Methodological Tools Research Articles

Impostor phenomenon short scale (IPSS-3): a novel measure to capture impostor feelings in large-scale and longitudinal surveys

The Imposter Phenomenon (IP) is gaining increasing attention in academia, not only as an overall attractive research topic but also as a concern that especially affects members of minority groups. Nevertheless, there is little evidence for the occurrence and socio-structural correlates of the IP. Against the backdrop of a pressing need to contextualize the IP, this paper provides (1) an overview of the existing empirical evidence on the IP from a perspective that incorporates the role of social contexts, (2) highlights shortcomings in both existing theoretical approaches and methodological tools, (3) introduces the Impostor Phenomenon Short Scale (IPSS-3) as a novel, time-efficient and universally applicable IP measure, and (4) underscores that the IP, in fact, does not occur in a social vacuum but is closely intertwined with socio-structural characteristics. To this end, the paper draws on three distinct data sets gathered among German adolescents and adults for the development of the IPSS-3 (Study 1: n = 271), its validation (Study 2: n = 427), and to assess the IP’s socio-structural correlates (Study 3: n = 865). The findings demonstrate that the IPSS-3 represents the first time-efficient and universally applicable instrument suitable for capturing the IP in large-scale and longitudinal research designs, e.g., initiated in adolescence. Thus, the IPSS-3 can address key open questions related to age effects, the role of transitions in the life course, and systematic variations in IP intensity among different social groups.

Morbid symptoms: a feminist dialectics of global patriarchy in crisis

This article offers insights into the nature of patriarchy as a structuring condition of global order, and – significantly – the process of change that has enabled its endurance. We are, today, witnessing the emergence of multiple challenges to the existing order and the tying of the political campaigns of these challenges to an agenda of anti-feminism (what we term ‘patriarchal backlash’). We argue that current ructions cannot be understood in a linear sense of feminist progress and regression, nor can these patriarchal challenges to the existing order be understood in isolation from one another. We propose a feminist dialectical approach to theorising patriarchy as a structuring condition of global order and as a useful methodological tool to understand change and transformation. Rather than seeing feminist movements or instances of patriarchal backlash as ‘outside agitators’ to patriarchy, we view them as necessary internal contradictions within patriarchy and the driving engine for its transformation. We propose here feminist dialectics as providing the conceptual tools to understand patriarchy’s variation over time and across space and its endurance as an ordering condition of the international.

Unraveling demographic patterns in tropical birds across an elevational gradient

Abstract An increasing body of evidence has displayed upslope shifts in the high-diversity avian communities of tropical mountains. Such shifts have largely been attributed to warming climates, although their actual mechanisms remain poorly understood. One likely possibility is that changes in species-specific demographic rates underlie elevational range shifts. Fine-scale population monitoring and capture–mark–recapture (CMR) analysis could shed light on these mechanisms but, until recently, analytical constraints have limited our ability to model multiple demographic rates across bird communities while accounting for transient individuals. Here, we used Bayesian hierarchical multi-species CMR models to estimate the apparent survival, recruitment, and realized population growth rates of 17 bird species along an elevational gradient in the cloud forests of Honduras. For 6 species, we also modeled demographic rates across elevation and time. Although demographic rates varied among species, population growth rates tended to be higher in lower elevation species. Moreover, some species showed higher population growth rates at higher elevations, and elevational differences in growth rates were positively associated with previous estimates of upslope shifts at the study site. We also found that demographic rates showed contrasting trends across the duration of the study, with recruitment decreasing and apparent survival increasing, and stronger effects at lower elevations. Collectively, we provide the methodological tools to encourage more multi-species demographic analyses in other systems, while highlighting the potential for the demographic impacts of global change. We provide a Spanish translation in the Supplementary Materials.

