An analysis of governing factors affecting diversity in local government capital improvement program implementation

Date

2023-09-27

Department

University of Baltimore. College of Public Affairs.

Program

University of Baltimore. Doctor of Public Administration.

Citation of Original Publication

Rights

Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 United States
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

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.