Browsing by Author "Harrington, James R."
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Item Beyond Tiebout: Towards a Theory of Philanthropic Engagement in Education in Local Communities(2021-05-01T05:00:00.000Z) Stocks, Dhriti Pandya; Harrington, James R.; Harris, Michelle; Kiel, L. Douglas; Maxwell, Sarah; Gorina, EvgeniaPhilanthropy has been a central component of the American experiment since its inception, and philanthropic concern with education continues to be a central and accelerating theme among national and local philanthropies. Scholarly study of philanthropy in the context of education finance and student achievement is often limited to larger national foundations that attract public scrutiny, leaving a gap in understanding influential local philanthropic entities. This dissertation builds knowledge about local philanthropy by asking how philanthropic contributions influence school district budgets and student achievement, and how philanthropists approach their efforts to support and reform education. Through empirical analyses utilizing new data from the National Center for Education Statistics, and through structured interviews with philanthropists and philanthropic organizations who invest in education on a local scale, this dissertation finds that philanthropic contributions are correlated with financial “extras” and with long-term student achievement. Its core insight is the role of the relationship in mediating community consensus around educational needs, investment strategies, and accountability mechanisms, building towards a theory of how philanthropy engages in K-12 education at a local level.Item Conscripts or Volunteers? Assessing the Impact of Organizational Behaviors and Attitudes on Korean Military Sector Performance(2021-08-01T05:00:00.000Z) Park, Yongjun; Sabharwal, Meghna; Valcarcel, Victor; Battaglio Jr., R. Paul; Harrington, James R.; McCaskill, John R.Military organizations across the world are faced with challenges in recruiting and retaining high-quality personnel because of increasing inter-sectoral competition, changes in social values, and low unemployment. Although intrinsic motivation, organizational commitment, job satisfaction, and job stress are essential for employee retention and performance, there has been little research into these factors within the military sector. The three separate studies that compose this dissertation were undertaken to investigate the impact of soldiers' behaviors and attitudes on individual's performance and to examine differences in the organizational attitudes and individual performances of conscripts versus volunteer soldiers. The first study examines the relationship between intrinsic motivation and individual performance and explores whether this relationship is mediated by job stress. The second paper explores differences in affective organizational commitment, job satisfaction, and individual performance between conscripts versus volunteer soldiers. This study also investigates the impact of job satisfaction on affective organizational commitment and individual performance in the military sector. The third study investigates whether there are differences in intrinsic motivation, organizational commitment, and job satisfaction between conscripts and volunteer soldiers. This study investigates the impact of intrinsic motivation on organizational commitment and job satisfaction in the military sector. The results of the three studies note three significant findings: (1) intrinsic motivation has a negative association with job stress, and the relationship between intrinsic motivation and military performance is mediated by job stress; (2) volunteer soldiers have higher job satisfaction and total fitness levels than conscripts, and job satisfaction has a statistically significant positive effect on affective organizational commitment and total fitness levels in military organizations; and (3) volunteer soldiers have higher intrinsic motivation, organizational commitment, and job satisfaction than conscripts. Intrinsic motivation has a statistically significant positive effect on military organizations' organizational commitment and job satisfaction. Implications, limitations, and suggestions for future research are also discussed in the study.Item Cooperation Catalysts? The Impact of Intergovernmental Incentive Structures on Digital Public Service Provision in German Municipalities(May 2023) Baumheier, Lukas 1997-; Cheruvu, Sivaram; Gray, Thomas; Harrington, James R.What is the impact of intergovernmental incentive structures on the degree of implementation of digital public services in German municipalities? I develop an original data set on municipal digitalization progress in the state of Baden-W¨urttemberg along with key indicators of relations with the state government, as well as local demand and capacity. Findings reveal initial evidence that discretionary transfers might have a small impact on local public sector digitalization, while joint state-municipal government partisan identity does not. Additionally, social, geographic, and economic factors appear to play an important role in determining the final level of digitalization. These findings both further the general understanding of the behavior of local decision makers in a multi-level government as well as provide practical insights for politicians aiming to advance digitalization initiatives on the municipal level. Future research should further investigate the concrete mechanisms behind intergovernmental incentive structures’ impact, gain deeper insights into causal mechanisms driving positive results, and assess the role of soft factors of administrative capacity.Item Digital Media Use by Nonprofit Organizations: Relationships, Causations, and Comparisons(2021-05-01T05:00:00.000Z) Noor, Zeeshan; Maxwell, Sarah; Searing, Elizabeth; Miller, Trey; Kiel, L. Douglas; Siddiqui , Shariq; Battaglio, Jr., R. Paul; Harrington, James R.This mixed-method dissertation investigates some of the least explored aspects of digital media use by nonprofit organizations with three empirical and content-analysis chapters. Applying the dialogic communication and resource dependency theories, Chapter 2 examines the social media activity of faith-based organizations affiliated with six major religious groups in the U.S. The findings indicate that the organizations’ size, age, and financial and human resources have minimal impact on online communication activity. However, public grants and volunteers were found to be significantly negatively correlated. In addition, mixed results for the relationship between organizational factors and the nature of and one-way and two-way communication in messaging were observed. Chapter 3, a survey-based study, offers an in-depth analysis of the influence of transformational leadership attitudes towards online fundraising. Significant relationships were found between transformational leaders’ intention of using social media and online fundraising for organizational purposes and allocating resources for these purposes. The fourth chapter compares the social media communication strategy of public and nonprofit organizations. This was done through advancing Lovejoy and Saxton’s (2012) “Hierarchy of Engagement” framework from a stakeholders theory’s perspective. An in-depth content analysis of 700 tweets by public housing authorities (PHAs) and nonprofits working solely for the housing cause indicated a similar trend of sharing “Information,” “Action,” and “Community” messages. However, the second layer of analysis through subcategorization revealed significant variance like messaging. In addition, both organizations' genre was found to be extensively using third-party social media engagement tools and tweeting from cellphone devices. These studies fill significant gaps in the literature and are also very timely and important as nonprofits are likely to become increasingly reliant on digital media to fulfill their mission and service delivery. In this respect, the response to complications arising from the COVID-19 pandemic has been a preview of developments to come.Item Navigating the Partner Landscape - Understanding the Impact of External Resources and Partners on Universities in the Modern Economy(2019-12) Watts, Jessica Shepard; 0000-0003-1825-4482 (Watts, JS); Harrington, James R.Earning an education is a life-altering experience on an individual and societal basis. Beyond individual impact, academic institutions contribute to a constructive community through expertise and energy in the form of talented students and faculty. Outside of the classroom, university research and development activities have been proven to increase metropolitan areas' local human capital stock and further benefit the local economy through knowledge spillover. As both the importance and cost of higher education simultaneously increase, it is important to understand financial viability and the impact external partners have at HEIs. Faced with the demand to provide more services with less public funding, HEIs are relying on increased funding from alternative sources. Corporations are a unique revenue source to HEIs since the future success of their business is dependent on the production of educated graduates and innovations. As companies become more strategic with their time, talent, and money spent at HEIs, it is crucial to understand the determinants of how and why they decide to partner with universities. This dissertation examines university-industry engagement through three studies. The first study expands on existing state funding research by analyzing budget revenue diversification of public universities in the state of Texas and the university response of development office budgets. Two additional studies explore the relationship between companies and HEIs, from both the industry and academic perspective. While scholars have examined corporate philanthropy, literature has not fully explored corporate engagement at HEIs. A holistic collaboration includes corporate philanthropy, knowledge transfer, research collaborations, and student recruitment, among other activities. A second study analyzes determinants of HEI engagement and partnership satisfaction through an industry lens. The third study analyzes engagement through an academic lens, exploring the impact of selected organizational factors on the success of university-industry partnerships. Understanding the perspectives of both sides of the university-industry partnership in one comprehensive study is distinctive. The results will be informative to both scholars and practitioners.Item Social Security Reforms in Chile: Effects on Poverty, Labor Supply, and Savings(August 2023) Faundez Madariaga, Sebastian Carlos; Li, Dong; Giertz, Seth; Harrington, James R.; Miranda-Pinto, Jorge; Siqueira, KevinThis dissertation examines the effects of Chile’s solidarity pensions on retirement behavior, poverty reduction in old age, and the consequences of early pension withdrawals during the COVID-19 pandemic. The first study analyzes the impact of expanded solidarity pensions on retirement decisions and poverty rates using a life cycle model for married males and data from the Chilean Social Protection Survey (EPS). The findings show that increased mini- mum pensions discourage labor force participation and lead to earlier retirements, while also reducing poverty among individuals over 65. The second study focuses on the consequences of early pension withdrawals during the pandemic. Using a life cycle model and taking ad- vantage of a supplementary section in the EPS on early withdrawals during the pandemic, the research assesses the effects of these withdrawals on pension wealth, saving