USC Civic Leadership Education and Research (CLEAR) Initiative
Developing Rigorous Research for a 21st Century Public Workforce
CLEAR's Mission
The Civic Leadership Education and Research (CLEAR) Initiative conducts research and provides education on public sector employment, which represents a significant proportion of the national labor economy. CLEAR helps others understand and develop the talent needs of the civic leadership workforce for the 21st century with a focus on governance capacity, diversity, and the impacts of technology, politics, and the economy on public service occupations. We are dedicated to objective and rigorous social science research that can inform the resilience and robustness of our civil service institutions.
CLEAR's Research
We conduct macro-, meso-, and micro-level analysis on and in public sector labor markets. We focus on inter-sector and inter-institutional relations, public and nonprofit workforce dynamics, and developing civic leadership for the next generation. Our work is generously supported by the University of Southern California's Office of Research and Innovation, the Sol Price School of Public Policy, the Volcker Alliance, and the IBM Center for the Business of Government, among others. Our research covers such topics as public sector labor market dynamics, behavioral public administration and policy, diversity management and representation in public organizations, the political economy of civil service, and technology and change in public organizations.