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- 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
- 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)
- Title
- How do home and community based services change long-term care?.
- Creator
- Perez, Enrique M., College for Design and Social Inquiry, School of Public Administration
- Abstract/Description
-
The relationship between Public Administration and the people is one that requires legitimacy and compromise in order to solve complex problems. Individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) and their families during the last fifty years have put forth an agenda that calls for the advancement of rights for the disabled and more integration into the larger society. In this arena, government, with post civil rights legislation like the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act ...
Show moreThe relationship between Public Administration and the people is one that requires legitimacy and compromise in order to solve complex problems. Individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) and their families during the last fifty years have put forth an agenda that calls for the advancement of rights for the disabled and more integration into the larger society. In this arena, government, with post civil rights legislation like the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), plays a huge role in promoting social awareness and bringing down barriers of stigmatization, understanding, and access. This struggle is fought on many fronts. A significant part of the effort focuses on moving the locus of long-term care of the disabled, including the IDD population, from an institutional setting to the least restrictive setting that will foster social ties and integration. Since the early 1980s as part of this effort to deinstitutionalize the disabled, legislation at both the federal and state level has supported and incentivized the creation of Home and Community Based Service (HCBS) programs. HCBS waivers, as they are typically called, are also promoted as a means of containing government expenditures for long-term care. However, the effectiveness of these waivers is poorly understood. The critical questions being - Do HCBS waivers promote and create an environment that increases awareness of the needs of IDD individuals? Do the programs help reduce stigmatization, promote understanding, and increase access to services and activities that foster social interaction? Or, do HCBS waivers create a new "iron cage" where the intellectually or developmentally disabled are once again relegated to existing as second class citizens? In this research, programs are mapped and then evaluated to paint a better picture of how HCBS waivers change long-term care., This research combines qualitative and quantitative approaches to triangulate on these phenoamea as a means to investigate when and how HCBS waiver programs facilitate, promote, or stifle the social integration of those with IDD. How does social integration manifest itself in the quality long-term care of those who often cannot take care of themselves?
Show less - Date Issued
- 2011
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/FAU/3318667
- Subject Headings
- Long-term care of the sick, Medical care, Quality control, Sociology of disabiltiy, Heath care rationing, Outcome assessment (Medical care), Community health services
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- Human Trafficking as A Brand Within the Framework of Human Rights: Case Studies in the U.S.
- Creator
- Mai, Tam, Sementelli, Arthur J., Florida Atlantic University, College of Design and Social Inquiry, School of Public Administration
- Abstract/Description
-
Recent concern in the United States about human trafficking has been directed primarily on the foreign victims that are brought into the United States rather than on U.S. citizenship who become involved. However, the topic has broadened and has significant impact on the daily lives of U.S citizens. Taking a human rights perspective, this dissertation explores how human trafficking has been used as a “brand” to achieve political and/or economic objectives. Human trafficking has taken away the...
Show moreRecent concern in the United States about human trafficking has been directed primarily on the foreign victims that are brought into the United States rather than on U.S. citizenship who become involved. However, the topic has broadened and has significant impact on the daily lives of U.S citizens. Taking a human rights perspective, this dissertation explores how human trafficking has been used as a “brand” to achieve political and/or economic objectives. Human trafficking has taken away the human rights for individuals and threatens their security. This dissertation is grounded in Critical Theory and uses narrative analysis as a methodological framework. Using 99 public documents from Global Report on Trafficking in Persons by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, International Labor Organization, and Office for Victims of Crime and other Departments of the U.S working on human trafficking issues, with the support of Nvivo software, the dissertation insists that human trafficking violates human rights, has no capacity to support human emancipation, and causes human beings to be treated as animals or objects or commodified a brand. Even though a brand is a mark and logo in economic development and refers to objects, not human beings. Human development is the objective that everyone wants to achieve. Regardless of development, the welfare of all human beings must be the chief concern; every effort to halt all human emancipation must be initiated immediately.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2016
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004718, http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004718
- Subject Headings
- Foreign workers -- Abuse of -- United States -- Case studies, Human rights -- United States, Human trafficking -- United States -- Case studies, Human trafficking victims -- United States -- Case studies, Victims of violent crimes
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- Mimetic, coercive, and normative influences in institutionalization of organizational practices: the case of distance learning in higher education.
