Nandhini Rangarajan

Exploring Organizational Barriers to Diversity A Case Study of the New York State Education Department

This is a case study of diversity initiatives at the New York State Education Department. Analysis of data collected from public and internal reports and semistructured interviews revealed three types of barriers to diversity: structural, cultural, and semantic. Results of the present study supported barriers to diversity identified in extant literature. Civil service requirements and the agencys culture stymied diversity efforts. The effects of social networks, limited accountability in hiring, and inadequate communication of the vision for diversity also impeded the diversity initiative.

Greening Human Resources A Survey of City-Level Initiatives

How have environmental initiatives and “going green” permeated the human resources realm? This article, through a nationwide survey, examines the extent to which cities have incorporated environmentally friendly human resource practices. Results reveal that income, education, environmental awareness and presence of preexisting successful environmental programs have an impact on technical and strategic human resource practices in U.S. cities. This article discusses the implications for public administration.

Open Access Digital Repository: Sharing Student Research with the World

University libraries use open access digital repositories to preserve and distribute the intellectual scholarly communications of their institution. How can global accessibility of quality student work be harnessed to benefit researchers, practitioners, and educators? To address this question, we study the impact of content factors and search engine optimization factors on download rates of capstone papers. We examined all 290 MPA capstone papers at Texas State University which have been made available through an online digital repository for public consumption. Results show strong support for the impact of search engine factors on download rates. The implications of high download rates of MPA capstone papers on public administration research, practice, and education are discussed in this paper.

Exploring the Demand for PhDs in Public Affairs and Administration

Abstract This study provides a preliminary analysis of the market for PhDs in public affairs and administration projected over the next several years. Drawing on data gathered from three surveys, we explore the demand for academic PhDs (survey 1) and the supply of PhDs (surveys 2 and 3). The analysis of demand is further refined to estimate nonacademic employment (surveys 2 and 3 and examination of job postings). We also explore the diversity of PhD graduates. This kind of analysis is largely missing from the literature and is therefore an important, albeit initial contribution. We found that a gap exists between production of PhDs and the demand for them by universities, and that demand exceeds production. The gap is made much larger, though, because almost half of the PhDs graduating with degrees in public affairs and administration do not take positions in U. S. academia but rather assume positions in federal state and local governments, in the nonprofit sector, in think tanks, and in foreign universities and governments.

Sustainability education in public administration and policy: A multi-method study of NASPAA accredited programs

ABSTRACT This study examines the nature of sustainability education in public affairs programs. First, through web content analysis of NASPAA accredited MPA/MPP programs, and second through web survey of program directors, data were collected on perceptions about sustainability education and public administration, demand for sustainability education, sustainability related courses, pedagogical tools used, nature of collaborators that make sustainability education possible and factors that impede or enable the inclusion of sustainability education in these programs. When considered as a holistic concept without being broken down into its three componential parts, only 10% of all courses offered are on sustainability. Results show that a total of 164 programs (~94%) have listed courses in at least one of the three areas (economic, environmental and social) of sustainability. Programs vary in terms of whether they offer courses as core or electives. Thirty-five programs offered a dedicated concentration in environmental sustainability. Survey results indicate general agreement about synergies in sustainability education and PA education which should be formalized through curricular inclusion. However, only about 50% of survey respondents experienced demand for sustainability education. Programmatic, institutional and professional facilitators, and impediments to infusion of sustainability education in PA curricula are discussed.