Goktug Morcol | Pennsylvania State University (original) (raw)

Papers by Goktug Morcol

Research paper thumbnail of Master of Public Administration and Master of Public Policy degrees: Differences and similarities in the curricula and course contents

Teaching Public Administration, 2020

The historical origins of public administration and public policy analysis suggest that Master of... more The historical origins of public administration and public policy analysis suggest that Master of Public Administration and Master of Public Policy programs should have different focuses in their curricula: the former on management skills and the latter on analytical skills. To investigate whether and to what extent the two types of programs are different and whether the accreditation standards of the Network of Schools of Public Policy, Affairs, and Administration have a homogenizing effect on them, we investigated the titles and descriptions of the courses in their core curricula. The results show some differences between Master of Public Administration and Master of Public Policy programs, but no clear distinction. Analytical skills are required by both Master of Public Administration and Master of Public Policy programs. Master of Public Policy programs distinguish themselves from Master of Public Administration programs primarily by requiring economics and economic analysis courses. Higher percentages of Network of Schools of Public Policy, Affairs, and Administration-accredited programs require organization studies, human resource management, and public budgeting courses.

Research paper thumbnail of Commentary on Juval Portugali's 'Bohm's theory of orders as a basis for a unified urban theory'

Dialogues in Urban Research, 2024

Portugali's proposal to unify urban theory based on Bohm's theory of quantum phenomena is discuss... more Portugali's proposal to unify urban theory based on Bohm's theory of quantum phenomena is discussed. The propositions of complexity theory and phenomenology are compared, and it is argued that their ontologies and epistemologies cannot be easily reconciled. It is argued that Bohm's theory is compatible with complexity theory but does not help bridge the differences between complexity theory and phenomenology. A grand unification of urban theory, the way Portugali envisions it, does not seem to be possible.

Research paper thumbnail of Business Improvement Districts

Auerbach Publications eBooks, Apr 21, 2008

tax themselves to fund an improvement association.' Cities usually collect the mandatory taxes an... more tax themselves to fund an improvement association.' Cities usually collect the mandatory taxes and city officials are always represented on the associations, as are area residents. Associations make public area improvements, such as pedestrian walkways, and provide other services, such as extra sanitation. Since the 1980s, the number of BIDs has increased dramatically, and their prevalence has provoked controversy. 4 Some critics, most prominently Michael Sandel, complain that BIDs exacerbate interlocal inequality: "As municipal services decline in urban areas, residents and businesses in upscale districts manage to insulate themselves from the effects by assessing themselves surtaxes to provide private garbage collection, street cleaning, and police

Research paper thumbnail of Business Improvement District Enabling Laws in the United States and Germany: A Comparative Analysis of Policy Learning

Urban Affairs Review, Jun 21, 2021

This study aims to answer the question how political cultures of respective countries affect poli... more This study aims to answer the question how political cultures of respective countries affect policy learning processes. Using historical and contextual information about the political cultures of the United States and Germany and with applications of the advocacy coalition framework and cultural theory, this study finds that the originally American 2 BID institutional form was adopted in Germany when its political culture was open to it. German policymakers adopted the provisions of the US laws that were compatible with their secondary beliefs, those that were related to where and how to deliver local services. They did not directly adopt the BID governing models in the US laws, which were based on the American deep core and policy core beliefs. Instead, they adapted the American models to their own Hegelian deep core beliefs and the hierarchical political core beliefs, which resulted in the formulation of the "Aufgabenträger" (task performer) model.

