Golam M. Mathbor, Ph.D., professor in the School of Social Work, has been invited to attend a learning exchange, “State Cabinet Officials and Nonprofit Executives: Working with Citizens,” hosted by the Kettering Foundation Nov. 20-21. A nonprofit research institution headquartered in Ohio, the Kettering Foundation convenes research-focused policy forums throughout the year that seek to answer the guiding question: “What does it take to make democracy work as it should?”
Through cooperative research, the foundation collects experiences from participating people and organizations who have a stake in addressing the specific problem up for discussion. Kettering offers insights from past exchanges as well as thought-provoking questions to guide these conversations.
This is the third time Mathbor has been invited to a learning exchange on cabinet officials and nonprofit executives. The primary research question for this exchange is “How can citizens engage governmental and nongovernmental organizations?”
The Kettering Foundation posits that state cabinet officials and nonprofit executives are in unique positions to work with citizens in the execution of their functions. As such, executives and the institutions that they manage can be reoriented into viewing citizens as contributors to the production of public goods and services. The learning exchange will explore how and to what extent citizens are seen as producers.
Mathbor is the author of the book “Effective Community Participation in Coastal Development.” His research interests include disaster relief and management, international social development, and international social work. He has published extensively on disaster relief, community preparedness, social development, coastal zone management, migration, health, economics, and international social work education.
For more information on the Kettering Foundation, visit www.kettering.org.