The interests of competing government and Piñon Canyon, Colorado: a case study on small world networks and the encroachment of military land on agricultural land in Southeast Colorado as a consequence on intergovernmental relationships

Author/Creator ORCID

Date

2012-03

Department

University of Baltimore. Yale Gordon College of Public Affairs

Program

University of Baltimore. Doctor of Public Administration

Citation of Original Publication

Rights

This item may be protected under Title 17 of the U.S. Copyright Law. It is made available by the University of Baltimore for non-commercial research and educational purposes.

Abstract

When applied to public administration, networks may be utilized to study the behaviors of and between large and small bureaucracies. Traditional methods of analyzing intergovernmental conflict are often not as informative as network analysis. Network analysis is capable of demonstrating characteristics that traditional analysis does not show. In order to examine intergovernmental relationships and how these networks affect public policy, one must study scenarios where governments and their competing interests collide. The proposed expansion of the Piñon Canyon Maneuver Site in Southeastern Colorado, under consideration since 2004 and as yet unresolved, is such a case. The intent of this dissertation is to "tell a story," "draw a picture" and then "animate the picture" about the complex and often polarizing intergovernmental relationships surrounding Piñon Canyon, to help the reader understand how each of the actors is linked and networked with others.