Views Of Citizens Research Articles

The Role of Partisanship, Circumstances, and Action on Citizen Views of Government Effectiveness during the Initial COVID-19 Response

Partisanship is a central factor in how citizens form their views towards government action. However, significant disasters can occasionally disrupt these patterns, causing partisan gaps to diminish and unity to increase. The initial government response to COVID-19 is an important time to study how partisanship, along with the circumstances within states and the promptness of action shape citizen response. Using survey data, this paper evaluates whether citizens view their state and the presidents response as effective. I find a significant role of partisanship, with those identifying as a different party from those of the government’s leader significantly less likely to respond that the response has been effective. In addition, taking early action and reducing the number of deaths in a state make state’s efforts more likely to be viewed as effective, but neither has a significant effect on views of the president.

INTERPERSONAL TRUST AND CONFIDENCE IN LABOR UNIONS: THE CASE OF SOUTH KOREA

AbstractHow do ordinary citizens view labor unions? The importance of public opinion about unions has rarely been highlighted in the contemporary literature on labor politics. Using five waves of the World Value Surveys on South Korea, this article suggests that public confidence in labor unions is significantly affected by individuals’ interpersonal trust, conditional on their perception of the political representation of labor. Unlike those with high levels of trust, low-trust individuals view unions as an agent seeking their exclusionary interests at the expense of the rest of the society. The difference between high- and low-trust individuals’ confidence in labor unions is more pronounced when a liberal, rather than a conservative, government is in power because of the public perception that labor interests are already well-represented by the liberal government and union functions are redundant in such a circumstances. The empirical findings are found robust to alternative theoretical arguments and empirical techniques.

Analyzing and Visualizing Government-Citizen Interactions on Twitter to Support Public Policy-making

Twitter is widely adopted by governments to communicate with citizens. It has become a major source of data for analyzing how governments communicate with citizens and how citizens respond to such communication, uncovering important insights about government-citizen interactions that could be used to support public policy-making. This article presents research that aims at developing a software tool called Twitter Analytics for Government Intelligence and Public Participation (TA4GIP) that applies sentiment analysis and visualization techniques to information collected from Twitter and presents the findings to policy-makers and other non-technical users to facilitate understanding and interpretation. The use of the tool is illustrated through the case study of Twitter communication carried by five government secretaries responsible for health, education, social development, labor, and environment sectors in Mexico, and corresponding citizen responses over a nine-month period. The case study demonstrates that TA4GIP helps identify and analyze relevant aspects of government presence and citizen participation on social media, such as abnormal activity, salient topics being discussed, citizen views about enacted public policies, correlations between types of emotions in responses to particular government announcements, topics that generate polarized reactions from citizens, and many others.

Can’t, Won’t and What’s the Point? A Theory of the UK Public’s Muted Response to Austerity

ABSTRACT Since 2010 the UK government has undertaken extensive spending cuts which have manifested in significant reductions in welfare, local authority and justice system spending. The cuts have been linked with rising poverty, food bank use and serious health issues. Such extreme cuts are likely to affect how citizens view and interact with government. This paper argues that the theories of civic voluntarism, grievance and policy feedback in combination explain why austerity has provoked relatively little political participation in the UK.

Політичний дискурс щодо функціонування політичних партій в Україні

A comprehensive analysis of the political discourse is carried out, which concerns the featuresof the functioning of political parties in Ukraine. Attention is focused on the fact that, like any discursiveinteraction, political discourse not only reflects existing ideas about the current state of developmentof political parties and the party system. Political discourse also creates and changes them, since it isin the process of interaction that citizens analyse, perceive or reject the views of other citizens,respectively transforming those that were previously held. It is found out that in contrast to politicaldiscussions about specific political problems that political parties face in their activities, political discourseincludes not only rational statements, but also emotional ones.It is proved that political discourse covers all broadcasting of the political sphere. That is, all discursive actsthat take place in political institutions with the participation of subjects of political interaction, inparticular, political leaders and representatives of political parties. It is determined that the most commonforms of political discourse are public speeches by leaders of political forces, parliamentary debates,discussion of party and election programs. An important component of political discourse is speech actsthat are on the verge of politics and mass communication, such as press conferences, presentations ofpolitical programs, placement of campaign materials in the media and discussions of party speakers onradio, television and social networks. It is noted that political parties should actively involve citizens indiscussions in social networks. It is proved that the lack of proper communication with citizens via Internetresources reduces the ability to convey the necessary information to voters.It was found out that we can study political competition of parties through political discourse, which isable to act as an effective resource (pro-government or opposition parties), constructing and drawingcertain outlines of political reality, and which is able to legitimize certain subjects of politics. In politicaldiscourse, a certain conditional reality is constructed, which claims to become a political practice. In otherwords, the discussion between political parties on the democracy-authoritarianism dichotomy maycreate new rules of the game in the political process.A democratic society not only declares, but also actually guarantees the rights and fundamental freedomsof citizens. Political parties are important elements of the socio-political structure of society and areimportant subjects of the political process. In democratic countries, they assume important socialfunctions, while becoming an integral part of society. Political discourse makes it possible to find out therole of political parties in political processes and makes it necessary to form new approaches to the studyof their activities.

