First-of-its-kind study measures council effectiveness

Measuring the effectiveness of the Indianapolis-Marion County City-County Council

Posted on June 29, 2020 by Leslie Wells

By Amanda Rutherford and Cullen C. Merritt

As the nation continues to rely heavily on local governments to respond to a range of issues—from cybersecurity threats to the spread of infectious disease—knowing what local officials do and whether they manage their resources effectively is vital for understanding how policy influences the daily lives of citizens.

Unfortunately, there has been no clear way to assess the performance of local governments—until now. In 2019, our research team began developing a first-of-its-kind process to review the effectiveness of the Indianapolis-Marion County City-County Council in Indiana. That assessment focused on hearing from those who are directly involved in and impacted by the council’s work. Nearly 600 residents, in addition to city and county leaders, from across Marion County participated in an online survey, interviews, and focus groups to provide their perspectives of the strengths and weaknesses of the consolidated city-county council.

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Communities need to plan now to rebuild economies after COVID-19

Posted on June 22, 2020 by Leslie Wells

Written by Tom Guevara, Director, IU Public Policy Institute

IU Public Policy Director Tom Guevara stands in a hallway in a suit — IU Public Policy Director Tom Guevara

Amid the ongoing COVID-19 crisis, our attention has been rightfully focused on keeping our families and communities safe from a global pandemic threatening our health, relationships, and economic well-being. Focusing on economic recovery while responding to attack from an unseen enemy is especially difficult. COVID-19 is not only changing our social and economic landscape now, it could change economies at all levels—local to global—forever.

Yet civic leaders must also find a way to focus on economic recovery planning if their communities are to bounce back from this viral threat. The first step is to build a recovery plan—a hard task when there’s no pandemic playbook to follow. Having worked in a federal agency focused on improving economically distressed areas and now leading an institute that helps communities make better economic decisions, I have seen what it takes to build an economic recovery plan.
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Long-term effects of COVID-19 on the creative sector

Posted on June 8, 2020 by Leslie Wells

By Kaisee Riddell, AEI Lab graduate student research assistant

As the world reacts to the impact of COVID-19, some leaders in the arts world are considering the long-term impacts that it might have on the industry and how it will be changed after this pandemic. In fact, NPR reported on April 24, 2020, that two-thirds of artists are now unemployed due to the effects of the virus. As we all consider how our lives will be impacted by this crisis, we can reflect on thoughts offered from leaders of arts organizations across the nation.

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Summer course will delve into response to and consequences of COVID-19

Posted on June 1, 2020 by Michael L. Jackson

Faculty members at the O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs at IUPUI have developed a summer course offering that will give students a wide-ranging perspective on the effects of COVID-19.

“Pandemic Perspectives: COVID-19 and Public Policy” will feature 10 O’Neill faculty members—plus three additional guest lecturers—who will present issues associated with the pandemic from the viewpoint of their respective research fields. The class will cover different perspectives of the pandemic, including public administration, nonprofit, criminal justice, economic, social justice, arts, and legal aspects.

The course will be synchronous on Zoom with Monday and Wednesday sessions from 7 to 8:30 p.m. All sessions will be recorded for later viewing. Professors will discuss the multi-sector response and future consequences to COVID-19.

The course is open to all IUPUI undergraduate and graduate students. The course is cross-listed as SPEA-J 470, SPEA-V 450, SPEA-J 550, or SPEA-V 550.

Covered topics include:

Pandemic governance and democracy (Instructor: Peter Federman)
Economic aspects of COVID-19 (Instructor: Jerome Dumortier)
Effects on crime and challenges in policing during the pandemic (Instructor: Jeremy Carter)
Strategic management: Pivoting beyond crisis (Instructor: Jamie Levine Daniel)
Dual crises (lockdowns, injustice) and the arts and cultural sector (Instructor: Douglas Noonan)
COVID-19 as a workplace crisis: An organizational change perspective (Instructor: Marlene Walk)
The politics of science and expertise (Instructor: Adam Eckerd)
Developing a pandemic influenza plan for a state including using the strategic national stockpile (Instructor: William Foley)
Pandemic impacts and responses in comparative perspective (Instructor: Nathan Cook)
Indianapolis and COVID-19: The first responder perspective (Instructors: Paramedic Shane Hardwick and EMT-B Alicia Dinkeldein)
Legislating COVID-19 in Indiana (Special Guest: Indiana State Senator J.D. Ford)
COVID-19 Executive Orders and Selective Enforcement (Instructor: Peter Federman)

Now in its second summer offering, the class will run June 28 through August 9, 2021.

Registration is open for all IU students. Non-O’Neill students should contact Nicole Amonette at namonett@iupui.edu for enrollment options.

O’Neill’s Riley Sandel named to IUPUI’s Elite 50

Posted on May 18, 2020 by Leslie Wells

Riley Sandel stands in front of a red O'Neill School sign — O’Neill graduate student Riley Sandel was named among IUPUI’s Elite 50 grad students.

Riley Sandel has come a long way from that first day on IUPUI’s campus in 2018. Having earned an undergraduate degree in architecture, Sandel began designing and building a new future by earning a master’s degree through O’Neill IUPUI.

Sandel has used an O’Neill education to help communities better understand their own needs and potential by staying connected and listening to the people who live in those areas.

“You should be a member of the community first, and an expert second,” Sandel says. “If you don’t put citizenry and relationship-building first, you can easily produce poor policy or outcomes.”

That commitment to community-engaged policymaking earned Sandel a spot among IUPUI’s Elite 50 graduate students for 2020. It was a fitting end to a stellar master’s degree journey.

What was your reaction to being selected for an Elite 50 award?

“It was certainly a shock! I was nudged into applying by a faculty member at O’Neill and was happy to put my name in the hat among graduate students at IUPUI. Of course, with more than 8,000 graduate and professional students affiliated with our institution, it is very humbling to be recognized as a part of the 2020 cohort for the Elite 50 award. It is also great to be part of a group awarded this recognition for academics and extra-curricular commitments to community involvement, campus involvement, and scholarly work.”

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