Abstract

This Applied Research Project is an exploratory study seeking to establish a theoretical framework for long-term disaster recovery efforts. Through the use of qualitative interviews conducted with senior managers of national nonprofit agencies working on Hurricane Katrina recovery, this research first tests the feasibility of Jane Addams' social democratic theory and ethics for use as a theoretical framework for long-term disaster recovery. The research also explores the degree to which nonprofit organizations already implement elements of Addams' theory and ethics in their long-term disaster recovery programs. This is tested through the administration of a questionnaire with case managers working with Katrina survivors in Houston, Texas...

Key Words: disaster recovery, social democratic theory, ethics, African-American, quality of life, public adminstration

Read more here

Abstract

This applied research project used the African-American Quality of Life Initiative in Austin, Texas as a case study to explore pragmatic community of inquiry principles. A community of inquiry is defined by a problematic situation, reinforced by a "scientific or experimental attitude" and linked together by participatory democracy (Shields, 2003, 511). In March 2005, a revised City of Austin Quality of Life Scorecard revealed that African-American residents experienced a strikingly different quality of life from other Austin residents. Subsequent community feedback categorized recommendations into six priority areas from which action plans were developed. Six Implementation Teams, co-chaired by a City of Austin department director and an African-American community leader, met between July and October 2005 to finalize the recommendations. The teams presented the finished product to the Austin City Council on October 27, 2005.

Key Words: African-American, quality of life, public administration, community of inquiry, democracy, community leader

Read full study here

Center for Youth Leadership Development and Civic Engagement
Author: Rutgers Newark EMPA, Trenton Cohort 23, Rutgers School of Public Affairs and Administration, December 2009, 112 Pages

Introduction

The Trenton Class 23 cohort of Rutgers Newark Executive Masters in Public Administration acted as a single entity in creating a plan to carry out a mission that meets goals formed in research about leadership and civic education for urban area high-school youth, the nascence of which began in June 2008 during the cohort’s leadership course.

Through research, we have found that the proposed Center for Youth Leadership Development and Civic Engagement (‘the Center’) will fill a niche in urban areas throughout the state of New Jersey with disadvantaged and at-risk youth attending high school. The Center will operate under the understanding that the constant changes in the political, economic and social environment will directly impact how we deliver our services. Measures will be taken to readily adapt the Center to strategically respond and continue to offer services in a relevant manner. Towards this effort, the Center will sustain a realistic, comprehensive assessment of our strengths and limitations through the completion of a SWOC analysis, compiled from information provided by a multitude of sources such as clients, staff/board members, sources of funding, and community leaders.

Key Words: youth, leadership, public administration, education, services, civic engagement

Read Full Study here

The purpose of this two-phase exploratory mixed methods research was to add to an understanding of the motivations toward service among college students, to get a clearer sense of how students choose their particular service involvements, and to better understand the learning outcomes from service involvement during college. Underlying philosophical assumptions of the study were that service involvement during college contributes in several positive ways to student development, and that student descriptions of their motivations, choices, and learning from service will vary based on gender, year in college, and amount of service performed.

Key Words:  service learning, college students, gender, service method

Read full article here

Democracy and the New Public Service
Author: Dr. James Perry
Published in: the Journal of Public Affairs Education, Number 15 (2005), Vol 4, Pg 265-268

Read full article here

Democracy Plaza: A Campus Space for Civic Engagement
Author: Johnny Goldfinger, Department of Political Science IUPUI, Indianapolis, IN, January 2008, 7 pages

This article examines "Democracy Plaza," a campus space dedicated to written and spoken communication about issues of public concern. The Plaza gives students opportunities to become civically engaged through self-expression and the exchange of ideas. A series of chalkboards on the Plaza allows them to write their thoughts and read the comments of others, and events where students can speak and deliberate about important civic matters are hosted in this space. This article discusses the concept of Democracy Plaza and its development, maintenance, and utilization as a campus space for civic engagement.

