Browsing by Subject "public administration"
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Item Administration Without Consideration: Public Administration’s Oversight of Children(Administrative Theory & Praxis, 2013-12) Edlins, MariglynnAmerican children regularly encounter government through routine interactions with public administrators. Because of the unique nature of working with children, these interactions differ from those with adults. Although the public administration literature focuses on implementation of public policy and interactions between citizens and government, few studies contemplate children as different from adults in the administrative context and thus inform the interactions between public administrators and children. As a result, there is an absence of basic understanding of children within the context of public administration—who they are, how they think, what they need. This oversight generates a theoretical shortcoming, as well as real consequences for children.Item An analysis of governing factors affecting diversity in local government capital improvement program implementation(2023-09-27) Ayala-Collazo, Isami C; Wyatt-Nichol, Heather; Naylor, Lorenda; Iyer, Seema; University of Baltimore. College of Public Affairs.; University of Baltimore. Doctor of Public Administration.This research sought to identify the governing factors affecting diversity in local government capital improvement program (CIP) implementation. Diversity was assessed at two phases: capital improvement plans drafting/approval and contract award. In particular, the implementation of small, minority, women owned business enterprise (SMWBE) programs was studied. Four counties in the state of Florida, United States of America served as the case study: Miami-Dade, Broward, Hillsborough, and Orange. A mixed methods approach was utilized. Each county’s approved CIP for the years 2010-2020, construction contracts awarded and registries SMWBE were statistically analyzed. Interviews with government executives performing the functions of procurement, business opportunity, and construction management were conducted and included as part of the qualitative analysis. The research confirmed that diversity is not used as a variable in CIP planning. The following governing factors were identified as affecting diversity in CIP implementation: program complexity, certification requirements, and communication inefficiencies.Item The cultural proficiency capacity building model for organizational and systems accountability(2011-04) Eaton, Ivan P.; Henderson, Lenneal J.; University of Baltimore. Yale Gordon College of Public Affairs; University of Baltimore. Doctor of Public AdministrationOverview: Reportedly, the Black Community represents over 80% of all HIV/AIDS cases in the State of Maryland, now ranking first (1st) in the nation for Blacks/African Americans living with AIDS. This two-phased project presents a capacity building model to incite community and public administration practitioner involvement to collectively ensure the delivery of equitable, accountable, ethical, effective, efficient, high-quality, responsive, and sustainable HIV prevention and treatment programs while striving toward an idealistic, milestone target of cultural proficiency1 in order to achieve any resemblance of cultural competence. Method: Phase I, a participatory action research approach, describes preliminary issue formulation, formation of a community action movement to hold accountable stewards of public funds and development of a model to incite ethical and culturally proficient decision making in the public administration of HIV prevention and health services. Phase II, evolution of the model, provides scholarly inquiry through qualitative data analysis of archival documents to determine what the State did, is doing, or proposes to do, to remedy the spread of HIV/AIDS in Maryland and ensure for equitable and culturally proficient responses to HIV/AIDS in Maryland. Conclusion: Analysis of State archival documents on HIV prevention and health services does not evidence fulfillment of federally promulgated Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Standards (CLAS). The researcher recommends adoption of a capacity building model to garner support and provide direction toward cultural proficiency in the delivery of HIV prevention and health services.Item Effective performance measurement of state and local inspectors general: a multi-methods analysis of current operations and a scorecard for future application(2016-01-28) Henson, Cassandra R.; Gibson, Ed; Cotten, Ann; Henderson, Lenneal J.; University of Baltimore. College of Public Affairs; University of Baltimore. Doctor of Public AdministrationOffices of Inspectors General (OIGs) have been a part of American government since the 1700s but these organizations have evolved a great deal over the years. The first military models gave way to the federal-level models, which have framed the industry in place today. The Inspector General Act of 1978 is the official legislation that established OIGs as an official function within the federal government. Initially, there were twelve inspectors general focusing on major federal agencies. Today there are approximately seventy-three federal offices serving major federal agencies, military branches, boards and commissions, all charged with the mission of mitigating unethical behavior. Although federal models laid the foundation for the industry, there is a growing numbers of non-federal offices at the state and local levels. These organizations continue the underlying mission of fighting fraud, waste and abuse but must do so within different operating constraints. Non-federal offices must perform their routine functions with limited funding and often-times increased public scrutiny. Performance measurement and organizational effectiveness must now be considered as IGs, like other public service agencies, strive to show public value. As agencies are tasked to do more with less, OIGs must constantly improve operations