An Examination of Boards and Commissions

This thesis explores managerial problems and recommendations to improve the efficiency and transparency of roughly 220 different boards and commissions currently active in the state of Arizona. Research for this thesis was gathered while serving as an intern in Governor Doug Ducey's office, as well as a close examination of state statues, interviews, and supplemental sources. Research indicated that there are a few major areas of concern among the boards: the use of technology, transparency, lobbyists, board politics, and methods of centralization and decentralization. These major areas highlight the challenges that these offices face and can help inform the way solutions are created. Major findings from these areas of interest include: a need for greater use of technological resources, a need for increased transparency, the reasoning behind the new system for hiring lobbyists, the problems and possible solutions associated with board politics, the nuances of operating 90/10 licensing boards, possible changes to the operation of 90/10 licensing boards, the benefits and negatives to different methods of centralization and decentralization. Taking these findings into account, a few recommendations are developed to help enhance the operations of the state office and the boards and commissions. Beyond these recommendations, simply having a greater understanding of the operations behind the state office and the boards and commissions benefits everyone involved.