Research paper thumbnail of Can we discover the Higgs boson of public policy or public administration theory? A complexity theory answer

Edward Elgar Publishing eBooks, May 14, 2015

Research paper thumbnail of Introduction of the Conceptualization

Routledge eBooks, Dec 2, 2022

Research paper thumbnail of Governance

Routledge eBooks, Dec 2, 2022

Research paper thumbnail of Macro to Micro

Routledge eBooks, Dec 2, 2022

Research paper thumbnail of Message from the editors

Complexity, governance & networks, Jan 16, 2017

This special issue on the coevolution of innovation and public policy is the first issue of Compl... more This special issue on the coevolution of innovation and public policy is the first issue of Complexity, Governance & Networks to be published by our new publisher, the University of Bamberg Press (UBP). UBP, an academic publisher from Germany, receives financial support from the Otto-Friedrich University of Bamberg and the German science foundation to publish our journal through an open source, open access framework. Because of this support, UBP will be able to publish it open access under the creative commons license and will not charge authors for the articles published in it. In other words: all the articles published in our journal will be freely available to anyone with an internet connection, nothing will be hidden behind paywalls. This way, the articles published in the journal will have greater visibility. Complexity, Governance & Networks will be indexed in all relevant databases (e.g. Scopus and Web of Science) and its contents will be searchable through them. Open access publishing will also give authors greater control over their publications: they can distribute them freely without prior consent. The transition towards an open access journal will not diminish our focus on publishing high-quality papers. All manuscripts submitted to Complexity, Governance & Networks will be subjected to a thorough double-blind review process to ensure that only the best publications will appear in the journal. The back catalogue of our journal has been taken over by UBP and all the articles published in previous issues will be available to download, for free, at the website of Complexity, Governance

Research paper thumbnail of Accountability

Routledge eBooks, Dec 2, 2022

Research paper thumbnail of Micro to Macro

Routledge eBooks, Dec 2, 2022

Research paper thumbnail of Master of Public Administration and Master of Public Policy degrees: Differences and similarities in the curricula and course contents

Teaching Public Administration, Apr 29, 2020

The historical origins of public administration and public policy analysis suggest that Master of... more The historical origins of public administration and public policy analysis suggest that Master of Public Administration and Master of Public Policy programs should have different focuses in their curricula: the former on management skills and the latter on analytical skills. To investigate whether and to what extent the two types of programs are different and whether the accreditation standards of the Network of Schools of Public Policy, Affairs, and Administration have a homogenizing effect on them, we investigated the titles and descriptions of the courses in their core curricula. The results show some differences between Master of Public Administration and Master of Public Policy programs, but no clear distinction. Analytical skills are required by both Master of Public Administration and Master of Public Policy programs. Master of Public Policy

Research paper thumbnail of Democracy 1

Routledge eBooks, Dec 2, 2022

Research paper thumbnail of Contexts of Decision Making

Public administration and public policy, Nov 1, 2006

Research paper thumbnail of Micro Units

Routledge eBooks, Dec 2, 2022

Research paper thumbnail of Postpositivist Perspectives in Policy Analysis

Routledge eBooks, Dec 4, 2007

Research paper thumbnail of Transportation Management Associations

CRC Press eBooks, Feb 22, 2007

Research paper thumbnail of Complexity

Routledge eBooks, Dec 2, 2022

Research paper thumbnail of Replication Data for: Sharing Economy: A Systematic and Thematic Analysis of the Literature

Reproduction data for this manuscript.

Research paper thumbnail of Wicked Problems and Effectiveness

Routledge eBooks, Dec 2, 2022

Research paper thumbnail of Master of Public Administration and Master of Public Policy degrees: Differences and similarities in the curricula and course contents

Teaching Public Administration, 2020

The historical origins of public administration and public policy analysis suggest that Master of... more The historical origins of public administration and public policy analysis suggest that Master of Public Administration and Master of Public Policy programs should have different focuses in their curricula: the former on management skills and the latter on analytical skills. To investigate whether and to what extent the two types of programs are different and whether the accreditation standards of the Network of Schools of Public Policy, Affairs, and Administration have a homogenizing effect on them, we investigated the titles and descriptions of the courses in their core curricula. The results show some differences between Master of Public Administration and Master of Public Policy programs, but no clear distinction. Analytical skills are required by both Master of Public Administration and Master of Public Policy programs. Master of Public Policy programs distinguish themselves from Master of Public Administration programs primarily by requiring economics and economic analysis courses. Higher percentages of Network of Schools of Public Policy, Affairs, and Administration-accredited programs require organization studies, human resource management, and public budgeting courses.