by focusing on the concepts of economy, effectiveness and efficiency. The purpose of this research is to assess the current operations of state-level and local-level offices, and suggest possible improvements to maximize the overall impacts of these organizations on public administration. These suggestions were presented as a balanced scorecard model for ongoing performance measurement and planning. A mixed-methods approach was used to gather data from research participants. The first phase of the research was an electronic survey, distributed via email invitation to the professionals in the IG community. The survey was designed to capture information on the participant as well as structural, operating and performance measurement data on their OIG. The second phase of the research was a semi-structured personal interview with volunteers from phase one. The questions asked in this phase of the research project were designed to gain deeper insight to the offices, revealing what is important strategically to the leaders of the organization. The third and final phase of the research was the secondary data analysis of the information found on the various OIG public websites. Results were analyzed and triangulated to reveal patterns and trends utilized for the balanced scorecard model. Research results show no significant differences in operations due to OIG type or oversight. All offices did not report the same capabilities and therefore contained different categories of staff. Therefore, a typology to be applied to all non-federal OIGs was not possible based on this project. All stressed the importance of well-trained staff and the importance of a sound mission, although there were differences in the methods by which the mission was achieved. OIGs participating in the study focused on four strategic themes which surfaced in all phases of the project: (1) performance measurement, (2) mission and objectives identification, (3) financial and human resources availability and (4) reporting and communication (transparency). These themes were subsequently included in the balanced scorecard model.Item Local Government Decision Making(2022-01-01) Cannizzaro, Vincent; Edwards, Lauren; School of Public Policy; Public PolicyMost of the theoretical foundations related to the public policy process and public policy decision-making are rooted in the experiences and processes within the federal government. While some theorizing is based on state-level systems, there has been little to no theorizing based on local governmental structures. This three-paper dissertations aims to add evidence, information, and context to the literature on the public policy and decision-making process of local governments. Through a systematic literature review using the Cochrane-Campbell procedure, Understanding Local Government: A Systematic Review of Political Decision-Making distills the published research on political decision-making of local governments to create a more unified understanding of the factors influencing local governmental policy action in the United States. In addition, this paper provides an analysis of the application of these themes to common theoretical public policy frameworks and models, creating a new theoretical model to define and predict local government policy action�the Municipal Action Framework. Utilizing an autoethnographic methodology, The Heavy Weight of Policy Inaction: An Autoethnographic Analysis of a Lead Hazards Ordinance provides a first-hand account of attempted policy action at the local level. Through the personal experiences of the author, this paper retells the events and circumstances creating both a hospitable, and eventually unhospitable, policy environment for momentous policy change. Through this writing, this paper applies the theoretical model of the Municipal Action Framework to better understand its applicability and practicality. Through quantitative methodologies, Showing Up: An Analysis of Uncontested and Write-In-Only Elections on Local Policy Action seeks to understand the policymaking implications of uncontested, write-in-only, and write-in winner elections for either executive or legislative seats within small local governments in York County, Pennsylvania. Findings suggest that winners of uncontested elections may increase the likelihood of policy actions, while winners of write-in-only elections have a decreased or null-level effect.Item Superhero, Sleeping Beauty, or Devil? The Making of Orphan Myths and Public Administration(Public Voices, 2015) Edlins, MariglynnChildren who are separated from their parents, whether temporarily or permanently, become dependent on representatives of the state to make the day-to-day decisions of their care. In these interactions with vulnerable children, these representatives rely on their own discretion to guide them in how to approach the children they are responsible for. What stories exist that might influence how street-level bureaucrats think about children who are separated from their parents? What narratives might inform the discretion and judgment they use in their work? In this paper, I explore the narratives of superhero stories, romance novels, and horror films in order to identify the orphan archetypes they portray and consider how these myths might impact the interactions between orphans and public administrators.Item Toward Financial Freedom: Budgetary Reform in the U.S. Courts(CRC Press, 2006-01) Gibson, EdItem Towards Reduced Administrative Burdens: Performance Management, Machine Learning, and Evidence Building in the Federal Government(2022-06-29) Nantais, Joel; Wachhaus, Aaron; Hartley, Roger; Sterett, Susan; University of Baltimore. College of Public Affairs; University of Baltimore. Doctor of Public Administration.Administrative burdens can inhibit how individuals access government services and benefits and reduce the effectiveness of programs. These burdens, including learning, compliance, and psychological costs, are experienced disparately and may cause greater negative impacts on individuals who