Public Decision-making Processes Research Articles

Real-Time Sentiment Analysis System Using the BERT Model

Opinion mining or we can say the Sentimental analysis is a critical issue where a large amount of information related to public opinion is widely spread in the world. So, in this paper, we will try to understand the public opinion and decision-making process in real time for the given text data. This proposed system aims to develop a real-time sentiment analysis of text data from various sources, such as social media, news websites, etc. The system will involve several processes like data collection, data preprocessing, sentiment analysis using the BERT (Bidirectional Encoder Representation from Transformers) model, and real-time processing to find the sentiment trends and patterns. based on [4] we can say that the performance of the BERT model is highly accurate as compared to the other traditional models like Random Forest, KNN, and Decision Tree, etc. The result which is obtained using the BERT model shows the accuracy of the system.

The effectiveness of intervention measures on MERS-CoV transmission by using the contact networks reconstructed from link prediction data

IntroductionMitigating the spread of infectious diseases is of paramount concern for societal safety, necessitating the development of effective intervention measures. Epidemic simulation is widely used to evaluate the efficacy of such measures, but realistic simulation environments are crucial for meaningful insights. Despite the common use of contact-tracing data to construct realistic networks, they have inherent limitations. This study explores reconstructing simulation networks using link prediction methods as an alternative approach.MethodsThe primary objective of this study is to assess the effectiveness of intervention measures on the reconstructed network, focusing on the 2015 MERS-CoV outbreak in South Korea. Contact-tracing data were acquired, and simulation networks were reconstructed using the graph autoencoder (GAE)-based link prediction method. A scale-free (SF) network was employed for comparison purposes. Epidemic simulations were conducted to evaluate three intervention strategies: Mass Quarantine (MQ), Isolation, and Isolation combined with Acquaintance Quarantine (AQ + Isolation).ResultsSimulation results showed that AQ + Isolation was the most effective intervention on the GAE network, resulting in consistent epidemic curves due to high clustering coefficients. Conversely, MQ and AQ + Isolation were highly effective on the SF network, attributed to its low clustering coefficient and intervention sensitivity. Isolation alone exhibited reduced effectiveness. These findings emphasize the significant impact of network structure on intervention outcomes and suggest a potential overestimation of effectiveness in SF networks. Additionally, they highlight the complementary use of link prediction methods.DiscussionThis innovative methodology provides inspiration for enhancing simulation environments in future endeavors. It also offers valuable insights for informing public health decision-making processes, emphasizing the importance of realistic simulation environments and the potential of link prediction methods.

Deceptive Content Detection Using Machine Learning

Deceptive Content Detection Using Machine Learning

Revealing hidden injustice: Barriers to citizen participation among migrants in the energy transition of The Hague

Abstract Citizen participation is key to learn of actors’ lived experiences for the design of just energy policies. Many members of society, however, experience barriers to participation. As a result, the injustices they experience are likely to remain hidden from public decision-making processes. This paper applies the “hidden morality” framework to a case study of migrants with a low socio-economic status (SES) in the Dutch city of The Hague. Through the analysis of 15 policy documents and 26 semi-structured interviews with migrants in a low-SES neighbourhood, this paper uncovers hidden injustices and the societal mechanisms forming barriers to participation. Simultaneously, the case study is used to test the conceptual framework. The study reveals that the interviewed low-SES migrants were not only considerably prevented from expressing their perceived injustices in decision-making, but were also unaware that they were subject to several procedural injustices. We identify three main barriers withholding low-SES migrants from participating in decision-making: unfamiliarity with (Dutch) democratic institutions and of their rights as citizens; language barriers; and weak social ties in their neighbourhoods. We conclude that the hidden morality framework proves useful for revealing injustices and barriers to participation that would otherwise run the risk of remaining hidden from scholars and policymakers.

The Role of Experts in Governance: The Case of Albania in the Context of European Integration

The role of experts in governance might strengthen democratic principles as it might risk them as well. However, in the complexity of the nowadays world, taking the right decisions has become complicated. Therefore, there is the need for experts to take decisions in different fields of decision-making. In the context of governance in the public sphere, apart from the experts’ decision-making, it is imperative to uphold democratic principles that ensure a fair representation of the minorities, to safeguard against any adverse impact resulting from experts’ advice or decisions on certain issues. The most developed countries or other supranational entities like the European Union undertake evaluations on the impact that policies have on certain contexts, while developing countries might encounter difficulties despite the achievements in this context. While Albania has made legislative advancements in recent years, further enhancements are expected in the future to improve instruments and mechanisms which will contribute to a soother implementation of these legislative initiatives. In contrast, the European Union has shown a notable reliance on experts in public sector governance and decision-making processes. Although experts in Albania contribute to governance, ongoing debates persist on certain issues. Hence, this article seeks to analyze the role of experts in the Albanian governance, particularly considering the country’s aspirations toward the European Union integration. By examining the implications for democratic principles and effective decision-making processes in the context of experts’ involvement, this study seeks to provide insights for enhancing governance practices in the country’s context of policy making process. Received: 25 December 2023 / Accepted: 25 February 2024 / Published: 23 April 2024