- Creator
- Caravella, Kristi D., College for Design and Social Inquiry, School of Public Administration
- Abstract/Description
-
In this study, DiMaggio and Powell's (1983) institutional model of isomorphic change is hypothesized to explain the changes witnessed in educational organizations with regard to the acceptance, implementation and institutionalization of distance learning. In order to show the power of institutional theory in explaining organizational change over time, a comparative qualitative case study methodology is utilized. Document analysis and interviews are used to explore the utility of this...
Show moreIn this study, DiMaggio and Powell's (1983) institutional model of isomorphic change is hypothesized to explain the changes witnessed in educational organizations with regard to the acceptance, implementation and institutionalization of distance learning. In order to show the power of institutional theory in explaining organizational change over time, a comparative qualitative case study methodology is utilized. Document analysis and interviews are used to explore the utility of this isomorphic change model. Each research question seeks to explore different influences of institutional isomorphism, coercive, normative, and mimetic. DiMaggio and Powell (1983) suggest organizations converge on similar practices and behaviors and appear similar to like organizations over time. The appearance of change toward homogeneity is explored through the isomorphic change theory which indentifies three forces, coercive, normative and mimetic, influential in determining how adopted behaviors and pr actices become isomorphically accepted by the organizational field. Coercive isomorphism stems from political influence and organizational legitimacy, often conveyed through laws, regulations, and accreditation processes (or outside agency requirements); normative isomorphism is associated with professional values; and mimetic isomorphism is copying or mimicking behaviors that is a result of organizational response to uncertainty. By examining the organizational field for the presence of these forces and measuring the extent of these forces at various points in time one is able to explain convergence on regularized practices and institutionalized behaviors, or how an organizational field becomes institutionalized, around a particular idea or practice., The coercive, mimetic, and normative forces present in the field dictate institutionalization and theoretically produce an environment that induces organizational conformity, or homogeneity, through pressure to appear legitimate, competition, mandates associated with funding, and influential professional group and network values.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2011
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/FAU/3169915
- Subject Headings
- Distance education, Influence of technological innovations on, Education, Political aspects, Organizational behavior, Diffusion of innovations
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- Moving Towards Fairness and Diversity? An Analysis of Perceptions from Employees Working in the United States Department of the Interior.
- Creator
- Beals, Stacey Lisbeth, Sapat, Alka K., Florida Atlantic University, College for Design and Social Inquiry, School of Public Administration
- Abstract/Description
-
This dissertation examines how different United States Department of the Interior (USDOI) employees’ perceive fairness and support for diversity. The USDOI is an agency with numerous STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) employees who have the opportunity to influence future generations through their STEM internship. Specifically, this dissertation examines the relationship between: (1) the perceived fairness of performance appraisals and the empowerment index, demographic...
Show moreThis dissertation examines how different United States Department of the Interior (USDOI) employees’ perceive fairness and support for diversity. The USDOI is an agency with numerous STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) employees who have the opportunity to influence future generations through their STEM internship. Specifically, this dissertation examines the relationship between: (1) the perceived fairness of performance appraisals and the empowerment index, demographic characteristics, satisfaction, accountability and recognition; and (2) the perceived support (or lack thereof) of departmental programs and supervisors to foster diversity in the workforce and the empowerment index and demographic characteristics. This dissertation accomplishes several things. First, it provides a review of literature relating to gender diversity. Second, it provides a brief history of organizations that were created and acts/executive orders that were passed in order to support women in their fight against gender discrimination. Fourth, it provides a review of the USDOI’s recruitment, promotion, and employment policies. Finally, it presents an analysis of how USDOI employees’ perceptions of diversity differ by gender. This inquiry utilizes a theoretical framework based on Thomas and Ely’s (1996) and Selden and Selden’s (2001) four diversity paradigms; “discrimination and fairness,” “access and legitimacy,” “learning and effectiveness,” and “valuing and integrating.” These paradigms suggest that the true benefits of diversity can only be realized in the valuing and integrating paradigm where employees’ individual differences are used for the betterment of the organization. It is found that women tend not to perceive that their organization supports diversity. It is also found that the empowerment index, federal tenure, pay category, satisfaction, accountability and recognition are important in explaining employees’ perceptions of fairness and that the empowerment index, federal tenure, supervisory status, gender, and minority status are important in explaining employees’ perceptions of support for diversity.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2016
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004754, http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004754
- Subject Headings
- Employee motivation., Personnel management., Diversity in the workplace., Organizational justice., Organizational behavior--Social aspects., Corporate culture.
