A Senator's Personal Reflections on Public Service

The Honorable Mary Landrieu, U.S. senator from Louisiana since 1997, addressed the 2013 annual meeting of the American Society for Public Administration (ASPA) at a luncheon honoring four Louisianans for their public service. They included General Russel L. Honoré, U.S. Army; Chancellor James L. Llorens, Southern University at Baton Rouge; Mayor Mitch Landrieu, City of New Orleans; and Professor Astrid Merget, Public Administration Institute at Louisiana State University Baton Rouge and honorary co‐chair of the 2013 ASPA Conference. In her remarks, Senator Landrieu reflected on her lineage in public service.     

Attitudes of College Students Toward Women in Policing

Attitudes toward women in policing among undergraduate college students were examined. The findings revealed that feminist orientation was the most consistent predictor of support for women in policing, with academic major also having a significant influence. Gender, race/ethnicity, classification in school (i.e., academic year), and support for the police were generally not significant predictors. Separate analyses completed for men and women indicated that there was some difference in the factors that predicted support for women in policing. Implications of the research are discussed.     

Bringing the penal voluntary sector to market

Despite widespread recognition of the importance of sport in diverting people from criminal behaviour in community settings (Nichols, 2007) the potential benefits of sport in prison settings have only recently become the focus of academic attention (see Lewis and Meek, 2012). In the UK, current policy stipulates a statutory requirement that all prisoners across the secure estate have the opportunity to participate in a minimum of one hour (or two hours on average for those under 21) of physical education per week. The Prison Service's Physical Education Instruction advocates sporting activities that also fulfil wider resettlement policy agendas, incorporating education, training and employment and attitudes, thinking and behaviour. In spite of such ambitious objectives and the routine delivery of physical education in prisons, there has been no exploration to date of whether participation is equitable across diverse offender populations, or the extent to which current practices are congruent with existing policy.     

Place,Time, and Philanthropy: Exploring Geographic Mobility and Philanthropic Engagement

America is a nation of movers, and this has implications for public and nonprofit managers who rely on donations and volunteers to increase the capacity of nonprofits and to strengthen local communities. This article explores the impact of time and place on philanthropic engagement, focusing on how three aspects of community—sense of belonging, social connections, and regional culture—are related to volunteering and giving to local organizations. The authors find that geographic mobility affects philanthropic engagement. Drawing on a survey of active older Americans, the authors find that three community factors —sense of community, social networks, and regional cultures— are related to one or both types of philanthropic behavior. The authors conclude by offering thoughts for future research and practice.     

Reading Lolita in Langley: The Unreliable Narrator as a Device to Evaluate Intelligence Credibility

Current methods of ascertaining the reliability of human intelligence focus predominantly on evaluating the reliability of sources. More leverage might be achieved through considering the reliability of narratives constructed or furnished by those sources. Lessons can be drawn from literary theory which examines the creation and reading of unreliable and untrustworthy narratives. A narrative can be unreliable and/or untrustworthy, even when the informant appears to be cooperating in furnishing information, due to his often unconscious biases or limitations in understanding or retelling the tale.