This report documents findings from the “Arkansas Nonprofit COVID-19 Impact Survey.” This survey was conducted to better understand the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on nonprofits across the state of Arkansas. We asked nonprofits how... more
This report documents findings from the “Arkansas Nonprofit COVID-19 Impact Survey.” This survey was conducted to better understand the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on nonprofits across the state of Arkansas. We asked nonprofits how the pandemic has influenced service provision, finances, employment, and organization needs, among other topics.
This article integrates a critical race (CRT) and intersectional conceptual lens to illuminate racial power dynamics when white-dominated non-profit organizations engage a collaborative strategy in communities of colour. Utilizing this... more
This article integrates a critical race (CRT) and intersectional conceptual lens to illuminate racial power dynamics when white-dominated non-profit organizations engage a collaborative strategy in communities of colour. Utilizing this integrated lens, we also critically assess our own positionality as researchers conducting community-based research in communities of colour. CRT and intersectionality broadens our explanatory power by providing the methodological tools – storytelling, critical autoethnography and narrative that illuminate the experiences of people of colour, and contradicts the majoritarian research narrative that dominates our understanding on non-profit collaborative strategy in communities of colour. Through this approach, we provide an insight and offer practical suggestions that enable a more just and inclusive community development praxis.
Places of worship play important roles as anchor institutions that promote community engagement and motivate political activity. Universities, particularly in urban settings, can also serve as anchor institutions that connect communities.... more
Places of worship play important roles as anchor institutions that promote community engagement and motivate political activity. Universities, particularly in urban settings, can also serve as anchor institutions that connect communities. Yet, there is often a gulf between the two, to the detriment of the broader community. In this article, we present the Little Rock Congregations Study (LRCS) as an approach to community engagement with faith-based organizations in an urban setting. This research project, based at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, involves an interdisciplinary team focused on understanding and improving the community engagement of congregations in the city of Little Rock since 2012. We present qualitative and quantitative data to illustrate the benefits of our approach, including research results returned to community organizations, greater visibility of the university in the community, student involvement in research and with faith-based organizations, and...
This Article is brought to you for free and open access by Barbara Jordan Mickey Leland School of Public Affairs - Digital Scholarship. It has beenaccepted for inclusion in Journal of Public Management & Social Policy by an authorized... more
This Article is brought to you for free and open access by Barbara Jordan Mickey Leland School of Public Affairs - Digital Scholarship. It has beenaccepted for inclusion in Journal of Public Management & Social Policy by an authorized administrator of Barbara Jordan Mickey Leland School ofPublic Affairs - Digital Scholarship. For more information, please contactrodriguezam@TSU.EDU.
This report documents findings from the “Arkansas Nonprofit COVID-19 Impact Survey.” This survey was conducted to better understand the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on nonprofits across the state of Arkansas. We asked nonprofits how... more
This report documents findings from the “Arkansas Nonprofit COVID-19 Impact Survey.” This survey was conducted to better understand the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on nonprofits across the state of Arkansas. We asked nonprofits how the pandemic has influenced service provision, finances, employment, and organization needs, among other topics.
Recently there has been a renewed call for research that seeks to understand the experiences of historically marginalized groups as a means of addressing inequities in governmental treatment and service provision. Although this call has... more
Recently there has been a renewed call for research that seeks to understand the experiences of historically marginalized groups as a means of addressing inequities in governmental treatment and service provision. Although this call has been issued across all of the social sciences, its manifestation in the realm of disaster and emergency management has been limited based on the discipline's lack of use of critical methods within research designs. We argue that this is not necessarily a byproduct of a lack of interest in the experiences of minority populations or addressing inequity, but due a lack of understanding on how to use critical theory as a framework for research design in emergency and disaster management. As such, this conceptual paper offers insight into the need and value of critical theory as a means of structuring research. To aid the practices of other researchers, we offer two potential methods among many, critical ethnography and storytelling, as options for approaching critical research in emergency and disaster management.
The United Nation (UN) lists ending poverty in all its forms as the number one prerogative among seventeen sustainable development goals. One organization that is seeking to make an impact on those who live in poverty is Heifer... more
The United Nation (UN) lists ending poverty in all its forms as the number one prerogative among seventeen sustainable development goals. One organization that is seeking to make an impact on those who live in poverty is Heifer International, a global nonprofit organization based in the United States, whose mission is “to end world hunger and poverty while caring for the Earth.” By using Values-Based Holistic Community Development, Heifer has helped to lift millions of people out of poverty. In this article, we present the results of a study we conducted in Bihar, India to assess the impact of Heifer International programming on participants’ communication competency. Grounded in over 100 interviews with women across four time periods, the results show that women who have partnered with Heifer International experience significant qualitative changes in communication competency across five areas: expressiveness, assertiveness, persuasiveness, openness, and positiveness. We discuss th...
