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WORK TITLE: Privatizing the Polity
WORK NOTES:
PSEUDONYM(S):
BIRTHDATE:
WEBSITE: https://sites.google.com/site/professorochs/Home
CITY:
STATE:
COUNTRY:
NATIONALITY:
https://polisci.cas2.lehigh.edu/content/ochs-holona * https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=sites&srcid=ZGVmYXVsdGRvbWFpbnxwcm9mZXNzb3JvY2hzfGd4OjNkYWJkZTg1YTE4MjgwMWE * https://www.linkedin.com/in/holonaleanneochs/ * http://www.sunypress.edu/p-6096-privatizing-the-polity.aspx
RESEARCHER NOTES:
PERSONAL
Female.
EDUCATION:Kansas State University, B.S., 1997; M.S., 1999; Ph.D., 2007.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Howard University, Washington, DC, assistant professor, 2007-09; Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA, associate professor, 2009–
WRITINGS
Contributor of numerous articles to periodicals and journals.
SIDELIGHTS
Holona LeAnne Ochs is an associate professor of political science at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. She has coauthored two books with Richard Seltzer: Getting a Cut: A Contextual Understanding of Commission Systems and Gratuity: A Contextual Understanding of Tipping Norms from the Perspective of Tipped Employees. Her third book, Privatizing the Polity, was published in 2015.
In Privatizing the Polity, Ochs examines how well U.S. public antipoverty programs have fared since the 1996 bipartisan welfare reform programs were enacted. Because much of the responsibility for putting these programs into motion was given to the states, Ochs finds that the success or failure of implementation has relied on how well different states have policed the programs.
In a review of Privatizing the Polity at the Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory Web site, Thad D. Calabrese commented: “The goal of Privatizing the Polity is both ambitious and important to public administration scholars. Ochs sets out to examine the extent to which public anti-poverty programs since the bipartisan welfare reform have worked toward the goal of reducing poverty. Importantly, the author argues that this significant change relies extensively on the devolution of public policies to states and, subsequently, to private (both for-profit and nonprofit) corporations.” Calabrese then observed: “As such, the book will interest those concerned with how public-private contracts are managed, … and how effective government and private service providers are in jointly achieving goals. The book serves as an excellent overview of the alphabet soup that is the modern welfare safety net in the United States.” Calabrese concluded: “Ochs does make a compelling case that the U.S. system is not meeting the goals established for welfare programs. The beneficiaries of these programs are not the poor, and a tremendous amount of public dollars are inefficiently expended as a result. Future experimental research might expand our limited understanding of guaranteed income programs as replacements for our current morass of welfare programs to provide more protection from poverty and impoverishment. Basic income support, it seems, might make antipoverty programs effective again.”
Choice reviewer D.R. Imig “highly recommended” Privatizing the Polity, stating: “This welcome addition to the literature on social welfare policy making in the U.S. takes the long view.”
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Choice, June, 2016, D.R. Imig, review of Privatizing the Polity, p. 1546.
ONLINE
Holona LeAnne Ochs Faculty Home Page, https://sites.google.com/site/professorochs/Home (May 7, 2016).
Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory Advance Access, https://docs.google.com (April 19, 2016), Thad D. Calabrese, review of Privatizing the Polity.
Lehigh University Department of Political Science Website, https://polisci.cas2.lehigh.edu/ (May 7, 2016), faculty profile.*
Holona LeAnne Ochs
Associate Professor at Lehigh University
Lehigh University The University of Kansas
Allentown, Pennsylvania Area 481 481 connections
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Review of Privatizing the Polity: "How Are We Doing? The Failure of Welfare Reform to Reduce Poverty" in JPART (April 2016)
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Experience
Lehigh University
Associate Professor
Company NameLehigh University
Dates Employed2009 – Present Employment Duration8 yrs
AIDSNET
Board member
Company NameAIDSNET
Dates Employed2009 – 2012 Employment Duration3 yrs
Howard University
Assistant Professor
Company NameHoward University
Dates Employed2007 – 2009 Employment Duration2 yrs
Education
The University of Kansas
The University of Kansas
Degree Name Ph.D. Field Of Study Public Policy & Administration
Dates attended or expected graduation 2001 – 2007
Activities and Societies: President: GPSA Pi Sigma Alpha APSA MWPSA
Kansas State University
Kansas State University
Degree Name M.S. Field Of Study Clinical Marriage & Family Therapy
Dates attended or expected graduation 1997 – 1999
Activities and Societies: AAMFT
I was also certified as a mediator in the state of Kansas and in Jackson County Missouri. After completing my degree, I obtained licensure as a LCMFT in Kansas and an PLPC in Missouri.
