<p> Since the inception of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), considerable emphasis has been placed on the use of prospective policy analysis tools that aim to inform environmental decisions, including cost-benefit analysis and risk assessment. However, compared to the prevalence of <i> ex ante</i> analysis at the EPA to inform decisions, relatively little evaluation of these same environmental policies is conducted after implementation, to inform future policy development or to modify existing policies. </p><p> This dissertation applied accountability, organizational learning, evaluation capacity, and institutionalism literature in consideration of processes and determinants that affect evaluation supply at the EPA. The dissertation relied on archival documents, semi-structured interviews, and three embedded case studies of EPA&rsquo;s ambient air, hazardous waste, and performance partnership programs. Ten key factors were identified across the three case studies in this research that affect EPA's production of program evaluation to inform decision-making, and a new emergent model of evaluation capacity was proposed for EPA given the agency's regulatory structure. This research concludes that evaluation has much to offer EPA decision-makers, and efforts to improve evaluation capacity will present organizational learning opportunities that can further support the agency's evidence-building practices, specifically improving the application and use of program evaluation at EPA.</p>

<p> The US Census Bureau reveals the number of families in poverty in the United States in 2014 was 9.5 million, at a rate of 11.6 percent. In the current economic climate, many more families are facing the possibility of eviction, foreclosure and homelessness. Low income families may be able to secure a residence through low-income housing organizations. Orange County Community Housing Corporation is an organization that offers a program in addition to long-term housing in areas such as financial literacy, education, and health. In this setting, tenants may begin to think about more future oriented prospects rather than daily/weekly survival issues. As families become more stable, their perceptions of success and how the program may help them will reveal how services can be tailored more effectively.</p><p> The purpose of this ethnographic study is to discover how participants within Orange County Community Housing Corporation define success. As tenants are involved in the program, program definitions may play a part not only in shaping tenants&rsquo; immediate goals (i.e., finding employment, returning to school), but also their overall perception of success. Tenants&rsquo; definitions of success may also contribute to how the program is shaped. This qualitative study will utilize participant-observation and semi-structured interviews with the overall aim to explore the intersection of tenant and program definitions of success and their convergence towards sustainable outcomes for tenants, which includes averting homelessness and working towards greater &ldquo;self-sufficiency.&rdquo;</p>

The specific focus of this degree paper is an analysis of operational auditing and its possible effects on the delivery of services by the City of Atlanta to its citizens. Strict attention is paid to the staffing, budgeting, and timeliness of the operational auditing operation, and its effects on municipally run operations. The recent interest in operational auditing has stemmed from the desire of municipalities to adequately determine if their operations are being run as efficiently and effectively as possible. The City of Atlanta, while not facing any immediate major economic or operational problems must fact the reality of delivering more services to its citizens with a slowly expanding revenue base. With this, as well as other factors stated in this paper, operational auditing becomes a management tool that should be seriously considered as a menas of dealing with the operational problems that the City is presently facing and will face in the future.

Education is considered the single most important factor in determining the economic and social well-being of a state. This statement aptly applies to the State of Georgia which ranks very low among other states in the nation in overall educational financing. Though education is a state responsibility in Georgia, there is a considerable measure of local control. Local financial contribution toward education in the state is met mainly through the property tax which differs markedly among the school districts/systems. This difference reflects in the amount of money available to the schools for educational purposes. An analytical study of randomly selected school districts in Georgia reveals that the wealthy districts spend more on education, levy less property tax, and can afford to support their schools on money derived from their tax base with or without state supplemental funding. The study further shows that disparities in wealth among school districts· create problems for equalizing educational opportunities and makes recommendations aimed at meliorating the situation.

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the Minority Business Enterprises program in the City of Atlanta, and to determine the extent to which this program can be modelled to adequately address the plight of minority businesses in other cities. Attempts have been made to analyze the economic performances of minority businesses at the national level, and, also, attempts have been made to ascertain the extent to which a local Minority Business Enterprise program, such as the one in the City of Atlanta can be targeted to industries whose products and services the city requires. In addition, the techniques which the City of Atlanta utilizes to attract minority businesses in its purchasing and contracting activities show an upward trend since the inception of this program. This case study is important because it demonstrates an attempt by a municipal government, to grapple with, to utilize the techniques for, and to devise solutions to problems besieging minority businesses in the free market economy. The descriptive analysis method was used in this research effort. The researcher employed direct observation, interviews, and trend analysis techniques to gather, to evaluate, and to analyze relevant data. The data utilized in this research were obtained from secondary sources, particularly a study by James H. Lowry, on MBEP in the City of Atlanta; United States Congressional Records; the U.S. Department of Commerce; City of Atlanta; a U.S. Supreme Court Case; a State of Georgia Supreme Court case and the local mass media.

No description available.