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- The Sisyphusian predicament: existentialism and a grounded theory analysis of the experience and practice of public administration.
- Creator
- Hollar, T. Lucas., College for Design and Social Inquiry, School of Public Administration
- Abstract/Description
-
Public administration addresses issues that competing and aligning groups determine to be meaningful enough to address. However, there seems to be no shared universally objective ways of remedying anything. Everything is up for argument. Additionally, attempting to solve one set of problems often creates other connected problems and/or unintended consequences. So, public work ever [sic] never ends. This dissertation's purpose was to contribute a new theoretical understanding of the experience...
Show morePublic administration addresses issues that competing and aligning groups determine to be meaningful enough to address. However, there seems to be no shared universally objective ways of remedying anything. Everything is up for argument. Additionally, attempting to solve one set of problems often creates other connected problems and/or unintended consequences. So, public work ever [sic] never ends. This dissertation's purpose was to contribute a new theoretical understanding of the experience and practice of public administration. Its research addressed if and how a grounded existential theoretical framework could emerge that would help practitioners and scholars understand and describe public administrative efforts and experiences. Currently, there is no existential theory of public administration. This dissertation sought to initiate work in that direction. This dissertation employed a grounded theory methodology to collect information from Senior Executive Service (SES) members, to analyze the information for emerging concepts and theoretical relevance through constant comparison, and to discover/construct a theoretical framework for understanding public administrative efforts and experiences. "The grounded theory approach is a general methodology of analysis linked with data collection that uses a systematically applied set of methods to generate an inductive theory about a substantive area" (Glaser, 1992, p. 16)., This dissertation identified the emergence of three categories/themes that organized what the SES members were saying, doing, and perceiving. These categories include "the environment," "the work," and "the individual." The core category/theme, "the Sisyphusian predicament," theoretically unifies these categories/themes through a metaphorical application of existential concepts. It describes the issues administrators experience (never-endingness, boundedness, and finitude in the face of infinitude (managing the scope and scale of one's intentions; generating and authoring relevance, significance, and meaning; and the choice for metaphysical revolt/ microemancipation). There are scholarly and practicable applications of this framework. This dissertation contributes exploratory work towards developing a new theoretical alternative within public administration. It provides an alternative approach for viewing and understanding organizational processes within public organizations. Additionally, an existential approach facilitates a plurality of competing schools of thought wherein administrators can select approaches to decision making and acting on the basis of context and utility.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2008
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/FAU/165673
- Subject Headings
- Public administration, Philosophy, Public administration, Moral and ethical aspects, Administrative agencies, Management, Policy sciences, Public administration, Research, Methodology
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF THE BASIC SKILLS ATTAINMENT OF SIXTH GRADE PUPILS IN PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SCHOOLS IN VOLUSIA COUNTY.
- Creator
- TRAVIS, DONALD O'NEIL, Florida Atlantic University, College of Education, School of Public Administration
- Abstract/Description
-
At the time of this study the private schools in Volusia County were enjoying much publicity portraying them as institutions that provided a "better" quality of education for their students. A review of the literature revealed this view to be shared by many evaluators of current education programs. The findings of these evaluators were based on varying methodologies of obtaining data. In most cases, the public school students and the private school students were compared in unmatched groups....
Show moreAt the time of this study the private schools in Volusia County were enjoying much publicity portraying them as institutions that provided a "better" quality of education for their students. A review of the literature revealed this view to be shared by many evaluators of current education programs. The findings of these evaluators were based on varying methodologies of obtaining data. In most cases, the public school students and the private school students were compared in unmatched groups. This study takes issue with the methodology used in those previous studies. The number of intervening variables allowed to interact makes the results suspect. In the present study, public and private school students were matched on five variables: sex, ethnic background, socioeconomic level, geographical location, and IQ. This decreased the number of intervening variables allowed to interact between the groups. The sixth grade students of seven private schools in Volusia County participated in the study. For each of the 187 private school students, a public school sixth grade student of the same sex, ethnic background, socioeconomic status, geographical region, and IQ was chosen. These students were given the Comprehensive Test of Basic Skills in Mathematics, Language and Reading. Comparison of scores between groups showed that the public school sample scored significantly higher on the Comprehensive Test of Basic Skills than the private school students. The public school students had a mean standard score of 535 compared to a mean of 500 for private school students. Converted to grade equivalents, the scores of public school students yielded a mean placement of eighth grade, seventh month versus seventh grade, seventh month for private school students. This reflected an achievement level one year greater for the public school student than the private school student. When these results were submitted to careful statistical controls, it was found the assumption of homogeneity of variance was not violated.