See less See less about Kansas State University, M.S.
Kansas State University
Kansas State University
Degree Name B.S. Field Of Study Psychology
Dates attended or expected graduation 1994 – 1997
Activities and Societies: National Honor Society Psi Chi
I also completed the certification for clinical psych tech.
See less See less about Kansas State University, B.S.
Howard University
Howard University
Field Of Study Political Science and Government
Holona LeAnne Ochs
Lehigh University
Department of Political Science
9 West Packer Avenue
313 Maginnes
Bethlehem, Pa. 18015
Voice: (610) 758-6508
hlo209@lehigh.edu
hlochs@gmail.com
http://sites.google.com/site/professorochs/
ACADEMIC POSITIONS
Lehigh University, Department of Political Science
2015- Associate Professor
2009-2015 Assistant Professor
Howard University, Department of Political Science
2007-2009 Assistant Professor
University of Kansas, Department of Political Science
2006-2007 Doctoral Fellow
2002-2006 Instructor/Research Assistant
EDUCATION
University of Kansas
PhD. in Political Science, May 2007
Dissertation: “Social Policy and Inequality.”
M.A. in Political Science, December 2005
Kansas State University
M.S. in Clinical Marriage and Family Therapy, May 1999
Kansas State University
B.S. in Psychology, May 1997
PUBLICATIONS
Books
Ochs, Holona LeAnne. September 2015. Privatizing the Polity. Albany, NY: State University of New York
Press.
Seltzer, Richard and Holona LeAnne Ochs. 2010. Getting a Cut: A Contextual Understanding of
Commission Systems. Lanham, MD: Lexington Press.
Seltzer, Richard and Holona LeAnne Ochs. 2010. Gratuity: A Contextual Understanding of Tipping Norms
From the Perspective of Tipped Employees. Lanham, MD: Lexington Press.
Academic Journal Articles (Peer Reviewed)
Ronald Clark, Holona LeAnne Ochs, and Michael Frazier. 2013. “Representative Bureaucracy: The
Politics of Access to Policy-Making Positions in the Federal Executive Service.” Public Personnel
Management 42(1):75-89.
Ochs, Holona LeAnne. 2012. “Philanthropic Social Ventures: A Framework and Profile of the Emerging
Field.” Journal of Public Management and Social Policy 18(1):3-26.
Ochs, Holona LeAnne. 2011. “The Politics of Inclusion: Black Political Incorporation and the Incidence of
Lethal Force.” Journal of Ethnicity in Criminal Justice 9(3):238-265.
Ochs Page 2
Ochs, Holona LeAnne. 2009. “Public Participation in Policing: The Impact of Citizen Oversight on the
Incidence of Lethal Force Over Time in the Largest U.S. Cities.” Justice Research and Policy
11(1):105-140.
Ochs, Holona LeAnne and Andrew B. Whitford. 2007. "Enhancing Credibility in the Classroom: Insights
from the Rhetorical and Strategic Study of Credibility." Journal of Public Affairs Education
13(3/4):499-507.
Ochs, Holona LeAnne. 2006. "‘Color Blind’ Policy in Black and White: The Racial Consequences of the
Race Neutral Policy of Disenfranchisement." Policy Studies Journal 34(1):79-92.
Whitford, Andrew B., Jeff Yates, and Holona LeAnne Ochs. 2006. "Ideological Extremism and Public
Participation." Social Science Quarterly 87(1):36-54.
Whitford, Andrew B. and Holona LeAnne Ochs. 2006. "The Political Roots of Executive Clemency."
American Politics Research 34(6):825-846.
Academic Book Chapters and Encyclopedia Articles (Invited)
Ochs, Holona LeAnne. 2018. “Poverty and Social Welfare.” Legislating Morality in America, edited by Donald P.
Haider-Markel. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO.
Ochs, Holona LeAnne. 2018. “Police Use of Force.” Legislating Morality in America, edited by Donald P. Haider-
Markel. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO.
Ochs, Holona LeAnne. 2016. “Philanthropic Social Ventures.” Understanding Nonprofit Organizations:
Governance, Leadership, and Management, edited by J. Steven Ott, Lisa Dicke and Lisa Dicke with cases
by Kenneth Meyer. Third Edition. Boulder, CO: Westview Press.
Ochs, Holona LeAnne. 2011. “Alcohol and Indians.” Encyclopedia of Native American History, edited by Peter
Mancall. New York: Facts on File.
Ochs, Holona LeAnne and Caroline Harper. 2011. “Ruth Muskrat.” Encyclopedia of Native American History,
edited by Peter Mancall. New York: Facts on File.