Research paper thumbnail of Commentary on Juval Portugali's 'Bohm's theory of orders as a basis for a unified urban theory'

Dialogues in Urban Research, 2024

Portugali's proposal to unify urban theory based on Bohm's theory of quantum phenomena is discuss... more Portugali's proposal to unify urban theory based on Bohm's theory of quantum phenomena is discussed. The propositions of complexity theory and phenomenology are compared, and it is argued that their ontologies and epistemologies cannot be easily reconciled. It is argued that Bohm's theory is compatible with complexity theory but does not help bridge the differences between complexity theory and phenomenology. A grand unification of urban theory, the way Portugali envisions it, does not seem to be possible.

Research paper thumbnail of Business Improvement Districts

Auerbach Publications eBooks, Apr 21, 2008

tax themselves to fund an improvement association.' Cities usually collect the mandatory taxes an... more tax themselves to fund an improvement association.' Cities usually collect the mandatory taxes and city officials are always represented on the associations, as are area residents. Associations make public area improvements, such as pedestrian walkways, and provide other services, such as extra sanitation. Since the 1980s, the number of BIDs has increased dramatically, and their prevalence has provoked controversy. 4 Some critics, most prominently Michael Sandel, complain that BIDs exacerbate interlocal inequality: "As municipal services decline in urban areas, residents and businesses in upscale districts manage to insulate themselves from the effects by assessing themselves surtaxes to provide private garbage collection, street cleaning, and police

Research paper thumbnail of Business Improvement District Enabling Laws in the United States and Germany: A Comparative Analysis of Policy Learning

Urban Affairs Review, Jun 21, 2021

This study aims to answer the question how political cultures of respective countries affect poli... more This study aims to answer the question how political cultures of respective countries affect policy learning processes. Using historical and contextual information about the political cultures of the United States and Germany and with applications of the advocacy coalition framework and cultural theory, this study finds that the originally American 2 BID institutional form was adopted in Germany when its political culture was open to it. German policymakers adopted the provisions of the US laws that were compatible with their secondary beliefs, those that were related to where and how to deliver local services. They did not directly adopt the BID governing models in the US laws, which were based on the American deep core and policy core beliefs. Instead, they adapted the American models to their own Hegelian deep core beliefs and the hierarchical political core beliefs, which resulted in the formulation of the "Aufgabenträger" (task performer) model.

Research paper thumbnail of Can we discover the Higgs boson of public policy or public administration theory? A complexity theory answer

Edward Elgar Publishing eBooks, May 14, 2015

Research paper thumbnail of Introduction of the Conceptualization

Routledge eBooks, Dec 2, 2022

Research paper thumbnail of Governance

Routledge eBooks, Dec 2, 2022

Research paper thumbnail of Macro to Micro

Routledge eBooks, Dec 2, 2022

Research paper thumbnail of Message from the editors

Complexity, governance & networks, Jan 16, 2017

This special issue on the coevolution of innovation and public policy is the first issue of Compl... more This special issue on the coevolution of innovation and public policy is the first issue of Complexity, Governance & Networks to be published by our new publisher, the University of Bamberg Press (UBP). UBP, an academic publisher from Germany, receives financial support from the Otto-Friedrich University of Bamberg and the German science foundation to publish our journal through an open source, open access framework. Because of this support, UBP will be able to publish it open access under the creative commons license and will not charge authors for the articles published in it. In other words: all the articles published in our journal will be freely available to anyone with an internet connection, nothing will be hidden behind paywalls. This way, the articles published in the journal will have greater visibility. Complexity, Governance & Networks will be indexed in all relevant databases (e.g. Scopus and Web of Science) and its contents will be searchable through them. Open access publishing will also give authors greater control over their publications: they can distribute them freely without prior consent. The transition towards an open access journal will not diminish our focus on publishing high-quality papers. All manuscripts submitted to Complexity, Governance & Networks will be subjected to a thorough double-blind review process to ensure that only the best publications will appear in the journal. The back catalogue of our journal has been taken over by UBP and all the articles published in previous issues will be available to download, for free, at the website of Complexity, Governance

