The Intersection of Nonprofit Roles and Public Policy Implementation

Many nonprofit organizations implement policy through service delivery. In addition, these nonprofits serve other roles in their communities. Policy implementation strategies that overlook the many roles nonprofits play may misunderstand implementation challenges or fail to maximize the benefits of public-nonprofits partnerships. We aim to inform policy implementation by presenting a narrative that explores the intersection of these nonprofit roles and policy implementation through nonprofit service delivery. We situate this focus on nonprofits as policy implementers within a framework of nonprofit roles. We present commentary that integrates policy implementation and nonprofit roles by focusing on four themes: nonprofit role simultaneity, service delivery/policy implementation perceptual asymmetry, nonprofit roles over time, and network participation. Accounting for this multidimensionality can help government actors facilitate partnerships that enable service delivery while also recognizing what nonprofits do independent of their formal arrangements with governments

Policy Energy and Public Management Networks

oai:ubp.uni-bamberg.de:article/18Public management networks are fixtures of contemporary governance. They play an important role in planning for and delivering public goods and services. However, public management networks do not always possess the capacity to convert collective solutions to formal policy or program adjustments. Despite the very broad range of activities in them, the ability of networks to create this “policy energy” is limited. Government or other powerful agencies can often dominate the management of networks, elected officials may make policy decisions that are inconsistent with the recommended action of networks, and assessing the performance of networks is very often a moving target. This article discusses these and other types of administrative and political barriers that can hinder the ability of public management networks to influence policy making and implementation

Constraints And Opportunities For Innovation In The Moving To Work Demonstration Program

The Moving to Work (MTW) Demonstration Program provides participating housing agencies with additional programmatic and operational flexibility that is used to achieve Congress’s statutory goals. The MTW Demonstration Program is designed to provide agencies with the flexibility to pursue innovative activities, yet there are myriad constraints that alter the behavior of these agencies. This study uses evidence generated from interviews with personnel from MTW agencies to understand how they use MTW to address and overcome bureaucratic, resource, and market constraints to further their mission. The findings from this study enhance our understanding of MTW agencies, their decision-making, and how they innovate in a constrained environment. These results are relevant to a wide audience, including existing MTW agencies, public housing authorities that are considering MTW designation under the new expansion, housing researchers, as well as policymakers and practitioners who focus on federal housing policy and innovation in public agencies

With anti-Semitism on the rise again, there are steps everyone can take to counter it

As we work to train government and nonprofit leaders to address issues like anti-Semitism, we also have identified four simple steps that anyone can take to counter it

Pantries and Policy Implementation: Using Nonprofit Priorities to Understand Variation in Emergency Food Assistance

Public and nonprofit actors have long partnered to carry out emergency food assistance, particularly through the use of nonprofit food pantries. Although nonprofit pantries fulfill an important function in policy implementation, they differ with respect to specific mission and organizational priorities. To what extent do organizational priorities explain variation in emergency food? Our analyses examine this question using survey data from 95 nonprofit food pantries associated with a Midwestern Foodbank, administrative records, and census tract-level data. Findings indicate that the priorities of nonprofit pantries help explain variation in food assistance provided by pantries, even after taking into consideration measures of need, accessibility, capacity, and processes. Our results imply that policymakers may be better equipped to meet community food needs by knowing more about the organizational priorities of nonprofit service providers

Article Advocating for Policy Change in Nonprofit

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Talking about antisemitism in MPA classrooms and beyond

On October 27, 2018, a gunman killed eleven people attending Shabbat services in the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh, PA. For many—both Jews and non-Jews—this tragedy served as a wake-up call about the persistence of antisemitism in the United States today. MPA curricula and public affairs research have rarely addressed contemporary antisemitism, yet we argue for including conversations about antisemitism in MPA classrooms. This article serves as a resource for the public affairs teaching community so our colleagues can feel prepared and empowered to address antisemitism in their classroom