Ochs, Holona LeAnne and Roger Chapman. 2010. “Wealth Gap.” Culture Wars, edited by Roger Chapman.
New York: ME Sharpe. p. 606.
Ochs, Holona LeAnne. 2010. “Corporate Welfare.” Culture Wars, edited by Roger Chapman. New York: ME
Sharpe. p. 119.
Ochs, HolonaLeAnne. 2009. “Social Welfare.” Political Encyclopedia of U.S. States and Regions, edited by
Donald P. Haider-Markel, Michael Card, Keith Gaddie, Gary Moncrief, and Kenneth Palmer. New York:
MTM Publishing. pp. 964-966.
Ochs, Holona LeAnne. 2009. “Criminal Justice.” Political Encyclopedia of U.S. States and Regions, edited by
Donald P. Haider-Markel, Michael Card, Keith Gaddie, Gary Moncrief, and Kenneth Palmer. New York:
MTM Publishing. pp. 726-728.
Ochs, Holona LeAnne. 2009. “Disenfranchisement.” Political Encyclopedia of U.S. States and Regions, edited
by Donald P. Haider-Markel, Michael Card, Keith Gaddie, Gary Moncrief, and Kenneth Palmer. New York:
MTM Publishing. pp. 739-740.
Ochs, Holona LeAnne. 2009. “Equality.” Political Encyclopedia of U.S. States and Regions, edited by Donald P.
Haider-Markel, Michael Card, Keith Gaddie, Gary Moncrief, and Kenneth Palmer. New York: MTM
Publishing. pp. 755-757.
Ochs Page 3
Ochs, Holona LeAnne. 2009. “Intergovernmental Relations.” Political Encyclopedia of U.S. States and Regions,
edited by Donald P. Haider-Markel, Michael Card, Keith Gaddie, Gary Moncrief, and Kenneth Palmer. New
York: MTM Publishing. pp. 810-813.
Ochs, Holona LeAnne. 2009. “Family Court.” Political Encyclopedia of U.S. States and Regions, edited by
Donald P. Haider-Markel, Michael Card, Keith Gaddie, Gary Moncrief, and Kenneth Palmer. New York:
MTM Publishing. pp. 763-764.
Ochs, Holona LeAnne and Kuroki M. Gonzalzles. 2005. "Police Brutality." In Criminal Justice, edited by R.
Kent Rasmussen. Pasadena, CA: Salem Press.pp. 791-797.
Ochs, Holona LeAnne and Andrew B. Whitford. 2004. "The Milgram Experiments." In The Encyclopedia of
Public Administration and Public Policy, edited by Jack Rabin. New York: Marcel Dekker. pp. 184-187.
Ochs, Holona LeAnne and Andrew B. Whitford. 2004. "The Tuskegee Experiments." In The Encyclopedia of
Public Administration and Public Policy, edited by Jack Rabin. New York: Marcel Dekker. pp. 1977-
1980.
HONORS AND AWARDS
Howard Baumgartel Peace and Justice Award 2006 ($2500 awarded annually for research promoting
peace and justice)
Lehigh Early Career Award for Distinguished Teaching 2014 ($1000 awarded annually for exceptional
teaching based on collegial and student nominations)
FUNDED GRANTS AND RESEARCH SUPPORT
Competitive Research Grants
Lehigh University Franz and Class of ’68 Pre-tenure Research Fellowship Summer 2014 ($2500)
Lehigh University Franz and Class of ’68 Pre-tenure Research Fellowship Summer 2012 ($3200)
Lehigh University Franz and Class of ’68 Pre-tenure Research Fellowship Summer 2011 ($4000)
Howard University New Faculty Grant [PI] 2007-2009 ($38,452)
University of Kansas Dissertation Fellowship 2006-2007 ($14,000)
Research Assistant, “Principal-Agent Negotiations with Teams of Agents.” National Science Foundation
[Andrew Whitford, PI] 2004-2006
Research Assistant, “Collaborative Research: Trust in Principal-Agent
Negotiations: Can Gift-Exchange Minimize Efficiency Loss?” Russell Sage Foundation [Andrew
Whitford, PI] 2002-2003
Thompson Scholarship 2002-2005 ($3000 each year); 2006 ($500)
Research Assistant, “Survey of Services for Aging Kansans.”
