This thesis examines the effectiveness of Georgia's "Public Officers Recall Act" as a tool for Georgians seeking to remove elected officials from office. The methodology employed in this study is the case study approach. The results of this study indicate that Georgia's recall law is effective. The results are significant because they indicate that voters in Georgia have an effective means to challenge and oust elected officials who are no longer satisfactory to them.

A selected group of school superintendents and school board members who had served during the transition from appointed to elected school boards in Virginia from 1992 – 2006 were interviewed to determine their perceptions of the positive and negative effects of the change. Superintendents indicated the transition from appointed to elected school boards had a somewhat negative effect, while school board members said there was no effect. The law providing for the direct election of school board members in Virginia was approved April 1, 1992, and was §22.1-57.1 through §22.1-57.5 of the Code of Virginia (Elected School Boards Act, 1992). Prior to this time no provisions for the election of school boards in the state were set, and school boards were appointed, either by the local governing body (Underwood, 1992) or by a school board selection commission (Code of Virginia, 2009, §22.1-36). The change in governance from appointed to elected school boards is an important phenomenon in Virginia , and the knowledge gained from the study could provide ways to lessen the stress which often exists in superintendent-school board relationships. / Ed. D.

This study examined the factors that influence a local government’s decision to engage in regional collaborations. Analysis of 7 local government managers and eleven elected officials revealed that the decision to engage in regional collaboration was influenced by external factors, organizational factors, and internal motivations. Elected officials and local government managers identified a disaster occurrence, fiscal stress, outside agencies, jurisdictional benefit, and communication as key factors. Further, this research highlights the importance of the role of the elected official in intergovernmental arrangements, the role of the local government manager as the policy entrepreneur, and the influence of shared norms and values.

For many regions and local governments, budgetary restraints limit funds appropriated for emergency management activities to inadequate levels, and little guidance exists related to decision factors used by elected officials in identifying budget and ordinance priorities. Using Kwon, Choi, and Bae's conceptualization of punctuated equilibrium theory, the purpose of this case study was to examine how decision factors influenced Hampton Roads, Virginia, elected official disaster recovery policy between 2003 and 2012. Data were collected through review of 1,310 city documents and 10 semistructured interviews with elected officials. Data were inductively coded and analyzed using a thematic analysis procedure. Data analysis resulted in the identification of 3 decision factor themes that guided post disaster recovery in Hampton Roads: (a) establishing a sense of normalcy in terms of budget appropriations and ordinances for security, safety and quality of services short-term recovery policy, (b) budgetary resiliency to encourage the restoration of infrastructure related to long-term recovery policy, and (c) the development of self-sufficient processes that lead to an anticipatory mindset with issuance of mitigation ordinances and capital improvement appropriations policy. The findings confirmed punctuated equilibrium theory, as man-made disasters triggered short-term recovery policy decisions. Results of the study may affect positive social change by providing local elected representatives with a 'tool kit' of decision factors to consistently address post disaster recovery policy for public safety, security, and stability via the governance mechanisms of strategic planning, appropriation decisions, and assessment.

This thesis examines the role of local government elected members to progress urban sustainability, and the views of Māori leaders’ on governance and sustainability. It is set within a wider context of local government reform and changing expectations of governance and captures a point in time in the evolution of Pākehā and Māori governance structures in Aotearoa New Zealand. The thesis contributes to the paucity of scholarship in these fields. Local government has evolved from the early provincial legislatures, to acknowledge Te Tiriti o Waitangi and recognise the importance of sustainable development. The Local Government Act 2002 fundamentally changed the role and purpose of New Zealand local government. At the heart of both Te Tiriti o Waitangi and the LGA was the aspiration for community and Māori participation in local governance and progress towards sustainable development. The ‘three-house concept’ described in the Raukawa Trustees partnership-two cultures development model (Winiata 2005) and the Community Sector Taskforce (2006) model is reflected in the structure of this thesis. It provides for a Pākehā House, a Tikanga Māori House and a Treaty House – a conceptual space where Māori and Pākehā values and practices can come together in mutual respect. The Pākehā House of the thesis establishes a broader role for New Zealand elected members to promote urban sustainability by focusing on cross-sector collaboration and multi-level governance. While multi-level governing was found to be widespread across urban territorial authorities, an elected member focus on collaboration was notably absent. Aotearoa New Zealand’s urban local authorities had begun mainstreaming sustainable development practices. Environmental management and restoration activity was widespread. Initiatives progressing social and cultural well-being were gaining prominence. The Tikanga Māori House recognises that the LGA 2002 had failed to bring about transformation of Māori participation in local government. Where the Māori voice struggled to be heard, the Act’s discretionary provisions had tended to preserve the status quo. Two paths to the future are offered: firstly, constitutional change - a new system of local government that recognises the validity of tino rangatiratanga as an equal authority, which could be modeled on the working examples of Treaty-based governance presented in this thesis. Secondly, improvements to the current system of local government are recommended. They are: - Hui and whanaungatanga, as a path to consensus decision-making. - Iwi authorities be recognised as local authorities, to provide opportunities for urban Māori to participate in local government. - The status of iwi management plans be lifted, and they be mandatory in the way that a district plan is mandatory. - The mana whenua relationship be strengthened to increase the capacity of mana whenua to consult with tauiwi in their rohe, and exercise kaitiakitanga and manaakitanga. These improvements need to be based on an effective parallel model of Māori representation, or Māori wards and seats. The Treaty House presents a case for strengthening a partnerships approach to governance. The effective inclusion of both Pākehā and Māori communities alike is identified as a prerequisite for further progress towards urban sustainability in Aotearoa New Zealand.

