Peer Responses
Respond to two students discussion post. Just type the paragraph under the discussion. It doesn’t have to be in essay form.
Also, make sure that your response(s) are substantial and at least 250 words. In your responses, you must include connections to course learning objectives.
Discussion Post #1
Lauren Hullander
Chapter five contains various different chapters and information regarding Democracy and Public Administration, Digital Government, and Nonprofit Management. In this discussion, I will summarize the chapter, while also discussing the impact of performance measurement on public service programs.
First, I want to discuss Democracy and Public Administration in regard to citizen participation in performance measurement. The performance measurement tool has been around for nearly a century and is very commonly used in today’s public management. Through the advancement of information technologies, data analysis, and the concept of “results-oriented government” (Ho, 2007). Performance measurement is defined as “the usage of quantifiable indicators to measure the output, efficiency, and results of public services” (Ho, 2007). Performance measurement can be used to conduct a unit-cost analysis to improve efficiency and prevent fraud and corruption (Ho, 2007). Through the growth of the measurement tool, its capabilities have expanded to track cost-efficiency data to output, workload, intermediate outcome, and explanatory data (Ho, 2007). The agencies that utilize the performance measurement tool have also expanded. The agencies have transitioned from more technical departments such as public works and police to human-service-oriented departments, such as education welfare, and community development (Ho, 2007). “Many reforms have also been introduced to integrate performance measurement into public decision-making,” specifically the budgetary process. Beyond the performance management tool as a whole, there is research that has also made a difference in the way the government is managed. An example would be at the federal government, “program managers are found to pay closer attention to program results and program accountability” (Ho, 2007). Studies of state and local government reforms have also had similar effects and demonstrate that performance measurement can improve the communication between the budget office and departments, between the executive branch and legislative branch (Ho, 2007). There are many challenges that come with engaging the citizens in performance measurement. Many individuals believe that citizens should actually be more involved in the process. Through study and research public administrators have faced many challenges when trying to engage citizens. “Theories of public choice have long established that citizens are rational decision-makers and have little incentive to participate in public decision-making when the benefits of participation are spread across a community but the costs of participation, both monetary and non-monetary, are individualized and can be very high” (Ho, 2007). Many citizens do not see the benefits of engaging in things such as performance measurement.
It is important when storing any type of digital government data that certain protocols and processes are followed. Within the digital government is something called the Conceptual Model. This model has “three layers,” these include the information layer, platform layer, and presentation layer. The information layer contains the digital information of an organization, such as census and employment data (Digital-Government-Strategy, 2012). The platform layer consists of all the systems and processes used to manage this information. This layer is responsible for critical IT functions (Digital-Government-Strategy, 2012). Last is the presentation layer. This layer is responsible for how the information/ data is organized and provided to the customer (Digital-Government-Strategy, 2012). Of course, with any sensitive data or information security and privacy is one of the most important aspects. “As the Federal Government builds for the future, it must do so in a safe and secure, yet transparent and accountable manner” (Digital-Government-Strategy, 2012). There has to be a balance of giving citizens the information and support they need while maintaining a sense of transparency and security.If I had to pick an organizational Leadership Occupation to analyze it would be the Department of Children and Family Services. In this role, you deal with multiple situations that require security and transparency. You deal with an endless amount of sensitive data. In this organization, it is important to follow models like the Conceptual Model. There must be a “structure” or process that contains the digital data. The organization needs to have a “platform layer” that is responsible for the systems and processes that manage all the organizational information. In my opinion, the last layer is the most important. In any organization, you want to ensure that that information is organized well before it is provided to the customers.
Discussion Post #2
Abby Mahon
One public service program I am very familiar with is Social Services. There are many things that fall under social services such as: food, housing, safety programs, unemployment insurance, and child protective services. Social services falls under the many public service programs that has evolved with and been impacted by the evolving nature of performance measurement. Performance measurement can best be described as "the usage of quantifiable indicators to measure the output, efficiency, and results of public services” (Spacey 2019).The idea started as a solution to prevent corruption but as time went on, evolved into focusing on the results of the services and not on what is being put into them. This helps to focus on the needs of the people as well as helps strive for better performance. Social services has significantly evolved with this idea, especially with child protection services. Over the years and more recently than ever the focus has switched from pouring money into foster care, with the expectation that tons of children will have to be taken from their homes and put into placement, but instead focusing on a better outcome. The better outcome being helping families better themselves and keeping children in homes rather than assuming they are a lost cause, causing trauma to children being taken away from their parents at such a young age, and coming up with almost impossible to achieve expectations for parents to meet to even get the chance to have their family back. Placement prevention services provide resources for struggling parents whose children are being threatened by the foster care system by providing: financial, housing, and food resources as well as classes and counseling to help the parents be the best they can for their children. This shift in government funding takes the focus off the input (the anticipated number of children going to enter the foster care system) and focuses on helping parents becoming better (better performance) and being “results oriented” This benefits the CPS system, many families, as well as the government’s finances. In looking at the reference sheet provided one of the careers that interested me was the “Community Prevention Specialist” opportunity based out of the Sexual Assault Resource Agency in Charlottesville, VA. This organization goes into workplaces, schools, and community centers to educate people of all ages about sexual assault, preventing sexual assault, and what to do if you are ever in a situation involving sexual assault. They look at the outcomes rather than the incomes. They do this by focusing on the numbers of sexual assault victims as well as their age, occupation, gender, etc.. and focus on target groups of people to hopefully shrink the number of sexual assault victims therefore changing the outcome. This opportunity interests me as I hope to enter the non-profit field and specifically with rape and sexual assault victims. The job description involves many skills I know I possess such as: teamwork ability, administrative skills, professionalism, and the ability to apply trauma-informed practices.