rates, and replacement rates. The findings indicate that early withdrawals significantly reduce private pension savings at retirement, resulting in lower replacement rates. However, the inclusion of solidarity pensions helps mitigate the reduction in replacement rates, particularly bene- fiting those who made withdrawals in their 40s and individuals with middle incomes. This dissertation provides valuable insights for policymakers and individuals regarding pension reforms and retirement decisions.Item The Impact of Work-life Balance Policies on Perceived Organizational Performance in the U.S. Federal Agencies: Exploring the Moderating Effect of Leadership Support(2020-08-01T05:00:00.000Z) Al-Fayez, Diana; Cummings, Anthony R.; Goodman, Doug; Battaglio Jr., R. Paul; Harrington, James R.; Sabharwal, MeghnaThis study enhances our understanding of the implementation of work-life balance policies and its impact on perceived organizational performance in U.S. federal agencies. While interest in implementing work-life balance policies began in the 1960s and 1970s after the influx of females into the labor market, few studies have examined the impact of these policies on organizational performance in the public organizations context, particularly in the federal agencies. Drawing on the social exchange theory and using Federal Employees Viewpoints Survey (FEVS) from 2011- 2015, this study expected that work-life balance policies would have significant positive relationship with perceived organizational performance in the U.S. federal agencies, and that leadership support will have a significant positive moderating effect. The study also expected that the relationship between work-life policies and perceived organizational performance will be more positive in feminine organizations compared to masculine organizations. However, the findings do not support all these expectations. With the exception of employee’s assistance programs, work-life balance policies do not seem to have a significant positive impact on perceived organizational performance. In terms of moderation effect, the results indicate that leadership support only has a significant positive moderation effect on the relationship between perceived organizational performance and childcare programs, alternative work schedules, and wellness programs in all U.S. federal agencies. Leadership support also has a significant positive moderation impact on the relationship between perceived organizational performance with alternative programs, and wellness programs in feminine organizations. This study asserts the need to re-evaluate the implementation and the practices of work-life balance policies in the federal agencies. This study also encourages public administration scholars to conduct more systematic research on work-life balance policies to provide more concrete evidence on its importance in the public sector context, and to provide recommendations on how to improve the impact of such policies.Item Toward a Theory of Local Elections: Building a Theoretical Framework by Analyzing School Bond Elections(2017-05) Jackson, Laura K.; Goodman, Doug; Harrington, James R.; Battaglio, R. Paul; Maxwell, Sarah P.Despite the substantial impact of local government on individuals’ daily lives, very little research exists regarding a theory of local government elections. Building upon the work of Kaufmann (2004) and Oliver (2012), this study aims to help fill this void by examining three key concepts for any theory of local elections: retrospective voting, intergroup competition, and political context. These concepts are analyzed using local school bond election outcomes. Specifically, the dissertation examines school bond elections held in the State of Texas between 1994 and 2012. Using accountability ratings, the racial distance between voters and students in a school district, and the electoral structure of school boards in districts pursuing bond elections, the analysis shows that retrospective voting, intergroup competition, and political context are important concepts to include in a theory of local elections. Further, the study offers three additional insights. First, gatekeepers serve an important function in elections, like school bond elections, that require the actions of an elected body to be placed on the ballot. Second, in keeping with previous studies, it appears that voters in local elections are quite knowledgeable of the issues on which they are voting. Finally, the results of this study indicate that voters may be evolving in the way they approach local elections, particularly regarding intergroup competition.Item Understanding the Link between Organizational Communication and Innovation: An Examination of Public, Nonprofit, and For-Profit Organizations in South Korea(Sage Publications Inc) Suh, Jiwon; Harrington, James R.; Goodman, Doug; 310632350 (Harrington, JR); 53479748 (Goodman, G); ; Suh, Jiwon; Harrington, James R.; Goodman, DougInnovation and internal communication are essential for any successful organization. Although communication within organizations has long been studied in the for-profit sector, we still know little about the impact of communication types on innovation in the public and nonprofit sectors. To examine this question, we leverage and construct a longitudinal dataset using 5 years of the Korean Workplace Panel Survey (KWPS) from 2005 to 2013. Employing media richness theory, this study finds that internal communication positively influences innovation in the for-profit sector, which is a finding consistent with prior studies. Similarly, in the nonprofit sector, we find that meeting with the executive director and the number of communication channels utilized in an organization has a positive impact on innovation. However, we do not find that these communications have any impact in the public sector.