- 130 Humphrey Center
301 19th Avenue South
Minneapolis, MN 55455
Kathy Quick
University of Minnesota, Hubert H Humphrey School of Pubic Affair, Department Member
- University of Minnesota, Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs, Faculty Memberadd
- Public Administration, Civic Engagement, Nonprofit Management and Leadership, Urban Planning, Public Participation In Governance, Public Management, and 27 moreEthnography, Art of Hosting, Public Deliberation, Interpretive policy analysis, Critical Policy Studies, Community Engagement & Participation, Organizational Theory, Democratic Theory, Practice theory, American Indian Law, Native American Studies, American Indian Studies, Road safety, Sociology of Risk, Public Participation, Policy Change, Deliberative Democracy, Organizational Theory (in public organizations), Infrastructure Planning, Narrative Analysis, Qualitative methodology, Community participation and engagement, Diversity & Inclusion, Transport Planning, Public Engagement, Applied Anthropology, and Women in Public Administrationedit
- My work focuses on how managers in public and nonprofit organizations create opportunities for communities to address... moreMy work focuses on how managers in public and nonprofit organizations create opportunities for communities to address public issues together. I engage in three related streams of qualitative research. First, I do long-term, ethnographic research in communities where such managers have been particularly successful in building platforms for ongoing civic engagement and leadership. Through participant observation, interviews, and analysis of texts, I analyze their practices and their consequences for the inclusiveness and ongoing capacity of communities, the quality of policy outcomes, and the generation and management of resources. Second, I am have been interviewing and observing community facilitation practitioners across Minnesota to analyze how skilled practitioners make design choices about how to organize civic engagement across a diverse range of settings and public policy issues. Third, I study methods for effectively engaging stakeholders with substantially different ways of knowing issues, technical knowledge, perceptions of risk, and preferences for management intervention, through case studies of transportation planning and the emerging emerald ash borer threat.
I study these practices across diverse issue areas, including city budgeting and resource management, environmental stewardship, urban master planning and zoning, neighborhood conflicts, transportation, and arts and culture development.
My research, teaching, and service commitments grow out of my professional practice. I previously worked as an environmental advocate and policy analyst in Indonesia for 8 years and as a community development program manager in 2 Californian cities over 6 years. I hold a Ph.D. in Planning, Policy, and Design from the University of California, Irvine, a master’s degree in city and regional planning from the University of California, Berkeley, and a bachelor’s degree in biology from Swarthmore College.edit - Martha Feldmanedit
About 292 million rural-to-urban migrants live and work in cities in Mainland China, yet little has been known about the political attitudes of this large number of people. This study aims to address this gap by exploring Chinese... more
About 292 million rural-to-urban migrants live and work in cities in Mainland China, yet little has been known about the political attitudes of this large number of people. This study aims to address this gap by exploring Chinese rural-to-urban migrants' trust in county government of their new urban places of residence. Utilizing data from the China Family Panel Studies in 2014, we employed ordered logistic regression among rural-to-urban migrants and found that migrants' evaluations of government performance and their interactions with local governments (i.e., having conflicts with officials, being unfairly treated by officials, or having unreasonable delay at government institutions) significantly affect their trust levels. Migrants' socioeconomic status (i.e., income, employment status, and occupational prestige scales) and their experiences of facing discrimination by urban dwellers do not appear to affect migrants' trust in local government. Political trust is an important indicator which signals the quality of government relationships with rural-to-urban migrants and therefore merits additional policy attention, complementing the existing policies mainly focusing on migrants' economic and social improvements.
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Are you committed to shared leadership to address community needs but sometimes overwhelmed by how to get started? University of Minnesota faculty Vanessa Laird, Kathy Quick, and J. Myles Shaver offer a step-by-step guide for... more
Are you committed to shared leadership to address community needs but sometimes overwhelmed by how to get started? University of Minnesota faculty Vanessa Laird, Kathy Quick, and J. Myles Shaver offer a step-by-step guide for agenda-setting to help you get beyond the overwhelm. The Minimum Viable Benefit (MVB) process helps all kinds of leaders - even rising leaders without a funded backbone organization, governance experience, or significant preexisting relationships - to mobilize impactful action for social change. The article includes case studies of the MVB approach.
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Public participation in governance involves the direct or indirect involvement of stakeholders in decision-making about policies, plans or programs in which they have an interest. This chapter explores the theories illuminating key... more
Public participation in governance involves the direct or indirect involvement of stakeholders in decision-making about policies, plans or programs in which they have an interest. This chapter explores the theories illuminating key concerns: what constitutes legitimate and useful public participation; the relationships among diversity, representation and inclusion; the appropriate influence of different kinds of knowledge; and how to align participation methods and contexts. We describe two areas needing additional theoretical development: what levels of participation are desirable and workable; and the threats and opportunities for participation posed by increasingly diffuse systems of governance.
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What happens to problem-solution pathways when racism is prominent in a public policy issue and a group of stakeholders-the majority of whom are White-dialogue about desired policy changes? I examine this question through a case study of... more
What happens to problem-solution pathways when racism is prominent in a public policy issue and a group of stakeholders-the majority of whom are White-dialogue about desired policy changes? I examine this question through a case study of community dialogues about policing, safety, race, and White privilege after Philando Castile was killed by a police officer. Through longitudinal, ethnographic analysis, I trace how a series of deliberative dialogues made White complicity in racism visible, leading to problem-solution pathways expanding beyond an initial focus on policing reform to also incorporate White residents' making deeper commitments to anti-racism and inclusion. This shift occurred through the sequencing of topics, slowing down the pace of problem definition, building relationships, dialogue norms and facilitation methodologies, and BIPOC participants' labor. I conclude with suggestions for more constructive democratic processes to support anti-racist governance.