Kansas Area on Aging [Richard Miller, PI] 1998
Institute for Social & Behavioral Research Fellow 1997 ($800)
Non-Competitive Research Grants
Lehigh University New Faculty Grant [PI] 2009-2011 ($8000)
SCHOLARLY PRESENTATIONS
Invited Presentations and Colloquia
• Wells College. “Social Policy and Inequality.” (11/05/06)
• St. Mary’s College of Maryland. “Health, Wealth, and Social Status Inequality.” (11/12/06)
• Howard University. “What’s Fair about Workfare?” (11/22/06)
• American University, School of Public Affairs. “Social Policy and the States.” (12/07/07)
• Howard University. “What Really Happened November 4th: Post-Election Analysis.” (11/25/08)
• West Chester University. “The States of Education Policy in the U.S.” (12/01/08)
• Lehigh University, Department of Political Science. “Citizen Review Boards and the Incidence of Lethal
Force.” (10/20/09)
• Lehigh University. Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Research Forum. “A People-First
Perspective on Nonstandard Compensation.” (10/28/10)
Ochs Page 4
• Lehigh University. Psychology Department Research Forum. “The Politics of Inclusion: Black Political
Incorporation and the Incidence of Lethal Force.” (12/08/11)
• WAMC Northeast Public Radio. “Why We Tip.” Academic Minute. (02/15/11)
• Lehigh University. Umoja House Community Dinner. “The Next ‘Ship of Fools’: Why we fail to
adequately treat mental illness and how we can do better.” (2/17/14)
• Lehigh University. The Crisis in State and Local Government Finance: A Symposium on Fiscal
Challenges Facing Pennsylvania. “The Benefits and Limitations of Devolution and Privatization.”
(9/26/14)
• Lehigh University. Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Research Forum. “The Feminization of
Poverty in the Context of Devolution and Privatization.” (09/27/16)
• University of Kansas Political Science Department Invited Speaker Series. “Privatizing the Polity.”
(10/06/16).
• KU Bookstore Meet the Author Event. “Privatizing the Polity.” (10/07/16).
• Prospero Books. “Privatizing the Polity.” (10/08/16).
Refereed Paper Presentations
American Political Science Association
• (2005): “Experimental Tests for Gender Effects in Principal-Agent Negotiations.” Washington,
D.C.
• (2013): "Philanthrocapitalism: New Markets in Poverty Governance." Chicago, IL.
• (2016): The Politics of Public Health. “The Role of Untreated Mental Illness in Deadly
Encounters with the Police in the US.” Philadelphia, PA.
Midwest Political Science Association
• (2004): "The Political Roots of Executive Clemency." Chicago, IL.
• (2005):“Principal-Agent Negotiations with Teams of Agents.”
• (2005): "Social Rights: What's Working, What's Fair." Chicago, IL.
• (2007): “Workfare Policies and the Impoverishment of Marginalized Groups: What’s Fair About
Workfare?” Chicago, IL.
• (2010): “Reimagining the Wealth of Notions”
• (2010): “The Politics of Inclusion: Black Political Incorporation and Democratic Policing.”
Chicago, IL.
• (2012): “Articulating and Disarticulating the Welfare State.” Chicago, IL.
• (2013): “The Poverty of Welfare Privatization.” Chicago, IL
• (2014): “The Role of the State in Balancing Civic and Market Logic.” Chicago, IL.
• (2015): “Workfare Policies and the State of Self-Sufficiency.” Chicago, IL.
• (2015): Roundtable: Advocacy and Agency: Women and Self-Promotion in Political Science.
Chicago, IL.
• (2016): Health Policy: “The Wild, Wild West: Untreated Mental Illness and Police Use of Lethal
Force in Arizona.” Chicago, IL.
National Conference of Black Political Scientists
• (2014): “The Safety Net, Social Capital, and Collective Action.” Wilmington, DE.
National Women’s Studies Association
• (2013): “Black Women as Objects of Policy, Subjects of Change.” Invited panel participant
presenting “The Case of Infant Mortality Gaps.” Cincinnati, OH.
Northeast Political Science Association
• (2011): “Philanthropic Social Ventures: Profile of the Emerging Field.” Philadelphia, PA.
• (2013): “Poverty Governance: The Role of State Laws of Charitable Disposition.” Philadelphia,
PA.
• (2015): “Reimagining Welfare Rituals: Lessons from Indigenous Social Development.”
Philadelphia, PA.
Northeast Conference on Public Administration
• (2011) “Philanthropic Social Ventures: Profile of the Emerging Field.” John Jay College-CUNY,
New York.
Southern Political Science Association
• (2004): "The Political Roots of Executive Clemency." New Orleans, LA.
• (2005): "Social Rights: What's Working, What's Fair." New Orleans, LA.
Ochs Page 5
• (2007): “Workfare Policies and the Impoverishment of Marginalized Groups: What’s Fair About
Workfare?”
