Public Administration and Urban Studies¹
at the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies

The Department of Public Administration and Urban Studies is ideally positioned for collaborative and interdisciplinary enrichment though its affiliation with the Andrew Young School's other research components. The department offers Bachelor of Science programs in Urban Policy Studies and in Human Resource Development and Policy. Its faculty, staff, and graduate students are actively engaged in research and public service projects that inform public policy and enhance the quality and effectiveness of policy implementation and evaluation in the United States as well as internationally. Academic programs are listed in the Academic Assistance section. PAUS faculty are very active in the Centers and Programs of the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies. In addition to work found in those sections, and to publications listed in "Papers, Books and Chapters: Published or Forthcoming," various other projects are listed below. Lloyd Nigro is the Chair of Public Administration and Urban Studies.

A recently established nonprofit program was created "to foster academic scholarship in the nonprofit sector, and serve as a conduit between scholars and practitioners in creating and disseminating knowledge." Atlanta has one of the fastest-growing nonprofit sectors in the United States, providing an ideal location in which to study this sector's growing influence and challenges. The impact of technology changes, shifting demographics, global influences and the sector's increasing linkages to the private and government sectors are presented in a program that combines rigorous academic study, critical research and influential community partnerships. Both the M.P.A. and M.S.UPS degree programs offer specializations in nonprofit management and policy. The department is committed to serving as a leading edge center for research and professional education in the nonprofit field.

An M.P.A. Advisory Board was also created during 2001. It held its first meeting with 17 members who hold chief executive and other administrative positions with local, state and federal agencies and departments, as well as non-profits.

Projects

Creating a Market for Safe Construction: Comparing Private Instruments of Public Policy. William L. Waugh, Jr. Pricewaterhouse Coopers Endowment for The Business of Government. ($15,000)

Philanthropy and Social Capital Patterns in Metro Atlanta, David Van Slyke and Janet Johnson. A study commissioned by the Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta. December 2001- March 2002.

Bridging the Gap between the Technology Community and the Nonprofit Sector. David Van Slyke. A study commissioned by the TechBridge Organization. Spring 2001.

Good Schools, Good Students? Measuring School Performance With Diverse Students. Ross Rubenstein (with Leanna Stiefel, Amy Ellen Schwartz, and Jeff Zabel). U.S. Department of Education, Office of Educational Research and Improvement, Field Initiated Studies Grant Competition. ($650,000, 3 years)

Ride Quality Thresholds from the Motorist's Perspective. Theodore Poister. Funded by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, subcontracted through the Pennsylvania State University. ($136,389)

Training and Development. Bill Kahnweiler. Georgia Quick Start, a unit of the State of Georgia Department of Technical and Adult Education. ($45,000)

Identifying Georgia Citizens' Consumer Education Needs. Katherine Willoughby. Georgia Governor's Office of Consumer Affairs. This project involves generation of a survey of questions to be included in the Georgia State Poll, and development of a methodology for identifying the consumer protection needs of Georgia's rapidly growing Hispanic population. ($146,000)

Development of an Evaluation Approach for the Federal PATH Program. Julia Melkers. Consultant to the National Research Council Committee to Review and Assess the Partnership for Advancing Technology in Housing. May 2001-April 2002.

Enhancing Transportation Education. Atef Ghobrial. Sponsored by the Southeastern Transportation Center. ($26,500)

Municipal Governments as E-Governments: Can They Conduct Business in an Online World? Katherine Willoughby. GSU Research Inititation Grant, awarded May 5th, 2001. ($3,000)

Under Review

Developing Improved Performance Indicators in State Science and Technology Programs. Julia Melkers. National Science Foundation, under review.

Development of a Multimedia Intermodal Transportation Safety and Security Course. Atef Ghobrial. Southeastern Transportation Center, under review.

Reports

Innovations in Strategic Leadership and Performance Measurement for State DOTs: An Initial Scan. David M. Van Slyke and Theodore Poister. Prepared for National Cooperative Highway Research Program, Transportation Research Board, National Research Council. NCHRP Project 20-24 (14), May 2001.

Identifying Consumer Education Needs in Georgia. Gregory Streib and Katherine Willoughby. Report prepared for the Office of Consumer Affairs, Office of the Governor, State of Georgia. September 20, 2001.

Seminar Series

The Department inaugurated it's seminar series in September.

