Association for Public Policy Analysis & Management

This project will be a case study in the area of cultural policy. It seeks to examine the degrees of connections between non-profit organizations Newark, NJ. This analysis will be based on the 2019 Newark Creates which is a collaborative, city-wide cultural plan which Newark Arts (formerly Newark Arts Council) have created on behalf of City of Newark. This plan is unique as it is led by a non-profit organization instead of the municipal government and have sought collaboration from numerous stakeholders in public, private and non-profit areas. The main research question is whether the inter-sector collaboration as lead by a non-profit agency is feasible for the city’ based on network analysis that examines the strengths of connection between stakeholders, as well as qualitative analysis in the form of stakeholder interviews. Additionally, if time and space permit, this project will also seek to examine the historical paths that have led to its community decline and see whether such pattern fits the Wilsonian theory of community decline in the post-industrial society as well as the application of the creative placemaking theories.

The post-industrial nature of Newark is significant for this project as the city, especially in the wake of the race tensions and structural changes have lost its main pillar of employment in the past half century. Additionally, Newark boasts a strong cultural tradition and has experienced significant cultural and education investment from the state of New Jersey in the form of several major cultural institutions. The city also possesses a vibrant grassroot cultural scene which the city seeks to use in developing the cultural identity and industry.

Newark is a known case of concentrated urban poverty in the post-industrial US Northeast that contains a majority non-white (African American) population. The cultural plan with its intention to unite and advocate for the grassroot artists communities in the city is significant to the research of poverty and inequality reduction as the creative placemaking process opens additional opportunities for the local populace in distressed. The collaborative nature of this plan also meant that it combines the efforts between different agencies that will serve not just a small portion of the community but rather the full spectrum of community members.

This project will first use literature analysis to establish the basis of the analysis. Namely, the patterns of disadvantaged communities in a racialized, post-industrial US society and how Newark would fit this pattern. It will examine the current trends and debates in creative placemaking and cultural policies. This project will then use a combination of surveys and interviews to conduct a combined-method analysis. The survey is composed of nine questions and will seek to examine the connection between the 48 organizations listed as stakeholders in Newark Creates. The results from this survey will then be used to compile the network analysis to examine the strengths of connections between different stakeholders that are involved in Newark Creates.