NCJ Number
47581
Editor(s)
R B RIPLEY
Date Published
1976
Length
60 pages
Annotation
ANALYTICAL METHODOLOGIES FOR EXAMINING OPTIMAL BENEFITS DERIVABLE FROM ACTIVITIES BASED ON MULTIFOCAL POLICIES ARE APPLIED TO DATA FROM 32 CHAPTERS OF THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF COLORED PEOPLE.
Abstract
QUESTIONNAIRE DATA, OBTAINED FROM THE 32 CHAPTER PRESIDENTS, PERTAINED TO INFORMATION RELEVANT TO RESOURCE ALLOCATION DECISIOMAKING STRATEGIES. FOR INSTANCE, IN CIVIL RIGHTS ACTIVITIES, EQUALITY OF OPPORTUNITY WOULD BE MEASURED IN TERMS OF COMPOSITE EQUALITY IN SIX FIELDS: VOTING, SCHOOLS, CRIMINAL JUSTICE, HOUSING, EMPLOYMENT, AND PUBLIC ACCOMODATION. BECAUSE OF SCARCE RESOURCES, ADVOCACY GROUPS OR RELEVANT GOVERNMENTAL AGENCIES, CANNOT CONCENTRATE ON ALL SIX FIELDS TO AN UNLIMITED EXTENT, AND MAXIMUM BENEFITS WILL NOT BE OBTAINED BY CONCENTRATING ON ALL SIX FIELDS EQUALLY. HOWEVER, THE ADVOCACY GROUP MAY WISH TO ALLOCATE SOME MINIMUM EFFORT WITHIN EACH OF THE SIX FIELDS AND, ON THE BASIS OF CHANGE DATA AND GOALS, MINIMUM/MAXIMUM CONSTRAINTS MAY BE INTRODUCED AND LINEAR PROGRAMMING METHODS CAN BE USED TO DETERMINE OPTIMAL RESOURCE ALLOCATIONS. DATA USED IN THE APPLICATION OF ANALYTICAL METHODOLOGES REFER TO THE DIRECTION AND DEGREE OF CHANGE IN DISCRIMINATION/EQUAL OPPORTUNITY IN EACH OF THESE SIX FIELDS FOR 32 CITIES. THE MANNER IN WHICH A MULTIPLE-ACTIVITY FORM OF LINEAR PROGRAMMING AND REGRESSION ANALYSIS CAN BE HELPFUL IN GENERATING INSIGHT ON RESOURCE ALLOCATION FOR OPTIMAL BENEFIT AMONG TWO OR MORE ACTIVITIES IS ILLUSTRATED. IT IS ALSO SHOWN HOW LINEAR PROGRAMMING MAY BE APPLIED TO ACTIVITIES AND GOALS THAT ARE EXPRESSED IN TERMS OF CHANGES OVER TIME RATHER THAN SINGLE CHANGES. FINALLY, THE APPLICABILITY OF INPUT/OUPUT MATRIX ANALYSIS TO SITUATIONS INVOLVING MULTIPLE POLICIES AND MULTIPLE GOALS IS DISCUSSED. USING LINEAR PROGRAMMING AND REGRESSION ANALYSIS IT IS POSSIBLE TO GAIN INSIGHTS INTO THE RANK ORDER OF EFFORTS EXPENDED AND IMPROVEMENTS ACHIEVED, NORMATIVE EVALUATIONS OF ACTIVITIES AND THE SIMPLE CORRELATION AND STATISTICALLY CONTROLLED REGRESSION COEFFICIENTS OF THOSE ACTIVITIES RELATED TO THEIR OVERALL GOAL, THE ROLE OF DEMOGRAPHIC COMMUNITY CHARACTERISTICS IN CORRELATIONS, AND THE INTERRELATED NATURE OF THE VARIABLES INVOLVED. DATA COLLECTION AND INTERPRETATION METHODOLOGIES USING CAUSAL AND OPTIMIZING ANALYSIS ARE ALSO DISCUSSED. APPENDIXES INCLUDE THE QUESTIONNAIRE AND AVERAGE ITEM RESPONSES, CITIES USED IN ANALYSIS, A GLOSSARY OF SYMBOLS, AND THE BASIC FORMULAE USED. REFERENCES ARE ALSO PROVIDED.