• (2007): “Health Inequality: The Children of ‘Undeserving’ Mothers”
• (2008): “Social Inequality: Workfare and the Marginalization of Women.” New Orleans, LA.
• (2008): “Social Control, Participation, and Policing: The Impact of Citizen Oversight on Police-
Caused Homicide.” New Orleans, LA.
Society for Judgment and Decision Making
(2002): "The Disparate Impact of Disenfranchisement." Kansas City, MO.
Administered/Organized
American Political Science Association
• (2008): Discussant, “Social Policy and the States.” Boston, MA.
• (2010): Discussant, “Welfare Reform and the Politics of Poverty,” Washington, DC.
Midwest Political Science Association
• (2010): Discussant, “Nonprofit Organizations and City Politics.” Chicago, IL.
• (2010): Discussant, “Nonprofit Management.” Chicago, IL.
• (2010): Discussant, “Criminal Justice Policy.” Chicago, IL.
• (2012): Discussant, “Parent, Family, and Community Effects on Health and Education
Outcomes.” Chicago, IL.
• (2013): Chair, “Policy Entrepreneurship.” Chicago, IL.
• (2015): Discussant, “Public, Private, and Policy Tools.” Chicago, IL.
• (2016): Section Head, “Class and Inequality.” Chicago, IL.
• (2016): Discussant, “Welfare and the ‘Other’.” Chicago, IL.
• (2016): Discussant, “Welfare Disparities.” Chicago, IL.
Northeast Political Science Association
• (2012): Discussant, “Women, Gender, and Political Change.” Boston, MA.
• (2012): Chair/Discussant, “State and Metropolitan Politics.” Boston, MA.
• (2013): Chair/Discussant, “Administration of Food and Nutrition.” Philadelphia, PA.
Southern Political Science Association
• (2005): Discussant, “Social Policy.” New Orleans, LA.
• (2007): Discussant, “Race, Ethnicity, and Politics.” New Orleans, LA.
TEACHING EXPERIENCE
Lehigh University
POLS 402 Methods of Policy Analysis (Graduate)
POLS 103 Introduction to Public Administration (UG)
POLS 196 Introduction to Public Policy (UG - writing intensive)
POLS/ENTP 309 (UG) POLS 409 (G) Nonprofit Administration& Social Entrepreneurship
POLS/WGSS 397 (UG) POLS 497 (G) American Social Policy: Class, Race, Gender, & Sexuality
POLS 398 (UG) 498 (G) Globalization and Social Well-Being
POLS/HMS 307 (UG) POLS 407 (G) Politics of Mental Health Policy
POLS 482 IS: Advanced Quantitative Methods (Graduate)
Howard University
POLS 011 State and Local Government, Fall 2007
POLS 225 Pressure Groups, Fall 2007
POLS 011 State and Local Government, Spring 2008
POLS 231 Public Policy Evaluation, Spring 2008
(IS) Intergovernmental Finance, Spring 2008
POLS 011 State and Local Government, Fall 2008
POLS 246 Public Personnel Administration, Fall 2008
POLS 011 State and Local Government, Spring 2009
POLS 231 Public Policy Evaluation, Spring 2009
University of Kansas
Ochs Page 6
POLS 170 International Relations, Spring 2003
POLS 170 International Relations, Fall 2003
POLS 170 International Relations, Spring 2004
POLS 110 American Politics, Fall 2004
POLS 110 American Politics, Spring 2005
POLS 110 American Politics, Fall 2005
POLS 110 American Politics, Spring 2006
POLS 170 International Relations, Summer 2006
ADVISING
Lehigh University M.A. Thesis Advising:
Lisa Regan (December 2010); advisor & chair
Japera Johnson (August 2010); advisor & chair
Josh Kortze (May 2011); committee member
Elena Gambino (May 2012); advisor & chair
Joe Celentano (May 2014); advisor & chair
Gabe Hurtado (May 2014); advisor & chair
Katie Fardelmann (May 2012); committee member
Becky Wiseman (expected August 2016); committee member
Holly Fuhrman (May 2013); advisor & chair
Angie Matos (May 2014); advisor & chair
Aftan Baldwin (May 2015); committee member
Sean McDermott (May 2016); advisor & chair
Harvey Nicholson (expected July 2016); committee member
Nilufar Kabulova (expected August 2016); advisor and chair
Lehigh University Honor’s Thesis Advising:
Amanda Donohue (December 2016); advisor & chair
Celinda Stanton (May 2011); advisor & chair
Gwen Hauck (May 2012); advisor & chair
Aaron Wilensky (May 2012); advisor & chair
Holly Fuhrman (May 2012); committee member
Sonika Shankar (May 2013); committee member
Marissa Galante (May 2014); committee member
Matt Scherbarth (May 2016); committee member
Amanda Donohue (expected December 2016); advisor and chair
Soraya Todd (expected May 2017); advisor and chair
Howard University Ph.D. Dissertation Committee Member:
Committee Chair for Ronald C. Clark (May 2009)
Howard University MAPA Issue Paper Committee Chair:
Yolanda Curtis (2008)
TeRon Berkeley (2008)
Thomas Glover III (2008)
Howard University MAPA Issue Paper Committee Member:
Michelle Grainger (2008)
Ann-Sofie Sahlin-Cox (2008)
Micah Kubic (2009)
Ebony Bates (2009)
Howard University Undergraduate Honor’s Thesis Advisor:
Simone Davidson (2009) *Best Paper Award Winner*
SERVICE
Lehigh University
University
Faculty Advisor, LU Chapter of the Roosevelt Institute (2010-present)
Board of Trustees Forum on Strategic Development (2010)
Faculty and Staff of Color Network (2009-present)
Ochs Page 7
Circle of Sisters (2012-2014)
Economics Symposium Planning Committee; committee member (2014)
University Nominations Committee (2014-2015)
