To Participate and Contribute

The second core competency put in place by NASPAA is the ability to participate in and contribute to the public policy process. This includes being able to identify the stages of the public policy process, distinguish among competing perspectives and writing a historical narrative of a policy field. In order to illustrate this competency, I've chosen the following coursework:

In the Intergovernmental Relations course, I was required to complete a briefing book. We were instructed to choose a specific policy area that discusses how this particular topic is handled across local, state, and federal governmental entities. I chose to focus on the Sanctuary Cities in the United States. By gathering information from books, articles, documentaries, and legislation, I was able to distinguish among competing perspectives and write a historical narrative of immigration in the U.S. Additionally, developing maps of government agencies and nonprofit organizations while competing this assignment provided a visual representation of this information.

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In the budgeting course, I learned how a city, or an organization, spend their money shows what is important to that City. Budgeting and fund allocation plays a critical role in the public policy process. I had an opportunity to complete a Budget Analysis of the City of Auburn as a group project. I particularly focused on the historical narrative, demographics, and specific goals of the city that shaped the initiatives and fund allocation of the City. This assignment gave me the opportunity to learn more about city goals and how money plays into the policy-making process.