creating and administering inter-university resources to track nc county responses to welfare reform...
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Creating and Administering Inter-University Resources to Track NC County Responses to Welfare Reform
Conducted by the Odum Institute for Research in Social Science (UNC-CH)Conducted by the Odum Institute for Research in Social Science (UNC-CH)
in Collaboration with in Collaboration with Faculty Associates from 11 Other UNC InstitutionsFaculty Associates from 11 Other UNC Institutions
Presented at the LINKS 2000 Conference -- Serving the Public in the 21st Century
April 2000
by Dr. John W. Hardin, Assistant VP for Research, UNC-General Administration
FOR RESEARCH IN SOCIAL SCIENCE
FOR RESEARCH IN SOCIAL SCIENCE
Presentation OverviewPresentation Overview
Background/Context Goal Time Period & Funding Focus Methods Administrative Structure Faculty Associates The Research Network Building and Maintaining the Network
(Lessons Learned) The End Products
Background/Context Goal Time Period & Funding Focus Methods Administrative Structure Faculty Associates The Research Network Building and Maintaining the Network
(Lessons Learned) The End Products
FOR RESEARCH IN SOCIAL SCIENCE
Background/ContextBackground/Context
1996 national and 1997 state legislation prompted“devolution” of power over welfare
Administrators & politicians tout welfare reform successes -- caseloads ; former recipients working
Opponents challenge successes -- demand on communities; caseloads not due to reforms
Most challenging aspect of reform yet to take place -- future state and county welfare policy decisions
1997 NC legislation allowed selected counties to develop/administer county-specific policies
FOR RESEARCH IN SOCIAL SCIENCE
GoalGoal
To understand better the decentralization of policy-making powers and autonomy in North Carolina counties after the “devolution” of power by the 1996 National and 1997 State legislation
FOR RESEARCH IN SOCIAL SCIENCE
Time Period & FundingTime Period & Funding
1997-98 and 1998-99 Academic YearsSponsor: UNC-CHAmount: $12,000 each year
2000 Calendar YearSponsor: Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation
(Winston-Salem, NC)
Amount: $50,000
2000-01 Calendar YearAdditional funding expected
FOR RESEARCH IN SOCIAL SCIENCE
Focus Focus
How counties transform their organizations, policies, and decision
making as they implement welfare reform
Differs from most welfare reform research, which evaluates programmatic results and tracks program recipients
FOR RESEARCH IN SOCIAL SCIENCE
MethodsMethods
Primary Unit of StudyCounties
Phase I (May-June 2000)General survey in all 100 NC countiesContact 5 county decision makers-- County
Board of Commissioners, County Managers, Chairs of DSS Board, DSS Directors, Work First Managers
Phase II (June-August 2000)In-depth, rich, contextual county reports in 25
counties
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Administrative StructureAdministrative Structure
Co-Principal InvestigatorsDr. Deil Wright (Political Science, UNC-CH)Dr. Philip Cooke (Social Work, UNC-CH)
Project DirectorMs. Susan Webb (Political Science, UNC-CH)
Faculty Associates11 other UNC Institutions
Unique level of collaborationLess than 1% of the 52,000 UNC sponsored
program activities between 1988-1999 involved more than 10 collaborating
institutions
FOR RESEARCH IN SOCIAL SCIENCE
Faculty AssociatesFaculty Associates
Name Institution Department/Program
Dr. Dennis Grady Appalachian State University Political ScienceDr. Carmine Scavo East Carolina University Political Science, Public AdministrationDr. Derick Smith Fayetteville State Geography, History, Political ScienceDr. Rebecca Winders North Carolina Central University Public Administration Dr. Elizabethann O’Sullivan North Carolina State University Political Science, Public AdministrationDr. William Sabo UNC Asheville Political ScienceDr. Gary Rassel UNC Charlotte Political Science, Public AdministrationDr. Ruth DeHoog UNC Greensboro Political Science, Public AdministrationDr. Daniel Barbee UNC Pembroke Org. Leadership and ManagementDr. Thomas Barth UNC Wilmington Political Science, Public AdministrationDr. Terry Gibson Western Carolina University Political Science, Public Affairs
FACULTY ASSOCIATES AT OTHER UNC INSTITUTIONS
FOR RESEARCH IN SOCIAL SCIENCE
Research NetworkResearch Network
25 Focus CountiesPhase IIPhase I
All 100 counties
UNCW
UNCG NCCU NCSU
ECU
FSU
UNCP
UNCC
UNC-CHUNCA
WCUASU
FOR RESEARCH IN SOCIAL SCIENCE
Building and Maintaining the Network(Lessons Learned)
Building and Maintaining the Network(Lessons Learned)
Build on existing relationships & interestsSubstantive interest (e.g., welfare reform)
Process interest (e.g., policy making)
Foster community of interest -- e.g., group meetings, e-mail listserv, website
Establish “point person” to facilitate the network
Create value to research associates -- e.g., extension of research, recognition, $
FOR RESEARCH IN SOCIAL SCIENCE
The End ProductsThe End Products
Of interest to a variety of stakeholders
Research ProductsFramework for study of implementation in NCIdentification of potential factors affecting
implementationBaseline record of welfare reform in NCElectronic publishing of working papers
Of interest to a variety of stakeholders
Research ProductsFramework for study of implementation in NCIdentification of potential factors affecting
implementationBaseline record of welfare reform in NCElectronic publishing of working papers
FOR RESEARCH IN SOCIAL SCIENCE
The End Products (continued)The End Products (continued)
Of interest to a variety of stakeholders
Informational Products (data system)Profile demographic and infrastructure characteristics
of countiesProvide context for understanding local leadership capacityDevelop system for “indexing” county welfare reform
effortsDocument variations in county decision making
Of interest to a variety of stakeholders
Informational Products (data system)Profile demographic and infrastructure characteristics
of countiesProvide context for understanding local leadership capacityDevelop system for “indexing” county welfare reform
effortsDocument variations in county decision making
FOR RESEARCH IN SOCIAL SCIENCE
Contact InformationContact Information
Susan WebbDepartment of Political ScienceCB #3265, Hamilton HallUNC-Chapel HillChapel Hill, NC 27599Fax: [email protected]
http://www.unc.edu/html/depts/welfare/