Response surface methodology-based optimization of hairy roots cultures for in vitro AM production

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi can do wonders in promoting the crop growth as well maintaining soil health. In vitro root organ culture technology is an exciting avenue for AM biofertilizer production. This study aims to optimize the key influencing factors for enhancing the hairy root production used for in vitro AMF culturing using response surface methodology, a statistical and mathematical tool used for designing optimization studies. Study uses Rhizobium rhizogenes MTCC 2364 for transformation in carrot explant. Factors considered for optimization are concentration of gelling agent (phytagel), carbon source (sucrose) and pH of the Modified Strullu and Romand medium (MSR). Design Expert software uses second order polynomial regression equation for predicting the outcome of each experiment. Totally, 17 experiments were run following Box-Behnken design and average hairy root length and average side branch emergence were taken as response. ANOVA analysis reveals that the concentration of phytagel and sucrose had a strong influence on root length, while the phytagel and pH of the medium had a strong effect on side branch emergence. Overall, taking into account the both responses, concentration of phytagel had a significant impact on hairy root production. The maximum average hairy root length obtained was 1.12 cm and number of side branches emerged were 6.78 per day. Based on these results, the optimal parameters were MSR medium with 3gL-1 phytagel, 11gL-1 sucrose and a pH of 4 for boosting hairy root development. This study is a cost-effective approach and minimizes the time taken for establishing the hairy root technology.

Writing about the Middle East in a Postmodern Era. A Critique

In this paper the complexities of ongoing conflicts in the MENA region are scrutinized through a critical lens. Acknowledging the influence of multiple actors and factors in shaping political history, the paper challenges the prevailing use of postmodern and post-colonial paradigms in framing and assigning responsibility for these conflicts. While recognizing their contributions, the paper argues against their limitations in providing a nuanced understanding of the underlying dynamics and roots of MENA conflicts. The paper argues that postmodern and post-colonial lenses oversimplify conflicts by presenting them in binary terms and focusing solely on the role of Western colonialism. Instead, it advocates for a broader perspective that considers the complexities of the region's history, including the legacies of the Ottoman Empire and local social structures and actors. It suggests a contextual realist approach analysing conflicts at both internal and external levels, examining state formation processes and regional dynamics. While acknowledging the challenges, it asserts that with the right analytical and methodological tools, a deeper understanding of the region's conflicts and the underlying dynamics of its political landscape is possible.

Financial management of an environmental enterprise

The article examines financial management of environmental enterprises from the standpoint of evaluating the results of financial analysis and specifics of its implementation. Increasing the competitiveness of environmental organisations in the Russian Federation and ensuring their prospects in the face of sanctions and restrictions at this stage of development is becoming increasingly relevant. The authors propose a methodology for financial analysis of industrial and environmental activities of an enterprise based on the calculation of key financial and private environmental indicators of environmental enterprises. The novelty of this study lies in an integrated approach to financial management based on the results of the analysis of financial and private environmental indicators of environmental organisations, covering the financial and environmental aspects of their activities. The integrated approach to financial management is innovative because it is founded on the close relationship between financial and environmental activities of enterprises. The presented article develops analytical support and methodological tools of the analysis for use by environmental enterprises, with consideration to their specifics, in order to improve the efficiency of financial management. The practical significance of this article lies in the analytical provision of effective financial management for the sustainable development of environmental enterprises.

Методический фреймворк как средство проектирования образовательных продуктов

Frameworks are one of the most relevant tools for designing educational products today. Despite the various sources devoted to the definition of the framework, it should be noted that there is no unified understanding of this concept. In the Russian educational field, the framework is used as a tool for solving various kinds of tasks. The working concept of a "Methodological framework" is to define it as a ready-made methodological tool that allows you to systematically solve highly specialized tasks in the design of educational products. The paper describes the stages of designing a methodological framework, which includes the following steps: preparatory, basic and final. Research objectives to be solved: to formulate the concept of a methodological framework for use in the design of an educational product; to give a comparative characteristic between a methodological framework and a methodological recommendation; to describe the main elements of a methodological framework taking into account a systematic approach; to demonstrate the results and advantages of using a methodological framework. The article describes the experience of implementing a methodological framework within the framework of the "Creative Workshop Framlab" in the format of a telegram group with more than 455 participants. The conclusions made make it possible to contribute to the practice of using a methodological framework for designing educational products, as well as to the development of domestic pedagogical design.