CBE Symposium on State & Local Government Finance Organizing Committee (2014)
Lehigh Internal Review Committee (2016-present)
College
Nominations Committee (2012-2015); Chair (2014/15)
Faculty Secretary (2015-present)
Franz & 1968 Pre-Tenure Award Selection Committee (2016)
Interdisciplinary Programs
Baker Institute Social Entrepreneurship Faculty (2009-present)
Social Justice Scholars organized by Vice Provost for Academic Diversity (2011-present)
Social Science Research Center Advisory Board Member (2012-present)
Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies (2009-present)
Entrepreneurship Curriculum Committee (2015-present)
Democratic Policing Forum (2015-present)
Department of Political Science
Departmental Strengths Committee; committee member (2009-present)
Advisor for the Public Administration Minor (2011-present)
Graduate Committee; committee member (2013-present)
Faculty Advisor, Delta Nu Chapter of Pi Sigma Alpha (2014-present)
Faculty Search Committee (2015)
Professional
Member, American Political Science Association (2005-present)
Member, Southern Political Science Association (2004-2007)
Member, Midwest Political Science Association (2004-present)
• 2016 MPSA Conference Program Committee
Member, Northeast Political Science Association (2011-present)
Member, American Society for Public Administration (2004-2007)
Member, Pi Sigma Alpha
• Delta Nu Chapter Advisor
Member, Golden Key National Honor Society
Member, Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society
Member, Kappa Omicron Nu Honor Society
Member, Psi Chi
For Journals and Presses
Occasional Reviewer for:
• Journal of Public Policy
• American Politics Review
• American Review of Politics
• Sage Publications
• Review of Public Personnel Administration
• Law and Society Review
• Policy Studies Journal
• National Political Science Review
• Publius: The Journal of Federalism
• Journal of Management History
• Pubic Management Review
• International Public Management Review
• World Medical and Health Policy Journal
• Journal of Health Politics, Policy, and Law
• Palgrave Macmillan
Other
United Youth Advisory Board Member (2014-2015)
Ochs Page 8
AIDSNET Board Member (2010-2012)
Member, Evaluation and Research Committee (2010-2012)
Howard University Undergraduate Studies Committee (2008-2009)
Howard University Chair Search Committee (2008)
Howard University NASPAA Re-Accreditation Committee (2007-2009)
Howard University Charles Harris Lecture Series Committee (2007-2009)
KU Political Science Graduate Association President (2004-2005)
KU Political Science Graduate Association VP (2003-2004)
KU Political Science Graduate Association Treasurer (2003-2004)
University of Kansas Graduate Professional Association (2003-2004)
University of Kansas Graduate Executive Committee (2004-2005)
Kansas City Civil Rights Consortium; volunteer member (1999-2002)
Ochs, Holona
Associate Professor
Ph. D. University of Kansas, 2007
610-758-6508
Interests:
Public policy, nonprofit administration and social entrepreneurship, and research methods
Ochs, Holona LeAnne. Privatizing the polity
D.R. Imig
CHOICE: Current Reviews for Academic Libraries. 53.10 (June 2016): p1546.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2016 American Library Association CHOICE
http://www.ala.org/acrl/choice/about
Listen
Full Text:
Ochs, Holona LeAnne. Privatizing the polity. SUNY Press, 2015. 318p bibl index afp ISBN 9781438457598 cloth, $85.00; ISBN 9781438457611 ebook, $85.00
(cc) 53-4595
HC110
2014-38027 CIP
This welcome addition to the literature on social welfare policy making in the US takes the long view. US welfare policy has cycled through several causal narratives that attempt to link the problems of poverty to appropriate solutions. Variously, that has led to a focus on governmental solutions, such as the New Deal; community-based solutions, such as the community action component of the War on Poverty; and market-based solutions, such as the proliferation of innovations that emerged in the wake of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act. This excellent work focuses on this most recent turn in US welfare policy making, in which states gained the flexibility to define outcomes, contract with providers, and even craft certain eligibility requirements for assistance. The results of a comparative examination of the successes of these innovations across the states are persuasive, stunning, and important. The devolution of responsibility for poverty to the states and the subsequent contracting of welfare services to private actors has had the perverse effect of transferring wealth to the private sector poverty industry while further impoverishing low-income Americans in need of assistance. Ochs (Lehigh Univ.) ends with a healthy set of correctives that respond to the limitations of the current system. Summing Up: *** Highly recommended. All levels/libraries.--D. R. Imig, University of Memphis
How Are We Doing? The Failure of Welfare Reform to Reduce Poverty
Holona LeAnne Ochs. 2015. Privatizing the Polity. Albany, NY: SUNY Press. 318 pp.
