Colleen Casey

Whiteness as Property: Predatory Lending and the Reproduction of Racialized Inequality

With the recent economic crisis in the USA, stories of homes lost to foreclosure are increasingly common. In this paper, we attempt to connect this present day problem to its historical roots in racial oppression. We examine 2004 data from the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act database for racial disparities in lending. We find that African Americans are less likely than European Americans to receive loans from regulated lenders. We also find that regardless of lender type and income level, African Americans are more likely than European Americans to receive high priced loans. We argue that these racial differences in access to quality loans that allow for the acquisition of assets through home ownership are part of a historical trend of whiteness as property and undeserved enrichment and unjust impoverishment.

Public Values in Governance Networks Management Approaches and Social Policy Tools in Local Community and Economic Development

The contextual nature of management approaches is important for understanding administrative centrality in governance networks in the public values process. This is of particular concern in a policy domain such as community development, which is characterized by the extensive involvement of nongovernmental actors in determining what ought to be done as well as carrying out those objectives. Using qualitative data, I explore the management approaches and policy tools used to fulfill Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) objectives in two different management contexts to analyze administrative centrality in governance networks in the public values process. Two different approaches emerge, suggesting different administrative trajectories to public values authorization and creation. Furthermore, the findings suggest that administrative centrality in the public values process may be influenced by the management context in which local agencies are embedded.

Linking Social Capital and Indirect Policy Tools Fostering Equitable Community Reinvestment Responses

Governance perspectives suggest the boundaries between public and private sectors are blurred, and recognize the involvement of third party actors in carrying out public objectives. Traditional policy models neglect to consider the involvement of third part actors and limit our understanding of the effectiveness of these approaches. By adopting a policy tools perspective, the potential and limitations of governance approaches can be better understood. Indirect policy tools can foster collective action around public problems by incorporating third party actors; however, it is necessary to understand the interaction between indirect tools and structural social capital. The actors involved in carrying out public objectives may depend upon the linkages between top-down and bottom-up social capital. A qualitative analysis of the Community Reinvestment Act of 1977 suggests indirect policy tools can foster collective reinvestment responses, but the effectiveness of indirect policy tools is contingent upon the existence of linking social capital.

Exploring Opportunities for Engaging Public Health Organizations in Transportation Planning

Despite a call for collaboration, there remain challenges to engaging the public health community in the regional transportation planning process. Using an integrated framework of network theory and collaborative planning, we explore collaboration barriers and opportunities between transportation and public health communities. Analysis of primary data collected from a focus group and secondary data from 43 national case studies suggests that major perceived barriers include a lack of formal and informal mechanisms and knowledge management practices that facilitate collaboration. Coordination of policies at multiple levels, leadership, trust, and data sharing are recognized as important tools for collaboration. Implications are discussed.

Critical Connections The Importance of Community-Based Organizations and Social Capital to Credit Access for Low-Wealth Entrepreneurs

This article studies the relationship between linking social capital and credit access for low-wealth entrepreneurs. I argue that the support provided by community-based organizations facilitates critical linkages to credit access for low-wealth entrepreneurs. Data on nascent firms engaging in start-up efforts in the United States in 2005 from the Panel Survey of Entrepreneurial Dynamics II (PSED II) are used to test the effects of government, bank, and community-based organization supports. The results suggest that government support has a positive effect for entrepreneurs overall. However, among low-wealth entrepreneurs, support provided by community-based organizations significantly increases access to credit for start-up activities.

Nonprofit Organizations in Governance Arrangements: Adding Democratic Value to Community Reinvestment Act Agreements?

This article examines the democratic contribution of nonprofit organizations to governance arrangements. Conceptualizations of governance focus on the multisector arrangements between public, for-profit, and nonprofit organizations that emerge to create public value. Nonprofit organizations have been found to contribute efficiency and effectiveness to these arrangements; however, less is understood about the democratic contribution nonprofits make. It is hypothesized that nonprofits contribute democratic value when they pursue the public interest in accordance with their civil society function. A binary logistic regression analysis is performed on negotiated Community Reinvestment Act agreements from 2000 to 2009 to predict the types of nonprofits that participate in agreements. The results show that nonprofits involved in agreements represent the public interest, as measured by their organizational purpose, representation in communities of need, and organizational capacity. The article suggests that the public interest consequences of governance arrangements vary based on the sources of accountability introduced by the participating organizations.

Interorganizational collaboration in public health data sharing

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to analyze the institutional and social forces that influence collaborative data sharing practices in cross-sector interorganizational networks. The analysis focusses on the data sharing practices between professionals in the transportation and public health sectors, areas prioritized for collaborative action to improve public health. Design/methodology/approach A mixed methods design is utilized. Electronic surveys were sent to 57 public health and 157 transportation professionals in a large major metropolitan area in the USA (response rate 39.7 percent). Focus groups were held with 12 organizational leaders representing professionals in both sectors. Findings The application of the institutional-social capital framework suggests that professional specialization and organizational forces make it challenging for professionals to develop the cross-sector relationships necessary for cross-sector collaborative data sharing. Research limitations/implications The findings suggest that developing the social relationships necessary for cross-sector collaboration may be resource intensive. Investments are necessary at the organizational level to overcome the professional divides that limit the development of cross-sector relationships critical for collaborative data sharing. The results are limited to the data sharing practices of professionals in one metropolitan area. Originality/value Despite mandates and calls for increased cross-sector collaboration to improve public health, such efforts often fail to produce true collaboration. The studys value is that it adds to the theoretical conceptualization of collaboration and provides a deeper understanding as to why collaborative action remains difficult to achieve. Future study of collaboration must consider the interaction between professional specialization and the social relationships necessary for success.