Research Interests: Public Administration, Public Management, Ethnography, Public Deliberation, Deliberative Democracy, and 10 moreWhiteness Studies, Critical Race Theory and Whiteness theory, Anthropology of Police & Policing, Critical Whiteness Studies, Police and Policing, Critical Race and Whiteness Studies, Whiteness, Public Administration and Policy, Police Reforms, and Public Policy
This introduction to the special issue aims to bridge the gap between two fields – policing on the one hand and public management on the other – which have seen only sporadic cross-fertilization so far. We begin by outlining the benefits... more
This introduction to the special issue aims to bridge the gap between two fields – policing on the one hand and public management on the other – which have seen only sporadic cross-fertilization so far. We begin by outlining the benefits of engaging with policing as a distinctive subject of public management study but one with generalizable and challenging insights for public management. We then provide a brief overview of the papers in the special issue and draw out key themes, which hopefully will inspire academics to engage with policing research as a contribution to public management.
Research Interests: Criminal Justice, Public Management, Institutional Theory, Police, Third Sector Studies, and 9 moreNew Public Management and Governance, Public Services, Police and Policing, Public Value, Social Equity, Public Service Management, Public Administration and Policy, Public Adminsitration, and Street-Level Bureaucracy
The study of policing offers rich opportunities to test and refine the boundaries of key concepts and theories of public management, yet it is neglected in public management discourse. In this essay, we strike up a conversation between... more
The study of policing offers rich opportunities to test and refine the boundaries of key concepts and theories of public management, yet it is neglected in public management discourse. In this essay, we strike up a conversation between public management and policing studies, arguing that, through this dialectical inquiry, concepts and theories in both fields can be reviewed and improved. We explore areas with particular potential for cross-fertilization: basic rationales used in public management; the saliency of state authority and legitimacy in policing; questions of public value creation (or destruction); and dilemmas of pursuing equity.
Keywords:Policing; public management theories; state authority; legitimacy; public value, equity
Keywords:Policing; public management theories; state authority; legitimacy; public value, equity
Research Interests: Public Administration, Legitimacy and Authority, Public Management, Governance, Police, and 11 morePolitical Legitimacy, Policing Studies, Equity, Law Enforcement, New Public Management and Governance, Public Services, Democracy and Good Governance, Police studies, Public Service Delivery, Public Service Management, and Public Administration and Policy
Through a consideration of community dialogues about safety and policing, this essay reflects upon issues of Whiteness, justice, and possibilities of healing and repair as they arise in planning practice. A few vignettes of “just talk”... more
Through a consideration of community dialogues about safety and policing, this essay reflects upon issues of Whiteness, justice, and possibilities of healing and repair as they arise in planning practice. A few vignettes of “just talk” illuminate the promise and perils of dialogues. They are drawn from three extended series of multi-stakeholder dialogues about policing and public safety in which I have been a process designer, discussion facilitator, or co-chair (Lemmie et al., 2021; M Safe, 2021; Quick, 2021). These experiences raise a dilemma of “just talk” in several senses. First, I consider what these contexts illuminate about deliberation and justice. Second, I explore anxiety about whether deliberation is “just talk,” meaning merely talk, not action. Whiteness can easily dominate deliberative dialogue, in multiple ways, and the vignettes I share serve as a testament to the intransigent Whiteness of institutions that resist change. My multiple, decidedly mixed experiences with trying to confront Whiteness through dialogues have led me to a messy mix of cynicism, dwindling hope, and a continuing, restless desire to make deliberation better.
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This paper describes new methods developed to identify roadway safety priorities in American Indian reservations. The authors propose simple methods that offer three advantages: a) they generate new types of data to address data... more
This paper describes new methods developed to identify roadway safety priorities in American Indian reservations. The authors propose simple methods that offer three advantages: a) they generate new types of data to address data limitations; b) they complement data on accidents and fatalities that have already occurred with local knowledge of road conditions and other risks; and c) they facilitate collaboration among tribal, county, state, and federal entities. These are tools that tribal governments and others may use to prepare Tribal Safety Plans, to identify focal areas for Road Safety Audits, and to improve transportation and safety policies and implementation. These methods were developed through collaborative research with four tribal governments and the Advocacy Council for Tribal Transportation in Minnesota. They involve doing qualitative interviews with key stakeholders and a simple community survey method using maps to gather residents’ knowledge of local road safety haza...
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This paper is an analysis and discussion of participants’ perspective on criteria for evaluating public participation. Scholars and practitioners acknowledge evaluation measures for public participation are poorly developed. This study... more
This paper is an analysis and discussion of participants’ perspective on criteria for evaluating public participation. Scholars and practitioners acknowledge evaluation measures for public participation are poorly developed. This study documents a fresh perspective by identifying the likes and dislikes of participants in public participation processes about how they are organized. It is developed from participants' accounts regarding 3 public participation processes regarding local road systems. It is the result of an engaged scholarship project conducted in three Minnesota counties: Beltrami, Dakota, and Jackson. The analysis is based upon interviews with 26 people who were involved in three different types of public engagement approaches in the study counties. The paper highlights a case study of Dakota County, where the engagement effort was typical of many undertaken in transportation planning (e.g., a set of community open houses and a public consultation approach) and wher...
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How can community groups and governmental organizations – with their disparate kinds of knowledge, experiences, and values – work together on mutual concerns about safety? Communities across this nation and the globe seek safe spaces in... more
How can community groups and governmental organizations – with their disparate kinds of knowledge, experiences, and values – work together on mutual concerns about safety? Communities across this nation and the globe seek safe spaces in which people can actualize their fullest potential. Residents, law enforcement professionals, and community and government leaders seemingly have a mutual interest in public safety, so there should be opportunities to act in complementary ways to create safe communities. Yet, community members increasingly question public institutions' legitimacy, with many distrusting their government, particularly local police. Officer-involved shootings, accusations of police misconduct, and social movements such as Black Lives Matter are constantly in the news.