This thesis examines the role of local government elected members to progress urban sustainability, and the views of Māori leaders’ on governance and sustainability. It is set within a wider context of local government reform and changing expectations of governance and captures a point in time in the evolution of Pākehā and Māori governance structures in Aotearoa New Zealand. The thesis contributes to the paucity of scholarship in these fields. Local government has evolved from the early provincial legislatures, to acknowledge Te Tiriti o Waitangi and recognise the importance of sustainable development. The Local Government Act 2002 fundamentally changed the role and purpose of New Zealand local government. At the heart of both Te Tiriti o Waitangi and the LGA was the aspiration for community and Māori participation in local governance and progress towards sustainable development. The ‘three-house concept’ described in the Raukawa Trustees partnership-two cultures development model (Winiata 2005) and the Community Sector Taskforce (2006) model is reflected in the structure of this thesis. It provides for a Pākehā House, a Tikanga Māori House and a Treaty House – a conceptual space where Māori and Pākehā values and practices can come together in mutual respect. The Pākehā House of the thesis establishes a broader role for New Zealand elected members to promote urban sustainability by focusing on cross-sector collaboration and multi-level governance. While multi-level governing was found to be widespread across urban territorial authorities, an elected member focus on collaboration was notably absent. Aotearoa New Zealand’s urban local authorities had begun mainstreaming sustainable development practices. Environmental management and restoration activity was widespread. Initiatives progressing social and cultural well-being were gaining prominence. The Tikanga Māori House recognises that the LGA 2002 had failed to bring about transformation of Māori participation in local government. Where the Māori voice struggled to be heard, the Act’s discretionary provisions had tended to preserve the status quo. Two paths to the future are offered: firstly, constitutional change - a new system of local government that recognises the validity of tino rangatiratanga as an equal authority, which could be modeled on the working examples of Treaty-based governance presented in this thesis. Secondly, improvements to the current system of local government are recommended. They are: - Hui and whanaungatanga, as a path to consensus decision-making. - Iwi authorities be recognised as local authorities, to provide opportunities for urban Māori to participate in local government. - The status of iwi management plans be lifted, and they be mandatory in the way that a district plan is mandatory. - The mana whenua relationship be strengthened to increase the capacity of mana whenua to consult with tauiwi in their rohe, and exercise kaitiakitanga and manaakitanga. These improvements need to be based on an effective parallel model of Māori representation, or Māori wards and seats. The Treaty House presents a case for strengthening a partnerships approach to governance. The effective inclusion of both Pākehā and Māori communities alike is identified as a prerequisite for further progress towards urban sustainability in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Educational Leadership / W. Franklin Spikes / This study sought to understand reasons for participation and non-participation in national incident management system (NIMS) and incident command system (ICS) training by elected officials in the state of Kansas as well as motivations and perceived barriers to participation in this training. County commissioners and mayors from first class and second class cities in the state were the population for this study (n = 202). One instrument comprised of three parts was utilized; a slightly modified version of the Deterrents to Participation Scale (DPS-G) developed by Darkenwald and Valentine in 1984, a slightly modified version of the Education Participation Scale (EPS-A) used by Morstain and Smart (1974) and based on the original work of Boshier (1971), and the third part of the instrument which gathered demographic information. Findings for the study noted that while there was a self-reported percentage of over 51% completion of NIMS training, the target population may be unaware of the Homeland Security and Kansas Emergency Management parameter for participation and are not in compliance with the emergency management institute (EMI) testing and reporting standards. The question of motivations to participation noted that although the EPS-A showed strong reliability to the target population, upon closer scrutiny the questions did not align for this population as they had for previously surveyed populations. A new version of the EPS for elected officials has been suggested for subsequent studies. The DPS-G was found to be a valid and reliable instrument for the target population. Additional demographic variables of age, rural/urban and time in position were explored. None of these variables were found to be significant to the participation decision. The possibility of a prediction model for participation was explored through a stepwise logistic regression. The model should be explored further utilizing several factors from the DPS – G (personal problems, lack of personal priority, and lack of confidence) as possible significant barriers. The qualitative responses on the survey noted the high percentage of respondents that had a lack of knowledge or understanding of the requirements or had questions on availability of the training. Implications and recommendations for the target populations and to the field of study are discussed.