Concordance between humans and GPT-4 in appraising the methodological quality of case reports and case series using the Murad tool

BackgroundAssessing the methodological quality of case reports and case series is challenging due to human judgment variability and time constraints. We evaluated the agreement in judgments between human reviewers and GPT-4 when applying a standard methodological quality assessment tool designed for case reports and series.MethodsWe searched Scopus for systematic reviews published in 2023–2024 that cited the appraisal tool by Murad et al. A GPT-4 based agent was developed to assess the methodological quality using the 8 signaling questions of the tool. Observed agreement and agreement coefficient were estimated comparing published judgments of human reviewers to GPT-4 assessment.ResultsWe included 797 case reports and series. The observed agreement ranged between 41.91% and 80.93% across the eight questions (agreement coefficient ranged from 25.39 to 79.72%). The lowest agreement was noted in the first signaling question about selection of cases. The agreement was similar in articles published in journals with impact factor < 5 vs. ≥ 5, and when excluding systematic reviews that did not use 3 causality questions. Repeating the analysis using the same prompts demonstrated high agreement between the two GPT-4 attempts except for the first question about selection of cases.ConclusionsThe study demonstrates a moderate agreement between GPT-4 and human reviewers in assessing the methodological quality of case series and reports using the Murad tool. The current performance of GPT-4 seems promising but unlikely to be sufficient for the rigor of a systematic review and pairing the model with a human reviewer is required.

Populist Visual Communication: A State-of-the-Art Review

Even though populism is arguably one of the most researched topics in contemporary political science, the study of its communication is disproportionately focused on its verbal and written dimensions. In recent years, an increasing number of studies have explored its visual dimension, highlighting its importance in the process of meaning-construction and the interaction between political actors and citizens. In this state-of-the art review, we discuss the importance of analysing visual communication and how it relates to the main approaches to the study of populism. Then, we outline the main works conducted on the visual politics of populism and suggest some potential directions for future research. The review reveals that existing research has primarily focused on the content of visual populism, highlighting, in particular, the role of images in constructing ‘the people’, ‘the enemy’ and in depicting populist leaders as ordinary yet exceptional figures. More research is needed on how images are produced and who receives and interpret them. Beyond content analysis, future research should adopt a broader range of methodological tools to fully explore populist visual communication.

Points of contact for small businesses in the historical city

The problem of the development of the Samara historical settlement continues to be the focus of attention of the city’s architectural community and a significant part of its residents. The historical environment in this article is considered in the socio-economic and communicative aspect. The spatial and material resources of historical buildings are identified, facilitating contact between the manufacturer and supplier and the consumer. Points of contact are located both in the information field and in direct communication in public spaces. The methodological tools used in the article include developments from the field of marketing.

Methodological Quality Assessment Tools for Diagnosis and Prognosis Research: Overview and Guidance

Multiple tools exist for assessing the methodological quality of diagnosis and prognosis research. It can be challenging to decide on when to use which tool. We aimed to provide an overview of existing methodological quality assessment (QA) tools for diagnosis and prognosis studies, highlight the overlap and differences among these tools, and to provide guidance for choosing the appropriate tool. We performed a methodological review of tools designed for assessing risk of bias, applicability, or other aspects related to methodological quality in studies investigating tests/factors/markers/models for classifying or predicting a current (diagnosis) and/or future (prognosis) health state. Tools focusing exclusively on causal research or on reporting quality were excluded. Guidance was subsequently developed to assist in choosing an appropriate QA tool. We identified 14 QA tools, eight of which were developed for assessment of diagnosis studies, four for prognosis studies, and two addressing both. We propose a set of five questions to help guide the process of choosing a QA tool based on the purpose or question of the user: whether the focus is on (1) diagnosis, prognosis, or another domain; (2) a prediction model versus a test/factor/marker; (3) evaluating simply the performance of a test/factor/marker versus assessing its added value over other variables; (4) comparing two or more tests/factors/markers/models; and (5) whether the user aims to assess only risk of bias or also other quality aspects. Existing QA tools for appraising diagnosis and prognosis studies vary in purpose, scope, and contents. Our guidance may help researchers, systematic reviewers, health policy makers, and guideline developers in specifying their purpose and question to select the most appropriate QA tool for their assessment.

Diagnostic accuracy of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for symptomatic knee osteoarthritis: a scoping review.