Many community members see disparate treatment and feel unsafe around police, which disconnects and divides them from government and fuels mistrust. Police feel called to serve and protect the community, even to the extent of placing their own safety at risk, and increasingly experience public distrust and resentment about how they do their job. Relationship-building is often recommended as a path forward from this morass. Still, it is hard to have a dialogue about the issues and options because people are divided on what the priorities are for safety, fearful of one another, and doubtful that there is a way forward. We do not want to overstate these problems, nor to conclude that community members' and law enforcement professionals' attitudes are necessarily in conflict with each other, but rather to acknowledge that these conflicts and tensions make complementary action increasingly difficult.
Civic engagement opportunities around public safety are problematic, promising, and faced with many obstacles. All parties—community members and public officials—know they need each other to create communities where everyone feels safe. Here, we share lessons from one surprisingly hopeful effort: a series of learning exchanges about public safety held in 2018 at the Kettering Foundation in Dayton, Ohio.
Many community members see disparate treatment and feel unsafe around police, which disconnects and divides them from government and fuels mistrust. Police feel called to serve and protect the community, even to the extent of placing their own safety at risk, and increasingly experience public distrust and resentment about how they do their job. Relationship-building is often recommended as a path forward from this morass. Still, it is hard to have a dialogue about the issues and options because people are divided on what the priorities are for safety, fearful of one another, and doubtful that there is a way forward. We do not want to overstate these problems, nor to conclude that community members' and law enforcement professionals' attitudes are necessarily in conflict with each other, but rather to acknowledge that these conflicts and tensions make complementary action increasingly difficult.
Civic engagement opportunities around public safety are problematic, promising, and faced with many obstacles. All parties—community members and public officials—know they need each other to create communities where everyone feels safe. Here, we share lessons from one surprisingly hopeful effort: a series of learning exchanges about public safety held in 2018 at the Kettering Foundation in Dayton, Ohio.
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Inter-governmental relationships involving tribes must be respectful of tribal sovereignty and native people’s rights, yet most non-Native public managers are not educated about this and thus are unprepared to engage constructively in... more
Inter-governmental relationships involving tribes must be respectful of tribal sovereignty and native people’s rights, yet most non-Native public managers are not educated about this and thus are unprepared to engage constructively in collaboration with tribal governments. This chapter provides a basic orientation to tribal sovereignty, self-determination, reservations and ceded territories, and Public Law 280, and illuminates their relevance to nearly any policy domain, including child welfare, education, economic development, land use and planning, environmental stewardship, and law enforcement. While there are positive examples of constructive and mutually respectful synergy, unfortunately there are also many instances of antagonistic failures to collaborate, with damaging consequences for Native and non-Native communities. I illustrate these complex dynamics through a single policy issue – roadway safety in reservations – before concluding with a summary of a few key takeaways for exploring collaboration with tribal governments.
KEYWORDS
● Tribal sovereignty
● Indigenous governance
● Tribes and intergovernmental relationships
● Native self-determination
● American Indian reservations
● Roadway safety in reservations
KEYWORDS
● Tribal sovereignty
● Indigenous governance
● Tribes and intergovernmental relationships
● Native self-determination
● American Indian reservations
● Roadway safety in reservations
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Feature article. This paper is a call to entomologists to consider the uncertainty we introduce through the language we use to conduct and communicate about science. Following an introduction to the concept of linguistic uncertainty, we... more
Feature article. This paper is a call to entomologists to consider the uncertainty we introduce through the language we use to conduct and communicate about science. Following an introduction to the concept of linguistic uncertainty, we demonstrate that linguistic uncertainty is commonplace and consequential through an analysis of how insecticides have been described and categorized in the ten leading entomological journals over the last decade. Specifically, we characterize several forms of linguistic uncertainty – ambiguity, conflation of categories, and slippage between descriptive and normative judgement – accompanying rising usage of the term “broad-spectrum insecticides.” Awareness of linguistic uncertainty surrounding the categorization of insecticides should improve communication regarding their use, notably in the context of scientific and policy dialogues regarding the impacts of insecticides on pollinators. However, it ss also our hope that this example will arm readers with lenses to identify linguistic uncertainty in their respective areas of expertise.
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In 1969, "People and Planning, the Report of the Committee on Public Participation in Planning, was published in the United Kingdom." Commonly known as the "Skeffington Report," it marks one of the first official attempts to think through... more
In 1969, "People and Planning, the Report of the Committee on Public Participation in Planning, was published in the United Kingdom." Commonly known as the "Skeffington Report," it marks one of the first official attempts to think through how publics could be meaningfully engaged in the production of public policies and plans. In this commentary, I review the relevance of this work from an American perspective. In the US, the Skeffington report's reach is far less than that of Arnstein’s (1969) contemporaneous "ladder of citizen participation," a staple of American planning education. I find the Skeffington report’s address of race and power lacking, even as it introduces the idea of co-production throughout all stages of planning as a powerful call to re-center planning work in communities.
My contribution to this set of essays is, "An American's reflections on Skeffington's relevance at 50."
My contribution to this set of essays is, "An American's reflections on Skeffington's relevance at 50."
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The focus of this study is roadway safety in American Indian tribal lands. American Indians' motor vehicle crash fatality rate is the highest among all ethnic and racial groups in the United States. Roadway safety in tribal areas, where... more
The focus of this study is roadway safety in American Indian tribal lands. American Indians' motor vehicle crash fatality rate is the highest among all ethnic and racial groups in the United States. Roadway safety in tribal areas, where approximately 656 fatalities occur each year, is an important aspect of this problem. Following a review of crash statistics from recently published research, we present our empirical analysis of the expressed concerns of roadway safety managers with the most informed, direct knowledge of reservations and tribal areas. The data source is the 2016 Tribal Transportation Safety Data Survey, including 151 tribal government and 22 state government respondents. Qualitative methods were used to analyze their perceptions and priorities for roadway safety. We identified: 1) tribes' and states' highest priorities for roadway safety in tribal lands, and 2) their concerns about state government relationships relating to data quality, data sharing, and coordination. Tribes consistently named four concerns: road quality engineering and repair; reckless driving (speeding, impaired, distracted driving); seatbelt/car seat use; and pedestrian safety. Tribes and states both expressed a wish to improve their relationships, particularly relating to data quality and sharing, with both sides identifying the need for tribes to have more resources for data documentation and analysis. We conclude with recommendations to improve tribal roadway safety plans, strengthen data quality, create a common framework for identifying roads of interest to tribal governments and communities, and conduct additional research on pedestrian safety, emergency medical service response, roadway departures, and nonfatal crashes.
