Sharon Paynter

Public Service Motivation in Undergraduate Giving and Volunteering Decisions

Most public service motivation (PSM) research compares government and business employees. This article fits into an emerging body of research that links PSM to volunteer activity. PSM is a needs-based approach to motivation. People may sate this need in ways other than direct government service. In this article, the authors investigate the relationship between PSM and charitable decisions. They surveyed undergraduate students at North Carolina State University using Perry’s PSM instrument and antecedent questions. To further investigate students’ motivations toward public service, they asked an additional series of questions focused on volunteering and donating choices. The authors find that students with higher levels of PSM are more likely to choose to engage in charitable activity. Individual characteristics such as family income, political identity, sex, religiosity, family socialization, and high school volunteering experiences are also significantly related to the choices students make about engaging in charitable activities.

Who Watches the Watchmen? Evaluating Judicial Performance in the American States

Scholars and human resource practitioners agree that effective performance appraisal systems have clear objectives, reliable and valid appraisal methodology, separation of personal judgments from job-based performance assessments, acceptance by employees, and leadership commitment. Using data from state reports, surveys, case histories, personal interviews, and judicial performance appraisal studies, this article juxtaposes judicial performance evaluation (JPE) and the criteria for effective appraisal systems to address the question of whether judicial independence can be preserved when judges’ performance is systematically evaluated by multiple raters. The authors conclude that JPE is an effective performance appraisal tool that can satisfy the need for accountability to the public while protecting judicial independence.

Policy Implications of Projecting the Multiplier Effects of Social Safety Net Programs Using IMPLAN Reevaluating the Economic Impact of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program

This study employs input–output (I/O) modeling at the state and county level to compare national estimates of the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). The results show that more localized economies cannot achieve the results predicted by national models likely because of leakage of economic activity outside the boundaries of a single state or county. This study sheds light on methodological tools that forecasters and policy makers can use in making decisions based on economic impact of social safety net programs.