Assessing citation networks for dissemination and implementation research frameworks

Abstract Background A recent review of frameworks used in dissemination and implementation (D&I) science described 61 judged to be related either to dissemination, implementation, or both. The current use of these frameworks and their contributions to D&I science more broadly has yet to be reviewed. For these reasons, our objective was to determine the role of these frameworks in the development of D&I science. Methods We used the Web of Science™ Core Collection and Google Scholar™ to conduct a citation network analysis for the key frameworks described in a recent systematic review of D&I frameworks (Am J Prev Med 43(3):337–350, 2012). From January to August 2016, we collected framework data including title, reference, publication year, and citations per year and conducted descriptive and main path network analyses to identify those most important in holding the current citation network for D&I frameworks together. Results The source article contained 119 cited references, with 50 published articles and 11 documents identified as a primary framework reference. The average citations per year for the 61 frameworks reviewed ranged from 0.7 to 103.3 among articles published from 1985 to 2012. Citation rates from all frameworks are reported with citation network analyses for the framework review article and ten highly cited framework seed articles. The main path for the D&I framework citation network is presented. Conclusions We examined citation rates and the main paths through the citation network to delineate the current landscape of D&I framework research, and opportunities for advancing framework development and use. Dissemination and implementation researchers and practitioners may consider frequency of framework citation and our network findings when planning implementation efforts to build upon this foundation and promote systematic advances in D&I science.https://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/137708/1/13012_2017_Article_628.pd

Three Essays on Nonprofit Competition in Grant Markets

The following dissertation consists of three essays around the theme of nonprofit competition. The first essay develops an empirical framework for study of performance in contract markets, an important context for nonprofits since they receive much of their funding from contracts and grants. The essay uses transaction data from an online marketplace for custom software projects to address questions related to market risk and project failure. The second essay explores one specific aspect of nonprofit competition--organizational survival. Organizations within the international sector are observed over a 20-year time horizon to see how resources influence rates of organizational failure. The third essay presents a theoretical treatment of volatility in nonprofit grant markets. Numerical analysis and computer simulation are used to show that the grant-to-nonprofit ratio is an important determinant of market volatility, and that market volatility can cause organizations to fail even when they are performing at adequate levels

Disciplinary Divides in Post-Conflict Justice and Peace : Tracking If and How we Share Ideas

Peer reviewedPostprin

Good Enough for Government Work? An Incomplete Contracts Approach to the Use of Nonprofits in U.S. Federal Procurement

This paper examines the use of the nonprofit organizational form to mitigate the impact of incomplete contracts in the public sector Transaction costs economics (TCE) predicts that the expense of incomplete contracts will rise with contract complexity and asset specificity. Previous research shows that government agencies increase their use cost-plus style contracts to economize on these costs. However, cost-plus style contracts may also increase the propensity to inflate procurement costs, also known as gold-plating, when relationally specific investments are required. Consistent with this expectation, we find that federal agencies reduce their use of cost-plus style contracts as asset specificity rises. The paper then explores the use of nonprofit organizations as an alternative tool to reduce contracting costs. Using data from the Federal Procurement Data System, we examine the choice of organizational form by federal agencies, as contracts become more or less incomplete. Consistent with our hypotheses, we find that the use of nonprofit organizations increases with contract complexity. In contrast to cost-plus style contracts, we find that the use of nonprofits also increases with asset specificity. We apply this finding to support the conjecture that the nonprofit organization form is used by government agencies to mitigate contract incompleteness without the associated risk of cost inflation. We conclude by offering suggestions for why nonprofit contracts appear relatively infrequently in federal procurement data

IRS Automatic Revocation of Tax Exempt Organizations Database

"The most recent listing of all organizations whose federal tax exemption was automatically revoked for not filing a Form 990-series annual return or notice for three consecutive tax years." Location of ASCII files on the IRS website: https://apps.irs.gov/app/eos/forwardToRevokeDownload.do Source Code and Data Dictionary: https://github.com/lecy/Open-Data-for-Nonprofit-Research/blob/master/Build_Datasets/revoked%20organizations.Rm

