Michael Blair Thomas
Biographic Data
| ID | 4399202 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Michael Blair Thomas |
| GIVEN NAMES | Michael Blair |
| FAMILY NAME | Thomas |
| SIGNATURE | THOMAS M B |
| AFFILIATIONS | Western Kentucky University |
| ORCID | 0000-0001-6647-9278 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 16 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 16 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 16 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2020 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 2 |
From colleagues to conferences
With artificial intelligence (AI) integration continually increasing in public service, there is growing pressure on public administration instructors to learn more about how the technology works and how to apply it in the classroom. While current literature examines how instructors use it in their courses, less is known about how they pursue AI literacy. The reflection addresses the following question: Through which channels, do instructors in N…
Changing the narrative
In the past decade, both citizens and activist organizations have pushed for reform of the administrative state. Concurrently, athletes or “super citizens” entered the administrative state as they used their voice, platform, and social and financial capital to become major actors in these calls for reform. This article presents a revised theoretical framework in which to situate professional athletes within the field of public administration and …
Public Spaces and Third Bases
The role of publicly funded stadiums is one that is evolving over time. Primarily used for sports and entertainment, they have emerged as public value epicenters where different populations within a community explore and find meaning, resembling Ray Oldenburg’s “third” place concept along with public parks, where people can gather informally in spaces to do the same. Through the lens of public administration theory, specifically public value theo…
AI, Bureaucracy, and Institutional Ethics
With the more pronounced infusion of artificial intelligence (AI) into public sector operations, there exist a host of ethical concerns that arise pertaining to how public sector organizations make decisions about workflow and the automation of processes, bureaucratic accountability, and sustaining democratic governance and transparency. Through the lens of institutional ethics, this article explores the morality of using AI as a tool in governme…
Foul Ball, Fair Game
In March 2024, the University of Florida emerged as one of the most recognizable institutions of higher learning to eliminate funding for DEI programs even as public administration programs seek desperately to stop sinking enrollments. In response, the NAACP encouraged Black student-athletes to reconsider their current and future commitments to public colleges and universities with similar policies. With significant access to social and financial…
Evolving AI policy and the public administrator
Equality Unfulfilled
More than a game
The Untapped Potential of Social Marketing
The purpose of this study is to investigate how cities are developing and implementing social marketing practices. Driven by a 2017 survey administered to a sample of Florida’s public officials, the research design of this study employs an exploratory data analysis including cluster analysis, univariate visualization, and bivariate visualization to information regarding public social marketing utilization. The findings of this study suggest possi…
Playing Offense
The start of the 2020s presents a broken American administrative system plagued by state ineptitude in a time of turmoil and government distrust. In their protests, marginalized citizens have seen their voices amplified by integral parts of their communities for whom they have cheered: Athletes. This Perspective draws attention to the idea of super citizens and their ability to influence policy. We argue that Black athlete activism that centers t…
The erosion of the administrative state under President Trump
President Trump encouraged bad state actors within the administrative state to contribute to inequities for civilians. We highlight how Trump's actions and rhetoric led to increased individual, institutional, and systemic racism and violence. As a response to this increased violence and rhetoric, we discuss the role civilians (including professional athletes) played in engaging in protests and the 2020 election. Given that more individuals voted …
Swooshed
Cities across the United States are increasingly implementing branding into their strategic plans. Several municipalities are finding creative ways to do so, paced by New York City's 2019 licensing agreement with sportswear giant, Nike. The city (via NYC & Company) and Nike entered into a 2‐year agreement that is claimed by Nike as the first known partnership of its kind. The contract allows the sportswear company to produce footwear and apparel …
We can’t just shut up and play
In 2020, the lack of an administrative response to the rising rates of COVID-19 and the inability of public leaders to provide proper oversight and accountability for unjust government actions by (police officers) presents a clear case of the failure of the administrative state. These actions have led to a national outcry by individuals and organizations (in particular Black Lives Matter (BLM)) that are fed up with the inequity that exists in soc…
Designing Performance Systems in Anticipation of Unintended Consequences
Scholars have long documented the unintended consequences of performance systems, but insufficient attention is paid to the drivers of such consequences and the ways of mitigating them. This article contributes to this line of inquiry by analyzing New York Police Department’s (NYPD) experience with its signature performance system and its affiliated policies. With multiple data sources, it finds three main drivers of the unintended consequences, …
Governing the pandemic
Data sharing not applicable to this article as no data sets were generated or analyzed during the current study
Strategically Marketing Florida’s Cities
Over the course of this decade, Florida has emerged as one of America’s fastest growing and most visited states. As many of the state’s municipalities compete for opportunities to expand their tax base and achieve other municipally centered goals, they are faced with the challenge of needing to strategically differentiate themselves from their peers to attract opportunities. One way to accomplish this is through using marketing as a tool of strat…
We can’t just shut up and play
In 2020, the lack of an administrative response to the rising rates of COVID-19 and the inability of public leaders to provide proper oversight and accountability for unjust government actions by (police officers) presents a clear case of the failure of the administrative state. These actions have led to a national outcry by individuals and organizations (in particular Black Lives Matter (BLM)) that are fed up with the inequity that exists in soc…
Designing Performance Systems in Anticipation of Unintended Consequences
Scholars have long documented the unintended consequences of performance systems, but insufficient attention is paid to the drivers of such consequences and the ways of mitigating them. This article contributes to this line of inquiry by analyzing New York Police Department’s (NYPD) experience with its signature performance system and its affiliated policies. With multiple data sources, it finds three main drivers of the unintended consequences, …
