Management matters, but exactly how do leaders make a difference in their organizations and communities? What behaviors are effective, and why? And can we train leaders to become more effective? The purpose of this umbrella project is to examine – through various contexts – when and how leadership matters for outcomes in the public sector, and how we can train public managers to become more effective leaders. 

Effective recruitment practices are paramount to cultivating and bolstering a strong workforce. This project is based on a strategic partnership with the Behavioral Insights Team at the City of Scottsdale and conducts experimental evaluations of recruitment practices using electronic platforms, including social media (e.g., Facebook). The purpose of the project is to test and uncover effective practices for bolstering existing recruitment practices in local government as well as how to reduce various biases in the recruitment and hiring processes.

Volunteers are now an integral part of service provision in many welfare states, performing various tasks at nursing homes, schools, hospitals, and libraries, including tasks previously performed by professionals. However, recent research shows that many professionals view volunteers as threats to their job and/or service quality, creating poor staff-volunteer relationships, and undermining service delivery. The purpose of this project is to explore whether – and how – management tools can reduce professionals’ threat perceptions and turn reluctance into willingness to co-produce public services. 

The 2021 National Defense Authorization Act required a Report on Restructuring and Coordination of Social, Management and Information Science to understand how DoD can more effectively and efficiently support research across DoD and the IC. The purpose of this project was to collect and analyze primary data from structured interviews on the processes and protocols currently utilize by personnel who fund social science research across the DoD. This included program managers from all service branches, relevant COCOM personnel, DoD-funded laboratories, and FFRDCs. Analysis of these interviews were delivered to OUSD (R and E) as part of a report articulating the structural challenges of funding and transitioning science important for understanding and modeling human sciences. The report was also the basis of a report to Congress detailing the structural challenges of DoD social science related research programs.
 

CORD is leading the research evaluation of two NSF-funded Regional Innovation Engines (RIE) planning awards with the goal of both strengthening the project in this planning phase, and preparing for evaluation in a full RIE phase. The RIE program was launched by the U.S. National Science Foundation as a significant new program aimed at strengthening innovation capacity through the development of new regional innovation ecosystems. The evaluations focus on issues including regional needs and opportunities, team and partner development, institutional readiness and team cohesion. The evaluations are developmental in informing the progress of the Type 1 planning activities. They also provide a summative evidence base of the team readiness for the Type 2 proposal as well as a detailed evaluation plan for the full project.