A Semantic Network Analysis of Changes in North Korea's Economic Policy

To shed light on the inner workings of policymaking in North Korea, this study examined the process behind economic policy change through an analysis of the official state economics journal. Semantic networks are used to trace the introduction and evolution of policies during four distinct economic periods in North Korean history between 1986 and 2009. Although reform is catalyzed by political and economic crises, the emergence of new policy topics occurs incrementally prior to change. Specifically, new policy discourse tends to emerge in gradual and cautious ways but policy change occurs swiftly in periods of crisis. During periods of stability, the state retreats to the centralized socialist economic system, often through coercion and force. This view of the policy process suggests that foundations of economic reforms in North Korea are yet weak and instable, and policy reform will continue to be vulnerable to the political influence of conservatives.1

Networks in Public Administration : Current scholarship in review

Network-focused research in public administration has expanded rapidly over the past two decades. This rapid growth has created come confusion about terminology and approaches to research in the field. We organize the network literature in public administration using compact citation networks to identify coherent subdomains focused on (1) policy formation, (2) governance and (3) policy implementation. We trace how these domains differ in their approach to defining the role of networks, relationships and actors and to what extent the articles apply formal network analysis techniques. Based on a subsequent content analysis of the sample articles, we identify promising research avenues focused on the wider adoption of methods derived from social network analysis and the conditions under which networks actually deliver improved results.publishe

Sustainability at its core? The effects of long term operational funding on Canadian charities

The loss of operational or ‘core’ funding for nonprofits was one of the casualties of New Public Management which presumed that such funding creates dependencies and viable organizations can survive in a competitive market (Phillips and Smith, 2011). Although the negative effects of the loss of operational funding has been widely discussed in the practice literature (Scott, 2004) and its restoration is strongly advocated (NPQ, 2019), there is limited systematic analysis of the effects on nonprofits of operational funding over sustained periods, in part due to the rarity of such funding.This paper examines the effects of sustained operational funding on human service charities funded by Canadian United Ways, which remain one of the few funders providing such support. Drawing on the nonprofit financing literature, we test two alternative scenarios.One scenario, building on the classic notion of organizational ‘slack’ (Cyert and March, 1963) as incorporated into recent work on social innovation, predicts positive outcomes. The cushion of resources should enable a nonprofit to adapt to pressures for change (Bourgeois, 1981) and undertake more extensive fundraising, resulting in a growth of revenues and reserves over time (Main, 2016; Sloan et al., 2016; Reimer et al., 2017; Calabrese, 2018), thereby enhancing long term viability. It should also facilitate innovation and risk-taking (W. Phillips et al. 2017; Suarez, 2011), enabling them to expand their service niches with more diversified programming (GEO, 2014; Koch et al., 2015; Paarlberg and Hwang, 2017).The contrasting scenario, drawing from the crowding in/out literature, suggests that the concerns about dependencies are well founded. For instance, Andreoni and Payne (2003; 2011a; b) argue there is a ‘subsidy trap’ so that, with high levels of external support, nonprofits reduce their efforts at fundraising. Core funding should mean total revenues that are barely stable or declining, and programming that is not innovative or diversified, making nonprofits less resilient over time. Even though nonprofits with operating financing may have the resources to invest in management and technology systems, they will adhere to public and funder expectations of low overheads, continuing to under invest in infrastructure, reducing staff expenses (Lecy and Searing, 2015; Hager et al., 2004) or fundraising costs (Schubert and Boenigk, 2019).These contrasting scenarios are tested with United Way supported charities using a panel data set of the annual tax Canadian charity tax returns from 2000 to 2016; these are matched (by size and mission) to charities that have not had operational support. The analysis compares changes in overall revenues and expenditures, mix of revenues, administrative costs and reserves held during this period. Using annual reports, archival material and key informant interviews, we assess changes in the diversification of services or populations served, and explore whether the effects of a funding model are due to the funding itself or to other kinds of non-financial supports provided by a funder.Our contribution to research on nonprofit financing and philanthropic grantmaking is to provide a longitudinal, evidence-based analysis of the effects of operational funding as a component of grantmaking