students sitting and walking at an ASU campus

Recent dissertations and job placements

SPA PhD Alumni

SPA doctoral graduates are working in research and leadership positions in the U.S. and around the world. Some of our placements include:

American Council on Education

Korea Institute of Public Administration

University of Illinois - Springfield
Arizona Department of Economic Security

North Carolina State University

University of Nevada-Las Vegas
Auburn University

Northern Arizona University

University of North Dakota
Brigham Young UniversityPortland State UniversityUniversity of Oklahoma
California State University, Long BeachQueen’s UniversityUniversity of Texas at Dallas
Creighton Community Foundation

Rochester Institute of Technology

University of Wyoming

Duke Kunshan University

Shanghai Jiao Tong University

Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam

George Mason UniversityTexas A&M UniversityWest Virginia University
Hainan UniversityThe Evergreen State College

California State University

Hong Kong University of Science and Technology

The Pennsylvania State UniversityNational Sun Yat-Sen University
Indiana UniversityThe University of Texas at El Paso

Sun Yat-sen University

International University of JapanU.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Towson University

 

Jacksonville State University

Universidad de Chile

University of Alabama

Johns Hopkins UniversityUniversity of Bristol

University of Louisiana Monroe

Kent State University

University of Illinois - ChicagoUniversity of Southern California

Recent dissertations

 