In recent years, significant progress in the diagnosis of knee osteoarthritis (OA) has been made due to advancements in imaging techniques, especially magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). However, the diagnostic accuracy of MRI for knee OA lacks agreement in the literature due to limitations such as heterogeneous reference standards and suboptimal methodological assessment tools. This scoping review systematically collated the literature on the accuracy of MRI in diagnosing symptomatic knee OA and evaluated its methodological quality using a novel tool. A comprehensive search was conducted across seven electronic databases to identify systematic reviews, with or without meta-analyses, published until May 30, 2024. Selected articles were systematic reviews on test accuracy of MRI for knee OA, whose methodological quality was assessed using a tailored version of the A Measurement Tool to Assess Systematic Reviews (AMSTAR) 2 tool, and the test accuracy performance summarized. The search yielded 8,586 records of which 73 full-text articles were assessed for eligibility. We included 3 systematic reviews with a total of 99 original studies (7,530 participants). The methodological quality assessment of the reviews revealed common deficiencies in research questions and inclusion criteria components (2/3, 66.7%), protocol registration (2/3, 66.7%), use of statistical methods (1/3, 33.3%), and risk of bias assessment (2/3, 66.7%). The reference standards used were histology (1/3, 33.3%), radiography (1/3, 33.3%), computed tomography (1/3, 33.3%), clinical evaluation (1/3, 33.3%) and direct visual inspection (1/3, 33.3%), open surgery (1/3, 33.3%) and arthroscopy (3/3, 100%). In two reviews with meta-analysis the accuracy of MRI was: sensitivity 61% [95% confidence interval (CI), 53-68%] and specificity 82% (95% CI, 77-87%) (low methodological quality); and sensitivity 74% (95% CI, 71-77%) and specificity 95% (95% CI, 94-95%) (high methodological quality). In the third systematic review, without meta-analysis, the MRI sensitivity and specificity ranged from 26% to 96% and from 50% to 100%, respectively (critically low methodological quality). This scoping review highlights the heterogeneity and gaps in methodological quality of the literature regarding the accuracy of MRI in diagnosing knee OA. Our adaptation of AMSTAR 2 will help to ensure systematic reviews of diagnostic tests are assessed more effectively and reliably. There is a need for standardization in future studies and reviews to strengthen the evidence base for the use of MRI as a diagnostic tool for knee OA.

Непрочитана сторінка біографії професора Володимира Фавра (до 150-річчя лікаря і вченого)

This personalia is devoted to an episode of the turbulent life and work of Professor Volodymyr Favr, a prominent Kharkiv scientist, hygienist, and malaria specialist, whose 150th anniversary is being marked this year. It’s an entirely routine episode. It is about the activities of V. Favr, a privatdozent at that time, as a lecturer on factory hygiene at the Kharkiv Institute of Technology in 1906-1908. Certain archival documents previously neglected by historians are being brought into scientific circulation. This study applies methodological tools of biographical studies, local history, social history of medicine, and history of everyday life. It examines the election of V. Favr to the post of lecturer at the Kharkiv Institute of Technology, his further academic career, and organizational activities to create a factory hygiene classroom. It is pointed out that even the everyday scenes of the outstanding personalities’ lives should be the subject of historical and biographical studies, as they contribute to a better understanding of the path of these people to their victories.

Spatial and temporal analysis of vulnerability disparity of minorities to wildfires in California

Wildfires typically have devastating impacts on communities, both in urban and rural areas, resulting in property loss, psychological distress, physical injuries, and loss of life. A notable gap in the literature is the spatial and temporal disproportionate impact of wildfires on underrepresented communities. This lack of attention is concerning, as these underrepresented populations are likely to be more vulnerable to the devastating consequences of wildfire disasters, exacerbating pre-existing social, economic, and environmental disparities. This study aims to address this gap by conducting a comprehensive spatial and temporal analysis of the vulnerability of underrepresented communities such as the Black, Asian, Hispanic, Native American, among others, in the State of California. We deploy methodological tools such as Getis-Ord Gi∗ to identify areas exhibiting heightened vulnerability across diverse minority groups. Additionally, disparity degrees are measured using Location Amplitude Index among these minority populations. Our findings reveal significant spatial and temporal shifts in vulnerability disparities for Native American communities in Los Angeles County, the Black communities in Orange County, and all minority groups in San Diego County. Shedding light on the underrepresented communities' vulnerabilities to wildfires, this research contributes to the development of targeted and equitable strategies for wildfire preparedness, response, and recovery efforts. Furthermore, this study highlights the urgent need for addressing the environmental justice implications of wildfire disasters and considering minorities’ disparity in wildfire risk management and climate change adaptation planning.