Evolving AI policy and the public administrator
Playing Offense
The start of the 2020s presents a broken American administrative system plagued by state ineptitude in a time of turmoil and government distrust. In their protests, marginalized citizens have seen their voices amplified by integral parts of their communities for whom they have cheered: Athletes. This Perspective draws attention to the idea of super citizens and their ability to influence policy. We argue that Black athlete activism that centers t…
Strategically Marketing Florida’s Cities
Over the course of this decade, Florida has emerged as one of America’s fastest growing and most visited states. As many of the state’s municipalities compete for opportunities to expand their tax base and achieve other municipally centered goals, they are faced with the challenge of needing to strategically differentiate themselves from their peers to attract opportunities. One way to accomplish this is through using marketing as a tool of strat…
Strategically Marketing Florida’s Cities
Over the course of this decade, Florida has emerged as one of America’s fastest growing and most visited states. As many of the state’s municipalities compete for opportunities to expand their tax base and achieve other municipally centered goals, they are faced with the challenge of needing to strategically differentiate themselves from their peers to attract opportunities. One way to accomplish this is through using marketing as a tool of strat…
We can’t just shut up and play
In 2020, the lack of an administrative response to the rising rates of COVID-19 and the inability of public leaders to provide proper oversight and accountability for unjust government actions by (police officers) presents a clear case of the failure of the administrative state. These actions have led to a national outcry by individuals and organizations (in particular Black Lives Matter (BLM)) that are fed up with the inequity that exists in soc…
Designing Performance Systems in Anticipation of Unintended Consequences
Scholars have long documented the unintended consequences of performance systems, but insufficient attention is paid to the drivers of such consequences and the ways of mitigating them. This article contributes to this line of inquiry by analyzing New York Police Department’s (NYPD) experience with its signature performance system and its affiliated policies. With multiple data sources, it finds three main drivers of the unintended consequences, …
Governing the pandemic
Data sharing not applicable to this article as no data sets were generated or analyzed during the current study
The Untapped Potential of Social Marketing
The purpose of this study is to investigate how cities are developing and implementing social marketing practices. Driven by a 2017 survey administered to a sample of Florida’s public officials, the research design of this study employs an exploratory data analysis including cluster analysis, univariate visualization, and bivariate visualization to information regarding public social marketing utilization. The findings of this study suggest possi…
Playing Offense
The start of the 2020s presents a broken American administrative system plagued by state ineptitude in a time of turmoil and government distrust. In their protests, marginalized citizens have seen their voices amplified by integral parts of their communities for whom they have cheered: Athletes. This Perspective draws attention to the idea of super citizens and their ability to influence policy. We argue that Black athlete activism that centers t…
The erosion of the administrative state under President Trump
President Trump encouraged bad state actors within the administrative state to contribute to inequities for civilians. We highlight how Trump's actions and rhetoric led to increased individual, institutional, and systemic racism and violence. As a response to this increased violence and rhetoric, we discuss the role civilians (including professional athletes) played in engaging in protests and the 2020 election. Given that more individuals voted …
Swooshed
Cities across the United States are increasingly implementing branding into their strategic plans. Several municipalities are finding creative ways to do so, paced by New York City's 2019 licensing agreement with sportswear giant, Nike. The city (via NYC & Company) and Nike entered into a 2‐year agreement that is claimed by Nike as the first known partnership of its kind. The contract allows the sportswear company to produce footwear and apparel …
Equality Unfulfilled
More than a game
Foul Ball, Fair Game
In March 2024, the University of Florida emerged as one of the most recognizable institutions of higher learning to eliminate funding for DEI programs even as public administration programs seek desperately to stop sinking enrollments. In response, the NAACP encouraged Black student-athletes to reconsider their current and future commitments to public colleges and universities with similar policies. With significant access to social and financial…
Evolving AI policy and the public administrator
From colleagues to conferences
With artificial intelligence (AI) integration continually increasing in public service, there is growing pressure on public administration instructors to learn more about how the technology works and how to apply it in the classroom. While current literature examines how instructors use it in their courses, less is known about how they pursue AI literacy. The reflection addresses the following question: Through which channels, do instructors in N…
Changing the narrative
In the past decade, both citizens and activist organizations have pushed for reform of the administrative state. Concurrently, athletes or “super citizens” entered the administrative state as they used their voice, platform, and social and financial capital to become major actors in these calls for reform. This article presents a revised theoretical framework in which to situate professional athletes within the field of public administration and …
Public Spaces and Third Bases
The role of publicly funded stadiums is one that is evolving over time. Primarily used for sports and entertainment, they have emerged as public value epicenters where different populations within a community explore and find meaning, resembling Ray Oldenburg’s “third” place concept along with public parks, where people can gather informally in spaces to do the same. Through the lens of public administration theory, specifically public value theo…
AI, Bureaucracy, and Institutional Ethics
With the more pronounced infusion of artificial intelligence (AI) into public sector operations, there exist a host of ethical concerns that arise pertaining to how public sector organizations make decisions about workflow and the automation of processes, bureaucratic accountability, and sustaining democratic governance and transparency. Through the lens of institutional ethics, this article explores the morality of using AI as a tool in governme…
Political science (12 works) · Law (9 works) · Public relations (9 works) · Law (8 works) · Public Administration (7 works) · Public Administration (7 works) · Sport and Mega-Event Impacts (7 works) · Government (linguistics (6 works) · Sociology (6 works) · Sports, Gender, and Society (6 works)