal regime secures rights, establishes organizational structures, and provides tax benefits that enable, reinforce, and protect participation in nonprofit activities. Nevertheless, government regulation is thought to be antithetical to sector autonomy, as well as an obstacle to flexibility and innovation. Selfregulation protects the sector’s political independence and its distinctiveness through the cultivation of shared norms, standards, and processes for ethical practices. Although self regulation is considered to be consistent with the autonomous nature of the sector, it is also criticized as a weaker form of regulation. The ability to address regulatory issues expressed in the broader debate is limited by how we frame nonprofit regulation. The problem with advancing our understanding of self-regulation has to do with how we conceptualize nonprofit regulation. Government and self-regulation are conceptualized and studied as distinct options for regulating the sector. Missing in the nonprofit scholarship is a theoretical framework capable of reframing nonprofit regulation as a system of governance that depends on self-regulation. This represents a glaring gap in the research. Neglecting the institutional context that explains the structure and functioning of the nonprofit sector has led to an oversimplification of nonprofit governance. To study the effects of self-regulation on the functioning of the sector, I argue that we must first frame what is relevant about how the nonprofit sector is governed. The Institutional Analysis and Development (IAD) Framework outlines a systematic approach for analyzing institutions that govern collective endeavors. The objective of this dissertation is to introduce the IAD as an approach for examining self-regulation not as an alternative to government regulation but as an important part of nonprofit governance.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2014
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004231, http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004231
- Subject Headings
- Corporate governence, Non governmental organizations -- Management, Nonprofit organizations -- Finance -- Moral and ethical aspects, Nonprofit organizations -- Government policy, Nonprofit organizations -- Management, Public private sector cooperation
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- Public-private partnerships and questions in public procurement.
- Creator
- Williams, Adam, Miller, Hugh T., Florida Atlantic University, College for Design and Social Inquiry, School of Public Administration
- Abstract/Description
-
This study explores the connections of public procurement official perceptions of public-private partnerships and their contracting decisions for public infrastructure projects. Detailed discussion of previous scholarship and its focus on policymaking and project evaluation of public-private partnerships leaves a gap in the public policy process – implementation. Procurement officials are presented in the role of policy implementers rather than agents in a principalagent approach. This...
Show moreThis study explores the connections of public procurement official perceptions of public-private partnerships and their contracting decisions for public infrastructure projects. Detailed discussion of previous scholarship and its focus on policymaking and project evaluation of public-private partnerships leaves a gap in the public policy process – implementation. Procurement officials are presented in the role of policy implementers rather than agents in a principalagent approach. This attempts to address a shortcoming of the description that these officials do nothing more than purchase. Arguments are put forth that these officials are given additional levels of discretion when faced with contracting decisions. Specifically, procurement officials observe that public-private partnerships provide sets of project consequences. A survey instrument is designed to explore the differences in perceptions that procurement officials have with respect to public-private partnerships and traditional contracting out. Survey failures result in findings only being able to attempt a more general view of public-private partnerships. Results allow perceptions to be placed in a decision-making model based on a project phase approach that develops on the assumption that tasks contracted to private vendors produce project consequences. Furthermore, analysis of significant consequence perceptions indicate that those perceptions do not provide a rationale for a procurement official’s decision-making on whether to contract using a public-private partnership for public infrastructure projects. Independent sample t-tests, controlled correlations, multiple ANOVA and linear regression analyses show that perceptions of consequences, the perceptions of differences of those consequences across project phases, relationships of consequences to perceptions of efficiency and effectiveness proxies and a bounded rationalitybased model of decision-making for procurement officials are all inconclusive. Discussion focuses on the development of consequences and phases as defining and clarifying public-private partnerships. Further discussions are presented for procurement officials with respect to their decision-making and possible role as policy implementers. Conclusions fail to uncover any inferential results. The research finds its primary contribution in the conceptual discourse of public procurement official roles and public-private partnership definitions.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2014
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004236, http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004236
- Subject Headings
- Infrastructure (Economics) -- Finance, Public private sector cooperation -- Finance, Public private sector cooperation, Public works -- Finance, Risk management
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- Professional Public Administration: A Synthesis of an Inchoate Concept.
- Creator
- Heilman, Joseph Christian, Sementelli, Arthur J., Florida Atlantic University, College for Design and Social Inquiry, School of Public Administration
- Abstract/Description
-
The term profession is found throughout the scholarly literature; despite frequent use of the term, there exists little or no means of providing a common conception of the term. Consequently, calls for increasing professionalization of public administration appear to be premature. Therefore, this dissertation utilizes inductive research to generate theory, which synthesizes the inchoate concept of the professional public administrator. The motivation to pursue this line of inquiry stems from...