Research paper thumbnail of Accountability

Routledge eBooks, Dec 2, 2022

Research paper thumbnail of Micro to Macro

Routledge eBooks, Dec 2, 2022

Research paper thumbnail of Master of Public Administration and Master of Public Policy degrees: Differences and similarities in the curricula and course contents

Teaching Public Administration, Apr 29, 2020

The historical origins of public administration and public policy analysis suggest that Master of... more The historical origins of public administration and public policy analysis suggest that Master of Public Administration and Master of Public Policy programs should have different focuses in their curricula: the former on management skills and the latter on analytical skills. To investigate whether and to what extent the two types of programs are different and whether the accreditation standards of the Network of Schools of Public Policy, Affairs, and Administration have a homogenizing effect on them, we investigated the titles and descriptions of the courses in their core curricula. The results show some differences between Master of Public Administration and Master of Public Policy programs, but no clear distinction. Analytical skills are required by both Master of Public Administration and Master of Public Policy programs. Master of Public Policy

Research paper thumbnail of Democracy 1

Routledge eBooks, Dec 2, 2022

Research paper thumbnail of Contexts of Decision Making

Public administration and public policy, Nov 1, 2006

Research paper thumbnail of Micro Units

Routledge eBooks, Dec 2, 2022

Research paper thumbnail of Postpositivist Perspectives in Policy Analysis

Routledge eBooks, Dec 4, 2007

Research paper thumbnail of Transportation Management Associations

CRC Press eBooks, Feb 22, 2007

Research paper thumbnail of Complexity

Routledge eBooks, Dec 2, 2022

Research paper thumbnail of Replication Data for: Sharing Economy: A Systematic and Thematic Analysis of the Literature

Reproduction data for this manuscript.

Research paper thumbnail of Wicked Problems and Effectiveness

Routledge eBooks, Dec 2, 2022

Research paper thumbnail of A Complexity Theory for Public Policy

Research paper thumbnail of A new mind for policy analysis: toward a post-Newtonian and postpositivist epistemology and methodology

Research paper thumbnail of Complexity and Policy Analysis: Tools for Designing Robust Policies in a Complex World

Research paper thumbnail of New Sciences for Public Administration and Policy. Connections and Reflections

An academic directory and search engine.

Research paper thumbnail of Business Improvement Districts: research, Theories, and Controversies

Research paper thumbnail of Handbook of decision making

Over time, thought processes and decision making styles evolved and were shaped by theological, p... more Over time, thought processes and decision making styles evolved and were shaped by theological, philosophical, political, social, and environmental factors and trends. Recently, advances in technology have borne an unprecedented influence on our social environment. Contemporary thinking inevitably reflects this influence and moves us from a linear, cause-effect rationale to broader perspectives that encompass new methodologies and an understanding of networked and complex social relations.

Research paper thumbnail of " New Public Governance " or " Complex Governance Networks"

Common to all these conceptualizations is the use of the term "governance." This term is used to ... more Common to all these conceptualizations is the use of the term "governance." This term is used to signify the "new situation" in which the central role governments (or governmental agencies) used to play in shaping and directing collective actions has been replaced by a multi-centered ("polycentric") process of governing. In this new situation private and non-profit entities play significant roles in the making of public policies and delivering public services. As such, the traditional boundaries between "public" and "private" entities, and those between "public interest" and "private interests," are blurred. In the literature it is observed that the multi-centered governance process is complex and it takes place in networked relationships.