Harold Lasswell (1936) defined politics as the exploration of "who gets what, when, and how." As such, one of the central concerns of democratic governance is the role that affected interests play not only in politics, but in the implementation of adopted policies as well. In this dissertation, I use both comparative method case studies, as well as pooled-time series statistical techniques, to examine the effects of political, economic and market forces, and competition between the affected interests on implementation of the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977. The findings of this, as well as previous, research shows that state-level implementing agencies have some discretion in enforcement activities; however, closer examination shows that this discretion is rarely used. This lack of use of regulatory discretion by the state-level implementing agencies suggests that in most states, there is either sufficient competition between the affected interests to neutralize the excessive use of discretion in enforcement activity, or that there is insufficient pressure placed on the implementing agencies by the affected interests to warrant the use of discretion.

Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Economics / Lance Bachmeier / In the first chapter I study the effects of oil price shocks on economic activity at the U.S. state-level, an innovative feature of this dissertation. States which rely more heavily on manufacturing or tourism are more adversely affected by adverse oil price shocks, while states which are major energy producers either benefit or experience insignificant economic changes from historically large oil price increases. Additionally, oil price increases from 1986 to 2011 have not impacted state-level economies to the same degree as increases from 1976 to 1985. This discrepancy can be attributed to a fundamental change in the structure of the U.S. economy, for example, a declining manufacturing sector or an increase in the efficiency with which energy is used in the production process. In the second chapter I explore the effects of alternative measures of energy price shocks on economic activity and examine the relative performance of these alternative measures in forecasting macroeconomic activity. The alternative energy prices I consider are: gasoline, diesel, natural gas, heating oil and electricity. I find that alternative measures of energy price shocks produce different patterns of impulse responses than oil price shocks. The overwhelming evidence indicates that alternative energy price models, excluding a model containing gasoline prices, outperforms the baseline model containing oil prices for many states, particularly at short-to-mid forecast horizons. In the third chapter, which is coauthored with Lance Bachmeier, we determine whether accounting for oil price endogeneity is important when predicting state-level economic activity. We find that accounting for endogeneity matters for in-sample fit for most states. Specifically, in-sample fit would be improved by using a larger model which contains both regular oil price and endogenous oil price movements. However, we conclude that accounting for endogeneity is not important for out-of-sample forecast accuracy, and a simple model containing only the change in the price of oil produces equally accurate forecasts. Accounting for endogeneity is particularly important in an environment in which rising oil prices were caused by a growing global economy, such as in the years 2004-2007.

Earnings inequality had been rising in the United States since the late 1970s. However, at the level of individual states earnings inequality has been rising, stable, and even falling in some states at different points in time. States vary in both the degree and character of change in earnings inequality, the extent to which they have experienced various inequality-increasing developments, and their institutional capacity to mediate these developments. I argue in this dissertation that this variation offers a rich opportunity for comparative analysis and an excellent lens for exploring the dynamics of the recent rise in earnings inequality.In this dissertation I utilize multiple methods and a state-level analysis to explore a number of research questions. What are the major factors driving rising state earnings inequality between 1980 and 2007? To what extent have states taken distinct causal paths to higher levels of inequality? How have states differed in terms of the types of wage growth that have result in rising, stable, or falling inequality? Throughout, special attention is paid to the manner in which state institutional arrangements, such as union strength and minimum wage rates, may mediate various inequality-increasing developments. Additionally, there is a focus on the contribution of industry flows, specifically losses of manufacturing employment and increasing employment in financial, technology and health-related occupations, to regional patterns of change in inequality.Overall, the intensity, timing, and number of factors that have converged upon any particular state vary substantially between regions and over time. A broad finding of this dissertation is that the net impact of many inequality-increasing factors is contingent upon a state's economic condition and institutional character. In particular, state institutional arrangements have powerfully mediated the impact of various inequality-increasing developments. Also, these analyses suggest that industry shifts have substantially impacted state earnings distributions and are critical to understanding regional patterns of change in earnings inequality. In closing, I suggest that much research on rising inequality at the national-level does not fully capture the substantial diversity of state experiences with rising inequality or the complexity of the interactions between the various factors producing those distinct experiences.