An Empirical Analysis of Influencing Factors of Government Decision-Making on Public Crisis

As the times and the world are changing in an unprecedented way, public security issues have become increasingly linked, transnational, and diverse, causing huge impacts on the global economy and society, as well as posing great challenges to the government in dealing with public crisis decision-making. This study aims to determine the factors affecting the government's crisis decision-making and analyze the interrelationship among the factors affecting the government's crisis decision-making and the performance of its crisis decision-making. The questionnaire was developed and used to collect data from 400 samples of various groups, including government department personnel, scientific research institute practitioners, university lecturers, the public, and university students, both online and face-to-face. The structural equation model (SEM) is used to evaluate the structural relationships of the relevant variables, including the crisis decision-making body, crisis decision-making procedure, crisis decision-making performance, the decision environment, and value identification. It is found that the diversified decision-making subject and decision-making environment have a positive and significant impact on the public crisis decision-making process, value identification, and decision-making performance, respectively. This study has contributed to the following issues. Firstly, it developed new measurement tools and indicators for better evaluating the quality and effect of public crisis decision-making and exploring the influence of different factors on the crisis decision-making of the government. Secondly, it employed cross-industry and cross-cultural comparative research to find commonalities and differences and provide targeted recommendations. Doi: 10.28991/ESJ-2024-08-02-03 Full Text: PDF

The determinants of public acceptance of telemedicine apps: an innovation diffusion perspective.

With the rapid advancement of information technology, telemedicine apps have gradually become an indispensable tool for providing patients with more convenient, efficient, and accessible healthcare services. However, the successful implementation of these apps largely depends on widespread acceptance among the public. To thoroughly investigate the factors influencing the public's acceptance of these apps and the relationships between these factors, this study developed a theoretical model based on the Diffusion of Innovation theory and the Theory of Perceived Value. To validate this model, we conducted a survey of 387 residents in Beijing, China, and employed structural equation modeling to analyze the collected data. The research findings indicate that attributes of innovation diffusion, including relative advantage, compatibility, complexity, trialability, and observability, significantly and positively influence the public's perceived value. Particularly noteworthy is that perceived value partially mediates the relationship between innovation attributes and public acceptance, emphasizing the crucial role of perceived value in the public decision-making process. This study employed a theory-driven approach to elucidate the acceptance of telemedicine apps and offers fresh insights into the existing literature. By integrating the research paradigms of innovation diffusion and customer perceived value, we provide a coherent explanation of how individual cognitive processes lead to acceptance behavior. In summary, this research enriches the existing theoretical studies on the acceptance of telemedicine apps and holds positive implications for healthcare practice.

Women’s Resistance: An Alternative Perspective to Women’s Participation in Community-Driven Development

Community-driven development (CDD) programs compel communities to adopt egalitarian decision-making processes for the duration of the project. However, dominant groups use their power to orchestrate a public performance of social domination and subordinated groups combat social domination via subtle acts of resistance. Rather than conceptualizing social transformation from a holistic perspective that includes subtle acts of resistance and incremental forms of self-empowerment, CDD implementation and monitoring focusses on women’s public performance in community meetings, and this approach generally fails to produce social transformation. We conducted an ethnography of an unconditional direct transfer to a village in Western Mali. We used Bourdieu’s approach to investigate how rural Malian women resist domination and empower themselves in this unfettered CDD project. We observed the women strategically submit to patriarchal forms of domination during the public decision-making processes but resist male domination over their labour. Our results suggest that CDD can better achieve enduring forms of social change when it builds off local women’s self-directed forms of resistance. To better capture women’s resistance and self-empowerment, CDD should adopt a more holistic and open impact assessment approach, such as the Most Significant Change technique and Culturally Responsive Evaluation.

