Jaclyn Piatak

Understanding the Implementation of Medicaid and Medicare: Social Construction and Historical Context

This article examines the history and formation of Medicare and Medicaid to determine how America’s two major public health insurance programs came to have such vastly different implementation structures. Drawing upon theories of social construction and path dependence, findings show how the programs were set on divergent paths. This article also explores how the intergovernmental nature of Medicaid has promoted inequities, both between programs and among recipients across states. The findings show how social construction can influence the policy tool chosen and how the implementation structure impacts the individuals whom these programs are intended to serve for years to come.

Public service motivation, prosocial behaviours, and career ambitions

Purpose - The purpose of this study is to examine the behavioural consequences of public service motivation (PSM) and how motivation relates to an individual’s call to serve both inside and outside of the workplace. More specifically, this study examines whether and how PSM relates to prosocial behaviours—volunteering and giving—and career ambitions to work in the government or non-profit sector among public affair graduate students. Design/methodology/approach - Logistic regression is used to examine the PSM link using a composite of the 40-item scale, each of the six dimensions—commitment to the public interest, civic duty, social justice, attraction to policymaking, compassion, and self-sacrifice—and the five-item scale from the Merit Principles Survey. The analyses draw upon data from a unique online survey of 122 graduate students in Master of Public Administration and Master of Public Policy programs. Findings - The results indicate that people with higher levels of PSM are more likely to want to work in public service and volunteer. However, mixed results were found for the relationship between PSM and giving charitable donations and career ambitions to work in government and no link was found for career ambitions to work in the non-profit sector. Originality/value - This paper answers calls to examine the dimensions of public service motivation and examines Perry’s (1996) original conception. The results provide practical implications for human resource managers as well as non-profit and public managers in recruiting and retaining employees and volunteers.

Time Is on My Side A Framework to Examine When Unemployed Individuals Volunteer

In light of high unemployment and declining volunteer rates, this study examines the complex relationship between time, employment, and volunteering. Are unemployed people more likely to volunteer due to newfound time or to obtain some benefit? Alternatively, are the unemployed less likely to volunteer due to their loss of social ties or feelings of insecurity? A framework tying together four competing theories—opportunity cost, exchange, social ties, and attachment—into positive and negative influences is put forth and tested using pooled U.S. data from 2003 to 2013. The duration of unemployment emerges as a key factor, where volunteering decreases over time. Findings suggest organizations should recruit volunteers from untapped and under-represented groups, especially because the supply of volunteers is not endless. For example, unemployed volunteers devote more time but are less likely to receive an invitation to volunteer. Dedicated individuals may not volunteer simply because no one asks them.

Sector Switching in Good Times and in Bad: Are Public Sector Employees Less Likely to Change Sectors?

With the retirement of the baby boomers looming and the growing number of opportunities to serve the public interest in broader ways than working in government, how dedicated are today’s public employees? This study examines the job sector changes of nonprofit and government employees compared with for-profit employees during both stable and unstable economic conditions. Sector switching within the government sector across federal, state, and local government employees is also examined. Findings show no sector differences during stable economic conditions, but illustrate federal government and nonprofit employees are more likely to move into the for-profit sector during times of economic instability. This study highlights the impact of tough labor market conditions on employment decisions. Nonprofits’ reliance on labor donations may no longer be sufficient, and public managers should tailor their recruitment and retention strategies to suit the level of government.

Managing Goal Conflict in Public Service Delivery Networks: Does Accountability Move Up and Down, or Side to Side?

ABSTRACT Goal conflict is one of the greatest challenges to effective public service delivery networks. Scholars offer management prescriptions, but to what extent can a diverse set of network actors be managed? Data from a comparative case study approach suggest that informal accountability forces play a greater role than formal authority in preventing and mitigating goal conflict. Goal conflict appears to be weakest when network administrative organizations are responsible for both vertical network management and direct service delivery. In terms of reducing goal conflict, networks that manage both vertically and horizontally may be best equipped to achieve goal congruence.

Weathering the Storm: The Impact of Cutbacks on Public Employees:

The United States saw mass layoffs and unemployment during the Great Recession, where jobs have been slow to recover especially in the government sector. Research on cutback management became widespread in the late 1970s into the 1980s and several researchers have called for attention to be reignited to determine what lessons can be applied to the Great Recession and beyond. However, little attention is paid to the influence of cutbacks on employees. How do layoffs impact public personnel? Using nationally representative employment data, this study examines sector differences in job loss, advance notice, job mobility, and sector switching. In addition to distinctions across job sectors, differences within the government sector across federal, state, and local employees are explored. Findings raise several questions for research and practice regarding the ability to recover staff in a timely manner, the diversity of the organization, and the capacity to cope with future crises.

Bridging or Deepening the Digital Divide: Influence of Household Internet Access on Formal and Informal Volunteering

The digital divide persists; a quarter of the U.S. population is unconnected, left without Internet access at home. Yet volunteer recruitment is increasingly moving online to reach a broader audience. Despite widespread use, little is known about whether the lack of digital access has repercussions on connections offline in the community. We examine the influence of access on volunteering across four critical aspects—structure, time devoted, level of professionalization, and pathways to volunteering. We find home Internet access has an independent influence on volunteering even after controlling for socioeconomic status. Those with access are more likely to volunteer, formally and informally, and are more likely to become volunteers because they were asked. However, digitally unconnected volunteers devote more time. Nonprofit organizations and government agencies should be strategic and inclusive in their volunteer recruitment efforts to ensure they recruit qualified and dedicated volunteers rather than rely solely on digital recruitment strategies.