Kaitrin Mahar | Old Dominion University (original) (raw)

Papers by Kaitrin Mahar

Research paper thumbnail of What citizens want to know about their government's finances: Closing the information gap

The Social Science Journal, 2016

There is an information gap between citizens and their governments when it comes to government fi... more There is an information gap between citizens and their governments when it comes to government finances. The inherent complexity of fiscal policy makes it exceedingly difficult for effective public participation. Effective public participation in fiscal decision making must address informing or educating the citizenry with accurate and meaningful government financial data. Better understanding citizen wants and perceptions is critical to closing the information gap between users and providers of financial information. This study uses information gathered from focus groups with residents of Norfolk, Virginia that asks what government financial information they want and how to make that information useful. Results suggest that citizens are interested in some types of information over others and that such information must be timely, made relevant and contextualized.

Research paper thumbnail of Paying for Infrastructure in an Urban Environment

Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board, 2015

Research paper thumbnail of An Illustrated Conceptual Model of Key Factors Impacting Perceived Interlocal Agreement Outcomes

Public Performance & Management Review, 2015

Research paper thumbnail of Transportation Equity Act for the Twenty-First Century

Encyclopedia of Transportation: Social Science and Policy, 2014

Research paper thumbnail of Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users

Encyclopedia of Transportation: Social Science and Policy, 2014

Research paper thumbnail of Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act

Encyclopedia of Transportation: Social Science and Policy, 2014

Research paper thumbnail of Transparency in Privatized Arrangements: an Analysis of Government and Market Pathologies

Privatized government service arrangements such as contracting are frequently introduced in respo... more Privatized government service arrangements such as contracting are frequently introduced in response to heavy citizen demands for services combined with limited willingness to provide government with resources to meet those demands; introducing market efficiencies is popularly supposed to help close this gap. Existing literature predominantly analyzes concerns associated with privatization and transparency in constitutional and legal terms. This conceptual paper uses the lens of government and market failures developed in policy studies to analyze the hazards of reduced transparency in multi-sector arrangements, thus contributing to a broader framework for evaluating their advantages and disadvantages and for choosing arrangements that minimize such issues. We suggest that the higher private sector barriers to transparency can transfer market pathologies associated with information asymmetries to the public sector; if such risk transfers sufficiently undercut public trust, they may ultimately exacerbate, rather than narrow, the gap between demand and government resources.

Transportation Policy and Finance by Kaitrin Mahar

Research paper thumbnail of Paying for Infrastructure in an Urban Environment: Exploring the Differing Roles of Ideological Beliefs and Self-Interest in Support for Two Funding Mechanisms

This study examines public preferences for two revenue options to finance transportation infrastr... more This study examines public preferences for two revenue options to finance transportation infrastructure in an urban area—fuel taxes and tolls—using the results of a survey of residents of the Hampton Roads region of southeastern Virginia. Specifically, it addresses two related research questions: (a) to what extent do residents support instituting tolls and/or increasing the fuel tax, and (b) what roles do self-interest and ideological beliefs play in support for increasing the gas tax and/or imposing tolls? We find that 50% of respondents express a willingness to support fuel taxes or tolls for infrastructure, 29% for increasing fuel taxes, and 28% for tolls. Seven percent support both revenue option. We also find that the support for each funding source is associated with a different set of ideological beliefs and self-interest factors. Implications for generating public support for increases in revenue and funding for transportation facilities are discussed.

Sea Level Rise, Climate Change and Sustainability by Kaitrin Mahar

Research paper thumbnail of The Sea is Rising… But Not onto the Policy Agenda: A Multiple Streams Approach to Understanding Sea Level Rise Policies

There has been little policy effort to address sea level rise in coastal states in the U.S. It ... more There has been little policy effort to address sea level rise in coastal states in the U.S. It is important to examine, at the state level, how the multitude of different (and changing) actors with different preferences and perspectives contribute to such inertia. This study examines state-level legislative inaction with regards to sea level rise. Using Kingdon’s multiple streams framework, we draw a picture of the policy landscape in Virginia as one where the problem of sea level rise is perceived as a low priority, with little consensus on achievable policy solutions, and is politically controversial. We find that policy inertia in Virginia is a result of (1) fractious viewpoints regarding sea level rise as a problem, (2) a lack of clear consensus on policy solutions, and (3) conflicting perspectives of the role of the state.