Community Participation in the Public Decision Process: Realizing Better Governance in Public Administration

Citizen participation in public decision-making processes has become a key element in efforts to achieve better governance in public administration. This journal article explains the importance of community participation in forming policies and managing public resources. By involving the public in the decision-making process, the government can produce more effective and sustainable policies.
 Community participation takes various forms, from public consultation to deeper collaboration in policy formation. In the context of public administration, public participation can increase government legitimacy and accountability. This article also describes the challenges and barriers that may arise in enabling effective community participation, including issues related to access, transparency, and lack of community skills or knowledge.
 In addition, this article highlights the concrete benefits of public participation, such as improving the quality of policies, reducing social conflict, and increasing the efficiency of using public resources. Through case study examples and empirical evidence, this article illustrates how public participation has succeeded in improving government performance in various sectors, including education, health, environment and infrastructure.
 In conclusion, public participation is an important element in improving governance in public administration. Effective participation allows the government to make policies that are wiser and adapt to the needs of society. By paying attention to existing challenges, the government can create an environment that supports broader public participation, which will ultimately result in better and more responsive government.

Self-promotion, ideology and power in the social media posts of Nigerian Female Political Leaders

Abstract This article examines how Nigerian female political leaders (NFPLs) exploit self-presentation strategies to formulate and promote social justice. Using insights from critical discourse analysis and Jones and Pittman’s (1982) self-presentation strategies, and with a data set from the verified Facebook and Twitter accounts of two female ministers and three female senators, the study investigates how NFPLs systematically utilize discursive strategies such as self-promotion, ingratiation, exemplification, intimidation and supplication to present themselves as a powerful voice for the voiceless and as active alternative leaders. The study argues that the strategies help the leaders to amplify their authority by showcasing personal presence and past accomplishments, appealing to the concerns of the masses and soliciting their support in future elections. The study demonstrates that these strategies project female leaders as dynamic participants in political and public decision-making processes and positively evaluate their contributions to social change.

Impact of risk perception on intrapersonal heterogeneity in decision-making processes by air pollution context: A latent variable and latent class regret-utility approach

Public preferences and needs are crucial for the effective implementation of air pollution treatment policies. Homogeneous decision-making processes assumption is limited in exploring public preferences and welfare estimates in the context of heterogeneous respondents. Behavioral economics have developed a hybrid set of decision rules to address this issue, but the internal factors contributing to public heterogeneous choices behavior remain unknown. This study aims to explore the hidden motivations, particularly risk perception, that contribute to intrapersonal heterogeneity in decision-making regarding an air pollution treatment project by a latent variable and latent class regret-utility approach. Results indicate that risk perception is a determinant factor causing intrapersonal heterogeneity of public's decision-making process of air pollution treatment programs. Respondents with higher risk controllability tend to employ a fully rational decision rule (utility maximization) and reduce heavily polluted days, whereas those who are more susceptible to risk prefer to adopt a bounded rational decision rule (regret minimization), increase the clean air days ratio and shorten the years of policy delay. Furthermore, considering risk perception, the probability of respondents being regret-driven increases from 57.20% to 61.36%, and the willingness to pay of respondents for air pollution treatment measures evidently decreases. These findings shed light on the motivations and barriers behind public action and help tailor approaches for specific groups to achieve sustainable environmental management.

Partnerships between public and private sectors in Brazil: towards efficiency?

This research was developed to understand the role played by partnerships between public and private sectors in Brazil, especially with regard to increasing efficiency in the provision of public services. Through the use of historical and dialectical methods, anchored in bibliographic and documentary research, alongside indirect data analysis, we discuss the arguments in favor of and against the use of such partnerships within the Brazilian destatization program, as an instrument to promote the rights of the collectivity. After drawing a historical line of the construction of the third way, in which partnerships arise, and debating the fundamentals of state subsidiarity, it appears that there is a mystification of state inefficiency and market superiority. Furthermore, although the number of initiatives and signed contracts has increased over the years and has been encouraged by the government, partnerships are still ineffective in practice. Partnerships, so-called innovative arrangements, are focused on old (neo) liberal practices, moving society away from public decision-making processes and weakening rights on behalf of profit, consisting in a form of transfer of capital from the State to small private groups. Sometimes there is also a lack of transparency in the actions of the private partner and the inspections by the public partner are insufficient.