XIX-XX ASRLARDA O'RTA OSIYODA YASHAGAN AFG'ON FUQAROLARI FAOLIYATINING TARIXSHUNOSLIKDA YORITILISHI

This article illustrates the history of the arrival of Afghan citizens in Central Asia and their activities here. It is possible to know fom the source used in this research paper that the localized Afghan people played an important role in the socio-economic,cultural and political life of the region's population. The views of Afghan citizens who came to our country on the people, culture and political processes serve as an important source for studying the political life of the 19th and 20th centuries

Citizens' View on Taxation in a Post-Transition Country: The Case of Croatia

This paper presents the views of Croatian citizens about some of the most relevant aspects of the tax system. The research builds on previous broader research into the views of tax experts in Croatia. The current research objectives include: revealing citizens' views about the most important tax issues, establishing the influence of demographic characteristics and attitudes towards redistribution on their answers, and the comparison of their views with those of tax experts. On the one hand, citizens mostly advocate the abolishment of inheritance and gifts taxation, as well interest taxation, but on the other hand, they advocate the introduction of bank taxation and junk food taxation. They are in favour of broadening the reduced VAT rate to encompass all foodstuffs. The regression results suggest a strong influence of the redistributive notion of the tax system, followed by real estate ownership, income level, education level and work status. Comparison with the answers of professionals reveals a statistically significant difference. The paper should contribute to the awareness of public acceptance of the tax system and policy and provide some guidance about their changes.

Tackling Undeclared Work in the European Union

Undeclared work represents a persistent feature of contemporary economies and results in lost public revenue, lack of worker protection and unfair competition for legitimate businesses. Conventionally, undeclared work has been viewed as an individual criminal act, which is solved by governments increasing the penalties and risks of detection in order to discourage participation. This, however, only deals with the outcome (i.e., participation in undeclared work) and does not address the drivers of this behaviour. This report explores the formal institutional failures which make undeclared work an acceptable behaviour in the eyes of citizens and, consequently, result in high participation in undeclared work. Addressing these institutional failures is important in order to tackle the determinants of undeclared work. This report investigates what policy measures are effective by exploring in turn the views of citizens, businesses and policy makers. The finding is that, despite the increasing importance attributed by the governments to deterrent measures, both citizens and businesses are influenced by other factors when deciding whether to participate in undeclared work. Thus, to tackle undeclared work in a more effective manner, preventative measures and measures aimed at fostering trust need to complement deterrent measures.

Indispensable, yet Invisible: Drinking water management as a local political issue in Swedish municipalities

ABSTRACT Local policy-makers’ incentives to address an issue is conditioned by how they perceive public attention. Our study focuses on drinking water management at the municipal level in Sweden. Provisioning and management of drinking water is a responsibility of the local governments. Interviews with local politicians and public administrators in seven municipalities reveal that local policy-makers think that citizens view provisioning of drinking water as a taken for granted service, and also lack knowledge of and interest in drinking water issues. Public attention is further seen as a double-edged sword since engagement in water issues often is a result of problems with water provision. The findings are discussed from a theoretical perspective of the role of agenda-setting in public policy. It is argued that the view of policy-makers of citizens as unengaged negatively affects the incentives to bring drinking water to a prominent place on the local policy agenda.

Citizen engagement in social health insurance purchasing, in selected counties in Kenya

Background: National hospital insurance fund (NHIF) uses capitation as a strategic purchasing model to provide primary care health services (PCHS). This study sought information on citizen knowledge of PCHS benefit package, NHIF communication to citizens, determination of citizen views and values, NHIF accountability to citizens, citizen choice of PCHS provider and how these factors influence citizen access to NHIF, PCHS.Methods: This was a cross sectional research conducted between March 2017 to March 2018. 426 patients were sampled from Nyandarua and Nakuru Counties.Results: 366 (93%) patients knew the PCHS benefit package, 226 (57%) said NHIF communication to them was adequate, 280 (71%) said NHIF does not take into account their view and values, 272 (69%) said NHIF is not accountable to them, 269 (68%) knew how to select an outpatient facility, 111 (28%) said they did not receive NHIF, PCHS. Multivariate logistics regression analysis of citizen engagement factors and access to PCHS, indicate that NHIF communication to citizens (p<0.05, OR=2.358, 95% CI [1.399-3.975]), purchaser accountability (p<0.05, OR=2.073, 95% CI [1.017-4.226]) and provider choice (p<0.05, OR=2.990, 95% CI [1.817-4.920]) added significantly to the regression model.Conclusions: There is inadequate engagement of citizens in NHIF decision making which may hinder access to NHIF PCHS, therefore NHIF should establish citizens’ needs and preference through public forums, elicit citizens’ feedback, act on complains when raised, inform citizens on how the capitation system works and NHIF should visit health facilities regularly to establish if patients are accessing PCHS.