The goal of Privatizing the Polity is both ambitious
and important to public administration scholars. Ochs
sets out to examine the extent to which public anti-
poverty programs since the 1996 bipartisan welfare
reform have worked toward the goal of reducing pov-
erty. Importantly, the author argues that this significant
change relies extensively on the devolution of public
policies to states and, subsequently, to private (both
for-profit and nonprofit) corporations. As such, the
success or failure of welfare reform needs to be evalu-
ated through the complicated arrangement of public-
private financing and provisions that vary significantly
across the states. As such, the book will interest those
concerned with how public-private contracts are man-
aged, how well the “hollow state” implements public
policies, and how effective government and private ser-
vice providers are in jointly achieving goals.
The book serves as an excellent overview of the
alphabet soup that is the modern welfare safety net in
the United States. Ochs details various public programs
(TANF, SNAP, EITC, OPWDD, etc.), how these pro-
grams are intended to address poverty, and how these
programs may (or may not) interact with one another.
She argues persuasively that the United States addresses
poverty not simply by transferring cash to those with
an income below some threshold but also by manag-
ing programs intended to change certain behaviors.
Further, these programs are routinely implemented not
by public agencies that are held accountable (at least
in theory) to officials elected by the voters but rather
by private entities that may have incentives that are
not consistent with public accountability. Importantly,
some of these private actors are the true beneficiaries
of these public programs. As an example, Ochs argues
that both paternalists and neoliberal policy analysts
identify the lack of a strong work ethic as one cause
of poverty in many (but not all) individuals. With the
problem defined as “poor work ethic,” antipoverty
programs propose solutions that consist of programs
intended to teach skills—both technical (hard) and
interpersonal (soft)—that will permit those in poverty
to successfully compete in labor markets. The book
does an excellent job detailing the extent of these pro-
grams and differences between state programs. Ochs
also discusses a core issue in public administration
when she identifies the discretion that case workers
(the public managers in this context) have in imple-
menting the objectives of policymakers. In this context,
case workers exercise discretion about who is “deserv-
ing” or “eligible” for particular programs, and this dis-
cretion is critical in understanding the effectiveness of
the antipoverty program.
Overall, Ochs argues that our current system does
little to address the key issue of poverty. The federal
government spent approximately $325 billion—about
10% of all spending—in 2012 on cash and food aid to
the poor in this country, and this money flowed through
22 separate programs. This number, it should be noted,
excludes other programs that might be considered pub-
lic welfare by some such as health care, housing assis-
tance, energy subsidies, etc. It is difficult not to agree a
priori with this finding, given that official poverty rates
have changed little between 1964 and 2012 (falling
from about 19% to only 15%, with some variation dur-
ing that time period); further, official poverty rates are
largely unchanged since the 1996 welfare reform (US
Census Bureau 2013). Poverty rates initially declined
but started to steadily increase following 2000, and this
trend might be consistent with the book’s theme that
welfare reform aimed at changing behavior has not had
a lasting effect on poverty. Interestingly, poverty has
declined significantly within one particular group in
the United States: those 65 and older. Many attribute
this to inflation adjustments in Social Security provi-
sions that permit the elderly to maintain purchasing
power over time. More interesting, I think, is that Social
Security provides cash directly to beneficiaries and does
not try to alter behavior; it is more simply structured
without dozens of different programs. Further, Social
Security does not distinguish between the “deserving”
and “undeserving.” As long as an individual has cred-
its, benefits are determined by a mathematical formula
and do not depend on managerial discretion. This is
not meant to imply there are not long-term challenges
facing Social Security. Instead, we can identify that the
United States has a public system of cash transfers that
seems to meet the goal of addressing poverty in a spe-
cific demographic. Although poverty rates have fallen
among those 65 and older, those most likely to be in
poverty are young, single-earner households, and peo-
ple of color (relative to the general population). This
does seem to lend some credence to Ochs’s argument
that public attempts to alter behavior have not worked.