Assessing the effectiveness of implementing immersive technologies within university sustainable development systems

The subject of this study is the processes of assessing the effectiveness of the implementation of immersive technologies in the systems of sustainable development at universities. The problem that determined the purpose of the work is the lack of methodological tools for assessing the level of efficiency in the implementation of immersive technologies on the basis of sustainable development (using an example of Lviv Polytechnic National University). The authors’ toolkit includes a system of indicators, a methodological approach to the use of software for their evaluation, and a matrix for interpreting the results. The choice of the efficiency assessment method is based on the theory of fuzzy sets. The study of the factors influencing the effectiveness of the implementation of immersive technologies in the educational process has made it possible to form a system of integrated indicators, including indicators designed to comprehensively identify its level in the student and teaching environments. The indicator of effectiveness of immersive technologies implemented by students contributes to a thorough analysis of their ability to generate innovations based on such technologies. This indicator allows lecturers to determine the level of effectiveness of the use of immersive technologies in teaching. Taking into account the ideology embedded in the sustainable development systems of universities, the authors' indicators reflect the principles of sustainability. The GE/McKinsey matrix was adapted for the purpose of economic interpretation of mathematical results. The designed methodological tools were tested for courses at the Lviv Polytechnic. The following levels of student performance were obtained: 83.5, 61.5, and 69.8 units, lecturers – 91.2, 78.4, and 82.7 units, which indicates the productivity of lecturer training and a high level of students' understanding of project work tasks. This proved the validity and possibility of using the tools in university practice

Uptake of ecosystem service concept in urban blue-green infrastructure planning and decision-making in Russia

ABSTRACT In the scientific community, ecosystem services (ESs) are well-recognized as a promising concept to more actively consider and plan for the multitude of benefits provided by the green environment and thus promote sustainable urban development. Yet, to have an impact on decision-making, the concept must spread from academia to practice. To understand to what extent ES have been adopted in practice and decision-making in Russia, we conducted a series of interviews and an online survey with both practitioners and scientists and complemented it by document analysis. Our results showed that ES are not adequately reflected in urban decision-making and planning processes. Moreover, we found no explicit references to ES in strategic urban planning and landscape development projects, although there are few implicit references in several reviewed documents. Among the identified challenges for better uptake of the concept in practice were many disagreements associated with the lack of a unified terminology, typology, and methods. Stakeholders understand the potential of applying ES valuation in practice, which includes a necessity to develop methodological materials and different tools based on real-life cases. Finally, a list of proposals on possible ways to better include ES in urban planning and in decision-making processes was formed by the respondents.

Metacognitive Functioning in Students with Learning Disabilities or Difficulties: A Systematic Literature Review

Dealing with the particularities of learners with learning disabilities or difficulties requires an understanding of the metacognitive functioning of these subjects. The aim of this work is to summarise the studies dealing with metacognitive functioning in students with learning disabilities or difficulties. For this reason, this research applied the systematic literature review method with the PRISMA (preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analysis) protocol. The research stages included identification, selection, eligibility and inclusion, so that studies must be indexed by Scopus between 2018 and 2023 and focus on metacognition in learners with learning disabilities or difficulties, the selection was carried out in two phases; an assessment of titles and abstracts, followed by a full analysis of the texts. The results reveal significant metacognitive disparities between students with learning disabilities and their typically developing peers. They use more surface strategies and fewer self-regulatory strategies, attach less importance to mastery, and avoid performance for fear of failure. They also have difficulty organising information, which affects their motivation. Interventions including cognitive and metacognitive strategies, techniques such as virtual reality and specific teaching improve learners’ ability to detect errors, self-regulate and develop essential skills in mathematics, reading and other areas. Future research should further explore these interventions to better understand their impact, taking into account aspects such as motivation and using rigorous methodological tools.