would benefit most from the programs. This is especially true when they are “hidden” within policy and program design and implementation, thereby avoiding normal administrative law procedures that would allow citizens awareness and feedback opportunities. This study explores how existing standards for performance management and measurement through data analytics in the federal government can be leveraged to identify and measure administrative burdens with the aim of reducing their impact. This work focuses on the use of machine learning to solve implementation problems like administrative burdens, complete with the design, development, and implementation considerations that are specific to machine learning in the United States federal government. Finally, this work explores how to use the existing requirements for evidence-based policymaking and evaluation in the federal government to determine the impact of the machine learning solutions, as well as the impact of the reduced administrative burdens on the outcomes and goals of programs. The approach of this research is to build on the existing academic literature, federal government requirements, and guidance to create three frameworks: identification and measurement, machine learning solutions, and evidence-building evaluations. Framework 1 provides a path to identifying, defining, and measuring administrative burdens within performance management processes. Framework 2 shows how to incorporate the nascent Federal government principles and guidance with academic and industry best practices to design, develop, and implement machine learning solutions in the public sector to reduce administrative burdens, which are identified and measured by Framework 1. Framework 3 is a guide to using existing federal government evidence-building and evaluation guidance to evaluate the implementations and impacts of the machine learning solutions and reduced administrative burdens. This research demonstrates that administrative burdens in the federal government systems and processes can be identified and addressed without new legislation, regulation, or resources and that machine learning techniques are poised to provide solutions to public problems. This presents an opportunity for the federal government to refocus on providing performance data, administrative data, and information about existing uses of machine learning available to the public in a way that can benefit the academic research field; this lack of availability has follow-on impacts on the public sector. Additionally, this study shows that the field of administrative burden research needs to adopt shared definitions, measurement criteria, and approaches in order to build on existing theory and case studies and to magnify the impact of this research on the public sector. This research provides standard definitions of administrative burdens classification and measurement; a guide for agencies to reduce administrative burdens with performance management; practical guidance for applied machine learning in the federal government; an extension of evidence-based policy and evaluation research to focus on applied machine learning as well as the impact of reduced administrative burdens on program outcomes. These contributions benefit researchers focused on administrative burdens and provide practical support to government administrators.Item Understanding the Factors Affecting Washington DC's Community Land Trust Start-Up as a Potential Partial Remedy for Affordable Housing and Upward Mobility(2020-10) Carter, Dinah R.; Henderson, Dr. Lenneal; Naylor, Dr. Lorenda; Gourrier, Dr. Al; Huron, Dr. Amanda; University of Baltimore. College of Public Affairs; Doctor of Public AdministrationBackground: The 2018 Menino Survey of Mayors revealed a bipartisan consensus that housing is a significant component of a city's infrastructure, and expensive housing rates are a substantial roadblock to city residents' social mobility. Housing affordability issues affect the City's economic growth in its ability to recruit and retain local employees. Although Washington DC is not a state, a compounding factor, it is facing a significant housing crisis as community redevelopment exacerbates poverty levels and displacement. The Social Equity theory emphasizes that administrators play a role in acknowledging that social and economic housing conditions impact citizens differently; citizens are not the same. Therefore, leveling the playing field involves fostering a commitment to provide resources, equal access, and targeted interventions, to correct wrongs and reduce risk factors for historically underserved groups. DC partnered with Building Bridges Across the River (BBAR) to repurpose the 11th Street Bridge into DC's first elevated pedestrian-only Park. This Park project will host community activities and connect wealthier gentrified Ward 6 Navy Yard/Capitol Hill to underinvested Ward 8 Anacostia neighborhoods. To remedy potential residential displacement, BBAR efforts launched Douglass Community Land Trust (DCLT) in DCs Ward 8 to focus on economic, social, and cultural inclusivity. Methods: This study looked at Community Land Trust (CLT) as a potential partial solution to poverty, upward mobility, and displacement and identified the possible extent of economic and civic mobility amongst CLT participants. Case Studies, relevant literature research, public documents/reports, and interviews from DCLT stakeholders were used to discover the factors contributing to DCLT start-up ability to create social/spatial equity via Policy Interpretation, Community Land Control, Preliminary Resident Engagement/ Leadership Fostering, DCLT Structure/Capacity, and Collaboration Dynamics. An extensive qualitative/descriptive quantitative case study analysis of DCLT start-up phase was conducted. Findings: The factors that affected DCLT start-up were: Robust and cohesive board, The public's lack of CLT knowledge, CLT Skepticism, Lack of legislation or substantive partnership with the City, and DC's expensive and limited land/housing stock.