Master Public Policy Class Annotated reading #1 and 2

Read the article “Factors Influencing the Use of Performance Data to Improve Municipal Services: Evidence from the North Carolina Benchmarking Project.” https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=sso&db=eft&AN=29332084&site=ehost-live&custid=092-800

Each question is worth 30 points, for a total of 150 points. Each response should be approximately 125 words. However, you will not be penalized for a longer answer, and you can receive fuller points for a well-presented, thorough response. I am offering this as a guideline. Please use full sentences, proper grammar, spelling and punctuation, and explain or paraphrase, do not cut-and-paste. Each response does not need to be structured like a full essay, however, just a direct response to the question. The primary intent of this assignment is to demonstrate you have read and taken away the key points of the reading.

1.At the time of this publication (2008), what was the status so far regarding how municipal governments implemented performance measures, and used data meaningfully (as opposed to just having adopting measures, which, on p. 304, is defined as “design and collection of measures), or as described on p. 305, the difference between rhetoric and reality. Why is there a gap between what apparently should be done, according to the data, and what has been done?

2.What are the tangible and intangible benefits mentioned on p. 306 (general examples)? Provide two specific examples of tangible benefits discussed later in the article relative to the North Carolina experience (You may be able to answer this well in less than 150 words.)

3.Give three examples of how performance data regarding service improvement was helpful in the NC municipalities.

4.Distinguish between “rudimentary performance measures” and “higher order measures”. Give an example of each. Explain why higher order ones are more meaningful.

5.Why is measurement of efficiency so complex, and why should municipal leaders focus on measures of performance other than simply efficiency?

Annotated reading 2

Read the articles “Commercial Aviation: Pilots’ and Flight Attendants’ Exposure to Noise aboard Aircraft.” (Module 6: https://www.gao.gov/assets/690/688396.pdf)

Each question is worth 30 points, for a total of 150 points. Each response should be approximately 125 words. However, you will not be penalized for a longer answer, and you can receive fuller points for a well-presented, thorough response. I am offering this as a guideline. Please use full sentences, proper grammar, spelling and punctuation, and explain or paraphrase, do not cut-and-paste. Each response does not need to be structured like a full essay, however, just a direct response to the question. The primary intent of this assignment is to demonstrate you have read and taken away the key points of the reading.

1.Why does exposure to noise matter? What government agency is primarily tasked with oversight of this problem, and why is/should be the government involved in collecting data on this problem at all?

2.The report authors do not collect data on the problem directly. Describe the method they use to conduct their analysis and reach their conclusions.

3.The authors use standards set by the oversight agency to assess how effectively airlines are in keeping noise down. What are these standards? Describe/Paraphrase.

4.The authors look at studies examining three broad categories of outcomes. What are these? How are they measured?

5.Based on what you can tell from this article, are they collecting qualitative or quantitative data, or both? Explain your response.