Perceptions Of Government Officials Research Articles

Contrary Perceptions of Environmental Health and the Governance of the Bucaramanga Metropolitan Area, Colombia.

The participation of civil society is essential for environmental health policies to be accepted. The objective of this study was to know the perceptions of government officials, members of civil society, and academics about environmental health problems and its governance in the Bucaramanga Metropolitan Area, Colombia. In the region, there is a strong citizens movement that defends the moorland ecosystem (páramo) as a source of drinking water for large-scale mining projects. A multi-method study was conducted, including the review of newspaper and scientific articles, a citizens survey, and interviews and focus groups with identified key stakeholders. The findings indicate that government officials prioritize their actions on issues related to air and water pollution and environmental education. In contrast, citizens prioritize water availability from the moorland ecosystem. There are some advances in the management of environmental health, mainly related to greater citizen awareness. Contrary perceptions among government officials, academics, and civil society prevent adequate prioritization of environmental health problems. Participation of civil society is absent in activities related to environmental governance. An ongoing citizens science experience engaging high school students and the academy can be the first meeting point with government officials in the pathway to improve the environmental governance in the territory. The participation of civil society in the environmental health governance must be enforced to broaden the issues of interest and prioritize the activities in short- and long-term policy planning.

The nexus between the Baltic governments and think tanks as instruments of foreign and security policy

This study aims to unveil the nexus between the governments of the Baltic states and think tanks (TTs), which work on foreign and security policy. The article argues that the Baltic governments wish to use TTs as instruments of foreign policies, as they are highly interested in influencing well-known TTs abroad to further their national interests. The Baltic states undertake a good deal of effort to contribute to debates in the capitals of the powerful nations through the TT channel, hoping that some form of support can be gained for their positions in the international arena. Meanwhile, the governments expect domestic TTs to be visible internationally and influence policy debates by sending Baltic-favourable messages to foreign policy communities. On the other side of the nexus, TTs adapt to government expectations while also trying to maintain some level of independence. The process of using TTs as instruments to further the aims of governments is based mainly on the perceptions of government officials themselves, who are convinced that TTs should serve policy goals. Governments dominate the nexus because TTs depend on governmental support and/or wish to be helpful in furthering governmental goals.

Antimicrobial Resistance Situation in Indonesia: A Challenge of Multisector and Global Coordination.

High levels of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in Indonesia are caused by the use of inappropriate antimicrobials (AM) in healthcare services and the livestock and fisheries sector. The available data and information about overused antibiotics and the AMR threat in Indonesia are limited. The aim of the study is to describe the AMR situation in Indonesia based on perceptions of government officials, health professionals, and the community to determine actions needed to develop AMR-related strategy and policy. The study was done in eight provinces in Indonesia and included reviewing AMR-related policy, collecting antibiotic use reports in primary health care from health offices and hospitals, and conducting in-depth interviews and focus group discussions with informants from health and nonhealth sectors. The results of the study show that AM misuse happens not only in healthcare facilities but also in communities. Medical officers are unfamiliar with AMR-related policy, as are officers in the livestock and fisheries sectors. There is limited coordination between sectors regarding the AMR situation in Indonesia. The government has to take stronger measures to oversee better implementation of AMR policies.

The Public’s Perceptions of Government Officials’ Communication in the Wake of the COVID-19 Pandemic

Early news coverage in the US about the COVID-19 pandemic focused on information released from local, state and federal government officials. With an emphasis on US government at these levels, this study examined whether the public’s credibility perceptions and trust in government, along with message exposure, influenced their adherence to information from the government about (a) stay-at-home orders, (b) social distancing and (c) COVID-19 testing. Source credibility theory and situational crisis communication theory provided the theoretical framework for this study. Through the survey data analysis, we investigated communication preferences in the wake of the pandemic and whether credibility perceptions differed according to the level of government. Survey findings revealed that message exposure influenced respondents’ perceived credibility of and trust in government officials during and after the stay-at-home order. Finally, practical implications regarding recommended communication strategies based on the findings were discussed.

Sikap Peserta Diklat PIM Tingkat IV terhadap Model Pembelajaran Blended Learning

ATTITUDES OF LEVEL IV PIM TRAINING PARTICIPANTS TOWARDS BLENDED LEARNING LEARNING MODEL. The development of Information Technology is one of the driving forces behind e-government adoption. Nevertheless, the learning process of Government officials capability creation is already conceivably undertaken electronically. This study aims to discover perceptions of government officials towards mixed learning in year 2018 group of 40 DIKLAT PIM IV training participants. This research takes a quantitative approach using descriptive statistics and Analysis of Variance as analysis tool. The T-test tested the first testing hypotheses. A one-way ANOVA was conducted to test second hypotheses. The outcome indicates a constructive attitude towards blended learning among DIKLAT PIM IV 2018 training participants. Gender-based attitudes about blended learning are substantially different.

Open Government and Citizen Participation: Perceptions between Civil Society Organizations and Government.