Show less - Date Issued
- 1981
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/11791
- Subject Headings
- Private schools--Florida--Volusia County--Evaluation, Public schools--Florida--Volusia County--Evaluation, Sixth grade (Education)
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- THE DEVELOPMENT AND FIELD TESTING OF AN INSTRUMENT FOR PREDICTING GENERAL EDUCATION DIPLOMA ADULT EDUCATION DROPOUTS.
- Creator
- TIERNEY, BRIAN ASHLEY, Florida Atlantic University, College of Education, School of Public Administration
- Abstract/Description
-
The purpose of this study was the development and field testing of an instrument for predicting adult education dropouts. The test instrument was designed to predict whether or not a student enrolling in an adult education high school review course would become a dropout. The sample consisted of eight classes of adult education students enrolled in a General Education Diploma (G.E.D.) review program. The developed test instrument used descriptive word pairs. These word pairs were antonyms....
Show moreThe purpose of this study was the development and field testing of an instrument for predicting adult education dropouts. The test instrument was designed to predict whether or not a student enrolling in an adult education high school review course would become a dropout. The sample consisted of eight classes of adult education students enrolled in a General Education Diploma (G.E.D.) review program. The developed test instrument used descriptive word pairs. These word pairs were antonyms. The word pairs were designed to elicit attitudinal responses from the students. The student's responses to these word pairs were used in the prediction of the potential dropout. Stimulus pictures of hypothetical persisters and dropouts were used to stimulate the responses. The developed test instrument was used to measure the difference between the student's attitude toward the pictured hypothetical persister in Form I of the test instrument and that student's attitude toward the pictured hypothetical dropout in Form II. The difference between the student's scores on Form I and Form II of the developed test instrument was computed. The difference-score was matched to the student's subsequent behavior: dropout or persister. The interpretation of the data in the context of this research indicated that the study with a high difference-score is more likely to become a dropout and that the student with a low difference-score is more likely to become a persister. In this study the student's attitudinal responses to descriptive word pairs were used in analysis of the data. Analysis was performed in order to evaluate the contribution of specific descriptive word pairs and the relation of these word pairs to the prediction of the potential dropout. Analysis indicated that certain of the descriptive word pairs were found to be useful as predictors of student behavior: dropout or persister. It was concluded that the use of the developed test instrument using certain descriptive word pairs could be effective in predicting the potential dropout. It was recommended that early prediction of the potential dropout and sufficient concentration on effective guidance would be productive and would motivate the student to continue working toward his original goals.
Show less - Date Issued
- 1983
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/11835
- Subject Headings
- Adult education, GED tests, Adult education dropouts
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- Is operating budget execution really a coherent process?.
- Creator
- Campbell, Kenneth Alan, Florida Atlantic University, Mendell, Jay S., Lynch, Thomas D., College for Design and Social Inquiry, School of Public Administration
- Abstract/Description
-
Most of the debate within public budgeting has centered on whether the incremental or non-incremental approach is best. In a theoretical context, little attention has been paid to the actual execution of an entity's budget. Specific theoretical objectives must be met for execution to take place: the objectives have been arranged in different ways, yet the basic requirements have remained constant. The dissertation compared these established theoretical objectives with actual budget execution;...
Show moreMost of the debate within public budgeting has centered on whether the incremental or non-incremental approach is best. In a theoretical context, little attention has been paid to the actual execution of an entity's budget. Specific theoretical objectives must be met for execution to take place: the objectives have been arranged in different ways, yet the basic requirements have remained constant. The dissertation compared these established theoretical objectives with actual budget execution; it concentrated on whether actual budgeting practice met the requirements of budget execution as depicted in normative theory. The research question asked to what extent is practice consistent with theory. The reality of budget practice was determined through survey responses. The questions were based on the procedures required for carrying out the theoretical objectives of execution. Surveys were sent to budget practitioners within the two-county area in southeast Florida. These individuals are responsible for public sector budgeting within their various entities on a state, county, and local level. The survey asked for the respondents perceptions of actual practice as it related to budget execution within their entity. The individual responses were evaluated and analyzed. Factor Analysis was used to determine the loading of eleven specific objectives. The patterns created by the factor loading were explored; it established how the objectives were viewed and whether there was a monolithic approach to execution. The results of the factor loading suggested that, in practice, budget objectives are not recognized as a cohesive process. Theory failed to match actual budget execution. Established procedures found in theory are only partially recognized by those who practice budgeting. A chi-square analysis of the survey results were examined to establish internal validity of the survey instrument and determine whether the responses were influenced by the independent variables. The results of the chi-square failed to note any influence on the responses.