As a result, poverty rates have increased, and these pop-
ulations are increasingly alienated from the system that
theoretically exists to aid them.
Although the book will serve future researchers
well for its documentation of the antipoverty pro-
grams, the book’s primary finding—that neoliberal
and paternalist programs have not reduced impov-
erishment—is drawn from a statistical model that is
not entirely convincing. The model uses state-level
data from 1990 to 2008 to analyze how different poli-
cies and mechanisms affect rates of impoverishment.
A panel of this length would seem, at a minimum, to
be served well by state fixed effects or a first-differ-
ence model to minimize potential omitted variable
bias. Absent these, it is difficult to place much weight
in the results because the estimated coefficients may
not be accurately estimated. For example, the current
model does not include such variables as change in
employment by industries or change in population;
both could theoretically influence the impoverishment
level of a state’s population. If very poor citizens move
out of a state, for example, impoverishment would
likely change. Similarly, if high-wage industries move
out while low-wage industries move in, the level of
impoverishment will also change. In a similar vein, it
is never made clear why certain demographic or policy
variables are lagged and others are not. For example,
it seems reasonable that unemployment rates might
influence impoverishment with a lag—because unem-
ployment benefits take time to expire. Welfare case-
loads may also be lagged, if for no other reason than
to ensure reverse causality is not biasing the results.
After all, although welfare caseloads may influence
impoverishment, does impoverishment also influence
welfare caseloads?
Further, I would prefer to see more direct interpre-
tation of the model’s output. For example, the mean
impoverishment score in the sample is 31.62. States
that have enacted workfare policies in which welfare
recipients must enter the workforce to receive benefits
are associated with a 0.06 unit increase in impoverish-
ment. Rather than suggesting that workfare increases
impoverishment, it seems a better interpretation is that
workfare has no meaningful effect on impoverishment,
even if the result is statistically significant. The prob-
lem, however, is that advocates of workfare may argue
that the policy is not really hurting on average. Drilling
deeper into states’ experiences with workfare policies
would allow us to examine which states had programs
that meaningfully reduced impoverishment or were
more effective than others.
Framing her discussion in the limitations of neolib-
eralism and paternalism, Ochs finds that current anti-
poverty programs fail those individuals it purports to
help and instead aids private actors. I also wonder if
this failure is related to even larger issues beyond the
goals of welfare reform. We have a system of govern-
ment that was originally conceived as a mechanism to
ensure and protect negative rights (not entirely, but pre-
dominantly) and does a fairly good job in this task. As
society has moved to enshrine positive rights, including
antipoverty economic rights, we should not only ques-
tion the embedded theories or values as Ochs has done
in this book but we may also have to consider that our
government and bureaucracy were largely established
to refrain from action. We now are asking them to act,
and the results are unsatisfactory. Would we see dif-
ferent results from our “War on Poverty” if we pro-
vided cash assistance, minimized behavioral “nudges”
to move people toward preferred actions, and let
recipients spend their time as they choose rather than
trying to navigate the modern welfare bureaucracy?
Finland, by way of example, recently scrapped its wel-
fare system and provides all citizens with cash pay-
ments. Comparative analysts of welfare policies and
public administration should follow this experiment to
determine whether it has more effective results than
the one it replaced. Although I do not find the empiri-
cal support for her conclusions absolutely convincing,
Ochs does make a compelling case that the US system
is not meeting the goals established for welfare pro-
grams. The beneficiaries of these programs are not the
poor, and a tremendous amount of public dollars are
inefficiently expended as a result. Future experimental
research might expand our limited understanding of
guaranteed income programs as replacements for our
current morass of welfare programs to provide more
protection from poverty and impoverishment. Basic
income support, it seems, might make antipoverty pro-
grams effective again.
Thad D. Calabrese
Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service
New York University
REFERENCE
US Census Bureau. 2013. Income, Poverty, and Health Insurance Coverage in the
United States: 2012. http://www.census.gov/prod/2013pubs/p60-245.pdf.
(accessed April 11, 2016)
Journal of Public Administration Research And Theory, 2016, 1–2
doi:10.1093/jopart/muw029
Book Review