Triparna Vasavada

Managing Disaster Networks in India

This article studies a disaster management network in the state of Gujarat, India. Through social network analysis and interviews, the article examines the governance structure of a disaster management network and identifies factors that affect its effectiveness. Four factors – trust, number of participants in the network, goal consensus and the need for network-level competencies based on the nature of the task – were examined. The article concludes by discussing how the dynamics of these factors affected this particular disaster management network.

Business Improvement Districts in Urban Governance A Longitudinal Case Study

Using a longitudinal case study, we analyzed the centralities and roles of the actors in an urban governance network. The results of our network text analyses and social network analyses of newspaper articles show that the director of the business improvement district, the city council, and mayors were the most central actors in the governance network. Our thematic content analyses of the policy-related actions of these actors show that while the council and mayors played their prescribed roles, the director’s roles were more diversified than what his position requires. We discuss the implications of these findings for urban governance.

Public Values, Public Official Associations, and Professionalism: A Cross-National Analysis

This article explores the role of public official associations (POAs) in the articulation of public values, the development of policy, and the dissemination of knowledge pertinent to the effective management of the public interest. The research is comparative and includes examinations of POAs in the United States, Sweden, and India. The examination of these cases suggests that POAs play a significant role in governance, albeit one defined by the structure and history of any particular system. As organizations that are “of the state, but not in the state,” they serve important roles in mediating between center and periphery, between political and administrative perspectives on policy, and help integrate professional and public service values. The exploration also indicates that POAs are important in forming elements of networks on important policy issues and that they are frequent sources of innovation, such as general revenue sharing in the United States and fiscal reform in Sweden.

Toward Doctoral Education in Nonprofit and Philanthropic Studies

This article provides an overview of the current nature and state of doctoral education in nonprofit and philanthropic studies. Data regarding student interests and demand for courses was gathered using surveys of faculty members and PhD students. A systematic journal database search was conducted to better understand what disciplines engage in research on nonprofit organizations and voluntary action. Arguing that theory-based, doctoral-level education in the field of nonprofit and philanthropic studies is needed by academia and sought after by doctoral students, a framework for meeting the educational needs of the fields future scholars is proposed.

Evolution of an Urban Governance Network: The Case of Center City

The structural properties of the urban governance network in Center City, Philadelphia, and the centralities of its actors are investigated in a longitudinal case study. The results of the network text analyses and social network analyses of the network are interpreted from the perspective of urban governance network conceptualization. The results show that the network had consistently low densities and high total degree centralizations in the period studied. The CUSUM and EWMA control charts indicate that centralization of the network changed in two periods of time. Multiple analyses (including immediate impact analyses and sphere of influence analyses) show that the executive director of the business improvement district is the most central actor and the mayors and the city council relatively less central.

Corporate Social Responsibility and the United Nations Global Compact Initiative

The purpose of this chapter is to examine international efforts, specifically, the United Nations (UN) Global Compact, as a voluntary initiative aiming for enhancing corporate social responsibility (CSR ) in some selected countries in Asia. The chapter shows that in the Asian countries under discussion, with strong state intervention and a close state–business relationship, CSR initiatives are regarded as a function of global economy and social development. The government plays a key role in developing CSR as a top-down strategy, whereas businesses often use CSR initiatives as a strategic tool to improve their image. However, this highlights challenges, such as legitimacy and accountability , in the sense that both the state and market experience a set of external factors (e.g., globalization , social expectations of expanded business role) boosting interests in CSR, thereby eroding governmental power and scope in related affairs as well as cultural differences and value diversity, which make the monitoring and auditing of CSR initiatives within a company or country challenging. The chapter concludes that a normative issue regarding the monitoring process can arise as businesses are more likely to have a closer relationship with NGOs increasing, in turn, the potential risks of regulatory capture or co-optation.

Corruption and Democratic Governance in India

Since its independence from Britain in 1947, India has faced substantial problems of corruption, which impeded its economic, social, and political development (Ganesan 1997). A culture of corruption has always existed in India. In various historical periods, the national and state governments in India launched programs to combat corruption, but these efforts were seldom successful. Corruption is still a part of the routine in politics, business, and governance. However, in recent years, public knowledge and awareness about corruption has also increased. This increased awareness was evident in the uprising against corruption in India in October 2010. In October 2010, an umbrella organization for several civil society organizations launched “India Against Corruption” movement. The leaders of this movement demanded from government to pass the Jan Lokpal Bill. The Jan Lokpal Bill is one of the longest pending bills in the history of India that was not passed into law at the time of the writing of this paper.