Mallory E Compton
Biographic Data
| ID | 4385290 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Mallory E Compton |
| GIVEN NAMES | Mallory E |
| FAMILY NAME | Compton |
| SIGNATURE | COMPTON M E |
| AFFILIATIONS | Texas A&M University |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-5124-238X |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 9 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 75 |
| WORKS AS AUTHOR | 9 |
| WORKS AS EDITOR | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2016 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2024 |
| H-INDEX | 5 |
Complexity, errors, and administrative burdens
Errors in administrative processes cost clientele and organizations, yet are understudied. Beyond efficiency losses, errors impose administrative burdens on clientele. Automation is a common tool for reducing errors. Little is known, however, about the factors that may augment automation’s effectiveness. We theorize that administrative errors are a function of program complexity. We expect automation to improve accuracy in less complex programs b…
Does Job Insecurity Shape Policy Preferences? An Experimental Manipulation of Labor Market Risk
Research on political behavior and policy preferences has long argued that economic or labor market risk should motivate support for social policy, especially social insurance. We test this expectation about political behavior using a survey experiment in the nationally representative 2020 US Cooperative Congressional Election Study, through which we manipulate perceptions of labor market risk. Although our results suggest that our treatment succ…
Administrative Errors and Race
Scholars have long recognized the role of race and ethnicity in shaping the development and design of policy institutions in the United States, including social welfare policy. Beyond influencing the design of policy institutions, administrative discretion can disadvantage marginalized clientele in policy implementation. Building on previous work on street-level bureaucracy, administrative discretion, and administrative burden, we offer a theory …
Designing for Policy Success
Amidst the general mood of skepticism about the problem-solving capacity of governments in the face of ‘wicked problems’, it is easy to overlook that at times governments do manage to design and implement public policies and programs quite successfully. In this paper, we build on an emerging area of ‘positive evaluation’ research into public policy successes (Bovens et al 2001; McConnell 2010; Nielsen et al 2015). Using the conceptual tools emana…
Who is my neighbor? The effect of community racial in-group representation and residential isolation on volunteering
Do individuals residing in racially diverse communities volunteer less than individuals living in homogenous communities? While a growing body of literature explores the relationship between diversity and trust, we know less about how racial diversity affects volunteering. Drawing on the Current Population Survey’s (CPS) volunteering supplement combined with county-level Census data, this article explores how racial diversity moderates the relati…
Bureaucracy and the Failure of Politics
Bureaucratic reforms worldwide seek to improve the quality of governance. In this article, we argue that the major governance failures are political, not bureaucratic, and the first step to better governance is to recognize the underlying political causes. Using illustrations from throughout the world, we contend that political institutions fail to provide clear policy goals, rarely allocate adequate resources to deal with the scope of the proble…
Everybody Hurts Sometimes
Understanding when individuals support government action is central to government responsiveness and democratic policy making. While previous research on political behavior has explored the influence of collective economic conditions, self-interested explanations have heavily swayed work on policy preferences. We bridge these two previously distinct literatures to articulate a theory of public policy preferences that highlights when both common a…
Less Bang for Your Buck? How Social Capital Constrains the Effectiveness of Social Welfare Spending
Rising economic insecurity in recent decades has focused attention on the importance of social welfare programs in managing household financial stability. Some governments are more effective than others in managing this outcome, and informal social institutions help explain why. Social capital is expected to shape economic security through multiple mechanisms, but whether the effect is to magnify or mitigate volatility is an open question. Part o…
Managing Social Capital and Diversity for Performance in Public Organizations
Managers concerned with the performance of their organizations will exploit available social, administrative, and human capital resources. However, extant theory and mixed empirical evidence leave the effect of social capital on performance unclear. The gains from these norms of reciprocity, participation, networking, and trust may disproportionately benefit only some of their clients, leading to disparities in outcomes among diverse clienteles. …
Administrative Errors and Race
Scholars have long recognized the role of race and ethnicity in shaping the development and design of policy institutions in the United States, including social welfare policy. Beyond influencing the design of policy institutions, administrative discretion can disadvantage marginalized clientele in policy implementation. Building on previous work on street-level bureaucracy, administrative discretion, and administrative burden, we offer a theory …
Everybody Hurts Sometimes
Understanding when individuals support government action is central to government responsiveness and democratic policy making. While previous research on political behavior has explored the influence of collective economic conditions, self-interested explanations have heavily swayed work on policy preferences. We bridge these two previously distinct literatures to articulate a theory of public policy preferences that highlights when both common a…
Managing Social Capital and Diversity for Performance in Public Organizations
Managers concerned with the performance of their organizations will exploit available social, administrative, and human capital resources. However, extant theory and mixed empirical evidence leave the effect of social capital on performance unclear. The gains from these norms of reciprocity, participation, networking, and trust may disproportionately benefit only some of their clients, leading to disparities in outcomes among diverse clienteles. …
Bureaucracy and the Failure of Politics
