{"title":"Prevailing Wage Repeal, Highway Construction Costs, and Bid Competition in Kentucky: A Difference-in-Differences and Fixed Effects Analysis","authors":"K. Duncan, Jill L. Gigstad, Frank P. Manzo","doi":"10.1177/1087724X221088887","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/1087724X221088887","url":null,"abstract":"Data for over 2,000 highway pavement projects, constructed between 2014 and 2020, are used to examine the effect of Kentucky’s prevailing wage repeal in 2017 on relative bid costs and bid competition for state and federally funded work. Other than Davis-Bacon and Disadvantaged Business Enterprise policies for federal projects, and prevailing wage requirements on state-funded work prior to 2017, all highway construction in Kentucky is built to the same standard. A difference-in-differences and fixed effects analysis fails to find statistically significant differences in bid costs and competition between federal and state projects before and after repeal. Competition on pavement projects in Kentucky is very low compared to other states. Consequently, the impact of increased competition on bid costs is very high. Policies increasing competition in Kentucky would be more effective in reducing costs than prevailing wage repeal.","PeriodicalId":45483,"journal":{"name":"Public Works Management & Policy","volume":"28 1","pages":"239 - 262"},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2022-06-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"49363823","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Taking Up the Challenge: Dealing with “Redundant, Abandoned, Idled, and Neglected” (RAIN) Infrastructure","authors":"R. Little","doi":"10.1177/1087724X221106253","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/1087724X221106253","url":null,"abstract":"Five-year plans and new deals, Wrapped in golden chains, And I wonder, still I wonder, who’ll stop the rain? With the passage and signing of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act in November 2021, what could be timelier than an examination of the issues surrounding “redundant, abandoned, idled, and neglected” (RAIN) infrastructure? This Symposium Issue of Public Works Management & Policy was conceived on the premise that the physical artifacts of infrastructure no longer needed by society can be a liability or asset (or sometimes both) and several informative case studies are presented herein that describe how the issue has been addressed by different sectors and nations. There are existing and past programs in the U.S. that attempted to address aspects of this issue from environmental clean-up to adaptive reuse of surplus facilities. However, due to the disparate nature of what is covered by the RAIN umbrella, there is no single approach that could be considered a “solution.” The purpose of this brief essay is to provide some context on the scope of the problem, how the U.S. has addressed related issues in the past, and some thoughts on approaches and priorities for dealing with individual cases going forward. First, RAIN is not a new issue. At various times in the past, the U.S. has confronted military bases no longer needed for national defense, contaminated sites from the U.S. nuclear weapons program, abandoned coal mines, surplus school buildings, and","PeriodicalId":45483,"journal":{"name":"Public Works Management & Policy","volume":"28 1","pages":"101 - 106"},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2022-05-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"49311526","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Agenda Setting for the 20% Mandatory Subcontracting Policy in Zambia’s Construction Sector: The Multiple-Streams Framework","authors":"Sydney Tembo, Seunghoo Lim","doi":"10.1177/1087724X221092425","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/1087724X221092425","url":null,"abstract":"Agenda setting is critical to public policy due to impacts on subsequent policy processes. On July 25, 2012, the Zambian Government issued a policy pronouncement directing the Road Development Agency to apply a 20% mandatory subcontracting to all road contracts valued above ZMW30 million. The policy directive aimed to improve the capacity of local contractors, create jobs and address concerns of declining local participation due to the dominance of foreign contractors. This pronouncement triggered the implementation of a policy initiative based on road subsector guidelines, but several studies have reported implementation challenges. Applying the multiple-streams framework, this study identifies both the failure of agenda setting to lead to policy formulation and the fragmentation of the construction sector policy community as initial sources of implementation challenges. The study recommends revisiting agenda setting and conducting research on defragmenting the construction policy community.","PeriodicalId":45483,"journal":{"name":"Public Works Management & Policy","volume":"28 1","pages":"215 - 238"},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2022-05-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"43982374","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"What Drives States to Raise Gas Tax Rates? An Empirical Analysis","authors":"Can