Community Development and Public Administration Theory

Ashley E. Nickels is an assistant professor in the Department of Political Science at Kent State University. Nickels is an interdisciplinary scholar, whose work focuses on urban politics and policy, community-based organizations and organizing, and local democracy. Nickels’ current research investigates the politics of municipal takeovers, focusing on policy design, implementation, and feedback. She is co-editor of Grand Rapids Grassroots: An Anthology (Belt) and co-editor of Feminist Pedagogy, Practice, and Activism (Routledge). Jason D. Rivera is an assistant professor in the Department of Political Science (division of Public Administration) at SUNY Buffalo State. His research focuses on the institutional structures that have historically perpetuated social vulnerability within minority and low-income communities. He is also interested in social vulnerability to natural and manmade disasters with an emphasis on minority experiences. Prior to his arrival at SUNY Buffalo State, Rivera has taught Public Administration and Political Science at Rowan University and Rutgers University-Camden.

Foreword: Community Comes First in Community Development Introduction: Democratizing Community Development Policy & Administration Part 1: Values and the Policy Environment 1. Defining and Aligning Community Development and Public Administration: Using Administrative Practices and Design to Better Communities 2. Calling for Community Control: Local Organizing and Implications for Community Development Policy 3. Fiscal Emergency Management in Michigan: A Misguided Policy Initiative 4. American Dream, Democratic Nightmare: Refocusing Governmental Approaches to Housing Policy Part 2: Serving Rather Than Steering 5. Improving the Citizen Participatory Process in Community Economic Development 6. Representative Bureaucracy and Community Development 7. The Impact of Microfinance Programs on Political Participation: A Study of Rural Indian Women 8. Advocating Against the Grain: Nonprofit Advocacy and Human Services 9. Overcoming the Tokenization of People with Disabilities in Community Development Part 3: Thinking Strategically, Acting Democratically 10. Cross Sector Community Partnerships and the Growing Importance of High Capacity Nonprofits in Urban Governance: A Case Study of Camden, New Jersey 11. Civic Engagement, Community Development, and the Role of CSOs and Citizenship: A Case Study of The Gambia 12. Community Development through Participatory, Engaged, and Critical Analysis 13. Economic Development as if Low Income Communities Mattered