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"The Importance Of Transparency In Municipal Governance"; A Case Study Of North Shore Massachusetts
Hubisz, Elden J. Hubisz, Elden J.
Hubisz, Elden J.
Hubisz, Elden J.
Title
"The Importance Of Transparency In Municipal Governance"; A Case Study Of North Shore Massachusetts
Date
2024-05-01
Subject
Applied geography
North Shore
Massachusetts
Social geography
Government
North Shore
Massachusetts
Social geography
Government
Material type
Files
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hubiszelden.pdf
Adobe PDF, 2.41 MB
Abstract
The United States has a turbulent past filled with the use of force and displays of negativity regarding public engagement. There are laws enacted protecting the public, allowing a positive exchange of information, and ensuring the availability of resources. This research will explore the factors influencing citizen engagement: What are the factors influencing citizen participation in local government, and what municipalities encourage these interactions? An incident in Massachusetts where a private citizen was denied their civil rights at a ZBA meeting, provides the context to explore the limits of public interactions and government transparency. Using a grounded theory approach, survey data was collected and analyzed along with socioeconomic and geographic factors to create a GIS (Geographic Information System) product that could be useful in examining citizens’ participation in local government. I will test the limits of public interactions and governmental transparency in a survey open to SSU students and North Shore townspeople. The data will show a correlation between interactions, location, and several different factors such as race, income, social status, employment, business ownership, and utilization of governmental services. Using the grounded theory approach, the collected data will be used to create a GIS product. Conclusions and suggestions drawn from pairing the GIS product with survey data will be offered to strengthen interactions in both urban and regional planning as well as civic engagement across geographies.
Duration
Location
Advisor
Krebs, Lorri
Sponsor
Course
Department
Geography and Sustainability
Degree
Bachelor of Science (BS)