Chen, M. Su, Ping Zhang","doi":"10.1177/1087724X221092433","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/1087724X221092433","url":null,"abstract":"Gas taxes represent one of the most important revenue sources for state transportation funding. This study draws upon the theory of policy innovation and diffusion and examines the drivers of legislative decisions to directly increase state gas tax rates among 50 states from 2010 to 2018. Using a discrete event history analysis, this study finds that states raise gas tax rates in response to the growing funding needs of maintaining and improving the quality and performance of state highway infrastructure. Additionally, these findings suggest that state internal characteristics— poverty rate, personal income, rising gas prices, as well as the external influences of neighboring states affect the adoption of a gas tax rate hike.","PeriodicalId":45483,"journal":{"name":"Public Works Management & Policy","volume":"27 1","pages":"222 - 237"},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2022-05-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"45169319","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Capital Management Capacity: Conceptual Development and Pilot Testing of a Framework","authors":"B. Seymour, W. Yusuf, C. Ebdon, A. Kriz","doi":"10.1177/1087724X221092446","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/1087724X221092446","url":null,"abstract":"Capital management capacity is an important precursor to government administration of public infrastructure. This research develops a framework to assess capital management capacity by extending an existing framework and demonstrating how the framework can be used in the U.S. to evaluate state and local governments’ capital management practices. The framework is evaluated using the State of Vermont Agency of Transportation and Palm Beach County Department of Engineering and Public Works.","PeriodicalId":45483,"journal":{"name":"Public Works Management & Policy","volume":"27 1","pages":"279 - 294"},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2022-05-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42948305","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Suzanne M. Leland, Christine M. Danis, Sara J. Smith, Robert H. W. Boyer
{"title":"The Implementation of Active Transportation Policies at the Local Level: Findings From a North Carolina Survey","authors":"Suzanne M. Leland, Christine M. Danis, Sara J. Smith, Robert H. W. Boyer","doi":"10.1177/1087724X221088835","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/1087724X221088835","url":null,"abstract":"In the current intergovernmental environment to improve transportation infrastructure, states typically set walking and biking policy. However, local governments, which control budget priorities and land-use policy, also need to support those policies in order to provide for successful implementation. Unfortunately, little is known about state and local priorities when it comes to active transportation. Therefore, the following study examines active transportation policies in North Carolina from the local government perspective. This study asks those responsible for implementing transportation policy at the local level the following questions: Does support for improved infrastructure vary based by land use type, population density, and organizational structure? From the local government perspective is walking and biking safe or unsafe in their jurisdiction?What if any barriers exist to providing improved infrastructure that promotes safety? The responses serve as local government perspectives about what conditions may inform the nature and extent of bicycle and pedestrian active transportation projects in","PeriodicalId":45483,"journal":{"name":"Public Works Management & Policy","volume":"27 1","pages":"315 - 332"},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2022-05-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"43333442","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"From the Editors","authors":"","doi":"10.1177/1087724x221102304","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/1087724x221102304","url":null,"abstract":"This Special Issue of <i>Public Works Management & Policy</i> (PWMP) commemorates the 20<sup>th</sup> Anniversary of the partnering of the Section on Transportation Policy and Administration (STPA) of the American Society of Public Administration with PWMP. The goal of STPA is to organize a policy focus on transportation while PWMP is a peer-reviewed journal for academics and practitioners that addresses the planning, financing, development, and operations of civil infrastructure systems at all levels of society-federal, state, and local. The STPA-PWMP partnership brings together transportation policy researchers and practitioners with an internationally recognized medium to showcase their work. The seven articles in this Special Anniversary Issue represent a small but exemplary sampling of the transportation policy research being carried out by STPA members. This special issue is particularly timely as it dovetails nicely with President Biden’s signing of the $1.2 trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act into law on Nov. 15, 2021.","PeriodicalId":45483,"journal":{"name":"Public Works Management & Policy","volume":"6 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2022-05-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"138518054","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Karen N DSouza, Minerva Orellana, Alessandra J Ainsworth, Gabrielle Cummings, Kirsten A Riggan, Chandra C Shenoy, Megan A Allyse