Mammalian one—cell embryos can be genetically altered, implanted into the female's uterus, and subsequently develop into biologically mature organisms in the usual manner. If the resultant adult organisms reproduce, the genetic change may be passed on to future generations. In humans, the procedure is known alternatively as "human genetic engineering" or "human germline gene therapy." Bioethicists distinguish between genetic engineering intended for the prevention or treatment of disease ("treatment germline gene therapy") and genetic engineering intended for non—medical enhancement of certain characteristics ("enhancement germline gene therapy"). Human genetic engineering has the potential to effectively replace deleterious genes such as the gene for cystic fibrosis or sickle cell disease — with a normal gene. Thus, not only is disease avoided in the next generation, but all future generations are spared the effects of the disease—causing gene as well. The current public policy consensus is that human genetic engineering, whether intended for treatment or enhancement, is ethically impermissible. The primary reason is that present genetic engineering technology carries an unacceptable level of risk for use in humans. There is, however, good reason to believe that genetic engineering will become acceptably safe for use in humans, thereby eliminating the major ethical barrier to the technology. In fact, several policy statements already have suggested that, once safe, treatment genetic engineering ought to be permitted while enhancement genetic engineering ought not to be permitted. Part of the concern surrounding genetic enhancement is that bad consequences — such as morally objectionable eugenics practices — might ensue. But another objection is that human genetic enhancement is intrinsically problematic. In other words, at least very radical genetic enhancements violate what it is that makes human beings intrinsically valuable. Drawing on a Wittgensteinian view of human beings, the present work proposes a conception of ethically significant humanness — "human beingness" — that is potentially threatened by certain kinds or degrees of human genetic enhancement. The impact of human beingness on the future direction of human gene therapy policy, and in other policy areas, is discussed.

American higher education exists today in an environment of accountability. The public is demanding full participation in addressing the considerable social, health and economic problems facing society. Despite explicit statements of commitment to public service and community outreach however, according to numerous studies conducted over the past twenty years, universities are not articulating this commitment in faculty roles and rewards. This study advances the discussion of roles and rewards at one particular model of institution — the urban university. The focus is on the behavior and attitudes of academic leaders at these unique institutions to determine the extent to which faculty public service activities are valued . The liberal arts/humanities/sciences schools at urban universities are the unit. of analysis based on the knowledge these faculty can contribute to the solution of social problems. A descriptive research design was developed to determine the prevalence of certain attitudes at a sample of urban universities. Cross-sectional and case study methods were used to survey 70 institutions. Based on the findings of the study, the conclusion is drawn that, overall, strategies, rewards and structures at the majority of liberal arts/humanities/sciences schools that were part of this study are not in alignment with the public service mission. Authors of organizational theory claim that congruence — alignment of goals and rewards — is necessary for success. Interviews with deans of schools that were determined to be "successful" in aligning rewards yielded common philosophies regarding articulating the service mission. For example: • Boyer's broadest view of scholarship has been incorporated into efforts to redefine faculty roles and rewards. • "The partnership is the new concept that replaces volunteer work with creative, mutually-rewarded research and teaching in the community setting."

A comprehensive homeless policy includes emergency housing, transitional housing, permanent housing, and prevention components. Researchers have determined that all four categories of homeless assistance are essential to address the needs of the diverse groups that comprise the homeless population. This dissertation focuses on the prevention component which is designed to assist those in marginal economic circumstances who experience an unavoidable housing crisis. Several states have state-sponsored and state-funded homeless prevention programs. The Commonwealth of Virginia authorized funding for the Homeless Intervention Program (HIP) in FY 1989-90. A Short-Term Study of the first group of participants conducted by Johnson, Brooks, Hambrick, and Richardson (1991) provided evidence that the 1989-90 participants remained in stable housing for six months after leaving the program. The Longer-Term Study discussed in this dissertation was conducted four years after the participants received HIP assistance and involved enrollees from two of the eight original program sites. The data were gathered through the use of mail and telephone surveys and focused interviews. The results indicate that HIP contributed to the housing stability of the majority of the longer-term study participants who have, in the four years since receiving HIP assistance, remained housing self-sufficient. This study recognizes the implications of the time dimension in program evaluation as put forth by Salamon (1976). Accordingly, in addition to ascertaining whether there was a diminishment in the staying power of HIP, other program results more closely associated with latent and sleeper effects were uncovered.

Recent studies conducted by oversight agencies show that improvements are needed in Federal personnel office (FPO) operations. The existing literature and research in the field of public personnel administration provides little guidance as to what types of changes or interventions will improve service quality. The purpose of this study is to identify organizational variables that influence FPO service quality. This study is based on the multiple-constituency model of organizational effectiveness and the body of literature pertaining to service quality research conducted in private sector service industries. The investigator developed a conceptual model of FPO service quality based on the findings from service quality research and from various Federal personnel studies. Using the conceptual model as a guide, the statement of the problem became: How do the organizational dimensions of FPO access, human resource management (HRM) program design, FPO staff qualifications, FPO staff attitudes, Federal manager status, and Federal manager support influence the quality of FPO service as perceived by Federal managers? Within these six dimensions, sixteen variables were identified for testing. The research design was based on determining the association of sixteen predictor variables to the criterion variable of perceived service quality, using analytical surveys randomly administered to 72 personnel specialists and 269 Federal managers in six Federal government organizations. Of the sixteen variables tested, six had a significant relationship to managers' perceptions of service quality. These were FPO proximity, HRM program responsiveness, FPO staff training, FPO service standards, and a managers' supervisory level and authority for HRM actions. The primary significance of the study is that it extends service quality theory to Federal personnel administration, it provides an additional dimension to the current multiple constituency models of personnel office effectiveness, and it provides guidance on how to improve FPO service quality.