Browsing by Author "Willis-Walton, Susan M."

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    Nutrition for Some: A Comprehensive Study of Why Eligible Families Leave the WIC Program
    Willis-Walton, Susan M. (Virginia Tech, 2009-04-28)
    A comprehensive survey of more than 1,500 former participants in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) along with more than 300 semi-structured interviews with former WIC participants were designed and conducted in order to identify the barriers influencing eligible program participants to leave the program prematurely. Results from the two phases of data collection were used to determine why eligible families are leaving the WIC program, to better understand the program participation barriers cited by former program participants in order to facilitate the development of a typology of program "leavers," and to identify the policy and organizational components that provide context for premature WIC program departure by participants. A narrative approach to organizational understanding and Symbolic Interactionism are utilized to provide a theoretical framework for highlighting program areas which may contribute to the participation barriers discovered in this research. Implications for public administration and policy evaluation are provided.
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    Report on Baby Boomers and Older Adults: Information and Service Needs
    Brossoie, Nancy; Roberto, Karen A.; Willis-Walton, Susan M.; Reynolds, Sandra (2011)
    In 2010, with a grant from the U.S. Administration on Aging, the Eldercare Locator partnered with the Center for Gerontology and the Center for Survey Research at Virginia Tech to conduct a telephone survey with Baby Boomers and older adults to identify the type of aging-related information they are most interesting, their concerns about aging, their interests in using long-term services and supports in the future, their likely contact for aging information, and finally their preferred ways of getting information about aging topics. Overall the findings of the study point to common interests as well as distinct needs for information among Baby Boomers and older adults. In 2010, with a grant from the U.S. Administration on Aging, the Eldercare Locator partnered with the Center for Gerontology and the Center for Survey Research at Virginia Tech to conduct a telephone survey with Baby Boomers and older adults to identify the type of aging-related information they are most interesting, their concerns about aging, their interests in using long-term services and supports in the future, their likely contact for aging information, and finally their preferred ways of getting information about aging topics. Overall the findings of the study point to common interests as well as distinct needs for information among Baby Boomers and older adults.
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    Report to the Virginia Department of Veterans Services Virginia Wounded Warrior Program: Assessing the Experiences, Supportive Service Needs and Service Gaps of Veterans in the Commonwealth of Virginia Final Report
    Still, George; Dickerson, Thomas; White, Nancy; Sforza, Peter M.; Schroeder, Aaron; Willis-Walton, Susan M. (Virginia Tech Institute for Policy & Governance, 2010-08-05)
    The Commonwealth of Virginia is the home to over 800,000 veterans who have served in conflicts ranging from World War II to the current engagements in the gulf region, Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF/Iraq) and Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF/Afghanistan). The Virginia Wounded Warrior Program has been charged with coordinating and facilitating the services that are needed by Virginia’s veterans who have served in the United States military. In order to evaluate how to best serve and facilitate services for these veterans, the VWWP has commissioned a needs assessment of Virginia’s veterans that is summarized in this report.
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    Values Public Managers Hold, Organizational Environments, and Public Service Characteristics in Explaining the Choice of Public Service Delivery Modes: Focused on County and City Governments in Virginia
    Ko, Jaekwon (Virginia Tech, 2013-04-22)
    Over the past several decades, local governments have provided public services through a dynamic process including direct public delivery and market contracts. These public service delivery modes have been influenced by the dominant paradigms in contemporary public administration such as New Public Management (NPM) and Public Value Management (PVM). This study aims to examine factors influential in choosing public service delivery modes in local governments. Influential factors are divided into three main categories. The first category is public values as perceived by public managers. The second category is related to organizational environments. The third category is associated with characteristics of public services. This study focuses on public service delivery in County and City governments in Virginia. In order to test hypotheses, I use two sets of data: a survey and the U.S. Census. First, the survey measures public values, organizational environments, and public service characteristics. The survey population consists of 95 Counties and 39 Independent Cities in Virginia. The total number of County Administrators and City Managers who responded to the survey was 70. Second, the U.S. Census provides demographic information. In analyzing data to address research questions, I use descriptive analysis and a binary logistical regression model. Findings indicate that the more County Administrators and City Managers perceive the importance of efficiency and customer orientation values from New Public Management in determining public service delivery modes, the more local governments choose contracting out. In contrast, the more County Administrators and City Managers perceive the importance of fairness, political accountability, and employee safety values from Public Value Management in determining public service delivery modes, the more local governments choose delivery by public.