{"title":"Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Patient Fertility Care.","authors":"Karen N DSouza, Minerva Orellana, Alessandra J Ainsworth, Gabrielle Cummings, Kirsten A Riggan, Chandra C Shenoy, Megan A Allyse","doi":"10.1177/23743735221098255","DOIUrl":"10.1177/23743735221098255","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the healthcare system have been widespread, with many institutions in the United States pausing elective procedures to redirect resources to critical care. Fertility care and assisted reproductive procedures were classified as elective procedures and similarly paused. We conducted qualitative interviews with patients and/or their partners (<i>n</i> = 25 female patients; <i>n</i> = 3 male partners) receiving care at a fertility clinic in the Midwest to understand patient appraisal of COVID-19 risk on the resumption of care following a month-long closure of an infertility clinic, and patient agreement with the clinic closure. Interview transcripts were thematically analyzed from a grounded theory approach. Study participants reported an increased sense of urgency due to the delay in fertility procedures. This urgency often superseded concerns of potential COVID-19 infection, motivating patients to continue fertility treatment during a pandemic. In hindsight, some participants did not agree with the clinic's closure and treatment cessation, feeling that these steps negatively interrupted time-sensitive reproductive goals. Patient responses highlight the need for additional resources to support decision-making during times of crisis. Triaging patients based on time-sensitivity of treatment instead of a total shutdown respects patient autonomy for continuing treatment amidst uncertain COVID-19-impact.</p>","PeriodicalId":45483,"journal":{"name":"Public Works Management & Policy","volume":"17 1","pages":"23743735221098255"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2022-05-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9083039/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"87398195","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Transit Stigma: Transit Administrators’ Views of the Role of Policy Elites in Perpetuating Stigma","authors":"Josephine K. Hazelton-Boyle, G. Wellman","doi":"10.1177/1087724X221088859","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/1087724X221088859","url":null,"abstract":"Public transportation use is heavily stigmatized in the United States. As a result, those who depend on public transportation services for mobility are marginalized and subject to unjust social assumptions about their character, work ethic, and overall place in society. Prior research documents that public transit administrators are actively working to combat transit stigma in their service area; however, questions remain regarding how public transit administrators view the role of policy elites (elected or appointed political figures) in perpetuating transit stigma. Through a series of in-depth interviews with 20 transit administrators from across the United States, this research finds that policy elites maintain transit stigma through both formal and informal roles by devaluing the role of transit in society, focusing on short-term political goals, and restricting funding opportunities for public transportation agencies.","PeriodicalId":45483,"journal":{"name":"Public Works Management & Policy","volume":"27 1","pages":"252 - 264"},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2022-04-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"45891249","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Do Public-Private Partnerships Still Have a Future?","authors":"V. Vecchi, A. Tanese, S. Osborne","doi":"10.1177/1087724X221088842","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/1087724X221088842","url":null,"abstract":"Public Private Partnerships (PPP) are under discussion because of the mixed results achieved and the deteriorated trust between public and private actors. However, abandoning PPP could represent a severe mistake in public policy. Based on the recent Italian experience, the authors argue that a new approach to PPP, based on the ESG/SDGs and Impact Investing agenda, could represent an opportunity, both for the public and the private sectors, to contribute to solving wicked problems while generating societal value. This Commentary paves the way for a reflection on this renewed approach to PPP and the need for a new set of skills in the public and private sectors to support the transition.","PeriodicalId":45483,"journal":{"name":"Public Works Management & Policy","volume":"27 1","pages":"337 - 341"},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2022-04-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47538427","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}