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The focus of this exploratory study is emergency medical response (EMS) for motor vehicle crashes (MVCs) in American Indian reservations and communities. Tribal transportation professionals have raised questions about the role of EMS in... more
The focus of this exploratory study is emergency medical response (EMS) for motor vehicle crashes (MVCs) in American Indian reservations and communities. Tribal transportation professionals have raised questions about the role of EMS in the high MVC fatality rate – 656 annually – in these areas. We conducted a national survey (n=189) of tribal governments, first responders, and state-tribe transportation liaisons. They assessed factors in the quality of EMS response in their areas (e.g., 911 access, dispatch, accessibility of MVC locations, responders’ training and equipment, distance to hospital; and inter-jurisdictional coordination). We recommend continuing research on MVCs specifically in American Indian reservations and communities. Specifically, more research is needed on dispatch issues (e.g., cell phone coverage and dispatchers’ ability to pinpoint MVC sites) because this is study respondents’ single highest area of concern, and the whole EMS response hinges on successfully placing a call for help. And, examples of productive inter-jurisdictional coordination need to be identified since tribes report vastly different experiences with this aspect of EMS system functioning. Two statistically significant findings merit further study, namely: a) heightened concern about response times and hospital access among responders from the Pacific Northwest and Alaska (compared with other regions); and b) higher optimism on all aspects of EMS response from study participants who work for tribal governments versus participants without that affiliation. Finally, it is important for researchers to communicate clearly about the geographic areas covered under “American Indian reservations and communities” in order to improve characterization of road safety and EMS issues
Research Interests: Native American Studies, Transportation Studies, Injury Prevention, Survey Research, Alaska Native Studies, and 8 morePublic Health, American Indian & Alaska Native, Native American Anthropology, Emergency Medical Services, American Indian Studies, Road safety, Traffic engineering , Transportation engineering, Motor Vehicle Crashes, and 911 Emergency Dispatch
The focus of this study is roadway safety in American Indian reservations. We provide new sources of data and policy- relevant findings to address the unusually high rates of roadway fatalities and injuries among American Indians.... more
The focus of this study is roadway safety in American Indian reservations. We provide new sources of data and policy- relevant findings to address the unusually high rates of roadway fatalities and injuries among American Indians. Qualitative methods were used to generate and analyze data from people with the most direct knowledge of and responsibility for reservation roadway safety.
Four case studies were conducted in partnership with the tribal governments of the Red Lake, Fond du Lac, Leech Lake, and Mille Lacs reservations; these data sources include fieldwork (90 days), interviews (n=102), focus groups (n=8), and short surveys (n=220). These data are triangulated with data from FHWA’s 2016 nationwide survey of tribes and states (n=196).
Key findings from this extensive data analysis are:
1. Pedestrian safety is a critical, yet under-recognized issue on reservations. This is unequivocal across all data sources and differentiates reservations from rural areas in general.
2. Reservation road engineering and repair are very high priorities according to both tribe and state governments.
3. Reckless driving is a multi-faceted concern, including not only impaired driving but also cell phone distraction and speeding.
4. Education and enforcement to increase seatbelt and car seat use are named as high priorities in the national survey.
5. Tribes need better cooperation with local, state, and federal agencies. Priorities include addressing data quality and sharing issues better inter-jurisdictional cooperation for infrastructure and enforcement. The study concludes with recommendations to improve roadway safety in reservations and for further research.
Four case studies were conducted in partnership with the tribal governments of the Red Lake, Fond du Lac, Leech Lake, and Mille Lacs reservations; these data sources include fieldwork (90 days), interviews (n=102), focus groups (n=8), and short surveys (n=220). These data are triangulated with data from FHWA’s 2016 nationwide survey of tribes and states (n=196).
Key findings from this extensive data analysis are:
1. Pedestrian safety is a critical, yet under-recognized issue on reservations. This is unequivocal across all data sources and differentiates reservations from rural areas in general.
2. Reservation road engineering and repair are very high priorities according to both tribe and state governments.
3. Reckless driving is a multi-faceted concern, including not only impaired driving but also cell phone distraction and speeding.
4. Education and enforcement to increase seatbelt and car seat use are named as high priorities in the national survey.
5. Tribes need better cooperation with local, state, and federal agencies. Priorities include addressing data quality and sharing issues better inter-jurisdictional cooperation for infrastructure and enforcement. The study concludes with recommendations to improve roadway safety in reservations and for further research.
Research Interests: Native American Studies, Road safety, Public Health, American Indian & Alaska Native, Tribal Culture and Local self Goverment, and 12 moreAmerican Indian Studies, Road Safety, Traffic Enforcement, Driver Education, Highway Engineering, Road safety, Traffic engineering , Transportation engineering, Driver Behavior, Rural Roads, Tribal Develipment, Socio Economic problems of tribals, Pedestrian Safety, Motor Vehicle, Car Accident, Indian Reservations, and Roadway Safety
Narrative work is a critical aspect of producing complex stakeholder engagement processes. I demonstrate the value of attending to the effort and consequences of enactment forms of narrative work to complement attention to talk forms of... more
Narrative work is a critical aspect of producing complex stakeholder engagement processes. I demonstrate the value of attending to the effort and consequences of enactment forms of narrative work to complement attention to talk forms of narrative work. Through ethnographic analysis of a contentious planning effort, I show how master narratives structure expectations about what a " participatory process " involves; how narrative logics provide momentum for moving through an engagement process; and how storytelling represents perspectives, imagines futures, and persuades. I suggest prompts for investigating, designing, and troubleshooting narrative work to improve engagement processes.
