organization, financial, ethical, and public management issues in privatisation of public services
Much has been discussed about the trend to “privatize” public services. If you were the leader of a public agency with the responsibility to make decisions regarding privatization of government duties, what organization, financial, ethical, and public management issues would you consider in making your decisions?
Choose A. H Maslow (Theory of Human Motivation) and Anne Schneider & Helen INGram ( Social Construction of a Target population), two theorists in public administration / public policy, each of whom has made seminal contributions to the field. Critically assess and relate the contributions of each of these theorists to the field of public administration / public policy.
As of the writing of this exam, there have been numerous daily protests from Clinton supporters / Trump non-supporters over the Presidential election results. Likewise, there have been daily examples of “hate crimes” (such as hate filled graffiti and assaults on individuals of differing opinions) with many of these “hate crimes” occurring in Trump’s name. As a student of public administration, what do you feel are Clinton and Trump’s ethical responsibilities in relation to both of these actions?
Essay (25 Points Total / Approximately 1500-2000 Words in Length)
First, read the Tracy Johns (2015) article related to state implementation of recreational marijuana policies in Colorado. This article will serve as a case study for this essay. Second, select one of the Ambiguity and Multiple Streams public policy from our Sabatier / Weible textbook. Third, utilizing your selected theory as your lens for analysis, analyze the implementation of the Colorado state policy. To aid you in framing the paper, you should utilize the guidelines for analyzing frameworks, theories and models that we have been using throughout this class. (It is reprinted below.) The key to successful completion of this essay will be balancing explaining your theory sufficiently while not dwelling too much on the theory elements, the focus should be on the article’s topic: state implementation of recreational marijuana policies in Colorado.
- Scope: a. What phenomenon (types of questions) is the focus of the framework/theory? b. At what level of analysis do the framework / theory operate (e.g., individual, organization, situation, system)?
- Assumptions: a. What are the assumptions of the framework/theory? b. What assumptions are made about individuals (motivations, cognitive abilities, learning, decision –making calculus)? C. To what extent are the assumptions stated explicitly?
- Output/Outcome/Dependent Variables: a. What are the focal dependent variables in the framework/theory? b. How are they defined conceptually? c. To what extent are these definitions clear? d. Are these variables defined in such a way as to aid operationalization and measurement?
- Input/Independent/Explanatory Variables: a. What are the independent variables in the theory/framework? b. Is there one independent variable or set of variables that are dominate? c. How are they defined conceptually? d. To what extent are these definitions clear? e. Are they defined in such a way as to aid operationalization and measurement? f. Are there major independent variables omitted given the scope of the theory/framework?
- Causal Process: a. What is the causal process (think of the relations among the independent and dependent variables in a flow diagram)? b. To what extent is the causal process stated clearly and explicitly? c. How does the theory/framework deal with feedback loops and nested/multiple levels of governance and/or human action (if at all)? d. How is change and stagnation explained? e. Is there an explanation for both major and minor change?
- Testable Hypotheses: a. What are the hypotheses/propositions in the framework/theory (if any)? b. Is the underlying logic of the hypotheses explained?
- Revisions and Empirical Support: a. What revisions and adaptions have been made over time for the framework/theory (if any?) b. How much empirical support has there been for the theory and framework? c. How strong is the empirical support (when, how often, and where)?
- Strategies for Influencing Change: a. What practical strategies can be learned from the logic of the theory/framework for influencing the phenomena of the framework/theory? b. What strategies can be learned from the empirical application?