SAGE Journal Articles

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Journal Article #1: Garrett, T. M. (2010). Interorganizational collaboration and the transition to the Department of Homeland Security: A knowledge analytic interpretation. Administration & Society, 42, 343–360.

Abstract: The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) transition has shown problems between executive political leadership, management associations, and labor unions, despite “collaborative efforts,” resulting in bureaucratic inertia. This means slower incremental changes for proposed personnel reforms based on private business models advocated by presidential administrations in recent years. The author submits that collaborati©ve organizational reforms advocated by those at the top of the pyramid have been stymied by differences in knowledges between executives, managers, and workers in the DHS. The executive level of knowledge continues dominating public organizations at the continued expense of workers through management initiatives such as the new public management and collaborative public management movements.

Journal Article #2: Placide, M. M., & LaFrance, C. (2014). The county sheriff in films: A portrait of law enforcement as a symbol of rural America. International Journal of Police Science & Management, 16, 101–112.

Abstract: For years, there has existed a gap in academic research on county sheriffs in their role in rural law enforcement. However, the image of the county sheriff has been caricatured perennially on the silver screen, ie, in films. This study, rooted in cultivation theory, uses qualitative film analysis in an attempt to identify common themes and heuristics in media portrayals of the sheriff. After identifying these themes, we explore the implications of these portrayals for public perceptions of the sheriff as a professional law enforcement officer and as an elected official. We argue that the sheriff serves as a symbol of rural America — and conclude by discussing the implications of this phenomenon and how it might be ameliorated by more intense research focused on the sheriff.