The concepts of citizen participation and open government (OG) are increasingly being used by politicians, government officials, and civil society organizations (CSOs). However, there are differences about how the concepts are assumed and used by different social actors. The objective of this research is to analyze the perception of citizen participation and open government from the perspectives of two fundamental sectors: CSOs and government using the State of Jalisco, Mexico as a case study. The research question is: How are citizen participation and open government perceived in the State of Jalisco by civil society organizations and the government? This research presents statistical results of a survey given to members of civil society and public officials involved in OG actions. The results show a huge gap between the perceptions of government officials and CSOs; this affects the relationship between the two sectors, which can impede development and implementation of public policies.

Achieving water security in peri-urban Yangon: exploring the local governance processes

Abstract Many cities in the Global South lack the capacity to provide water security to their inhabitants. Peri-urban areas are especially vulnerable to water insecurity. This study concerns the impact of (good) governance on water security among formal and informal settlers residing in Hlaing Thar Yar Industrial Zone (HTIZ), a peri-urban area belonging to Yangon, Myanmar. Through employing mixed methods, we investigate the dynamics of water security by studying the governing processes which shape it on a local level. In HTIZ, various challenges related to water security come together. Our findings reveal that water security in HTIZ was achieved for the majority of the formal settlers, whereas this was not the case for the majority of the informal (riverbank) settlers. Although a well-organized needs-driven system of local water vendors supplied water to the local population there was a high risk of contamination by domestic pollution (e.g., Escherichia coli) and industrial effluent, in addition to the relatively high price of the water. The identified water insecurities were driven on an institutional level by the lack of capacity and priority given to supplying and protecting informal settlers. Absence of environmental monitoring and enforcement, and the perceptions of government officials further exacerbated water insecurity.

Politics and Religion vs. Law and Order in Nigeria: Implications for National and Regional Security.

Since independence in 1960, Nigeria has grappled with the ominous challenge of building a sustainable bridge between its ever increasing populations divided not only along distinct multi-ethnic groups but also between two major diametrically opposed faiths [in content, structure, and tactics]- Christianity and Islam. The study was exploratory in nature, which adopted descriptive adequacy in articulating and examining the underlying alternatives factors that propel national politics and religious violence in Nigeria, thus producing a more comprehensive and total picture of the dynamics of the phenomena under investigation- the understanding of religious violence in Nigeria with minimum distortion. Furthermore, the study adopted a survey method based on the perception of Government officials and Religious leaders regarding religious violence, with a corresponding sample size of 100. The study found that the seeming overwhelming implications of persistent religious violence for Nigeria are three folds; they include; sustained threat to national peace, unity, and security, undermines national political/economic development, as well as socio-cultural and religious harmony and cooperation. In addition, the study found that the present state of religious violence in Nigeria exacerbates bitterness, hatred, and mistrust among the federating units of Nigeria resulting to violent reactions and heightened intra-ethnic and religious clashes, with a volcanic potential to explode into secession by aggrieved groups, internecine civil war, pogroms and/or jihads. Finally, the study recommended that the Nigerian civil society must step up organized and peaceful agitations for fundamental changes in the structure and character of the Nigeria state through a Sovereign National Conference or credible constitution review effort. Also, the Nigerian government and the international community must seize the opportunity of current fragile peace in Nigeria, to implement a number of credible measures aimed at preventing a recurrence of widespread religious conflicts threatening to spill over to a civil war.

Perception of government officials towards the government procurement system: Evidence from the Eastern Region of Malaysia

Perception of government officials towards the government procurement system: Evidence from the Eastern Region of Malaysia

Cultural Values and Political Trust: A Comparison of the People's Republic of China and Taiwan

Political trust is the belief that the political system or some part of it will produce preferred outcomes even if left untended. As a sentiment of outputs and performance in the short run, political trust is one of the important determinants of a polity's stability.1 Political trust is important because it is a component of political support that gives a political regime room to maneuver when it encounters difficulties in performing its more immediate political tasks. From the rational choice perspective, political trust can be explained by political actors' calculation of material interests.2 This theory does not deny that values and norms can play a role in shaping people's choices, but it does not give them independent status.3 Rational choice studies of political trust have focused largely on the behavior of governments. They have found that political trust depends on the ability of governments to provide people with policy and access and on the perception of government officials as good men or women.4 In contrast to rational choice theory, culturalists argue that short-run calculations of material interest tell only part of the story. Political actors respond to stimuli, not directly, but rather through a mediating orientation that assigns meanings and values to events.5 Differences in mediating orientation can make political actors respond to the same stimuli in different ways. Culturalists do not deny that people's orientations are shaped by institutions and that institutional changes will eventually lead to changes in orientations. However, changes in political culture usually lag behind changes in institutions, instead of changing in tandem with them. Consequently, people's orientations can affect their behavior independently. Their effects can not be reduced to the influence of institutions.6 A study of the impact of culture on political trust in the People's Republic of China (PRC) and Taiwan can test cultural theory. Data gathered from these two societies in 1993 illustrate the effects of political culture on people's attitudes towards government. By decomposing the impact of structure, institutions, and culture, it is possible to examine if cultural effects can be reduced to structures or institutions as suggested by modernization and institutional theorists.