Bureaucratic reforms worldwide seek to improve the quality of governance. In this article, we argue that the major governance failures are political, not bureaucratic, and the first step to better governance is to recognize the underlying political causes. Using illustrations from throughout the world, we contend that political institutions fail to provide clear policy goals, rarely allocate adequate resources to deal with the scope of the proble…
Designing for Policy Success
Amidst the general mood of skepticism about the problem-solving capacity of governments in the face of ‘wicked problems’, it is easy to overlook that at times governments do manage to design and implement public policies and programs quite successfully. In this paper, we build on an emerging area of ‘positive evaluation’ research into public policy successes (Bovens et al 2001; McConnell 2010; Nielsen et al 2015). Using the conceptual tools emana…
Does Job Insecurity Shape Policy Preferences? An Experimental Manipulation of Labor Market Risk
Research on political behavior and policy preferences has long argued that economic or labor market risk should motivate support for social policy, especially social insurance. We test this expectation about political behavior using a survey experiment in the nationally representative 2020 US Cooperative Congressional Election Study, through which we manipulate perceptions of labor market risk. Although our results suggest that our treatment succ…
Less Bang for Your Buck? How Social Capital Constrains the Effectiveness of Social Welfare Spending
Rising economic insecurity in recent decades has focused attention on the importance of social welfare programs in managing household financial stability. Some governments are more effective than others in managing this outcome, and informal social institutions help explain why. Social capital is expected to shape economic security through multiple mechanisms, but whether the effect is to magnify or mitigate volatility is an open question. Part o…
Managing Social Capital and Diversity for Performance in Public Organizations
Managers concerned with the performance of their organizations will exploit available social, administrative, and human capital resources. However, extant theory and mixed empirical evidence leave the effect of social capital on performance unclear. The gains from these norms of reciprocity, participation, networking, and trust may disproportionately benefit only some of their clients, leading to disparities in outcomes among diverse clienteles. …
Less Bang for Your Buck? How Social Capital Constrains the Effectiveness of Social Welfare Spending
Rising economic insecurity in recent decades has focused attention on the importance of social welfare programs in managing household financial stability. Some governments are more effective than others in managing this outcome, and informal social institutions help explain why. Social capital is expected to shape economic security through multiple mechanisms, but whether the effect is to magnify or mitigate volatility is an open question. Part o…
Designing for Policy Success
Amidst the general mood of skepticism about the problem-solving capacity of governments in the face of ‘wicked problems’, it is easy to overlook that at times governments do manage to design and implement public policies and programs quite successfully. In this paper, we build on an emerging area of ‘positive evaluation’ research into public policy successes (Bovens et al 2001; McConnell 2010; Nielsen et al 2015). Using the conceptual tools emana…
Who is my neighbor? The effect of community racial in-group representation and residential isolation on volunteering
Do individuals residing in racially diverse communities volunteer less than individuals living in homogenous communities? While a growing body of literature explores the relationship between diversity and trust, we know less about how racial diversity affects volunteering. Drawing on the Current Population Survey’s (CPS) volunteering supplement combined with county-level Census data, this article explores how racial diversity moderates the relati…
Bureaucracy and the Failure of Politics
Bureaucratic reforms worldwide seek to improve the quality of governance. In this article, we argue that the major governance failures are political, not bureaucratic, and the first step to better governance is to recognize the underlying political causes. Using illustrations from throughout the world, we contend that political institutions fail to provide clear policy goals, rarely allocate adequate resources to deal with the scope of the proble…
Everybody Hurts Sometimes
Understanding when individuals support government action is central to government responsiveness and democratic policy making. While previous research on political behavior has explored the influence of collective economic conditions, self-interested explanations have heavily swayed work on policy preferences. We bridge these two previously distinct literatures to articulate a theory of public policy preferences that highlights when both common a…
Administrative Errors and Race
Scholars have long recognized the role of race and ethnicity in shaping the development and design of policy institutions in the United States, including social welfare policy. Beyond influencing the design of policy institutions, administrative discretion can disadvantage marginalized clientele in policy implementation. Building on previous work on street-level bureaucracy, administrative discretion, and administrative burden, we offer a theory …
Complexity, errors, and administrative burdens
Errors in administrative processes cost clientele and organizations, yet are understudied. Beyond efficiency losses, errors impose administrative burdens on clientele. Automation is a common tool for reducing errors. Little is known, however, about the factors that may augment automation’s effectiveness. We theorize that administrative errors are a function of program complexity. We expect automation to improve accuracy in less complex programs b…
Does Job Insecurity Shape Policy Preferences? An Experimental Manipulation of Labor Market Risk
Research on political behavior and policy preferences has long argued that economic or labor market risk should motivate support for social policy, especially social insurance. We test this expectation about political behavior using a survey experiment in the nationally representative 2020 US Cooperative Congressional Election Study, through which we manipulate perceptions of labor market risk. Although our results suggest that our treatment succ…
Economics (8 works) · Political science (7 works) · Public economics (5 works) · Business (4 works) · Public Policy and Administration Research (4 works) · Economic growth (3 works) · Gender, Labor, and Family Dynamics (3 works) · Law (3 works) · Law (3 works) · Politics (3 works)