Last Fall, the American Society for Public Administration (ASPA) released a call for papers to present at the 2020 Annual Conference. The ASPA National Conference gathers scholars, practitioners, and students to share and discuss diverse ideas and themes across the field of public administration. Two of our MPA students, Devon Turner and Haley Schanne, applied and were accepted to present at this years annual conference that will be held April 3-7th in Anaheim, C.A. Check out their research below.
Devon Turner
My individual paper titled, “Engaging Minorities in the Policy Process: How the LGBTQ+ community is paving the way for inclusive policy in America,” analyzes the historical perspectives of the LGBTQ+ rights movement through the lens of policy participation and how minority communities build coalitions that advance social equity and acceptance.
In order to build these coalitions, structural powers must educate the public on issues such as policy, the effects of action or inaction, and the long-term mission of the movement in question. The research will look at multiple intersections of how this can be accomplished.I will research how nonprofit organizations activate their supporters, members, and donors to take action toward a certain policy or proposal, such as the calls-to-action that are seen when a bill is introduced that could benefit or harm a minority group. I will also analyze the partnerships made between nonprofit organizations and public sector organizations to capitalize off of each others’ strengths. Next, I will analyze ways in which public organizations act alone to set forth policies that enable minority communities to feel represented such as local ordinances addressing hate crimes, discrimination, and other areas that affect equality. By connecting the LGBTQ+ equality movement to the efforts that nonprofit organizations and public agencies are contributing to the process, I will hypothesize that stronger connections within communities can promote better policy participation for minorities.
Haley Schanne
At the 2020 ASPA conference, I will be presenting my paper titled “Measuring the Impact of Nonprofits in Nonprofit/Government Collaborations on Environmental Management Outcomes”.With the advent of global climate change, challenges facing coastal communities and how their resources are managed will increase in both scope and complexity. In the field of environmental policy, nonprofit organizations are able to more quickly respond to and communicate environmental and human health concerns of communities and advocate on their behalf to governments and the private sector. This has led to increased collaboration between government agencies and the nonprofit sector to in addressing many environmental concerns, from point source pollution to watershed management. My research analyzes of the role of the nonprofit sector in the collaborations for better environmental management of these harbors, and quantifies the impact of the sector on established environmental management policy decisions and outcomes.
We look forward to Devon and Haley’s representation at the conference. If you are interested in attending the 2020 Annual Conference, please check out the conference website at https://www.aspanet.org/ASPA/Events/Annual-Conference/Annual-Conference.aspx