Clinton R. McNair II
My Research
My research areas are in public administration and public policy; however, my research focuses on social equity, nonprofits, emergency management, and local government. My research goals are to understand what influences the decision-making process in funding allocation and program support.
Social Equity
The core of my research is to understand how equity is implemented in cities, organizations, and institutions across the country. Throughout my travels, I found that leadership has its system for implementing equity. However, it is possible that their views only further social inequalities within our community. Organizations that work in social equity often find themselves at a dead end due to placing the implementation decision in the hands of leadership that does not incorporate equity in their decision process. My research aims to work with leaders 'in this space and help build paths for implementing equity in communities across the country. To do this, I listen to practitioners and scholars to strengthen my research and bridge the two worlds together to help improve our understanding of equity.
Disaster Recovery
Disaster recovery is an exciting area of research for me because it is a time politically when all levels of government place aside their differences and work to rebuild their communities. Alternatively, the recovery at the local level produces high levels of political influence as organizations work to gather resources on behalf of their community. In my research, I work to understand how recovery takes place at the local level and the political influence communities use to either reinforce inequality or improve communities from future storms. Overall, My research in disaster recovery analyzes the community response and how funding is allocated to the residents.
​
A blog post from my experience in Disaster Recovery:
Post 1 - Told to Wait
Post 2 - Jefferson County
Local Government
Local governments are the backbone of our society. The leaders of cities, towns, and villages play a significant role in the development of each citizen. I think it is essential to study decision-makers' actions at this level due to their power to enforce state and federal law. Furthermore, as states become more powerful, a community's role (regardless of size) plays a significant role in upholding our democracy. In my research, I work to see how cities respond to man-made disasters caused by severe weather or community uprises. I feel we will learn more about the city if we study its response to a crisis.
Nonprofit
The role of nonprofits has significantly changed over time in our country. Current research shows that nonprofits are more trusted than local government and are often discussed to fill gaps created by markets and leadership. As States depend on nonprofits to participate in the work of the government, research must analyze the power of these organizations and their overall ability to implement policy in communities of need. My research looks to understand nonprofits' impact on our communities and their unofficial role in our democracy. I analyze their role using disaster recovery to witness their role in government, minus their ability to fundraise but collaborate with leadership to improve communities.