Key Words: democracy, civic engagement, higher education, students, public, ideas

Read full article here

Does the Internet Really Facilitate Civic Engagement? Empirical Evidence From the American National Election Studies
Author: Park, Hun Myoung & Perry, James L.;
Published in: Civic Engagement in a Networked Society, Kaifeng Yang and Erik Bergrud eds. pp. 237-270, January 1, 2008

First paragraph

Civic engagement is known to catalyze government reform and participatory democracy. Informed and empowered citizens are able to facilitate good governance by making all levels of government more efficient, transparent, and accountable. Civic engagement and trust in government and politics, however, have declined for the past 5 decades in the United States (Putnam, 2000; Skocpol, 2003). In modern networked societies, civic engagement may be evolving to take different forms and styles. In particular, Internet use and online engagement are expected to provide a promising avenue for revitalizing democracy in the digital era.

Key Words: civic engagement, election, democracy, government, trust, internet

Read full article here

Growing Leaders for Public Service: Leaders Growing Leaders and Organizations Growing Leaders
Author: Ray Blunt
Prepared For: The IBM Center for the Business of Government

In both reports, Mr. Blunt addresses the crucial question of how well the federal government is developing its next generation of leaders. In his first report for the Center, "Leaders Growing Leaders," he examined four ways—as exemplars, as mentors, as coaches, and as teachers—that individual senior executives can grow leaders within their organizations. In his second report for the Center, "Organizations Growing Leaders," he examined how government organizations can take on the same important challenge: developing the next generation of government leaders.

Key Words: leadership, government, mentor, executive, future generation, youth

Read full report here

A Healthier, Safer, and More Prosperous World
Report of the CSIS Commission on Smart Global Health Policy
Co-Chairs: William J. Fallon & Helene D. Gayle

Abstract

• Maintain the commitment to the fight against HIV and AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis
• Prioritize women and children in U.S. global health efforts
• Strengthen prevention and capabilities to manage emergencies
• Ensure the United States has the capacity to match our global health ambitions
• Make smart investments in multilateral institutions

Key Words: global health, health policy, capacity, emergency management, AIDS, Malaria, Turberculosis

Read Full Article

Innovation Leadership: How to use innovation to lead effectively, work collaboratively and drive results
Authors: David Horth, Center for Creative Leadership and Dan Buchner, Continuum
Prepared For: The Center for Creative Leadership

Abstract

What leaders need now is Innovation Leadership.They need it for themselves, as they learn to operate in challenging, unpredictable circumstances. They also need to create a climate for innovation within organizations. Innovative systems, tools and thinking are essential for organizational health and future viability.
We can't give leaders a new crystal ball.

But by pairing the Center for Creative Leadership (CCL®)'s creative leadership expertise and the power of design thinking from Continuum, we show you how innovation leadership can help you and your organization today and in the uncertain times to come.

Key Words: leadership, innovation, effective, efficient, public administration

Read Full Article

Promising Practices in Online Engagement
Authors: Scott Bittle, Chris Haller and Alison Kadlec
Prepared For: Public Agenda

Abstract

The fact that the Internet is one of the most powerful organizing tools in history is both thrilling and vexing to public engagement practitioners working to create the conditions for more effective public involvement in public life. We know that the Internet supercharges political campaigning and we know that like-minded individuals are more able than ever to connect with one another because of the Internet. But what is still unclear is how the Internet might help build capacity and momentum for inclusive, collaborative and boundary-crossing problem-solving at all levels of public life (from the national level to the local level).

For those who believe that citizens deserve the best possible opportunities to become partners in problem-solving, the public cannot be viewed just as an audience to politics or merely as customers of government. Instead, the public should be treated as a vital resource for effective problem-solving and community-building. In our work at Public Agenda we have seen over and over again that, under the right conditions, the ability of "ordinary" people to learn, get involved and come to thoughtful judgments about difficult shared problems is far greater than most realize. Regular citizens, who may not be intensely interested in traditional politics but who are greatly interested in the government choices that affect their lives, can make a major contribution in shaping policy and can effectively participate in local efforts to improve life in their communities.

From the perspective of public engagement, the seeming disconnect between the rhetoric and the reality of what is made possible by the Internet is perplexing. The rhetoric, and indeed the intentions, of everyone involved in the "digital democracy" movement line up perfectly with the aims of authentic public engagement. Everyone agrees the potential is there to use the Internet to allow citizens to have a greater voice in naming and solving shared problems across boundaries. But so far, the Internet, especially the blogosphere and social networking platforms, is primarily enabling people in partisan silos to network within their own group. A lot of lessons still have to be learned about how to use the Internet effectively.