Research Interests: Ethnography, Community Engagement & Participation, Urban Planning, Storytelling, Gentrification, and 12 morePublic Participation In Governance, Narrative Analysis, Participatory Democracy, Narrative Theory, Urban And Regional Planning, Framing, Contentious Politics, Design process, Citizen participation, Stakeholder Engagement, Public Administration and Policy, and Stakeholder engagement processes
Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) and Minnesota Local Road Research Board (LRRB) supported the University of Minnesota to investigate social media options for effective public engagement. A three-part approach assessed 1) the... more
Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) and Minnesota Local Road Research Board (LRRB) supported the University of Minnesota to investigate social media options for effective public engagement. A three-part approach assessed 1) the state of social media use through a literature review, 2) the status of social media use and interest in its use for transportation in Minnesota compared to national data, and 3) actual and perceived effectiveness of social media in two pairs of case studies in Minnesota. In sum, results reveal social media is effective as a strategic and select part of engagement plans and can likely effectively engage select groups. Survey results revealed 11-21% of respondents participated in planning for transportation programs, policies or projects in the last 12 months, 72% use social media of some sort, and 36% expressed interest in using social media to get information, provide feedback or make suggestions related to transportation. Finally, social media analytics and interviews related to four case studies revealed social media does indeed lead transportation projects to make more connections with stakeholders, but the quality and effectiveness of those connections vary. Four main opportunities include: 1) integrating social media into multi-pronged, dynamic engagement approaches, 2) considering the demographic qualities of the key stakeholders to determine how social media can be most useful, 3) employing best practices for social media engagement, and 4) expanding and/ or developing research and evaluation plans to understand and assess future social media engagement efforts.
Research Interests: Transportation Studies, Urban Planning, Social Media, Public Participation In Governance, Diversity & Inclusion, and 6 morePublic Relations & Social Media, Urban And Regional Planning, Public Engagement, Public Participation, Transportation Planning, and Diversity and Multiculturalism, Intersectionality, Forms of Political Participation
Political and policy dynamics associated with local road financing and planning – the subject of this study of stakeholder attitudes, knowledge, and engagement in local road systems planning and decision making – merit special attention.... more
Political and policy dynamics associated with local road financing and planning – the subject of this study of stakeholder attitudes, knowledge, and engagement in local road systems planning and decision making – merit special attention. This study: 1) analyzes stakeholder attitudes, knowledge, and engagement about financing for local road system management, to identify key gaps and conflicts, and 2) evaluates public communication and engagement methods, to provide practical guidance for improving stakeholder engagement methods. Qualitative research methods were used because they are particularly well-suited to analyzing people's values, perceptions, and preferences about policy topics and options, and their reactions to different methods and processes for public engagement. Data sources included a survey of 128 local public works leaders; content analysis of 198 articles from local to national media; 30 hours of observation of deliberations in the state and local legislatures; 22 semi-structured interviews with key stakeholders; and 4 case studies of local public communication and engagement processes. Analysis of these data support the following recommendations for local policy makers: a) Support rising public attention to local transportation issues with high-quality, accessible information; b) Invest in the high short-term costs of proactive, good quality engagement, to gain substantial benefits over the longer term; c) Use multiple communication channels, including new technologies for targeted outreach; d) Employ a consultative process and thoughtful, timely explanations from local public works leaders, to improve stakeholder satisfaction with project outcomes and the engagement process; and e) Include stakeholders in defining the policy problem and developing options as well as the preferred policy options.
Research Interests: Qualitative methodology, Infrastructure Planning, Case Study Research, Transportation Policy, Qualitative Research, and 11 morePublic Participation In Governance, Public Engagement, Public Participation, Case Study, Transportation Finance, Minnesota, Public particiaption/engagement in infrastructure and renewable energy and social capital, Public Involvement, Infrastructure Financing, Public participation methods: A framework for evaluatio, and HIGHWAY ROADS AND BRIDGES
Comparative study of the perceptions of different stakeholders (scientists and natural resource managers, other interested parties, and the general public) regarding the nature of and appropriate interventions to prevent or manage an... more
Comparative study of the perceptions of different stakeholders (scientists and natural resource managers, other interested parties, and the general public) regarding the nature of and appropriate interventions to prevent or manage an emerging environmental risk. The topic is the introduction of the emerald ash borer in Minnesota, a non-native insect that threatens ash trees, which comprise a large proportion of the tree canopy in the state's urban areas and of the native forests of northern Minnesota. The study concludes with recommended strategies for public communication and engagement, based upon findings from focus groups, observations, text analysis, and the literature.
This chapter examines how facilitators of public participation become critical, pragmatic practitioners of their craft. We analyze how facilitators learn through ethnographic study of an approach known as the Art of Hosting. We identify... more
This chapter examines how facilitators of public participation become critical, pragmatic practitioners of their craft. We analyze how facilitators learn through ethnographic study of an approach known as the Art of Hosting. We identify three ways in which facilitators transform knowledge to facilitate. They metabolize facilitation knowledge to understand and incorporate or eschew techniques and frameworks into their repertoire. They situate facilitation knowledge to adapt it in particular contexts. They co-produce facilitation knowledge with practitioner community. Through illustrations, we demonstrate how these learning processes support professional development and discuss the implications for enhancing professional and societal capacities for participatory decision-making.
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Public participation in governance involves the direct or indirect involvement of stakeholders in decision-making about policies, plans or programs in which they have an interest. This chapter explores the theories illuminating key... more
Public participation in governance involves the direct or indirect involvement of stakeholders in decision-making about policies, plans or programs in which they have an interest. This chapter explores the theories illuminating key concerns, namely what constitutes legitimate and useful public participation; the relationships among diversity, representation, and inclusion; the appropriate influence of different kinds of knowledge; and how to align participation methods and contexts. We describe two areas needing additional theoretical development: what levels of participation are desirable and workable, and the threats and opportunities for participation posed by increasingly diffuse systems of governance.