Nonprofit Studies Program

In response to the growing interest in the nonprofit management curriculum among Andrew Young School students, and the increasing exchange of interests and ideas between the School's faculty and nonprofit leaders, the Nonprofit Studies Program (NSP) was launched in 2001 to bridge theory and practice in the nonprofit sector. The Program's stated mission is "to foster academic scholarship in the nonprofit sector, and serve as a conduit between scholars and practitioners in creating and disseminating knowledge." Its research program contributes to knowledge about the sector, sharpens public policy debates about the sector's future, and promotes the dissemination of "best practices" within the sector. Particular research areas include: philanthropy, the formation of social capital, human resource management and volunteerism, financial management and fundraising, strategic management, public-private partnerships, performance measurement, and program evaluation. Academic-community partnerships are a key focus of the Nonprofit Studies Program, and its faculty and associates participate in and convene important community forums for nonprofit organizations and their leaders in the region.

Projects

Individual Philanthropy Patterns in Metropolitan Atlanta. This project examined the individual charitable giving patterns of 2600 residents of the 22-county Metropolitan Atlanta region. It answered questions about who gives to charitable causes, how much is given, to which causes are contributions of time and money made, and the factors that motivate individuals to give and volunteer. The Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta funded the project. Several meetings were held with community leaders to discuss and disseminate the policy implications resulting from the study. The final report was published in January 2001.

What Is Social Capital and Why Does It Matter? This project was designed to examine the level of citizen involvement in civic and political affairs, engagement with faith-based organizations, diversity of friendships, and levels of general trust and interracial trust. The results, derived from a local survey of Metropolitan Atlanta residents, were compared with surveys completed in similar communities around the United States and with national averages. The Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta funded the project. The final report was published in March 2001.

2001 Nonprofit Executive Leadership Roundtable. In May of 2001 the Nonprofit Studies Program convened a nonprofit executive forum at the Commerce Club in downtown Atlanta. In advance of the roundtable, NSP researchers conducted individual interviews with top leaders in the nonprofit community to learn what they perceived to be the most critical challenges that face the sector. At the roundtable, three topics were highlighted for presentation and discussion: attracting and keeping top talent, merit pay and other incentive structures, and recruitment, retention, and attrition of Board members.

Coca-Cola Student Leadership Conference. The first annual student leadership conference, sponsored by Coca-Cola and Georgia State University, was held at Georgia State University for student leaders from Metropolitan Atlanta high schools. The focus of the day's events was on preparing students to be leaders in their communities. The activities included presentations by community leaders on a range of leadership topics and group projects designed to respond to community need and public policy problems.

Strategic Needs Analysis for Jewish Homes. This project, completed pro bono for the William Bremen Jewish Home, was an organizational assessment that focused on the strategic plan of the organization, the needs and expectations of the Home's internal and external stakeholders, and the Board's desire to revise the direction of the home and the goals that it pursues. A range of diverse stakeholders was interviewed in an effort to assess the Home's current situation and the goals it seeks to achieve. A synthesis of findings was presented to the Board of Directors in October 2001.

New Evidence about Women and their Philanthropic Activities: Findings from Metro Atlanta. This study, sponsored by the United Way Women's Philanthropic Initiative, examined the differences between women and men in their patterns and motivations for giving and volunteering. The project also focused extensively on the differences among women controlling for race/ethnicity, income, education, age, religiosity, and political affiliation. The results suggest differences in giving and volunteer patterns among women that have important implications for cultivating women donors. The final report was released March 2002.

Trends Over Time in Social Capital and Philanthropy. This study, sponsored by the Community Foundation of Greater Atlanta, was initiated in late 2001. It involves quarterly surveys of households in Metropolitan Atlanta for the period January 2002-January 2003. Building on two previous studies conducted by the Andrew Young School and published in 2001, one a study of individual philanthropy and the other a study of patterns of social capital, this study will analyze how Metro Atlanta's giving, volunteering, and social capital have been affected by the September 11th tragedies and the recent downturn in the economy. It will also provide a look at quarterly trends in philanthropy, a topic about which there is little known to date. Progress reports will be forthcoming from the study quarterly, with a final report planned for the spring of 2003.

2002 Nonprofit Executive Leadership Roundtable. The second annual nonprofit executive roundtable, planned for May 2002, will feature a keynote address by Dr. Burton Weisbrod, John Evans Professor of Economics and Fellow of the Institute for Policy Research at Northwestern University, and one of the nation's most well-known and respected nonprofit economists. He will discuss the classic distinctions among institutional forms (private, public, nonprofit) in the U.S., including their relative strengths and limitations in accomplishing various goals. He will then move on to talk of the increased blurring of institutional forms, and what this trend suggests about new partnership opportunities and arrangements for building community social capital. Following Dr. Weisbrod's address, a discussion involving all roundtable participants will take place about how to leverage greater resources and organizational efficiency and effectiveness through blended partnerships across the sectors.