Show moreThe term profession is found throughout the scholarly literature; despite frequent use of the term, there exists little or no means of providing a common conception of the term. Consequently, calls for increasing professionalization of public administration appear to be premature. Therefore, this dissertation utilizes inductive research to generate theory, which synthesizes the inchoate concept of the professional public administrator. The motivation to pursue this line of inquiry stems from a personal need to weigh in on the perennial debate about what skills, knowledge, and information should be communicated to future generations of public administration thinkers and practitioners. To that end, this research will provide a theoretical framework grounded in the literature, which federates the term professional and the professional concept in such a way that purposeful debates can be had. It is, as will be shown, an attempt to link understanding and interpretation.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2016
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004734, http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004734
- Subject Headings
- Public administration--Management., Public administration--Moral and ethical aspects., Grounded theory., Motivation (Psychology)
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- Rethinking Public Service Motivation: The role of communal narcissism.
- Creator
- Fennimore, Anne K., Sementelli, Arthur J., Florida Atlantic University, College for Design and Social Inquiry, School of Public Administration
- Abstract/Description
-
Public service motivation (PSM) encompasses self-sacrifice (SS), compassion (COM), commitment to public values (CPV), and attraction to public participation (APP) as part of a public service ethic. The public and non-profit sectors are purported to consist of individuals possessing other-directed, communal values, rather than self-directed, agentic values characterizing private sector organizations. However, PSM’s positive, or prosocial bias often discounts self-interested motives and mixed...
Show morePublic service motivation (PSM) encompasses self-sacrifice (SS), compassion (COM), commitment to public values (CPV), and attraction to public participation (APP) as part of a public service ethic. The public and non-profit sectors are purported to consist of individuals possessing other-directed, communal values, rather than self-directed, agentic values characterizing private sector organizations. However, PSM’s positive, or prosocial bias often discounts self-interested motives and mixed motives. Garnering insights from personality psychology may further the development of PSM from multidisciplinary angles. Malevolent personalities in organizations have been evidenced by decades of research in the private sector. Yet, similar efforts delineating malevolent types in public and non-profit organizations remain lacking. While a battery of personality scales access general personality disorders, none has been administered across sectors to determine if disordered individuals are more likely to be found employed in a particular sector. The communal narcissism scale is distinct from other malevolent scales because it measures communal traits as a function of domain specificity. Unlike the agentic version of narcissism, in which self-aggrandizement is almost immediately apparent to others, in communal narcissism, the self-aggrandizement component is hidden by a ‘saint-type bias’ and self-proclaimed other-orientation. Some communal narcissism traits may mimic dimensions of the PSM scale. If a malevolent personality can mimic public service motivation, then this research would be among the first to illustrate a dark side of PSM, as recently suggested by PSM scholars. This research found that CNI was, indeed, associated with PSM, particularly the self-sacrifice, public participation, and compassion dimensions. Additionally, PSM was positively associated with the non-profit sector and negatively associated with the private sector. CNI, in contrast, was indirectly influenced by sector. Specifically, CNI was positively associated with non-profit sector and negatively associated with the private sector. An empirical analysis of two studies is presented and future research directions are discussed.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2018
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00013061
- Subject Headings
- Public service., Narcissism., Personality--Research.
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- Local Government Decisions in a Time of Economic Decline: A Study of County Government Budget Policy During the Great Recession.
- Creator
- Wilson, Darrin Hugh, McCue, Clifford P., Florida Atlantic University, College for Design and Social Inquiry, School of Public Administration
- Abstract/Description
-
This dissertation examined the literature of cutback management in the context of the Great Recession. Specifically, it studied the relationship between cutback management policies used by county governments during the recession and revenue changes. The purpose of this dissertation was to test whether or not the percent change in revenue had an impact on the probability that cutback management policies were used in the recession. According to the cutback management literature developed in the...
Show moreThis dissertation examined the literature of cutback management in the context of the Great Recession. Specifically, it studied the relationship between cutback management policies used by county governments during the recession and revenue changes. The purpose of this dissertation was to test whether or not the percent change in revenue had an impact on the probability that cutback management policies were used in the recession. According to the cutback management literature developed in the 1970s and 1980s, there should be a relationship. The theoretical framework used for this study was the rational-approach framework, which proposes that every expenditure reducing and revenue increasing policy is enacted based on the percent decrease in revenue the government faces. This suggests that the cutback management policies are a proportional response to revenue decline. The framework was operationalized by using a binary logistic regression that used policy en actment as the dependent variable and the percent change in revenue as the independent variable. Eighty-six counties were sampled and 7 years of each county's budget book were examined for policies and financial data. The research found that eleven expenditure policies and three revenue policies had a statistically significant relationship with the percent change in revenues. This resulted in the conclusion that the framework and, therefore, the cutback management literature were useful in explaining primarily expenditure policies.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2015
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004556, http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004556
- Subject Headings
- Financial crises -- United States -- 21st century, Global Financial Crisis, 2008-2009, Infrastructure (Economics) -- United States -- 21st century, Local budgets -- United States, Municipal budgets -- United States, United States -- Economic conditions -- 2009-
- Format
- Document (PDF)