Show less - Date Issued
- 1994
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/12374
- Subject Headings
- Fiscal policy, Finance, Public, Budget
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- Utopian/Dystopian Thought Experiments and the Potential For a New Strateb')' of Inquiry in Public Administration.
- Creator
- Pressley, Cindy L., Florida Atlantic University, Patterson, Patricia M., College for Design and Social Inquiry, School of Public Administration
- Abstract/Description
-
The purpose behind this dissertation is the creation, development, and illustration of a new strategy of inquiry in public administration. This new strategy of inquiry is a utopian/dystopian thought experiment. A utopian/dystopian thought experiment should provide its user with a way to develop a new/different viewpoint with which to examine an administrative activity. A researcher begins with an original viewpoint and should then develop a new/different viewpoint, a utopian/dystopian...
Show moreThe purpose behind this dissertation is the creation, development, and illustration of a new strategy of inquiry in public administration. This new strategy of inquiry is a utopian/dystopian thought experiment. A utopian/dystopian thought experiment should provide its user with a way to develop a new/different viewpoint with which to examine an administrative activity. A researcher begins with an original viewpoint and should then develop a new/different viewpoint, a utopian/dystopian viewpoint, by engaging in a utopian/dystopian thought experiment. A utopian/dystopian thought experiment is developed in this dissertation by bringing together elements from utopian literature and scientific thought experiment literature using a public administration point of view. The research approach used in this dissertation is a three-phase process that involves reviewing and connecting pertinent literatures, using imagination and the process of writing to create a utopian/dystopian thought experiment, and illustrating and examining a utopian/dystopian thought experiment in public administration. In this dissertation, I seek to create a utopian/dystopian thought experiment as a new strategy of inquiry that is developed specifically for public administration. A utopian/dystopian thought experiment should provide an additional tool to the researcher who is seeking to expand the viewpoints through which the researcher can examine administrative activities.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2008
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00000610
- Subject Headings
- Public administration--Philosophy, Place (Philosophy), Policy sciences--Economic aspects, Political planning--United States, Postmodernism--Social aspects
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- THE INFLUENCE OF REPETITIONS PER SET ON BACK SQUAT AND BENCH PRESS REPETITIONS IN RESERVE RATING ACCURACY.
- Creator
- Pelland, Joshua C., Zourdos, Michael C., Florida Atlantic University, Department of Exercise Science and Health Promotion, College of Education
- Abstract/Description
-
This study examined the effect of repetitions per set as a function of changing load (percentage of one-repetition maximum) on the accuracy of intraset repetitions in reserve (RIR) predictions in the back squat and bench press. Twelve resistance trained men completed three multi-set back squat and bench press training sessions that differed in the number of target repetitions (session 1: 10 repetitions; session 2: 8 repetitions; session 3: 6 repetitions). The last set of each session was...
Show moreThis study examined the effect of repetitions per set as a function of changing load (percentage of one-repetition maximum) on the accuracy of intraset repetitions in reserve (RIR) predictions in the back squat and bench press. Twelve resistance trained men completed three multi-set back squat and bench press training sessions that differed in the number of target repetitions (session 1: 10 repetitions; session 2: 8 repetitions; session 3: 6 repetitions). The last set of each session was performed until muscular failure in which subjects verbally indicated when they perceived 4 RIR and 1 RIR. For each RIR prediction, RIRDIFF [perceived RIR - actual RIR] was calculated. Differences in RIRDIFF were analyzed using both raw RIRDIFF (including positive and negative values) and absolute RIRDIFF (absolute values) via MANOVA and factorial ANOVA. The model controlled for the covariates session-type, percentage of 1RM, and total repetitions per set. Overall, RIR accuracy at the predicted 1 RIR was significantly greater (i.e., lower absolute RIRDIFF) than at the predicted 4 RIR in both the bench press (4 RIR: 1.00 ± 0.18 vs. 1 RIR: 0.69 ± 0.12; p = 0.028) and the squat (4 RIR: 1.43 ± 0.31 vs. 1 RIR: 0.79 ± 0.26; p = 0.007). No covariates significantly affected RIR accuracy (p = 0.085 – 0.518) at the predicted 1 RIR. However, at the predicted 4 RIR, the covariate repetitions per set affected raw RIRDIFF in both the squat (p = 0.007) and bench press (p < 0.001), indicating that subjects tended to overpredict RIR in lower repetition sets and underpredict RIR in higher repetition sets.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2022
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00014004
- Subject Headings
- Resistance Training, Weight training, Exercise--Research
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- CHANGES IN INTRASET RIR ACCURACY DURING SIX WEEKS OF BENCH PRESS TRAINING IN TRAINED MEN.