Influence of socio-economic factors on obstetric morbidity in Eastern India: A study based on NFHS 5

Abstract Background Obstetric morbidity encompasses health issues related to pregnancy or childbirth, excluding accidental causes. The whole process of childbearing is not just a biological phenomenon, rather it is governed by personal, social, cultural, and institutional factors. The entire eastern region of India including the four provinces of Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, and West Bengal is susceptible to high maternal mortality and morbidity. It presents a strong background to further envisage the factors responsible for such situation. Thus, the study aims to explore regional variations and socio-economic factors associated with obstetric morbidity among women in eastern India. Methods This study uses data from the 2019-2021 National Family and Health Survey (NFHS 5). The explanatory variable, obstetric morbidity, includes issues during pregnancy and delivery- vision difficulties, bleeding, swelling, convulsions, fever, breech presentation, and prolonged labor. Predictor variables include age, age at marriage and first birth, wealth index, residence, toilet facility, caste, working status, media exposure, religion, birth order, and education level. Bivariate and binary logistic regression analyses have been used as a methodological tool. Results In the eastern region, 53.76% women experience obstetric issues. Women belonging to 15-24 years with higher educational attainment increases the prevalence of obstetric morbidity. The probable reason is, with education, awareness about reproductive morbidity increases and in turn the reporting for morbidity increases. Therefore, the findings showed age, educational attainment, wealth quintile, media exposure, residence, work status, birth order and toilet facilities are highly associated with obstetric morbidity among women. Conclusions Implementing of targeted interventions, and awareness campaigns are crucial to reducing obstetric complications and maternal mortality in the eastern region of India Key messages • Socioeconomic correlates impact obstetric morbidity in eastern India in manifolds especially education, age, and wealth quintile of women in eastern India. • Obstetric morbidity is a growing concern in eastern India, thus implementing targeted interventions and awareness campaigns are much needed.

Children with disabilities and inclusive education in general schools: pricipals’ attitudes

Abstract Background As inclusive education is being implemented nationwide in Lithuania, various attitudes towards education of children with disabilities in general schools are observed. We aimed to assess the attitudes of heads of general schools towards the provision of education to children with disabilities in general education schools of Lithuania. Methods Heads of all schools in the Lithuanian capital and its surrounding municipalities implementing general education programmes were invited to take part in this study. 115 persons agreed to participate and completed the questionnaire in spring of 2024. The distribution of the respondents by their answers to the questions about the attitudes towards the provision of inclusive education was compared according to gender, age, education level, work experience, school location (municipality), language of education, type of school, subordination, number of pupils, teachers, teaching assistants and pupils with disabilities. Results The most frequently indicated barriers for inclusive education provision were the lack of specialists, compensatory measures, methodological tools, adaptation of the physical environment, and high number of pupils (87.8%, 84.3%, 78.8% and 76.6% respectively). Attitudes of the respondents were similar in most of the cases when compared according to socio-demographic factors (p more than 0.05). Negative attitudes towards the possibilities for provision of inclusive education were more common among respondents from schools with fewer pupils and higher relative number of teachers, positive attitudes - among those from schools located in municipalities with lower number of residents and schools with more teaching assistants (p less than 0.05). Conclusions While attitudes of heads of general schools towards the provision of inclusive education for children with disabilities are similar in most of the cases, negative attitudes are more common among those from schools with fewer pupils and more teachers. Key messages • While attitudes of heads of general schools towards the inclusive education are similar in most of the cases, negative attitudes are more common among those from smaller schools. • Higher number of teaching assistants and smaller municipalities were associated with positive attitudes towards inclusive education of children with disabilies in general schools.

The multi-dimensionality of citizen satisfaction: A conjoint experimental approach

Current research demonstrated that many factors affect public satisfaction of government services. One central challenge for scholars is that citizen satisfaction is a multi-dimensional concept, yet most empirical tests focus on a small number of factors, and do not account for the simultaneous effects of the many factors. In this study, we present a comprehensive approach that accounts for this multi-dimensionality, and views satisfaction as dependent on two categories of factors: service-specific attributes, and performance comparisons. We assess the multi-dimensional nature of citizen satisfaction with a conjoint experiment, a methodological tool that allows us to test the causal effect of multiple factors operating at the same time. We use the conjoint design to investigate citizen satisfaction from every-day government services. The findings suggest that citizen satisfaction is driven by both groups of variables. Also, we find evidence for a negativity bias in public evaluations when service-specific attributes are involved: individuals' reported satisfaction is more sensitive to negative information like higher costs or unprofessional behavior by service providers compared to positive description of these factors. At the same time, we find that factors in the performance comparisons category create more balanced effects on satisfaction with respect to the information valence. The analysis reveals the drivers of public satisfaction of government services and the importance of key factors. The use of a conjoint design provides a more appropriate tool to tackle the multi-dimensional nature of a central public administration concept of citizen satisfaction.