Floods are not going to go away. Here's how we can make them less costly

Devastating hurricanes in 2017 in Texas, Florida and Puerto Rico, and the recent landfall of Hurricane Florence in the Carolinas show that flood events are likely to affect the US with far greater frequency in the near future. Beverly A. Cigler takes a close look at why floods have become so much worse in recent years and what we can do to make them less costly both in terms of lives lost and resources. She argues that in addition to promoting green measures, rather than pulling back from flood mitigation as the Trump administration has proposed, the US government needs to do more to help the states to reduce flood hazards as well as promoting measures such as the National Flood Insurance Program

The National Dialogue on the Quadrennial Homeland Security Review

Six years after its creation, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) undertook the first Quadrennial Homeland Security Review (QHSR) to inform the design and implementation of actions to ensure the safety of the United States and its citizens. This review, mandated by the Implementing the 9/11 Commission Recommendations Act of 2007, represents the first comprehensive examination of the homeland security strategy of the nation. The QHSR includes recommendations addressing the long-term strategy and priorities of the nation for homeland security and guidance on the programs, assets, capabilities, budget, policies, and authorities of the department.Rather than set policy internally and implement it in a top-down fashion, DHS undertook the QHSR in a new and innovative way by engaging tens of thousands of stakeholders and soliciting their ideas and comments at the outset of the process. Through a series of three-week-long, web-based discussions, stakeholders reviewed materials developed by DHS study groups, submitted and discussed their own ideas and priorities, and rated or "tagged" others' feedback to surface the most relevant ideas and important themes deserving further consideration.Key FindingsThe recommendations included: (1) DHS should enhance its capacity for coordinating stakeholder engagement and consultation efforts across its component agencies, (2) DHS and other agencies should create special procurement and contracting guidance for acquisitions that involve creating or hosting such web-based engagement platforms as the National Dialogue, and (3) DHS should begin future stakeholder engagements by crafting quantitative metrics or indicators to measure such outcomes as transparency, community-building, and capacity

Meeting the Growing Challenges of Rural Local Governments

Reduced Federal funding and dramatic economic changes during the past decade make it difficult for local governments to meet their increasing responsibilities. Rural governments are especially disadvantaged, due to low population density, fragmentation of efforts, and a reliance on part-time, volunteer public officials. Effective strategies to help rural governments will consider their unique needs during the policy development stage and improve the management capacity of rural officials

Setting Smalltown Research Priorities: The Service Delivery Dimension

This report examines alternative options for local government service delivery and financing in rural areas with a focus on potential constraints to their use. Research gaps are identified and topics suggested for future research, with a focus on service delivery and financing options, policy implementation, and local capacity-building. Simulated case studies are suggested to meet priority research needs

Public administration and the paradox of professionalization. by Beverly A.Cigler

tag=1 data=Public administration and the paradox of professionalization. by Beverly A.Cigler tag=2 data=Cigler, Beverly A. tag=3 data=Public Administration Review, tag=4 data=50 tag=5 data=6 tag=6 data=November/December 1990 tag=7 data=637-653. tag=8 data=PUBLIC SERVICE%USA tag=10 data=An examination of the "practice" of public administration in America. tag=11 data=1991/3/2 tag=12 data=91/0163 tag=13 data=CABAn examination of the "practice" of public administration in America

Toward An Understanding of Multicommunity Collaboration

This report presents case study analysis of multicommunity collaboration in three midwestern areas--Nebraska, Michigan, and Alberta, Canada. Although the multicommunity collaboration strategy shows promise and has theoretical and intuitive support, the strategy is relatively untested. For example, none of the efforts has resulted in a reverse in population decline, and collaboration does not necessarily result in increased local capacity. The authors offer insight from the perspectives of economics, regional planning, political science, and sociology

PRE-CONDITIONS FOR THE EMERGENCE OF MULTICOMMUNITY COLLABORATIVE ORGANIZATIONS -super-1

This article looks at collaborative actions in small, rural communities. Collaborative actions involve strong linkages among a stable membership in specific and often complex purposes and usually are long term. They involve formal processes and structural patterns of collaboration. They emerge from disaster occurrences which trigger fiscal stress or perceived stress to form collaborative action. Since there is often no push by public opinion to maintain them, there is a need for public incentives to support capacity building. These incentives are instrumental in the formation and maintenance of these collaborative actions. Organizational formation is also tied to an identifiable policy entrepreneur or several entrepreneurs. Their maintenance relies on an early focus on visible, effective strategies and an emphasis on collaborative skills building. Copyright 1999 by The Policy Studies Organization.