- Creator
- Remmert, Jacob F., Zourdos, Michael C., Florida Atlantic University, Department of Exercise Science and Health Promotion, College of Education
- Abstract/Description
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This study examined whether accuracy of intraset RIR predictions changes over time. Nine resistance trained men completed three bench press training sessions per week for six weeks, with the last set of each session performed until muscular failure. During the set to failure, subjects verbally indicated when they perceived 4 repetitions in reserve (RIR) and 1 RIR during the set. For each RIR prediction, the difference between perceived RIR and actual RIR was calculated as RIRDIFF. We analyzed...
Show moreThis study examined whether accuracy of intraset RIR predictions changes over time. Nine resistance trained men completed three bench press training sessions per week for six weeks, with the last set of each session performed until muscular failure. During the set to failure, subjects verbally indicated when they perceived 4 repetitions in reserve (RIR) and 1 RIR during the set. For each RIR prediction, the difference between perceived RIR and actual RIR was calculated as RIRDIFF. We analyzed differences in RIRDIFF using both the raw RIRDIFF (including positive and negative values) and the absolute values of all RIRDIFF using a factorial MANOVA. Covariates included proximity to failure of the RIR prediction, total repetitions performed per set, percentage of one-repetition maximum lifted, the week of training, and the session (1, 2, or 3 within each seek). For the raw RIRDIFF all covariates, except for percentage of 1RM (p > 0.05) were significantly related to the outcome measure at both the predicted 4 and 1 RIR (p < 0.001 to p = 0.04). Specifically, RIRDIFF was significantly higher in weeks 1-4 versus weeks 5-6 (p < 0.001 to p = 0.005). However, the only covariate which significantly impacted the absolute value RIRDIFF at both the predicted 4 (p = 0.033) and 1 RIR (p = 0.022) was total repetitions per set. These results indicate that trained men tend to shift from overpredicting to underpredicting RIR over time and that more repetitions in a set is related to more inaccurate RIR predictions. However, the actual accuracy (i.e., absolute value RIRDIFF) did not significantly change over six weeks of training.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2022
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00014007
- Subject Headings
- Resistance Training, Resistance Training--methods, Weight training
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- DEVELOPING PLASMA-BASED DIAGNOSTICS: FROM PANCREATIC DUCTAL ADENOCARCINOMA TO HIV.
- Creator
- Makler, Amy, Asghar, Waseem, Florida Atlantic University, Department of Biological Sciences
- Abstract/Description
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Plasma-based diagnostics are ideal for detecting a variety of diseases because they offer a method of detection that is minimally invasive, readily available, and easy to use for monitoring patients as they progress through a disease or respond to treatment. The only serum marker for PDAC is CA19-9 which lacks specificity, has limited sensitivity, and is unreliable for early detection. It is therefore of great importance to develop a diagnostic that is viable for screening and early detection...
