March 22, 2011

This is the 3rd Anniversary Issue of the Update. I'm not sure what the significance of that is, except as a marker of how time flies when you're having fun (or as the frog said, "time's fun when you're having flies").

I have been deeply immersed in 2 projects which are tangential to the school, but exactly in the heart of the world of public policy. Back in 2009, the Governor asked me to lead a Task Force, which we also staffed, to assess the appropriateness of compensation levels in the state's so-called "quasi-public agencies," ranging from big ones like Massport and the Convention Center Authority, to the Regional Transit Authorities.  Generally speaking, our conclusion was that although the authorities' boards lack any oversight from a higher power in government and frequently did not have the kind of transparent, arms length processes for determining compensation that best practices would require, that nevertheless their base salaries for senior executives seemed to be quite compatible with industry norms.   We also pointed out that many of the other benefits, such as pensions, retained sick pay, and severance deals, were probably not well-considered in the public interest.  This issue has recently surged back into the public view, as the Governor has continued to replace the chief executives of many of these authorities (including recently MassDevelopment, Mass Technology Collaborative and Massport).  While replacing them, he seems to be calling for reducing their pay. This raises the significant question of whether compensation levels for these kinds of "quasi" public agencies-which are generally sustained by non-tax revenue and governed by independent boards-should be compensated more like the private sector and their industry peers, or more like elected officials and other gubernatorial appointees (the CEO of MassDevelopment, for example, makes $299,000, while the Governor makes $140,000).

Personally, I think that we underpay most top-level public officials outside the "quasis," both elected and appointed, but I fully understand that this is not a good time to be making that case.

I also serve on the Task Force appointed by the Supreme Judicial Court to make recommendations on hiring and promotion practices in the judicial branch, pursuant to the extraordinary abuses discovered in its Probation Department.  We've issued 2 reports on probation hiring and promotion, and are now turning to court officers and clerks.  These are segments of state employment which have become extraordinarily politicized in their personnel appointments. It is clear that any "best practice" for hiring and promotion can be subverted by people with corrupt intentions.  And on the other extreme, "helping constituents get jobs" has long been one of the most traditional and valuable services that state and local elected officials play.  No matter what systems we design, we will need the continuing support of the Legislature and the Governor to be sure that the appointment to all of these critical positions in our judicial system is transparent and earned on merit.

Meanwhile, Frank Herron, Director of the Center on Media and Society, is living in Singapore for 5 months.

His blog is a delight.

We are closing in on 2-4 new faculty. We've had over 125 applications for our new permanent position in the Department of Public Policy and Public Affairs, and will be hiring a one-year Visiting Professor to replace Dr. Billie Gastic who is taking a year to study secondary public education impacts of increasing Hispanic populations in suburban New York City.  We've had 78 applications for a new permanent position in the Department of Conflict Resolution, Global Governance and Human Security, who will teach in both the new PhD program in Human Security and the International Relations Masters program.  We regret very much that one of last year's new hires, Dr. Craig Murphy, has had a change in his family's circumstances which requires him to return to Wellesley College, to access the retirement program he has participated in there for many years.  We are delighted however, that Craig will continue as a Senior Research Professor at McCormack, and will co-direct a new center with Dr. Maria Ivanova, mentor our PhD students, and continue to offer his considerable scholarly excellence and practical achievement to the development of this exciting new program.