Human Resources Management for Public and Nonprofit Organizations

142 Human Resources Management for Public and Nonprofi t Organizations

Exercise 5.2: Screening for Terrorists

The Bush administration plans to screen thousands of people who work

with charities and nonprofi t organizations that receive U.S. Agency for

International Development funds to ensure they are not connected with

individuals or groups associated with terrorism. The plan has aroused con-

cern and debate among some of the larger U.S. charitable organizations

and recipients of U.S. Agency for International Development (AID) fund-

ing. Offi cials of InterAction, representing 165 foreign aid groups, said the

plan would impose undue burdens and has no statutory authority.

The program demands for the fi rst time that nongovernmental orga-

nizations fi le information with the government on each offi cer, board

member, key employee, and those associated with an application for AID

funds or managing a project when funded. The information is to include

name, address, date and place of birth, citizenship, Social Security and

passport numbers, sex, and profession or other employment data. The

data will be used to conduct national security screening to ensure these

persons have no connection to entities or individuals “ associated with

terrorism. ” Under an earlier initiative, nongovernmental organizations

were required to check their own employees and then certify to AID that

they were certain no one was associated with individuals or groups

that appeared on applicable governmental terrorist listings.

Questions

1. How might the new policy increase the recruitment, screening, and
   selection of employees and board members working for nongovern-
   mental organizations that receive AID funding?


2. Do you think the new policy will be effective in screening out indi-
   viduals and groups associated with terrorism activities? What might be
   some unanticipated HRM consequences? Explain your answer.

Source: Pincus (2007).