James C. McDavid, PhD (Indiana)

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UVic Office: HSD A336
UVic Office Phone: 250.472.4293
Fax: 250.721.8849
E-mail: jmcdavid@uvic.ca

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Professional Information & Research Interests  |  Selected Publications  |  Grants & Awards  |  Selected Recent Speaking Engagements & Event Participation  |  Courses Taught  |  Professional Appointments & Memberships |  Media Contributions

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Professional Information & Research Interests

Professional Information

Jim McDavid joined the School of Public Administration in 1980 as an Associate Professor, and became a Full Professor in 1989. He was Dean of the Faculty of Human and Social Development from 1990-1996. Jim was a recipiend of the UVic Alumni Teaching Award in 1993. In 2004, Jim received UVic's highest academic honour, the UVic Distinguished Professorship award. He is one of Canada's leading public administration scholars in the fields of program evaluation, performance measurement and performance management. He also has made substantial scholarly contributions to the local government field. Professor McDavid is listed in the Who's Who of Canada.

Research Interests

• Program evaluation, performance measurement and performance management

• Local government service delivery

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Selected Publications

Books

• Program Evaluation and Performance Measurement: An Introduction to Practice (with Laura R.L. Hawthorn) (Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage, 2006).

• The Well-Performing Government Organization (with D. Brian Marson) (Toronto, Ontario: Institute of Public Administration of Canada, 1991).

Journals and Other Articles

• McDavid, James C. and Irene Huse. (2011). "Legislator Uses of Public Performance Reports: Findings From a Five Year Study." American Journal of Evaluation, published online April 2011.

• Hildebrand, Richard and James C. McDavid. (2011). "Joining Public Accountability and Performance Management: A Case Study of Lethbridge, Alberta." Canadian Public Administration, 54(1).

• McDavid, James C. (2009). "The Lay of the Land: An Academic Point of View." Canadian Journal of Program Evaluation, 24(1), pp. 5-9.

• McDavid, James C. and Annette Mueller. (2008). "A Cross-Canada Analysis of the Efficiency of Residential Recycling Services." Canadian Public Administration, 51(4), pp. 589-615.

• McDavid, James C. and Irene Huse. (2006). "Will Evaluation Prosper in the Future?" Canadian Journal of Program Evaluation, 21(3), pp. 47-72.

• McDavid, James C. (2003). "The Impacts of Amalgamation on Police Services in the Halifax Regional Municipality." Canadian Public Administration, 45(4), pp. 538-565.

• McDavid, James C. (2001). "Program Evaluation in British Columbia in a Time of Transition." Canadian Journal of Program Evaluation, Special Issue.

• McDavid, James C. (2001). "Solid Waste Contracting Out, Competition, and Bidding Practices Among Canadian Local Governments." Canadian Public Administration, 44(1).

• McDavid, James C. (2000). "Alternative Service Delivery in Canadian Local Governments: Producing Solid Waste Management Services." Canadian Journal of Regional Sciences, 23(1).

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Grants & Awards

• 2004: recipient of the University of Victoria Distinguished Professorship Award.

• 2004: Recipient of the Clearview School District No. 71 Award of Merit.

• 2003: Three year SSHRC grant for research examining the ways that elected officials use public performance reports.

• 1996: winner of the J.E. Hodgetts Award for the best English language article in Canadian Public Administration.

• 1993: recipient of the University of Victoria Teaching Excellence Award.

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Selected Recent Speaking Engagements & Event Participation

• May 4, 2010: presentation to the Canadian Evaluation Society Annual Conference in Victoria BC. Presentation described the development of the Consortium of Universities for Evaluation Education (CUEE). The Consortium is committed to increasing the availability of graduate education opportunities to evalaution professionals in Canada. The CUEE website is: www.evaluationeducation.ca

• November 2009: total of ten presentations in Australia to the Queensland State Government, the Commonwealth Government of Australia, the Australian Capital Territory Government, the South Australia State Government and the annual conference of the Institute of Public Administration of Australia (IPAA).  The presentations were part of a four week trip to Australia and New Zealand that was co-sponsored by Griffith University in Brisbane and the Australia and New Zealand  School of Government (ANZSOG).

• November 5, 2008: presentation at the annual conference of the American Evaluation Association in Denver. Presentation reported key findings from the SSHRC-funded project on Legislator Uses of Performance Reports. The project report is, "What is the Value in Public Performance Reporting? Findings from a Five Year Study of Legislator Uses of Performance Reports in British Columbia".

• October 23, 2008: Distinguished University Professor Public Lecture, "What is the Value in Public Performance Reporting? Findings from a Five Year Study of Legislator Uses of Performance Reports in British Columbia".

• February 6, 2008: Presentation at a one day symposium in Vancouver on amalgamating the police departments in Greater Vancouver. The Symposium was jointly organized by the BC Ministry of the Solictor General and the School of Criminlogy at Simon Fraser University.

• June 5, 2007: presented the final report of a national consortium of evaluators led by Gerald Halpern, at the Canadian Evaluation Society Annual Conference in Winnipeg, MB. The report, prepared for the CES National Board, recommends that the CES take a lead role in professionalizing evaluators in Canada, suggesting that evaluators be certified as part of a system of professional designations for evaluators.

• November 26, 2004: "Using Performance Reports: Findings from the Legislator Uses of Performance Reports Project" a presentation to The Future of Government Series Conference "Accountability in the 21st Century" in Victoria, BC.

• May 2, 2004: "BC Legislators' Intended Uses of Performance Reports" a presentation to an IPAC Conference on "Performance Management and Accountability" in Montreal, PQ.

• October 28, 2003: "Legislator Perceptions of Performance Reporting Principles: Findings From the Legislators Uses of Performance Reports Project" a presentation to the Institute of Public Administration Canada Regional Conference in Edmonton, AB.

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Courses Taught

• ADMN 502A - Research Methods I

• ADMN 502B - Research Methods II

• ADMN 530 - Increasing Organizational Effectiveness: Working with Consultants

• ADMN 537 - Program Evaluation and Performance Measurement

• ADMN 437 - Program Evaluation and Performance Measurement (Diploma Program)

• ADMN 621 - Program and Performance Analysis and Evaluation

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Professional Appointments & Memberships

• Canadian Evaluation Society

• Institute of Public Administration of Canada

• Editorial Board for the Canadian Journal of Program Evaluation

• American Evaluation Association

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Media Contributions

• "The Case of Police Amalgamation: Lessons From Halifax" - Comment page, first section, in the Victoria Times Colonist, April 14, 2003.

• "Bottom Line A Question of Numbers" - Page A13, in the Globe and Mail, August 1, 2000.

• Multiple CBC radio interviews on the findings from a series of cross-Canada surveys of municipal waste management practices, 1999-2001.

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