Nonprofit humanitarian organizations work to alleviate poverty and are evaluated in part on their effectiveness in doing so. One such organization is Heifer International, a global humanitarian nonprofit whose mission is to "end hunger... more
Nonprofit humanitarian organizations work to alleviate poverty and are evaluated in part on their effectiveness in doing so. One such organization is Heifer International, a global humanitarian nonprofit whose mission is to "end hunger and poverty while caring for the Earth." In this study, we assessed the impact of Heifer International's Values-Based Holistic Community Development approach on beneficiaries' interpersonal communication competency and positive communication behaviors. The article offers a cross-sectional study of 815 women in Bihar India across four-time periods: baseline, 6 months, 12 months, and 24 months. Compared to baseline, participants reported higher levels of positive communication behaviors and interpersonal communication competence across 6, 12, and 24 months. Implications of these findings for future research are offered.
Nonprofit humanitarian organizations work to alleviate poverty and are evaluated in part on their effectiveness in doing so. One such organization is Heifer International, a global humanitarian nonprofit whose mission is to "end... more
Nonprofit humanitarian organizations work to alleviate poverty and are evaluated in part on their effectiveness in doing so. One such organization is Heifer International, a global humanitarian nonprofit whose mission is to "end hunger and poverty while caring for the Earth." In this study, we assessed the impact of Heifer International's Values-Based Holistic Community Development approach on beneficiaries' interpersonal communication competency and positive communication behaviors. The article offers a cross-sectional study of 815 women in Bihar India across four-time periods: baseline, 6 months, 12 months, and 24 months. Compared to baseline, participants reported higher levels of positive communication behaviors and interpersonal communication competence across 6, 12, and 24 months. Implications of these findings for future research are offered.
Recently there has been a renewed call for research that seeks to understand the experiences of historically marginalized groups as a means of addressing inequities in governmental treatment and service provision. Although this call has... more
Recently there has been a renewed call for research that seeks to understand the experiences of historically marginalized groups as a means of addressing inequities in governmental treatment and service provision. Although this call has been issued across all of the social sciences, its manifestation in the realm of disaster and emergency management has been limited based on the discipline's lack of use of critical methods within research designs. We argue that this is not necessarily a byproduct of a lack of interest in the experiences of minority populations or addressing inequity, but due a lack of understanding on how to use critical theory as a framework for research design in emergency and disaster management. As such, this conceptual paper offers insight into the need and value of critical theory as a means of structuring research. To aid the practices of other researchers, we offer two potential methods among many, critical ethnography and storytelling, as options for ap...
Grassroots associations (GAs) are the "keepers" of collective local knowledge yet uncovering that local knowledge remains challenging for nonprofit researchers. In this study, we propose the utility of reflexivity for nonprofit scholars... more
Grassroots associations (GAs) are the "keepers" of collective local knowledge yet uncovering that local knowledge remains challenging for nonprofit researchers. In this study, we propose the utility of reflexivity for nonprofit scholars conducting research aimed at accessing local knowledge within GAs and illustrate its use in practice through collaborative autoethnography (CAE). From block clubs to mutual aid groups, grassroots associations provide a space for members to come together, share insights, build community, and are important repositories of local knowledge. However, GAs remain the "dark matter" of the nonprofit sector-understudied and undertheorized. We discuss the difficulties nonprofit researchers face in accessing the local knowledge of resident within grassroots associations. We then present our CAE methodology and conclude by recommending that scholars interested in accessing local knowledge engage in reflexive praxis attuned to power and positionality. This study contributes to expanding our work with and knowledge of grassroots associations within nonprofit studies.
There has been greater emphasis in recent times on using public-private partnerships (PPPs or P3s) to provide and deliver transportation infrastructure and services. These public-private partnerships differ from contracting out, being... more
There has been greater emphasis in recent times on using public-private partnerships (PPPs or P3s) to provide and deliver transportation infrastructure and services. These public-private partnerships differ from contracting out, being applicable to a broader range of projects and requiring different contract management and accountability. In the transportation arena the focus on public-private partnerships has resulted from both the need for greater reliance on private capital to fund critical infrastructure and services and the need to tap private sector expertise to ensure delivery of high quality infrastructure and services on time and on budget. This report serves as a primer on public-private partnerships for the delivery of transportation infrastructure and services. It provides an overview of the concept of public-private partnerships, presenting a broad definition of the privatization approach, comparing it to contracting out, and discussing a theoretical framework for understanding why, when and how partnerships are appropriate as a privatization strategy. The report also reviews six public-private partnership models – design bid build, private contract fee services, design build, design build operate maintain or build operate transfer, design build finance operate, and build own operate – identified by the Federal Highway Administration as available for use by transportation agencies considering privatizing transportation projects. Adopting a public-private partnership involves two important decisions – (1) the decision to privatize via a public-private partnership; and (2) the decision on which partnership model to adopt – which are also addressed. This report also discusses key issues and factors necessary for successful transportation public-private partnerships and provides a glossary of terms as a reference for understanding the terminology and language of privatization and public-private partnerships.
