Trust In Public Organizations Research Articles

Structural Analysis for Assessing the Effectiveness of Anti-Corruption Strategies on Public Trust

Anti-corruption initiatives are critical tools in the fight against unethical behavior, selling transparency and integrity in both the public and commercial sectors. This study explores the efficacy of anti-corruption techniques on public trust in organizations. Using a dataset comprising 300 employees from a legal aid center, the research assesses the impact of diverse anti-corruption measures on Public Trust Score (PTS). Data turned into collected through surveys measuring the Transparency Index (TI), Accountability Index (AI), Effectiveness of Oversight Bodies (EOB), Public Awareness Level (PAL), and Quality of Anti-Corruption Training (QACT). SPSS was employed for analysis, consisting of Structural Equation Modelling (SEM), Pearson correlation was used to assess the significance and direction of the correlation between each independent variable and the dependent variable, and Multiple Linear regressions (MLR) was used to assess the influence of numerous independent variables. Simultaneously at the dependent variable. The findings imply that more advantageous transparency, accountability, and powerful oversight significantly enhance public acceptance, while public recognition and training quality have a notable but lesser impact.

Design principles for MOOC platforms: a public sector perspective

Purpose One impediment of e-government implementation is the lack of e-(government) competences among public officials, especially because foundational education programs fail to teach them. Therefore, this study suggests massive open online course (MOOC)-based continuous education. This study aims to design and evaluate a MOOC and MOOC platform for acquiring e-competence in the public sector and principles for such platforms to capture their inherent design knowledge. Design/methodology/approach This study uses design science research incorporating qualitative and quantitative methods and draws on established patterns of formulating design principles (DPs). Findings The core results are a physically instantiated MOOC platform and six DPs: DP of 1) easy access and easy use, 2) professional exchange, 3) protected space, 4) domain focus, 5) cooperation with higher education institutions and 6) promotion from higher government level. Research limitations/implications This study contributes to e-government research by extending the design knowledge for the construction of domain-specific MOOC platforms. Moreover, the study contributes to platform economics by discussing existing theses and outlining new opportunities. The research also entails limitations, as the authors have solely considered MOOCs and neglected complimentary offers to sustain learning success. Practical implications This study provides practitioners with design principles they can use in their efforts to construct education platforms for the public sector. Moreover, the study presents a working MOOC platform instantiating these DPs, and thus provides an exemplary reference. Social implications Not fulfilling expectations regarding digital public services comes with a risk of decreasing trust in public organizations and the overall government. The results of this study contribute to enabling public officials fulfilling stakeholders’ expectations and generating public value. Originality/value By linking e-government competence education with MOOC platform design, this research approximates an important research gap. Scholars previously investigated e-competences and focused on alone-standing MOOCs to convey those. The results of this study offer the potential to construct platforms to centralize such fragmented solutions, maximizing their impact among public officials.

THE EFFECT OF SATISFACTION WITH SERVICES AND TRUST IN PUBLIC ORGANIZATIONS ON CITIZENS’ VOICE ORIENTATION: THE ROLE OF ETHICAL PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION

This study investigates the causal relationships between satisfaction with services, trust in public organizations and the voice orientation of citizens through the perspective of the New Public Management. The moderating role of ethical public administration in these relationships is also investigated. Survey methodology with a sample of 586 citizens from Diyarbakır city is used to analyze proposed hypotheses. According to linear regression analyzes, political efficacy level of citizens is positively affected by satisfaction with services and trust in public organizations variables. On the other hand, political participation is only impacted by satisfaction with services positively. No significant relationship can be found between satisfaction with services and political participation. Public administration ethics has a positive moderator role on the relationship between satisfaction with services and voice orientation behaviors (political efficacy and political participation). It also positively moderates the relationship between trust in public organizations and voice orientation of citizens (political efficacy and political participation). This research provides findings about the New Public Management outcomes from different country contexts through first-hand data.