Research paper thumbnail of What citizens want to know about their government's finances: Closing the information gap

The Social Science Journal, 2016

There is an information gap between citizens and their governments when it comes to government fi... more There is an information gap between citizens and their governments when it comes to government finances. The inherent complexity of fiscal policy makes it exceedingly difficult for effective public participation. Effective public participation in fiscal decision making must address informing or educating the citizenry with accurate and meaningful government financial data. Better understanding citizen wants and perceptions is critical to closing the information gap between users and providers of financial information. This study uses information gathered from focus groups with residents of Norfolk, Virginia that asks what government financial information they want and how to make that information useful. Results suggest that citizens are interested in some types of information over others and that such information must be timely, made relevant and contextualized.

Research paper thumbnail of Paying for Infrastructure in an Urban Environment

Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board, 2015

Research paper thumbnail of An Illustrated Conceptual Model of Key Factors Impacting Perceived Interlocal Agreement Outcomes

Public Performance & Management Review, 2015

Research paper thumbnail of Transportation Equity Act for the Twenty-First Century

Encyclopedia of Transportation: Social Science and Policy, 2014

Research paper thumbnail of Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users

Encyclopedia of Transportation: Social Science and Policy, 2014

Research paper thumbnail of Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act

Encyclopedia of Transportation: Social Science and Policy, 2014

Research paper thumbnail of Transparency in Privatized Arrangements: an Analysis of Government and Market Pathologies

Privatized government service arrangements such as contracting are frequently introduced in respo... more Privatized government service arrangements such as contracting are frequently introduced in response to heavy citizen demands for services combined with limited willingness to provide government with resources to meet those demands; introducing market efficiencies is popularly supposed to help close this gap. Existing literature predominantly analyzes concerns associated with privatization and transparency in constitutional and legal terms. This conceptual paper uses the lens of government and market failures developed in policy studies to analyze the hazards of reduced transparency in multi-sector arrangements, thus contributing to a broader framework for evaluating their advantages and disadvantages and for choosing arrangements that minimize such issues. We suggest that the higher private sector barriers to transparency can transfer market pathologies associated with information asymmetries to the public sector; if such risk transfers sufficiently undercut public trust, they may ultimately exacerbate, rather than narrow, the gap between demand and government resources.

Research paper thumbnail of Paying for Infrastructure in an Urban Environment: Exploring the Differing Roles of Ideological Beliefs and Self-Interest in Support for Two Funding Mechanisms

This study examines public preferences for two revenue options to finance transportation infrastr... more This study examines public preferences for two revenue options to finance transportation infrastructure in an urban area—fuel taxes and tolls—using the results of a survey of residents of the Hampton Roads region of southeastern Virginia. Specifically, it addresses two related research questions: (a) to what extent do residents support instituting tolls and/or increasing the fuel tax, and (b) what roles do self-interest and ideological beliefs play in support for increasing the gas tax and/or imposing tolls? We find that 50% of respondents express a willingness to support fuel taxes or tolls for infrastructure, 29% for increasing fuel taxes, and 28% for tolls. Seven percent support both revenue option. We also find that the support for each funding source is associated with a different set of ideological beliefs and self-interest factors. Implications for generating public support for increases in revenue and funding for transportation facilities are discussed.

Research paper thumbnail of The Sea is Rising… But Not onto the Policy Agenda: A Multiple Streams Approach to Understanding Sea Level Rise Policies

There has been little policy effort to address sea level rise in coastal states in the U.S. It ... more There has been little policy effort to address sea level rise in coastal states in the U.S. It is important to examine, at the state level, how the multitude of different (and changing) actors with different preferences and perspectives contribute to such inertia. This study examines state-level legislative inaction with regards to sea level rise. Using Kingdon’s multiple streams framework, we draw a picture of the policy landscape in Virginia as one where the problem of sea level rise is perceived as a low priority, with little consensus on achievable policy solutions, and is politically controversial. We find that policy inertia in Virginia is a result of (1) fractious viewpoints regarding sea level rise as a problem, (2) a lack of clear consensus on policy solutions, and (3) conflicting perspectives of the role of the state.