Research Interests:
This paper analyzes how collective leadership develops from more individualistic leadership through ethnographic analysis of the rise of urban environmental stewardship in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Longitudinal analysis of a 30-year period... more
This paper analyzes how collective leadership develops from more individualistic leadership through ethnographic analysis of the rise of urban environmental stewardship in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Longitudinal analysis of a 30-year period reveals how leadership shifted from being highly individualistic, to become more pluralistic, and ultimately more collective. I demonstrate how specifying the location of leadership action in the case addresses ambiguity regarding the definitions of and distinctions among collective, plural, and integrative leadership. I identify two processes that helped to relocate leadership from more individualistic to increasingly collective, emergent spaces: fueling a public imaginary and organizing inclusively. These processes were central to connecting and mutually advancing collective leadership and collective impact.
Research Interests: Public Management, Leadership, Collective Action, Sustainable Urban Environments, Deliberative Democracy, and 13 moreLongitudinal Research, Leadership Development, Social Imaginaries, Urban Imaginary, Social impact, Sustainable Urban Planning, Collective Leadership, Green Cities, Urban Environmental Management, Longitudinal Studies, Cross sector Collaboration, Inter Sectoral Linkages, and Collective Impact
Prior studies suggest deliberation leads participants to change their minds. This paper contributes participants’ accounts, from dialogues and subsequent interviews, of how this change occurs. More information leads participants to... more
Prior studies suggest deliberation leads participants to change their minds. This paper contributes participants’ accounts, from dialogues and subsequent interviews, of how this change occurs. More information leads participants to understand the policy problem and appreciate its seriousness. Dialogue allows them to discern alignment of policy choices with their values. Hearing others’ perspectives inspires empathy and desires for comprehensive solutions. Communication increases confidence in government leaders and their policy recommendations. A novel finding is that inclusive deliberation, which involves stakeholders in coproducing problem definitions and solutions through engaging diverse ways of knowing, enhances confidence in public administrators and proposed policies.
Research Interests: Public Opinion, Applied, engaged, and public anthropology, Democratic Theory, Infrastructure Planning, Regional and Local Governance, and 15 moreTransport Planning, Public Deliberation, Rural Development, Local Government and Local Development, Transportation Policy, Deliberative Democracy, Public Opinion Research, Public Participation In Governance, Public Engagement, Citizenship & democratic education, critical reflection & transformative learning, research methodology, Transportation Policy, Infrastructure Policy, Resource Distribution Policies etc, Politics of Infrastructure, Local Knowledge, Transport Infrastructure, and Deliberative Democracy and Conflict
We introduce the concept of deliberative technology as an integrative framework to encapsulate how facilitators and participants bring different resources into use in deliberative processes. It serves as a holistic lens to observe,... more
We introduce the concept of deliberative technology as an integrative framework to encapsulate how facilitators and participants bring different resources into use in deliberative processes. It serves as a holistic lens to observe, explain, and intervene constructively in the unpredictable, emergent dynamics of deliberative processes. We developed the concept of deliberative technology inductively through ethnographic analysis of three deliberative processes. In the three cases, the deliberative processes and their results were quite different, despite common resources, policy contexts, and purposes. We articulate a typology of general types of potential resources for deliberation – methodological techniques, material objects, and conceptual frameworks – and show how they interact with the policy context and the dynamics of the facilitators and participants to produce the deliberative technologies of the three cases.
Keywords: Deliberative technology; Deliberative methods; Designing deliberative processes; Resources for deliberation; Co-production; Ethnographic research
Keywords: Deliberative technology; Deliberative methods; Designing deliberative processes; Resources for deliberation; Co-production; Ethnographic research
Research Interests:
"This article is a theoretical contribution to reconsidering the boundaries that are central features of collaborative public management. We identify two contrasting ways of doing boundary work: one oriented to treating them as barriers... more
"This article is a theoretical contribution to reconsidering the boundaries that are central features of collaborative public management. We identify two contrasting ways of doing boundary work: one oriented to treating them as barriers that promote separation and the other to treating them as junctures that enable connecting. We describe three general prac- tices for creating junctures: translating across, aligning among, and decentering differences. We argue that orienting boundary work in collaboration to making connections supports efficient resilience, making it possible for systems to work even when they are disrupted or when resources are constrained. We illustrate the practices and their benefits with examples from collaborative public management.
Keywords: boundaries, boundary work, resilience, collaboration, efficiency, slack, difference""
Keywords: boundaries, boundary work, resilience, collaboration, efficiency, slack, difference""
Research Interests: Public Management, Resilience, Collaboration, Boundary-spanning collaboration, Boundary-Spanning Knowledge Sharing, and 5 moreOrganizational Theory (in public organizations), Public Participation In Governance, Efficiency and Productivity Analysis, Organisationnal Slack, and Inclusive Public Management
Research Interests: Public Administration, Public Management, Public Deliberation, Deliberative Democracy, Interpretive policy analysis, and 6 morePublic Participation In Governance, Civic Engagement, Group Facilitation, Group Dynamics, Facilitation, Group Work, Collaboration, Knowledge Creation, Public Value, Art of Hosting, and Public Administration and Policy
The purpose of this Theory to Practice article is to present a systematic, cross-disciplinary, and accessible synthesis of relevant research and to offer explicit evidence-based design guidelines to help practitioners design better... more
The purpose of this Theory to Practice article is to present a systematic, cross-disciplinary, and accessible synthesis of relevant research and to offer explicit evidence-based design guidelines to help practitioners design better participation processes. From the research literature, the authors glean suggestions for iteratively creating, managing, and evaluating public participation activities. The article takes an evidence-based and design science approach, suggesting that effective public participation processes are grounded in analyzing the context closely, identifying the purposes of the participation effort, and iteratively designing and redesigning the process accordingly.