Key Words: Internet effectiveness, civic engagement, public agenda, social networks, blogs, democracy

Read Full Article

Abstract

Perry and Vandenabeele (2008) proposed a new foundation for PSM theory grounded in a mix of altruism, self-identity, and institutional theories. As a predictor, the theory suggests that PSM relationships are moderated and/or mediated by self-regulation via organizational factors and saliency of an activity to individual self-identity. This study focuses on the relationship between PSM and outcomes of citizen participation efforts. Data come from a national survey of local government managers (1,538 responses for a response rate of 46.4%). Latent variable model results suggest a direct positive relationship between PSM and citizen participation evaluation, no indirect mediated relation via value congruence, and an interaction with the perceived organizational importance of an agency's citizen participation efforts which offers two interpretations: 1) PSM has a stronger relationship to evaluation as citizen participation is more important in the agency; and/or 2) the importance of citizen participation is negatively associated with evaluation for low and medium levels of PSM but for high PSM levels, evaluations improve with importance. The results, as suggested by theory, indicate PSM is more germane for an activity which invokes relevant values, in this case, citizen participation, as their organization's commitment increases.

Key Words: citizen action, government, public administration, PSM theory, participation

Read full study here

Abstract

This study contributes to our understanding of public service motivation by clarifying the mechanisms through which public service motivation influences employee attitudes previously linked to organizational performance. In particular, the authors find that the relationship between employee public service motivation and job satisfaction is mediated by the extent to which the employee perceives that his or her values are congruent with those of the public sector organization he or she works for. This study suggests that caution should be exercised when making claims regarding the effects of public service motivation and that greater emphasis should be placed on ways public sector organizations can foster employee—organization value congruence.

Key Words: public service, motivation, performance, public sector, organization

Read full study here

Public Service Motivation and Interpersonal Citizenship Behavior in Public Organizations: Testing a Preliminary Model
Authors: Sanjay K. Pandey, University of Kansas; Bradley E. Wright, University of North Carolina at Charlotte; Donald P. Moynihan, La Follette School of Public Affairs, University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Published in: International Public Management Journal, Volume 11, Issue 1 January 2008 , pages 89 - 108

Abstract

A good deal of research has demonstrated how public service motivation (PSM) facilitates desirable organizational attitudes and behaviors such as job satisfaction, organizational commitment, and work effort. Other research has demonstrated that PSM predicts higher levels of social capital and altruistic behavior in society. Between these two strands of PSM research, there is a gap in knowledge about whether PSM matters to citizenship behavior internal to the organization. This article tests the direct and indirect relationship between individual levels of PSM and interpersonal citizenship behavior using a structural equation model. We also account for the effect of organizational environment by incorporating a measure of co-worker support. We find that PSM has a direct and positive effect on interpersonal citizenship behavior in public organizations, even when accounting for the significant role of co-worker support.

Key Words: public serice, motivation, PSM theory, citizen behavior, interpersonal

Read full study here

Pulling the Levers: Leadership, Public Service Motivation and Mission Valence
Authors: Donald P. Moynihan, Sanjay K. Pandey, and Bradley E. Wright
Prepared for: The International Public Service Motivation Research Conference Bloomington, IN, June 7-9, 2009, 36 pages

Abstract

This study contributes to our understanding of public service motivation by investigating ways in which organizational leaders can reinforce and even augment the potential effects of public service motivation on the employees' attraction to the organization's mission (mission valence). This research informs two research questions. First, it examines the sources of public service motivation. We know relatively little on the influence of organizational factors, especially the role of leadership, in fostering public service motivation. We find that transformational leadership is associated with higher public service motivation. Second, the paper examines the relationship between transformational leadership and mission valence. We find that transformational leadership has both a direct effect on mission valence as well as important indirect effects through its influence on clarifying organizational goals and fostering public service motivation.

Key Words: public service, motivation, PSM theory, leadership, mission valence, transformational leadership

Read Full Study Here

Abstract

This article examines the relationship between red tape and public-service motivation. Using a recent national survey of public managers in various state health and human service organizations, the authors examine whether perceptions of red tape are determined by differences in the level of public-service motivation. Across a variety of dependent measures, the results showed a consistent linkage between managerial perceptions of red tape and public-service motivation. Managers reporting higher levels of public-service motivation were less likely to perceive high levels of red tape. Among the dimensions of public-service motivation, attraction to public policy making provided the greatest influence on perceptions of red tape.