Community colleges generate only 2% of the total charitable funds raised by higher education institutions in the United States. In an era when America needs its community colleges to be active public sector partners in economic development and workforce training, state funding has been drastically cut, and other traditional funding sources are not making up for the much-needed funds. Forward thinking community college leaders must turn to their foundations as an important revenue source to offset the impact of budget cuts and sustain educational excellence and accessibility. But with limited resources for each institution to employ a professional fund raising staff, it is unclear if state system foundations can create programs to help bridge the gap for individual community colleges. The purpose of this study, guided by the organizational theory of examining an organization’s performance as part of an entire system and not individual factors, was to examine multi-year trends of public community colleges in the states of Virginia and Maryland that have participated in the Voluntary Support for Education (VSE) survey between the years of 2007-2012. The study was limited in scope, but could be the foundation for a broader framework of study to determine the fundraising significance and impact of state-level system community college foundations and the vice presidents of institutional advancement that lead them. The study consists of a review of available literature on institutional advancement in higher education and the quantitative study of data collected over a 5 year period through the VSE survey. Independent sample t-tests were used to determine if the mean difference on a particular group characteristic was statically significant for each dependent variable. The findings of the study did not affirm that having an experienced vice president of institutional advancement leading a state-level foundation leads to greater success in terms of private funds raised by community colleges of various sizes and resources within the system. However, this is the first known study to compare community college fund raising from a state-level approach, therefore the researcher concludes that increased emphasis on building a state-wide culture of philanthropy for community colleges is needed.

Recent work has shown that many state supported school counseling programs have not developed working statewide program evaluation schemas. This study examined two exemplary examples of state level program evaluation. Mixed-method case studies were created and then analyzed across cases to reveal common themes and best practices. The findings indicated that these cases were able to build statewide evaluation capacity within very different contexts.

<p>Placed within the context of the dynamic relationship that exists between state-level actors, supranational institutions, and individual citizens in Europe, this analysis endeavours to examine some of the main issues surrounding European integration theory, the institutionalisation of the European Union, and the so-called 'democratic deficit'. While recognising that much of the debate surrounding multilevel governance in Europe has traditionally focused upon the effects convergence has and will continue to have on predominantly state-level variables, it is my contention that centralised political institutions in European are bound to endure perpetual mismanagement and a lack of majority individual support should the integration process continue down the path of political integration and 'polity'-building without first resolving inherent legitimacy problems. Furthermore, without entrenching the necessary foundations of legitimate governance within the integration process, political allegiance to the European Union will never be able to achieve the same level of tacit support amongst individuals as primary allegiance to the nation-state. The analysis thus focuses on how European integration and 'supranationalism' has affected the relationship that exists between individual citizens and decision-makers at the 'European' level, vis-a-vis democracy, accountability, transparency and accessibility. An assumption is first made that legitimacy' in governance flows from the existence of strong democratic linkages between individual citizens and their decision-makers (vis-a-vis output, input and social legitimacy). Building heavily upon the work of Held, Schmitter and Dahl, the thesis compares the institutional structure of the EU to a model of 'legitimate' democratic governance. It also raised questions concerning the transferability, to the supranational level, of state-centred theories of democracy and representation, and challenges several approaches to understanding the place of 'identity' and Putnam's 'social capital' and 'trust' in polity-building. To accomplish this task, a normative and functional evaluation is conducted on the 'nature' of the European Union and its institutions (intergovernmentalism vs. supranationalism). Milward's definition of 'allegiance' is also particularly helpful in describing the multi-layered characteristic of individual identification towards different levels of national and supranational governance, especially in a European context. </p> <p>Following the theoretical portion of the analysis, a closer examination is made of the institutions of the European Union and their respective levels of transparency and accountability. As a case study, the Report of the Committee of Independent Experts to the European Parliament (March 1999) is used to show how ineffective some of the institutions, namely the European Commission, have been at resolving perceived accountability problems. The thesis suggests how core institutions may be reformed, as well as alternatives to the current structure of the Union's activities. The analysis then concludes by focusing on how legitimate structures of governance have been jeopardised in Europe, and how the integration process has, and continues to, place the advantages accrued through economic harmonisation and policy convergence ahead of the need for political stability and the entrenchment of strong, democratic institutions at the supranational level.</p> / Thesis / Master of Arts (MA)

