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Category Archives: Public Policy & Administration

Urban West Revisited — Book Signing

Urban West Revisited: Governing Cities in Uncertain Times is a revision of an acclaimed 1990s study, updated and colorfully illustrated with more than 200 photos and graphics. The softbound volume sells for $29.95 at sspa.boisestate.edu/publications/.

The book also will be available for purchase at the Center on Main, 1020 W. Main St. in Boise, from 5:30-8 p.m. on First Thursday, April 5. The event, titled “A Celebration of Cities,” will feature a book signing by authors Stephanie Witt, professor of public policy and administration, and James Weatherby, emeritus associate professor of public policy, as well as free trolley tours of the Mercantile District led by historian Jacey Brain. Tours depart from the center at 6:30 p.m., 7 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.

Participants will receive a book, a tour and a colorful tour brochure in exchange for a $25 donation to the College of Social Sciences and Public Affairs.

Public Policy & Administration Brown Bag Colloquium

The next PPA brownbag colloquium will be at noon on Monday, April 2nd in the 1st floor conference room of the ERB (Room #1127).

Greg Hill, chair of the Department of Public Policy and Administration, will be presenting on his research on immigration.

Please bring your lunch and join us and learn about this timely topic.

A Tale of Two Counties: How Clark County, Idaho and Clark County, Nevada Tell the Story of Counties in the Intermountain West

SSPA’s Speaker Series

Dr. Stephanie Witt, Department of Public Policy & Administration

Wednesday, April 18
12:40 to 1:30 p.m.
ILC 315

View the Event Flyer

Six hundred and eighty four miles of Interstate 15 separate Clark County, Idaho from Clark County, Nevada, but it some respects it might as well be a million miles.

These two Clark counties represent the extremes of counties in the Intermountain West.

Whether facing rapid growth or a long, slow slide in population, both must address their future using an antiquated form of government held over from British tradition.

This study examines how well suited the counties in the Intermountain region are to dealing with issues such as fiscal stress, vast tracts of public lands and energy siting.

 

Elite Interviewing: Canada-US Borderlands

Dr. Les Alm, Department of Public Policy & Administration, will speak at the next SSPA’s Speaker Series on Wednesday, February 29, from 12:40 to 1:30 p.m. in ILC 315. 

View the event flyer.

The event is free and open to the public. 

This presentation discusses the process of interviewing from a study on the Canada-U.S. borderlands relationship along the two geographic corridors bounded by Lake Superior: Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario–Sault Ste. Marie,MichiganandThunder Bay,Ontario–Duluth,Minnesota.

Borderland communities—driven by their shared cultural characteristics (ethnicity, language, religion)—are said to challenge the border as a dividing device and undermine the very essence of international borders.

Moreover, borderlands regions are dynamic and overlapping, providing the first point of contact and interaction between nations.

Our results depict inherent differences between these particular border regions, with each illustrating characteristics that both connect and divide.

Despite the passage of time and both countries’ determined efforts to make the passage safe and less demanding, the peoples in these border regions perceive a continuing frustration with crossing the border and connecting to the people on the other side of the border.

Connecting Science to Policy: The Issue of Climate Change

View the Event Flyer

The Department of Public Policy and Administration is presenting a discussion panel addressing the following questions:

  • Is climate change “real”?
  • What policy changes should be made from science findings?
  • Why do scientists and policy makers have a hard time communicating?
  • What impacts does climate change science have on designing cities?

Panelists include

Dr. Les Alm
Professor of Public Policy & Admin

Dr. Jen Pierce
Associate Professor of Geosciences

Dr. Venkataramana Sridhar
Assistant Professor

Monday, March 5, 2012
6:00 p.m.
SUB Bishop Barnwell Room

Do Undocumented Students Hinder Student Performance?

Dr. Gregory Hill, assistant professor and Chair of Public Policy & Administration, recently co-published “Managing Undocumented Students: Do Undocumented Students Hinder Student Performance?” with Daniel P. Hawes. 

Illegal immigration is a salient topic for policy makers and for local units of government who are responsible for implementing policies. One particularly relevant policy topic is to what extent undocumented students affect performance in public schools, and if undocumented students do have an impact on performance, what can be done about it? Using Texas as a case study, this analysis finds that, surprisingly, undocumented students have only a marginal effect on the overall performance on standardized exams. Among Latinos, however, there is a statistically negative effect. Furthermore, evidence suggests that managerial skills can mitigate those negative effects.

Read the Paper

 

Planning Discussion by Dr. Jaap Vos

Dr. Jaap Vos will be presenting on Florida Planning 2.0: Reframing, Research, Planning and Education. 

Dr. Jaap Vos, Associate Professor and Director of the School of Urban & Regional Planning, joined the Florida Atlantic University Faculty in 1995. He holds a Ph.D. in Regional Planning from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a Master’s degree in Environmental Science from Wageningen University in the Netherlands. Dr. Vos’ main interests include environmental planning, environmental justice, and sustainable development. He has published articles about community participation, environmental justice and equity in planning. Currently, he is focusing his research on the relationship between Everglades restoration and urban development in southeast Florida.

Monday, 12/5/11

2:00 – 3:30 in SUB Jordan Ballroom A

 

 

The Role of Science in Public Policymaking

Patrick Shea, former director of the Bureau of Land Management and an associate professor of biology at the University of Utah, will introduce the topic and its implications. He will be joined in the discussion by a panel of Boise State faculty members, including Les Alm, public policy and administration; John Freemuth, political science; George Stetson, public policy and administration; and David Wilkins, geosciences. Free. For more information, call 426-4636.

Student Union Bishop Barnwell Room.

November 3 @ 7 p.m.

View the Flyer

Brown Bag Series: Exploring Public Participation Through Games, Surveys, & Focus Groups

View the Flyer

Four SSPA faculty recently used a unique way to understand how, when, where, and why public officials and citizens collaborate with each other.

Research participants were paid for their participation and teased with the promise of additional monies based on their decisions during the session.

John Ziker (Anthropology), Brian Wampler (Political Science), John McClellan (Communication), and Susan Mason (Public Administration) will discuss their process and findings during the next Brown Bag Series.

The event is free and open to the public.

October 19 @ 3:00 p.m. in ILC 213

 

IBR Essay Contest Winners Announced

The Idaho Business Review has announced the finalists for the “What can you do?” essay contest that Public Policy and Administration conducted for the Philanthropy issue of the Idaho Business Review. IBR will publish the first place essay in their November issue and anticipate posting the 2nd and 3rd place essays online.

Students addressed this question:

What is your idea to improve your community and how should nonprofit, for-profit and/or government entities collaborate to achieve it?

1st Place

Jillana Finnegan, MPA Student
Service Learning as the Solution

2nd Place

Courtney Kirchner, MPA student
Community Resource Database and Needs Assessment

3rd Place

Karen Wargo, MPA student
Community Gardens

Congratulations!

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