Show morePlasma-based diagnostics are ideal for detecting a variety of diseases because they offer a method of detection that is minimally invasive, readily available, and easy to use for monitoring patients as they progress through a disease or respond to treatment. The only serum marker for PDAC is CA19-9 which lacks specificity, has limited sensitivity, and is unreliable for early detection. It is therefore of great importance to develop a diagnostic that is viable for screening and early detection. Exosomal miRNA were determined via bioinformatics analyses and then examined in PDAC cell lines to identify markers with greatest potential. These markers were then examined in plasma from PDAC patients and control groups. Four markers, miR-93-5p, miR-339-3p, miR-425-5p, and miR-425-3p, emerged as the most viable biomarker panel with the ability to detect PDAC in 100% of the early stages (N=5) compared to CA19-9 which showed increased levels in only one patient with early stage PDAC. Additionally, the diagnostic has a specificity of 80% and a sensitivity of 94.7%, making it comparable to CA19-9, and may even be beneficial for use in conjunction with CA19-9. A plasma-based diagnostic was also developed for multi-strain HIV-1 detection utilizing the loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) method. LAMP primers were developed against the integrase and vpr regions of the HIV-1 genome. They were tested first in cultured HIV samples and then examined for their ability to amplify HIV-1 subtypes A-G. The integrase primer set provided a reliable means of diagnosing all 55 strains and isolates in under 30 minutes, whereas vpr was inconsistent and exhibited high variability in detecting the HIV subtypes. Our limit of detection for B-subtype with integrase was 30 viral copies/reaction. This could provide the basis for a novel, point-of-care diagnostic for use in underdeveloped regions.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2023
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00014141
- Subject Headings
- Plasma, Biomarkers, Carcinoma, Pancreatic Ductal, HIV-1, Diagnosis
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- Collaborative governance and the implementation of the Ryan White CARE Act: a case study of HIV health services planning councils in two South Florida counties.
- Creator
- Agbodzakey, James K., College for Design and Social Inquiry, School of Public Administration
- Abstract/Description
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The complex problems of the twenty-first century cannot be effectively addressed with twentieth century top-down bureaucratic governance alone because of limited stakeholder participation in collective decision making and/or implementation. The somewhat limited stakeholder participation in the policy process, especially, that of target populations, can impact generating viable solutions to complex problems. Collaborative governance has emerged as a promising alternative to traditional...
Show moreThe complex problems of the twenty-first century cannot be effectively addressed with twentieth century top-down bureaucratic governance alone because of limited stakeholder participation in collective decision making and/or implementation. The somewhat limited stakeholder participation in the policy process, especially, that of target populations, can impact generating viable solutions to complex problems. Collaborative governance has emerged as a promising alternative to traditional management in addressing contemporary complex problems. Collaborative governance is thus a type of governance that promotes joint participation of state and non-state stakeholders in decision making and/or implementation by using agreed upon processes of engagement to collectively address problems. Such governance is especially beneficial for addressing the challenges posed by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). This dissertation uses the collaborative governance concept to explicate the efforts of HIV Health Services Planning Councils in Broward County and Palm Beach County of South Florida with the purpose of accentuating how collaborative governance works in providing various categories of services to meet the needs of people with AIDS (PWAs), as part of the implementation of the Ryan White CARE Act. The study focuses on critical variables of collaborative governance such as facilitative leadership and institutional design, the collaborative process variables such as trust building, commitment to the process and shared understanding, and outputs such as allocation priorities of the Councils. This study employed mixed methods in collecting data from various relevant sources., The combined findings from surveys, interviews, observations and document reviews were essential to knowledge and understanding of collaborative governance of the respective Councils. The results revealed more similarities than differences between the Councils in their efforts towards addressing the HIV/AIDS problem. The Councils are similar in all variables of collaborative governance with few exceptions relative to facilitative leadership and institutional design. The differences were relative to membership, number of committees, amount allocated for various service categories and number of clients served. Furthermore, the Councils were slightly different in reaching consensus on subjects of deliberation. On the average, Palm Beach County's Council make decisions by consensus relatively easily when compared with the Broward County's Council. Nonetheless, both Councils are consensus-oriented and strive to make decision by consensus as evidenced by unanimous votes or simple majority votes on various subjects of deliberation. In addition, representation and participation of target populations in collaborative governance have contributed to the empowerment of those target populations. The study contributes to the literature by developing a conceptual model for HIV/AIDS collaborative governance for producing outputs to help meet needs of target populations. Also, the study contributes to collaborative governance theorizing by drawing a nexus between variables of collaborative governance and by complementing the existing non-linear perspective of collaborative process for collective problem solving. Collaborative governance involving state and non-state stakeholders thereby enhances efforts of public managers by harnessing resources to effectively manage and/or address complex problems for the benefit of society.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2009
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/FAU/368614
- Subject Headings
- HIV infections, Government policy, AIDS (Disease), Patients, Services for, Public-private sector cooperation, Public administration, Decision making
- 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
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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
- 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
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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)