Citizen Views Toward Federalism

Modern political discourse in the United States is rife with claims that citizens have strong federalism preferences. The suggestion that Americans oppose national usurpation of state power is most commonly associated with the Republican Party, but such claims can also be heard from the other side of the aisle. In recent debates over the right of states to set more stringent fuel economy standards than the national government, to ignore gun possession and carrying privileges granted in other states, and to purchase lower priced prescription drugs from other nations, it is Democratic lawmakers who suggest that their constituents would prefer policymaking free from federal intrusion. The argument that citizens value state sovereignty over national hegemony is nothing new in American politics, dating back at least as far as debates over the Articles of Confederation and the ratification of the Constitution.

Holding individuals accountable for engaging in harmful health behaviours when managing scarce resources

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the views of Bulgarian citizens about the relevance of lifestyles in the management of scarce resources through rationing and explore whether they are associated with participants’ characteristics. Design/methodology/approach A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data from a sample of 322 Bulgarian respondents. Respondents faced a hypothetical rationing scenario where they have to decide whether information about five harmful health behaviours (smoking, excess alcohol consumption, illegal drug use, overeating/poor diet and engaging in dangerous driving (speeding and/or under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs)) should be relevant in priority setting decisions. Descriptive statistics and logistic regressions were performed. Findings The majority of respondents disagree with the idea that personal responsibility for illness should count in priority decisions. Notwithstanding, there seems to be a wider consensus in giving lower priorities to patients that engage in dangerous driving (excess of speed and/or under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs), illegal drugs use and excessive alcohol intake. Overeating/poor quality nutrition was the risky behaviour less condemned by respondents followed by smoking. Respondents’ sociodemographic, health and beliefs about rationing criteria had different impact in the penalization of the risk behaviours. Originality/value This study is the first attempt to awaken attention to the impact that personal responsibility for health may have on intergenerational access to healthcare.

Commercial use of health data-A public "trial" by citizens' jury.

IntroductionSurveys suggest a dichotomy in how citizens view research for public benefit and research for commercial gain. Therefore, a research initiative, such as a learning health system, which works for both public and commercial benefit, may be controversial and lower public trust.MethodsThis study aimed to investigate what informed citizens considered to be appropriate uses of health data in a learning health system and why they made those decisions. Two‐paired 4‐day juries were run, with different jurors but the same purpose, expert witnesses, and facilitators. Overall, 694 people applied; 36 jurors were selected to match criteria based on demographics and privacy views. Jurors considered whether and why eight exemplars of anonymised patient data were acceptable. The exemplars were either planned initiatives to improve care pathways (Planned Examples) or possible commercial data uses (Potential Examples).ResultsThese citizens' juries found that all Planned and two of the Potential Examples were considered appropriate by most, but not all, jurors because they could deliver public benefit. In general, positive health outcomes for patients were more acceptable than improved efficiency of services for the NHS, although they recognised that the latter also improved health. Jurors had concerns about whether improving efficiency would lead to inequitable distribution or closure of services, based on their existing understanding from media reports. Commercial gain that accrued secondary to this benefit was acceptable, with some jurors becoming more accepting of commercial uses as they understood them better. Prioritising profit, however, was unacceptable, regardless of any governance arrangements.ConclusionsJurors tended to be more accepting of data sharing to both private and public sectors after the jury process. Many jurors accept commercial gain if public benefit is achieved. Some were suspicious of data sharing for efficiency gains. Juries elicited more informed and nuanced judgement from citizens than surveys.

‘Ruff’ Justice: Canine Cases and Judicial Law Making as an Instrument of Change

The regulation of animals in North America should be apprised of evolving socialities. As the judiciary encounters situations of contestation between humans and animals in adjudication, it should take notice of the emergence of animal recognition in Western societies. Law is apprised of sociality, can absorb social information, and may, at times, reflect how citizens view issues of justice. What was once innocent behavior can be reconstituted as criminal through the adjudicative exercise (and vice versa). In this Paper, we investigate socio-legal constructions of ‘the animal’ in two recent North American adjudications. In two recent cases, R. v. D.L.W. and State v. Newcomb, the Supreme Court of Canada and the Oregon Supreme Court contested what it means to be an animal in situations of bestiality and animal welfare investigations respectively. We argue that the jurisprudence in Canada and the United States should begin to incrementally shift towards progressive conceptions of animal existence. Such an understanding would (re)consider animals as beings, capable of worth and dignity – as more than expendable property. In light of a relative void of modern animal welfare legislation in North American jurisdictions, let alone animal bills of rights, the judicial decision remains the most likely site of progress for animal advocacy.