Cette thèse a pour objet l'étude des collectivités territoriales françaises. Entre empilement des structures et enchevêtrement des compétences, le paysage local est très souvent critiqué. L'objectif est de s'interroger sur l'avenir de ces structures dans un contexte de bouleversement territorial. Deux collectivités sont particulièrement concernées par cette recherche : les départements et les régions. Le constat d'une dualité politique est avéré et les tentatives de rapprochements sont légion. Pour autant de nombreuses difficultés ne permettent pas de créer de véritables articulations entre ces deux entités. Face à ces éléments, il apparaît nécessaire de dresser un constat général de l'organisation territoriale actuelle dans un paysage local français complexe. Chacune des collectivités territoriales s'est insérée différemment au sein des territoires et les contours de chacune d'entre elles seront étudiés sous l'angle principal de leur statut juridique. Cependant, l'aspect politique des différentes collectivités territoriales permettra de donner une vision différente de ces structures. Avec l'influence des élus locaux, les collectivités territoriales se situent au coeur de l'action publique. Depuis plus de trente ans, par les différentes dispositions législatives intervenues en la matière, le paysage local n'a cessé de se transformer au point qu'il apparaît actuellement comme bouleversé. L'étude propose plusieurs pistes de réflexions en vue de faire évoluer les collectivités territoriales et de les doter d'outils juridiques leur permettant d'être mieux représentés au sein des territoires. / This thesis is about the research of French territorial communities. In between piled up stuctures and confused abilities, local landscape is often criticized. The main aim is to examine and question the future of these structures in a context of territorial diruption. Two communities are especially concerned : territorial and administrative divisions and territories. The report of a political duality is true and the attempts to come together are numerous. So far, multiple difficulties do not allow to create true articulations in between those two entities. Facing those elements, It's necessary to elaborate a general established fact in a complex French local territory. Each one of those French territorial communities are at the center of the public action thanks to the local elected représentatives. Within the different legislative arrangements which happened, the local landscape has been changing for more than thirty years and now seems to be upside down. Several tracks of thoughts are offered in order to change in a better way the territorial communities and to give to them legal Tools allowing them to be better represented among territories.

Several significant breaches of ethics in the past few years have created renewed interest in the study of moral judgment. The examples used in this study include sub-prime lending, the Madoff investment scandal, and the torture of suspects in U.S. custody. The Cognitive Moral Development (CMD) theory was developed by Lawrence Kohlberg in 1969. Effectively, Kohlberg determined there were clearly defined stages of moral development in children--how they develop a sense of right, wrong, and justice. He expanded his research to adults and determined that human beings progressed through each of the six stages without skipping a stage and without reverting to a previous stage. James Rest later developed a survey instrument, the Defining Issues Test (DIT), designed to assess the stages of development, or moral maturity, of an individual without the lengthy interview process employed by Kohlberg in his research. Over 1,000 studies have since used the DIT. The DIT will be used in combination with a demographic survey to test the variables of educational level, age, gender, and ethical training against moral maturity. Research has provided mixed results for these variables when applied to the public sector. This study will compare the moral maturity of elected officials with that of appointed city managers who serve at the will of these elected officials. This paper will provide a discussion of the ethical concerns facing elected officials and appointed city managers as well as the potential hazards to good decision-making presented by differences in moral maturity, if they exist. The relationship of moral maturity and the other variables will also be discussed. Recommendations for public administrators and future research will be presented.

Private law consequences of violation of the duty to act with the diligence of a professional manager of a member of an elected body of a capital company This thesis deals with the private law consequences of violation of the duty to act with the diligence of a professional manager of a member of an elected body of a capital company. Considering the big extent of all the existing private law consequences, I have chosen to focus on only two selected ones, which are the statutory guarantee of a member of an elected body in the extent of not compensated damage that this member has caused to a company and the duty to reimburse any unfair advantage gained in connection with violation of the duty to act with the diligence of a professional manager. The thesis is divided into three main parts. First part deals briefly with defining the duty to act with the diligence of a professional manager. There are examined the two main parts of this duty, which are the duty of loyalty and the duty of care. The second part of the thesis focuses on the first selected private law consequence which is the statutory guarantee of a member of an elected body, regulated in the civil code. There are analysed the main conditions for the creation of the statutory guarantee and the relation between them. Attention is also given...