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This article argues that participation and inclusion are independent dimensions of public engagement and elaborates the relationships of inclusion with deliberation and diversity. Inclusion continuously creates a community involved in... more
This article argues that participation and inclusion are independent dimensions of public engagement and elaborates the relationships of inclusion with deliberation and diversity. Inclusion continuously creates a community involved in defining and addressing public issues; participation emphasizes public input on the content of programs and policies. Features of inclusive processes are coproducing the process and content of decision making, engaging multiple ways of knowing, and sustaining temporal openness. Using a community of practice lens, we compare the consequences of participatory and inclusive practices in four processes, finding that inclusion supports an ongoing community with capacity to address a stream of issues.
Keywords: inclusion, participation, public engagement, deliberation, diversity, community of practice
Keywords: inclusion, participation, public engagement, deliberation, diversity, community of practice
Research Interests: Public Administration, Public Management, Organizational Theory, Practice theory, Ethnography, and 11 moreDemocratic Theory, Community Engagement & Participation, Public Deliberation, Deliberative Democracy, Communities of practice, Organizational Theory (in public organizations), Public Participation In Governance, Diversity & Inclusion, Civic Engagement, City and Regional Planning, and Inclusive Public Management
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This is an essay about teaching and experimenting with an "Art of Hosting" stance as the instructor in the classroom setting. It is specifically about teaching civic engagement practices and processes in an immersive, experiential... more
This is an essay about teaching and experimenting with an "Art of Hosting" stance as the instructor in the classroom setting. It is specifically about teaching civic engagement practices and processes in an immersive, experiential setting, but it is also applicable to other teaching environments. Being introduced to the Art of Hosting fundamentally changed how I teach in ways that I can clearly discern. Being introduced to hosting has enhanced how I prepare my students to practice engagement, facilitation, and hosting. But it also helps me reflect on and advance not only my practice as a host, but also my practice as a teacher. The two are closely intertwined; I now regard the classroom as a hosting environment and have reoriented my role to being a host of professional learning.
Research Interests: Public Administration, Teaching and Learning, Public Management, Critical Pedagogy, Learning and Teaching, and 11 moreCivic Education, Pedagogy, Public Participation In Governance, Community Participation, Civic Engagement, Public Engagement, Community-Engaged Scholarship, Civics Education, Art of Hosting, Public Administration and Policy, and Community participation and engagement
Aging infrastructure, changing patterns in road demand, and persistently constrained revenues challenge the sustainability of local road systems. This research is a comparative analysis of public engagement methods for involving... more
Aging infrastructure, changing patterns in road demand, and persistently constrained revenues challenge the sustainability of local road systems. This research is a comparative analysis of public engagement methods for involving stakeholders in decision-making about these complex issues. It is the result of an engaged scholarship
project conducted in three Minnesota counties: Beltrami, Dakota, and Jackson.
This report analyzes qualitative and quantitative data collected from 91 study participants through observations of policy dialogues, media content analysis, interviews, focus groups, and surveys of attitudes about these policy issues and public engagement methods. In-depth case studies of three counties describe the local road policy issues, the public engagement approaches, and their effects.
This research identifies convergences and divergences in information and perspectives among stakeholders. Tools developed for addressing the communication gaps are available at http://tinyurl.com/local-roads. Some public engagement methods allowed study participants to change their perspectives on what road management options were achievable and acceptable. This occurred through active recruitment of diverse stakeholders, focus groups with individuals of similar backgrounds, and a facilitated policy roundtable among all the different stakeholders.
An additional finding relates to evaluation measures for public participation, which scholars and practitioners acknowledge are poorly developed. This study documents a fresh perspective by identifying the likes and dislikes of participants in public participation processes about how they are organized.
project conducted in three Minnesota counties: Beltrami, Dakota, and Jackson.
This report analyzes qualitative and quantitative data collected from 91 study participants through observations of policy dialogues, media content analysis, interviews, focus groups, and surveys of attitudes about these policy issues and public engagement methods. In-depth case studies of three counties describe the local road policy issues, the public engagement approaches, and their effects.
This research identifies convergences and divergences in information and perspectives among stakeholders. Tools developed for addressing the communication gaps are available at http://tinyurl.com/local-roads. Some public engagement methods allowed study participants to change their perspectives on what road management options were achievable and acceptable. This occurred through active recruitment of diverse stakeholders, focus groups with individuals of similar backgrounds, and a facilitated policy roundtable among all the different stakeholders.
An additional finding relates to evaluation measures for public participation, which scholars and practitioners acknowledge are poorly developed. This study documents a fresh perspective by identifying the likes and dislikes of participants in public participation processes about how they are organized.
Research Interests: Public Administration, Public Management, Sustainable Transportation, Qualitative methodology, Transportation Studies, and 20 moreInfrastructure Planning, Stakeholders, Applied Anthropology, Public and Political Communication, Transport Planning, Public Deliberation, Rural Development, Deliberative Democracy, Public Participation In Governance, Sustainable Rural Development, Public sphere (Communication), Community-Engaged Scholarship, Public Participation, Urban and rural development planning, Stakeholder Engagement, Case Study, Communication and Public Relations, Transportation Policy, Infrastructure Policy, Resource Distribution Policies etc, Infrastructure Financing, and HIGHWAY ROADS AND BRIDGES
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This report analyzes how the public can be effectively engaged in democratic decision-making and implementation of technically complex transportation policies. Its contribution is to compile and analyze strategies for enhancing public... more
This report analyzes how the public can be effectively engaged in democratic decision-making and implementation of technically complex transportation policies. Its contribution is to compile and analyze strategies for enhancing public engagement specifically in transportation planning and policy via a review of the literature, identification of key design choices in organizing public engagement, a case study, and recommendations for further research. It incorporates the following sections:
- Highlights from existing knowledge about the benefits, purposes, and challenges of public engagement.
- An assessment of the state of public engagement in transportation and an evaluation of participatory designs
currently being used in the sector.