Key Words: public service, motivation, PSM theory, red tape, health, human service, public policy

Read full study here

Abstract

This applied research project used the African-American Quality of Life Initiative in Austin, Texas as a case study to explore pragmatic community of inquiry principles. A community of inquiry is defined by a problematic situation, reinforced by a "scientific or experimental attitude" and linked together by participatory democracy (Shields, 2003, 511). In March 2005, a revised City of Austin Quality of Life Scorecard revealed that African-American residents experienced a strikingly different quality of life from other Austin residents. Subsequent community feedback categorized recommendations into six priority areas from which action plans were developed. Six Implementation Teams, co-chaired by a City of Austin department director and an African-American community leader, met between July and October 2005 to finalize the recommendations. The teams presented the finished product to the Austin City Council on October 27, 2005.

Key Words: disaster relief, nonprofit, social democratic theory, ethics, Hurricane Katrina, public administration

Read full study here

State and Local Governance Fifteen Years Later: Enduring and New Challenges
Author: Frank J. Thompson
Published in: Public Administration Review December 2008, Supplement to Volume 68

Summary

To what extent have state and local governments moved in the directions endorsed by the Winter Commission in 1993? The Commission's recommendations targeted (1) the political context of state and local governance, with a particular focus on executive leadership, campaign finance reform, and citizen engagement; (2) the specifics of public administration, with primary emphasis on empowering managers through internal deregulation and bolstering human resource capacity; and (3) the nature of the relationship between the national government and states in key policy arenas. This special issue examines what significant changes in the fabric of state and local governance occurred in each of these three areas over the last 15 years.

Key Words: local government, public administration, capacity, policy, leadership, reform, engagement, finance

Purchase full article here

 Volunteering in Under-Resourced Rural Communities
Author: The Points of Light Foundation
Principal Investigators: Bandana Shrestha, Chris Cihlar, Ph.D.
2004

Summary

Volunteering is an important way through which people connect with one another. It is also an important method of providing services and meeting the critical needs of communities that are not met by other means. But how does the concept of "volunteering" translate across socio-economic boundaries? What role does volunteering play in meeting the specific needs of low-income families and transforming distressed communities into family-supportive places? How are low-income people themselves engaged in volunteering in their community? With support from The Annie E. Casey Foundation, the Points of Light Foundation, for a number of years, has been engaged in exploring these questions and sharing the learnings with the field.

The overall goals of the study were to:
Deepen understanding of volunteer engagement in rural communities;
Examine the applicability of the neighboring model to rural communities; and
Identify practices that document and support volunteering / neighboring by, in and with under-resourced rural communities.

Key Words: volunteer, rural, low-income, engagement, neighboring model, under-resourced

Read full report here

Volunteer Centers Respond to the 2004 Hurricanes
Author: Chris Toppe, Senior Social Scientist, The Points of Light Foundation
2004

The Points of Light Foundation is pleased to present this report documenting the services provided by Volunteer Centers and the thousands of volunteers they managed in responding to the hurricanes that struck Florida in 2004. This was a time of tremendous need, and these organizations and people helped their neighbors in immeasurable ways.

One of the truths about this unprecedented response is that planning paid off. The state of Florida, through Volunteer Florida, had planned for disaster response. People were trained, preparations were made, and roles and responsibilities were established. These actions, taken during times of relative calm, bore their fruit during these times of unusual troubles. The complexity and completeness of these plans, their integration into the disaster response system, and their use of Volunteer Centers for managing unaffiliated volunteers are things other states can and should replicate. - Robert K. Goodwin

Key Words: volunteer, hurricane, florida, disaster response, administration, organization, volutneer center

Read full report here

 Young People Advocate for, Plan, and Provide Services to Their Communities
Author: The Youth Development institute, 2009

This report describes how the structure and philosophy of the Beacon serves as an excellent support for community improvement efforts by bringing together youth and adults in collaborative projects. Part of the “Practices to Keep In After-School and Youth Programs” series from the Youth Development Institute.

Read full report here