Fiscal Federalism: The Performance of Third-Party Implementers

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Table of Contents

Research Question
Theory
Hypothesis
Research Design
Flaws in Research Design Elements
Ways to Correct the Flaws

Research Question

In the article Public Performance and Management Review, the research question is what can states do to maximize the performance of third-party implementers in the context of fiscal federalism?

Theory

The theory included a review of the literature to enhance understanding of the weatherization assistance program. It also entailed concepts of devolution and fiscal federalism.

Hypothesis

H1. Contractors providing public services to states with greater policy-specific capacity will be more likely to meet performance goals than contractors providing services to states with less policy-specific capacity.

Research Design

The research design included the measurement of the variables of interest. For instance, the operationalization of the main concepts and the subsequent quantitative analysis was carried out by the use of semi-structured interviews. Purposive sampling was used to identify the states. Other components covered under the research design were the control variables and analytic techniques. The analytic techniques involved the application of the hierarchical model with random intercepts which formed the basis of testing relationships.

Flaws in Research Design Elements

Of the four elements, the most flawed was the research design. Research design elements are critical in determining the procedures to be used to answer the research questions or in testing the hypothesis. It is in research design that various components of the entire study are linked to ensure the actual implementation of the research. The first flaw entailed the sampling process. Even though the researcher pointed out that purposive sampling was used to identify the states, there were no criteria on how the interviewees were selected. The lack of a proper sampling process could affect the credibility of the research. The second flaw was that there was no comprehensive process to outline the data collection method. Despite using interviews to gather information from the state officers, the researcher did not give the rationale and criteria used for the compilation of the quantitative data which was entered in the tables. The only detail is that it was obtained through state energy officers and the department of energy. The implication for the omission is that the reliability of the study is affected. Finally, there is no clear identification of the research design used in the study. This signifies that another researcher cannot replicate the entire study.

Ways to Correct the Flaws

To correct the flaws, a systematic procedure should be applied to ensure that different elements of the methodology and design are included. The following are the necessary steps to correct the flaws.

Step 1: Inclusion of the research methodology and philosophy. The research methodology should entail the use of mixed methods, i.e. the qualitative and quantitative approaches. The rationale is that the interviews mainly collect qualitative data which cannot be used to test the hypothesis.
Step 2: Include a particular research design that was applied to the study and the timeframe for the data collected. In this case, a cross-sectional research design could form the basis of the research.
Step 3: Identity the sample size and the sampling procedures to be applied. This will help in expounding the scope of the purposive sampling identified by the researcher.
Step 4: Include the data collection method and the types of data to be collected. This will entail the primary data collected by the use of interviews and the secondary data obtained from the energy offices. Also, this step will entail the inclusion criteria for the secondary data. Also, the various variables to be used for the study will be identified at this stage.
Step 5: Definition of the data analysis methods and rationale. This will then be followed by real data analysis and tests.

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Fiscal Federalism: The Performance of Third-Party Implementers

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