The value of collaborative regional professional development partnerships as the mechanism for implementing a Comprehensive System of Personnel Development (CSPD), a mandate of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) 1997, in one state was investigated. The historical organizational case study examined this issue from the perspectives of those initially and currently involved with regional professional development partnership implementation. Participants included individuals representing three different perspectives (i.e., state education agency, institutions of higher education, and local education agency) A qualitative case study research design was used to gain in-depth information from varied sources about participants' views of Florida's system of personnel development prior to the implementation of regional professional development partnerships, as well as the perceived value of the regional professional development partnerships from those who were currently involved. Data sources included interviews and a review of relevant documents. Data analysis included the process of inductive analysis which allowed themes of the study to emerge from the data. Conclusions drawn from the study's findings included: (1) the critical importance of leadership, (2) the importance of relationships, (3) the developmental nature of partnerships, (4) readiness, roles, and responsibilities, (5) benefits and barriers, and (6) the importance of institutional memory and active involvement. / Ph. D.

abstract: I present a new framework for qualitative assessment of the current green purchasing practices of U.S. state governments. Increasing demand from citizens for green public purchasing has prompted state governments to adopt new, and improve existing, practices. Yet there has been little assessment of public green purchasing in academic research; what has been done has not provided the conceptual support necessary to assess green purchasing practices as a single component of the procurement process. My research aims to fill that gap by developing a conceptual framework with which to assess the status of green purchasing practices and by applying this framework to determine and describe the status of green purchasing in the five most populous U.S. states. The framework looks at state purchasing practices through the lenses of policy, policy implementation, and transparency. / Dissertation/Thesis / M.A. Sustainability 2012

The purpose of this study was to ascertain the components necessary to develop a State Level Management Plan for Vocational Education. As background for developing the plan, research was done to identify what State Directors of Vocational Education perceive to be the best composition of a Management Plan for Vocational Education. Information was obtained concerning which components of the Management Plan were made operational by the state directors. Also, this study determined the relationship between the components which are made operational and the perceived importance of each component. The two specific conclusions resulting from this study are as follows. 1. The perceived importance of the components identified by state directors that should be in a Management Plan is indicative of the components that are functional in the planning process. 2. Related literature and findings indicate that an effective Model State-Level Management Plan for Vocational Education can be developed based on the components perceived by the state directors. Based on the identified perceptions, a Model for a State-Level Management Plan for Vocational Education has been developed. Included in the appendix is an example of the model adapted for implementation in the Department of Occupational Education and Technology in the Texas Education Agency.

This study examines the economic indicator known as business climate in relation to the state level rates of child poverty. A theoretical framework is constructed which presents arguments that are opposed to and in favor of a robust business climate. Those in favor would contend that business climate is not associated with the variation in child poverty, whereas those opposed would claim that it has a negative association with the economic well-being of children. This research is cross-sectional (year 2000) and relies upon variables at the state level. Bivariate analysis indicates that there is a significant positive correlation between business climate and child poverty. However, when other factors are taken into account, such as family structure and geographic location, this relationship disappears. Therefore, the study concludes that there is not a negative association between promoting the business climate of a state and the economic wellbeing of children.