- A framework that we suggest transportation policy-makers utilize in deciding how to design public engagement
processes.
- Description and analysis of two cases of participatory transportation planning efforts in Grand Rapids,
Michigan.
- Recommendations for further research and proposals for how to engage the public in several current transportation policy issues in Minnesota.
Keywords: Transportation policy; Public participation; Socioeconomic development; Civic engagement; Designing public participation; Management techniques for public participation; Case studies
- Highlights from existing knowledge about the benefits, purposes, and challenges of public engagement.
- An assessment of the state of public engagement in transportation and an evaluation of participatory designs
currently being used in the sector.
- A framework that we suggest transportation policy-makers utilize in deciding how to design public engagement
processes.
- Description and analysis of two cases of participatory transportation planning efforts in Grand Rapids,
Michigan.
- Recommendations for further research and proposals for how to engage the public in several current transportation policy issues in Minnesota.
Keywords: Transportation policy; Public participation; Socioeconomic development; Civic engagement; Designing public participation; Management techniques for public participation; Case studies
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
This paper comprises a literature review of existing data on the disproportionately high rate of death and significant injury from motor vehicle crashes (MVCs) for American Indians than for any other ethnic or racial group in the United... more
This paper comprises a literature review of existing data on the disproportionately high rate of death and significant injury from motor vehicle crashes (MVCs) for American Indians than for any other ethnic or racial group in the United States. Tribal transportation committees, state and federal agencies, and a range of policies and programs identify this situation as an area of elevated concern and priority. The majority of existing explanations of this tragic phenomenon are epidemiological, looking at sources of risk at the level of the entire American Indian population of the U.S., without adequate attention to heterogeneity within this group and the influence of dynamics and features of specific contexts. The authors’ preliminary qualitative field research, being conducted in partnership with tribal transportation leaders and other members of Minnesota’s Advocacy Council for Tribal Transportation (ACTT), has unearthed several previously undocumented explanations. These accounts of risk merit closer study, both to better understand what is going on and to support effective responses. An agenda of proposed research questions are presented here. This is a _draft_ paper, being shared to invite interested others to comment and exchange ideas with the first author (ksquick@umn.edu). A fuller paper will be presented at the US Transportation Research Board conference in January, incorporating preliminary data on the risks and contexts associated with crashes in the study sites. Ultimately, these data will be used to inform policy guidance by the partnering tribal governments and ACTT on how to incorporate the study findings into plans and policies to improve safety.
Research Interests: Road safety, Transportation Studies, Sociology of Risk, American Indian Law, Risk communication, and 7 moreAmerican Indian & Alaska Native, Risk Assessment & Risk Management, Health risk communication and behavior change, Road safety, Traffic engineering , Transportation engineering, Public Policy Public Health, Tribal Sovereignty, and Socail Science Expert and Lay knowledge risk
Deliberation is increasingly embraced as a mode of policy-making, and this paper focuses on how facilitators of deliberative policy processes become critical, pragmatic practitioners of their complex craft. We analyze how deliberation... more
Deliberation is increasingly embraced as a mode of policy-making, and this paper focuses on how facilitators of deliberative policy processes become critical, pragmatic practitioners of their complex craft. We analyze how deliberation facilitators learn to do their work through ethnographic study of an approach to facilitation known as the Art of Hosting and Harvesting Conversations that Matter. We identify three ways in which they transform knowledge to host: by metabolizing hosting techniques to understand and incorporate or eschew them their repertoire; by situating hosting knowledge to apply or adapt it in particular contexts; and by co-producing knowledge of hosting with a community of practitioners. We demonstrate how these learning processes support public policy deliberations through illustrations and discuss the potential contributions of learning the Art of Hosting for enhancing societal capacities for deliberative policy-making.
Research Interests:
Resources are generally considered important for the practice of management. Potential resources, however, have to be put into use in order to fulfill their potential. In this paper, we use ethnographic research on the city budgeting... more
Resources are generally considered important for the practice of management. Potential resources, however, have to be put into use in order to fulfill their potential. In this paper, we use ethnographic research on the city budgeting cycle in Grand Rapids, Michigan, to explore the process of putting potential resources into use to energize desired frameworks as part of the practice of inclusive management.
Research Interests: Public Administration, Public Management, Organizational Theory, Practice theory, Community Engagement & Participation, and 5 morePublic Sector Financial Management, Organizational Theory (in public organizations), Public Participation In Governance, Structuration Theory, and Inclusive Public Management
This paper is an analysis and discussion of participants’ perspective on criteria for evaluating public participation. Scholars and practitioners acknowledge evaluation measures for public participation are poorly developed. This study... more
This paper is an analysis and discussion of participants’ perspective on criteria for evaluating public participation. Scholars and practitioners acknowledge evaluation measures for public participation are poorly developed. This study documents a fresh perspective by identifying the likes and dislikes of participants in public participation processes about how they are organized. It is developed from participants' accounts regarding 3 public participation processes regarding local road systems. It is the result of an engaged scholarship project conducted in three Minnesota counties: Beltrami, Dakota, and Jackson. The analysis is based upon interviews with 26 people who were involved in three different types of public engagement approaches in the study counties. The paper highlights a case study of Dakota County, where the engagement effort was typical of many undertaken in transportation planning (e.g., a set of community open houses and a public consultation approach) and where the data are most comprehensive. In the findings, we extract from their accounts the participants’ guidance on how – and how not – to organize a good public engagement process around local transportation issues (Table 1). In the discussion, we suggest several kinds of criteria for evaluating public participation processes in transportation that are informed by participants’ perspectives on what matters most in evaluating their success (Table 2).
Key words: Criteria for evaluation of public participation, local road system management, methods for public engagement in transportation, lay and expert knowledge
Key words: Criteria for evaluation of public participation, local road system management, methods for public engagement in transportation, lay and expert knowledge
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Review of Advancing Relational Leadership Research: A Dialogue Among Perspectives, edited by Mary Uhl-Bien and Sonia Ospina.