Is There a Place for Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities in Climate Change Policy and Governance? Learnings from a Brazilian Case

The specialized literature, leading organizations, and international law, like the Paris Agreement, have increasingly recognized the relevance of Indigenous Peoples’ and Local Communities’ contributions to climate change adaptation. Despite this, few studies have investigated how their rights are considered in relevant public policies and decision-making processes. This article explores how the rights of protection and participation of Traditional Peoples and Communities are incorporated in climate- and environment-related public policy documents and examines how community members perceive their engagement in the drafting of those documents and their implementing agencies. For this purpose, it uses a Brazilian traditional community as a case study and undertakes a content analysis of a set of plans and programs applying to its territory and a series of interviews with local members. The findings reveal that while there are a few references to Traditional Peoples and Communities in the diagnosis parts of the plans and programs, they are scarce in substantive parts like objectives and measures. In addition, those references rarely relate to traditional knowledge. These results are also visible in local plans. Moreover, community members appear to feel poorly protected from climate change impacts, misinformed about these plans and programs, and overlooked when it comes to the insertion of their traditional knowledge of climate action measures into these plans and programs. The poor recognition of the protected status of these peoples and communities in the context of climate change highlights the need for a more sensitive and robust design of climate and environment-related plans and programs, ensuring the incorporation of their valuable contributions and traditional knowledge. Further efforts are required to acknowledge this gap and to better bridge the translation of international law into national and municipal plans, and programs, and effectively involve Traditional Peoples and Communities.

Exploring the links between democracy and digital transformation in developing Latin America countries: Building a democracy consolidation theory

The current investigation endeavors to examine Latin America, a region that exhibits poverty, uneven development, and inequality, all of which present significant challenges to the attainment of sustainable progress. The primary objective of the research is to recognize, scrutinize, and explain the factors that are necessary or sufficient for the establishment of a comprehensive democratic system in the region. To achieve this goal, the study will integrate the perspectives of e-state components and multiple stakeholders into a multi-dimensional, multi-level framework. Information and Communication Technology (ICT) is acknowledged as a tool that can promote governance and citizen involvement in the public decision-making process by advancing information sharing among citizens, businesses, and governments and upgrading the delivery of public services. Although ICT cannot substitute political institutions, it can act as a catalyst for enhancing the effectiveness and efficiency of political systems. Prior research suggests that ICT has not transformed political systems fundamentally; nevertheless, it has improved processes and transactions in public administration, especially in democratic states. This article utilizes Fuzzy-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA) to evaluate the combined effect of the necessary conditions for Democratic consolidation in LATAM, by investigating the components of technology and its use by individuals, businesses, and governments. By examining a sample of 18 case studies, the aim of the analysis is to develop a comprehensive understanding of the essential conditions and factors that underpin effective state management, which is considered the cornerstone of a democratic system.The conclusion presented is that in order to consolidate a democratic system, it is necessary to overhaul the fundamental structure of the system itself, starting from the inside and working towards external changes. One proposed approach involves utilizing Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) as a catalyst for initiating this internal transformation. By leveraging the power of ICT, it becomes possible to effect change from within the system, which can in turn help to consolidate and enhance democratic principles, while simultaneously eradicating any existing weaknesses or failures. The results create a comprehensive, integrated approach about how to change a system from within; this involves considering not only external factors that the Theory of Democratic Consolidation requires for a strong civic society or fair elections, but also and most importantly the internal factors: How the elements of the system communicate.

The Importance of Community Involvement in Public Management Planning and Decision-Making Processes

Public management is an effort to deliver public services, programmes, and projects that are efficient, effective, and equitable for the community. The planning and decision-making processes of public management are two key aspects in achieving this goal. Traditionally, the planning and decision-making processes of public management are mostly carried out by government officials and internal stakeholders without involving active participation from the community. However, in this increasingly complex and diverse era, community involvement is important and cannot be ignored. This research aims to explore the role of the community in public decision-making and its impact on efficiency, effectiveness and fairness in public service delivery. This research is a literature review that adopts a qualitative method approach, which means it will analyse and interpret data by relying on information and text from various sources. The study results show that community involvement in the planning and decision-making process of public management is a key principle in democratic and participation-based governance. Community participation helps to create a government that is more transparent, accountable, inclusive, and responsive to the needs and aspirations of the people.

EFFECTS OF TRANSPARENCY-FOCUSED SOCIAL ACCOUNTABILITY ACTIONS ON PUBLIC SERVICE DELIVERY IN KAKAMEGA COUNTY GOVERNMENT MINISTRIES, KENYA

