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Temporary crises and priority changes: the case of state substance abuse systems

Temporary crises and priority changes: the case of state substance abuse systems
Temporary crises and priority changes: the case of state substance abuse systems
Many doubts have been expressed about the capacity of states to administer federally supported social service programs. This article relies on institutional theory, punctuated equilibrium theory, and evidence from two states to analyze the way states administer the programs in times of fiscal crisis. The particular context is the fiscal crisis of the early 2000s in substance abuse programs. The analysis suggest that, during the crisis, state administrative authorities and the providers they funded refocused services on federal rather than local priorities.

The states and providers also further integrated substance abuse services with the services of other programs and promoted managerial practices that seemed to loosen the match between services and clients. The findings point to some of the ways in which the states’ capacities to respond to crises can be undermined by the national trend toward encouraging state discretion. Findings also reveal challenges for state-level crisis management.
1053-1858
Sosin, Michael R.
b90076b7-5244-4025-9b21-312d3d0637e0
Smith, Steven Rathgeb
df1b4658-6ca5-4a83-8949-e86d2055f767
Hilton, Timothy
988d5dd9-362b-42e5-b0be-5c0eeddfd190
Jordan, Lucy P.
3777351d-b226-43dd-9f6b-388481e5f1d3
Sosin, Michael R.
b90076b7-5244-4025-9b21-312d3d0637e0
Smith, Steven Rathgeb
df1b4658-6ca5-4a83-8949-e86d2055f767
Hilton, Timothy
988d5dd9-362b-42e5-b0be-5c0eeddfd190
Jordan, Lucy P.
3777351d-b226-43dd-9f6b-388481e5f1d3

Sosin, Michael R., Smith, Steven Rathgeb, Hilton, Timothy and Jordan, Lucy P. (2009) Temporary crises and priority changes: the case of state substance abuse systems. Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory. (doi:10.1093/jopart/mup022). (In Press)

Record type: Article

Abstract

Many doubts have been expressed about the capacity of states to administer federally supported social service programs. This article relies on institutional theory, punctuated equilibrium theory, and evidence from two states to analyze the way states administer the programs in times of fiscal crisis. The particular context is the fiscal crisis of the early 2000s in substance abuse programs. The analysis suggest that, during the crisis, state administrative authorities and the providers they funded refocused services on federal rather than local priorities.

The states and providers also further integrated substance abuse services with the services of other programs and promoted managerial practices that seemed to loosen the match between services and clients. The findings point to some of the ways in which the states’ capacities to respond to crises can be undermined by the national trend toward encouraging state discretion. Findings also reveal challenges for state-level crisis management.

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Accepted/In Press date: 27 August 2009

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 154931
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/154931
ISSN: 1053-1858
PURE UUID: c22c7d1e-a963-4e52-b4d2-ac81ffe955dc

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Date deposited: 26 May 2010 13:17
Last modified: 14 Mar 2024 01:35

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Contributors

Author: Michael R. Sosin
Author: Steven Rathgeb Smith
Author: Timothy Hilton
Author: Lucy P. Jordan

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