The contribution of citizen views to understanding women’s empowerment as a process of change: the case of Niger

ABSTRACT This article investigates citizen’s views on women’s empowerment as a process of change in Niger, the lowest country on the Human Development Index where women suffer widespread gender inequality. It draws on semi-structured interviews with radio and civil society organisation (CSO) representatives and on focus group discussions with radio listeners. By discussing how empowerment is perceived by the three groups, it examines which aspects of life disempower women and what could contribute to an empowering environment. It goes on to analyse how these responses can be used to shape radio broadcasts, to promote further female empowerment. Contributing to journalism, development, and women’s studies, the article provides valuable and transferable insights into the understanding of female dis/empowerment, which can be used in other similar developing countries.

Coproduction and trust in government: evidence from survey experiments

ABSTRACTWhile previous research has investigated how coproduction can improve the quality and efficiency of public services, less is known about its effects on how citizens view government. Thus, we investigate how coproduction may influence trust in government using a series of survey experiments. Although our main results are generally in the expected direction, they are not significant statistically and thus suggest little or no causal effect of coproduction on trust. Limitations of our approach, as well as directions for future experimental research along these lines, are discussed.

The Politics of Housing

Owning a house is the most important economic choice most families will ever make. Yet, our understanding of the political causes and consequences of homeownership is rather thin. This review argues that political scientists need to take housing much more seriously, not least because of the unprecedented surges and collapses of house prices over the past two decades. The housing market is both a proxy for and a cause of growing social cleavages that shape how citizens view political issues from the size of the welfare state to the attractiveness of populist campaigns. The article begins by re-examining classic work on property from the nineteenth century as a still-relevant guide to the winners and losers from property market shocks and regulations. It then turns to the postwar era and work that suggests that the welfare state and property ownership are in some sense substitutes. It concludes by examining the role housing plays in shaping contemporary political preferences, both as a direct measure of individuals' wealth and welfare and as a proxy for the relative fortunes of different places.

The Trade-Off Between Chicken Welfare and Public Health Risks in Poultry Husbandry: Significance of Moral Convictions

Welfare-friendly outdoor poultry husbandry systems are associated with potentially higher public health risks for certain hazards, which results in a dilemma: whether to choose a system that improves chicken welfare or a system that reduces these public health risks. We studied the views of citizens and poultry farmers on judging the dilemma, relevant moral convictions and moral arguments in a practical context. By means of an online questionnaire, citizens (n = 2259) and poultry farmers (n = 100) judged three practical cases, which illustrate the dilemma of improving chicken welfare or reducing public health risks for Campylobacter, avian influenza and dioxin. Furthermore, they scored the importance of moral arguments and to what extend they agreed with moral convictions related to humans and chickens. Citizens were more likely than farmers to choose a system that benefits chicken welfare at the expense of public health. These different judgments could be explained by differing moral convictions and valuations of moral arguments. Judgments of citizens and farmers were associated with moral arguments and convictions, predominantly with those regarding the value of chickens and naturalness. Citizens agreed stronger with moral convictions regarding the intrinsic value of chickens and regarding naturalness than farmers did, while farmers agreed stronger with conviction regarding fairness. We argue that opinions of citizens and farmers are context-dependent, which may explain the differences between these groups. It implies that opinions of different stakeholder groups should be considered in order to achieve successful innovations in poultry husbandry, which are supported by society.

A Citizen's View on Public Archaeology and Heritage in Austria

In this article, I describe the current opportunities for citizen participation in archaeology and heritage in Austria. I introduce some associations and organisations that carry out archaeological projects with citizen participation then discuss the Austrian monument protection law and explain why it is difficult even with political consent to start such initiatives. I move on to explain who should still benefit from archaeology and monument preservation and what is the best way of dealing with the public. Finally, I introduce a new entity called 'bridge builders', which aims to reduce the barrier between science and the public, while at the same time promoting cooperation.

Health Care in America: The Relationship Between Subjective and Objective Assessments of Hospitals

ABSTRACT: Measuring public service performance is a central issue for modern governments. Less attention, however, has been paid to the similarities and differences between various performance indicators. In particular, we know less about the views of citizens concerning performance and how they are correlated with administrative performance. Examining the growing area of health care, we examine how patient perceptions on service quality are related to a series of objective hospital performance indicators. Regarding the quality of interpersonal care and the process of care, we find convergent validity with patient satisfaction and this validity is relatively consistent across diagnosis types. Patient assessments, however, do not track clinical outcomes, such as mortality. Given the complex context and high levels of information asymmetry in health care, the evidence for convergent validity contributes to the generalizability of the theory linking citizen satisfaction to the provision of public services.