The provision of public services in the Republic of Kenya has encountered difficulties over the years. The implementation of many policies, such as performance contracts and measurement and evaluation, has not produced the desired outcomes. Therefore, it was necessary to concentrate on alternative approaches to enhance public service delivery, such as the implementation of social accountability measures. By encouraging openness through social accountability initiatives, corruption and bureaucratic inefficiencies are reduced, which enhances the delivery of services. Few studies have examined the link between the acts of social of accountability and delivery of services in Kenya, despite the fact that they are, thought to increase service delivery in the public sector. This study therefore sought to interrogate the effect of transparency-focused social accountability actions on public service delivery in Kakamega County Government Ministries, Kenya. The study was centered on Vance, Lowry, and Eggett's Accountability theory (2015). The research used a descriptive survey research approach. The employees from different ministries, county assembly members, as well as chief officers, who take part in public decision-making processes, made up the target population. A population of 1,904 persons was targeted. Accordingly, using Krejcie and Morgan (1970) table, a sample size of 322 was obtained. To analyse the quantitative data, the researcher employed the Statistical Package for Social Sciences. Content analysis was, used to look at qualitative data. The research instruments’ validity was certified by the experts in the area of study, while reliability of the research instruments was determined by use of Cronbach's alpha coefficient. This was meant to check on the internal consistency of the research instruments. A standardized questionnaire and interviews was used to collect the data, which was then analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics and presented using tables. For this investigation, a multivariate regression analysis was, used. The findings revealed that transparency focused (β=.652, p<.05) had a positive significant effect on service delivery and accounted for 41.7%. The employees of Kakamega County may gain from this research because it will allow them to engage in more discussions with the county by engaging in advisory boards, project implementation, and project feasibility analysis, all of which can enhance the county's provision of public services.

The value of mathematical modelling approaches in epidemiology for public health decision making

It is discussed the relevance of quantitative approaches, specifically mathematical modelling in epidemiology, in the public health decision-making process. This topic is discussed here based on the experience of various experts in mathematical epidemiology and public health. First, the definition of mathematical modelling is presented, especially in the context of epidemiology. Second, the different uses and socio-political implications, including empirical examples of recent experiences that have taken place at the international level are addressed. Finally, some general considerations regarding the challenges encountered in the use and application of mathematical modelling in epidemiology in the decision-making process at the local and national levels.

New challenges for public value and accountability in the age of big data: a bibliometric analysis

PurposeThis paper aims to investigate the literacy corpus regarding the potential of big data to improve public decision-making processes and direct these processes toward the creation of public value. This paper presents a map of current knowledge in a sample of selected articles and explores the intersecting points between data from the private sector and the public dimension in relation to benefits for society.Design/methodology/approachA bibliometric analysis was performed to provide a retrospective review of published content in the past decade in the field of big data for the public interest. This paper describes citation patterns, key topics and publication trends.FindingsThe findings indicate a propensity in the current literature to deal with the issue of data value creation in the private dimension (data as input to improve business performance or customer relations). Research on data for the public good has so far been underestimated. Evidence shows that big data value creation is closely associated with a collective process in which multiple levels of interaction and data sharing develop between both private and public actors in data ecosystems that pose new challenges for accountability and legitimation processes.Research limitations/implicationsThe bibliometric method focuses on academic papers. This paper does not include conference proceedings, books or book chapters. Consequently, a part of the existing literature was excluded from the investigation and further empirical research is required to validate some of the proposed theoretical assumptions.Originality/valueAlthough this paper presents the main contents of previous studies, it highlights the need to systematize data-driven private practices for public purposes. This paper offers insights to better understand these processes from a public management perspective.

Mass media, institutional communication and the decision-making process in public administration

The role of mass media and institutional communication in public administration decision-making processes is complex and far-reaching. These two types of communication can serve to shape public policy, impact public opinion and inform public officials in decision-making. Mass media can be used to communicate ideas, inform the public and mobilize public opinion to influence decision-making. It can also be used as a tool for transparency, accountability and oversight of public decision-making. Institutional communication, such as internal memos, policy documents and research papers, can provide decision-makers with critical information to inform and guide their decision-making. Together, these two types of communication can act as a guide for public administration decision-making and help ensure that the public’s wishes and interests are taken into account.

Diplomats, Soldiers, and Armed Conflict Databases: Another French Exception?

Abstract Contemporary governments are awash in quantification, as numbers and algorithms play an ever-greater role in public decision-making processes. In the field of defense and diplomacy, the development of armed conflict databases holds out the promise of improved predictive capacities and early warning systems. While this dynamic can be witnessed across a range of European countries, notably Germany and the Netherlands, it appears to be much less present in France. Diplomats and militaries make only marginal use of the available databases, judged both inadequate in their own right and ill-adapted to strategic analysis. This article proposes two explanatory variables to explain this specific appreciation: not only is a relatively limited training in quantitative methods offered to French diplomats and militaries, which leads to a specific use of numbers, but there is also a broader picture link to the will of protecting “digital sovereignty” in the international realm.