StudentYearDissertation
Seungkyu Choi2026Local Governments Navigating Disaster: Capacity, Collaborative Governance, and Disaster Aid Equity
Jieun Kim2026Shielded, Defiant, or Constrained Cities: Local Climate Policy in Multilevel Governance
Shaika Lamia Islam2026Do Information Strategies Matter for the Management of Extreme Weather Events? The Case of Public Transit Agencies
Clement Damoah2026Disability in the Digital Age: Socio-Digital Inclusion, Political Participation, and Telework
Guohuibin Li2025Your Faces Matter: Facial Recognition Technology (FRT) in AI-Enabled Public Services and Provision
Dallin Overstreet2025Incentives at Work Shaping Individual Behaviors and Institutional Outcomes in Public Policy
Meredith McCullough2025Digital Entrepreneurship and Local Economic Development: Strategies for Inclusive Growth
Spencer Lindsay2024Routes to Influence: Academics' Methods of Influencing Practice in Public Affairs
Mattia Caldarulo2024Opening the black box: Examining how public sector organizations interpret and respond to extreme weather events risks
Youngjae Won2024Connecting Disadvantaged Communities with Green Space: Towards Better Policy Design
Suyang Yu2023Managing Disasters through University Co-provision of Public Services: The Role of Managerial Problem Framing and Organizational Structure
Chan Wang2023Navigating Uncertainty: Understanding the Complexity of Rationales in State COVID-19 Policy Change Decisions
Nicolas Didier2023"Just Labor Transitions": Workforce Policies in Times of Technological Change
Michelle Allgood2023Coping Resources for Public Employees: An Examination of Instrumental Leadership
Ashlee Frandell2023Knowledge flows from invention to public value: the impacts of academic-industry collaborations
Jared Olsen2023Do Street-level Bureaucrats Discriminate Based on Political Ideology? An Empirical Investigation
Hey Jie Jung2022How Included Are You in Your Workplace?: The Effects of Different Social Structures on Perceived Inclusion
Yifan Chen2022Policy Adoption and Implementation in Local Governments: Evidence from Sustainability and Environmental Policies and Practices
Umair Ali2022Inclusive and Accessible Education: Three Essays on Child Care, Kindergarten and K-12 Education
Haneul Choi2022The Role of Identity and Championing in Academic Entrepreneurship:  Qualitative Evidence from Postdocs in U.S. Universities and Federal Laboratories
Tianyi Xiang2022From Preparedness to Response: Managing Inter-organizational Coordination for  Emergencies and Disasters
Jason Shumberger2021Institutional Influences on Local Government Finance in Three Essays
Seongkyung Cho2021Vouchers Welcome? Three Essays Exploring Landlords' Views on Housing Vouchers
Kyle Whitman2020Using Latent Profile Analysis to Derive a Classification of Four-Year Colleges and Universities
John Selby2020State R&D Tax Credits: Social and Economic Outcomes
Qingqing Wang2020Turnover and Career Outcomes of Scientists and Engineers
Leonor Camarena2020Gendered Expectations: How Informal Networks Shape Psychosocial Outcomes for STEM Faculty in Gendered Institutions
Jiwon Jung2020Who's Evaluating Whom? The Public Evaluation of Public and Private Leaders' Unethical Behaviors
Fengxiu Zhang2020Public Organization Adaptation to Extreme Events Evidence from the Public Transportation
Jake Nelson2019Policy innovation for an uncertain future: Regulating drone use in southern California cities
Xiaoqing Liu2018How Do Governments Make Budget Cuts During Fiscal Crises? A Case Study of the Arizona Department of Health Services During 2008 Fiscal Crisis
Dan Wang2018Government Revenue Forecasting During Exceptional Times
Angie Flick2018County General Fund Balances An Exploration into the Policies, Requirements, Size and Purposes of County General Fund Reserves
Won No2018Redistribution and Deliberation in Mandated Participatory Governance  The Case of Participatory Budgeting in Seoul, South Korea
Federica Fusi2018You Can't Always Get What You Want: Data Access in US Small and Medium Sized Cities
Youngjae Kim2017The Role of Science in Nanotechnology Decision-making: Toward Evidence-based Policy Making
Joshua Uebelherr2017Examining Hazard Governance from a Complex Systems Perspective
Zoram Kaul2017Impact of the Affordable Care Act on Young Adult's Health Insurance, Employment, and Education: A Three Essay Dissertation
Jeong Joo Ahn2017Welcoming City Initiative for Urban Economic Development: An Interpretive Policy Analysis of Four U.S. Welcoming Cities
Chin-Chang Tsai2017Evaluating Public Value Failure in the Nonprofit Context: An Interpretive Case Study of Food Banking in the U.S.
Sang Eun Lee2017Career Advancement Outcomes in Academic Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM): Gender, Mentoring Resources, and Homophily
Gabel Taggart2017Three Essays on Bureaucracy at American Research Universities
Tanya Kelley2016Open Innovation Implementation in a Public University: Administrator Design, Management, and Evaluation of Participatory Platforms and Programs
Rashmi Krishnamurthy2016Use of Social Media for Internal and External Collaboration: Evidence from US Local Governments
Hyunjung Ji2016Assessing Local Governments' Sustainability Strategies
Chul Hyun Park2016Toward a Better Understanding of Complex Emergency Response Systems: An Event-Driven Lens for Integrating Formal and Volunteer-Based, Participatory Emergency Responses
Vanessa Hill2016A Comparative Analysis of the Health Status of Hispanic Children:  The Cases of Washington State and Arizona
Muhammad Nisar2016Managing the Margins: Intersections of the State and the Khawaja Sira in Lahore, Pakistan
Dongjae JUNG2015The Federal-Local Nexus in Immigration Enforcement Policy: An Evaluation of the Secure Communities Program
Brandon Ching2015An Intra-City Comparative Analysis of Social Media Use and Deliberative Democracy in Portland, Oregon
Casey Boyd-Swan2015Nonparental Child Care during Nonstandard Hours: Who Uses It and How Does It Influence Child Well-being?
Mary Reece-Smith2015Identifying the Role of Policy Networks in the Implementation of Habitat Conservation Plans
Linda Essig2015Value Creation and Evaluation in Arts Incubators
Jay Busch2014Neighborhood Development and School-Community Partnerships: The Case of Barrio Promesa
Kandyce Fernandez2014Dimensions of Partnership in Cross-Sector Relationships: A Multi-Case Study of Local Education Foundations
Joe West2014rEvolutionary Changes: The Complex Relationships Between Legislators and Communication Technology
Margaretha Bentley2014Narrating Identity and Public Policy: The Case of SB 1070
Laura Hand2014Negotiating Healthy Self-Governance: A Grounded Theory Study of Interactions in Arizona's WIC Program
Jusil Lee2014Understanding States' Failure in Sustained Innovation From the Diffusion Perspective: The Empirical Study of the Diffusion of EFOIA in the US States
Sanzanna Dean2014Community-based Reentry in Arlington County: An Evaluation of the OAR Reentry Program
Andrea Mayo2014Punishing Criminals or Protecting Victims: A Critical Mixed Methods Analysis of State Statutes Related to Prostitution and Sex Trafficking
Erica McFadden2014Aging in Place or Aging and Displaced? A Multi-Site Comparative Case Study of Power, Subjectivity, and Community Resiliency in Public Housing Governance
Jacob Heller2013Supply Chain Management Perspectives, Practices, and Strategies: A Private and Public Sector Comparative Study