How Do Normative Public Values Promote Service Innovative Behavior in Public Organizations: The Roles of Felt Responsibility for Change and Responsible Leadership

Innovating public services contributes to enhancing citizen satisfaction and trust in public organizations. The aim of our research is to unravel how and when public sector employees’ perceptions of normative public values shape their service innovative behavior. The data were gathered from 572 employees and 68 managers from local-level governments in an Asia-Pacific setting. The positive link was observed between employee perceptions of normative public values and their service innovative behavior. Felt responsibility for change mediated that relationship. Responsible leadership was found to interact with employee perceptions of normative public values to further promote service innovative behavior.

Maximizing internal control effectiveness: the synergy between forensic accounting and corporate governance

PurposeThis paper aims to explore the joint role of forensic accounting and corporate governance in enhancing internal control effectiveness.Design/methodology/approachThe study used a previously administrated questionnaire as a data collection method and partial least squares structural equation modeling as a data analysis tool.FindingsThe findings of this paper find a positive relationship between the study’s independent variables (forensic accounting and corporate governance) and dependent variables (internal control effectiveness).Research limitations/implicationsOne potential limitation of this study is the use of a previously administered questionnaire as the primary data collection method, which may have limited the scope and depth of the data collected. Another limitation may be the focus on only two independent variables (forensic accounting and corporate governance), which may not fully capture all the factors that contribute to internal control effectiveness. Despite these limitations, this study provides important insights into the role of forensic accounting and corporate governance in enhancing internal control effectiveness and highlights the need for further research in this area.Practical implicationsThis paper underscores the importance of investing in effective internal control systems and highlights the key role that forensic accounting and corporate governance play in enhancing the effectiveness of these systems.Social implicationsEffective internal control systems are important not only for the financial health of organizations but also for their social and ethical responsibilities to stakeholders. The findings of this study suggest that investing in strong forensic accounting and corporate governance practices can help organizations meet these responsibilities and promote trust and transparency. Policymakers and regulators may use these findings to inform their efforts to promote effective internal control systems and enhance public trust in organizations.Originality/valueThis paper has important implications for service organizations in Jordan and can be used to inform policymakers and regulators in their efforts to promote strong and effective internal control systems.

Assessing Digital Transformation Acceptance in Public Organizations’ Marketing

Digital transformation has a substantial impact on the activities of public organizations. The way public organizations conduct marketing has also changed due to digital transformation. This paper evaluates how digital transformation influences public organizations’ marketing activities in their employees’ perception and examines the changes triggered by digital technology in public marketing. The research results are based on the literature review empirical studies based on a survey conducted among 425 employees of public organizations in Romania in the marketing field. Using the technology acceptance model and structural equation modeling to analyze and interpret the data, the paper demonstrates that digital technologies have a substantial impact on marketing, in the perception of technology users, in helping to build relationships with the public, and in increasing citizens’ trust in public organizations. Digital technologies, by their significant characteristics (innovativeness, social influence, accessibility, and rapidity), have a significant impact on all public marketing activities. However, they are substantially transforming quantitative marketing research activities due to the digitization of financial accounting and managerial information systems, as well as interactive and transparent communication and public relations activities. Public organization managers must explain the benefits of digital marketing to employees from the internal branding perspective as well as the effectiveness of public marketing activities.

Practical fundamental rights impact assessments

Abstract The European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation tasks organizations to perform a Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA) to consider fundamental rights risks of their artificial intelligence (AI) system. However, assessing risks can be challenging, as fundamental rights are often considered abstract in nature. So far, guidance regarding DPIAs has largely focussed on data protection, leaving broader fundamental rights aspects less elaborated. This is problematic because potential negative societal consequences of AI systems may remain unaddressed and damage public trust in organizations using AI. Towards this, we introduce a practical, four-Phased framework, assisting organizations with performing fundamental rights impact assessments. This involves organizations (i) defining the system’s purposes and tasks, and the responsibilities of parties involved in the AI system; (ii) assessing the risks regarding the system’s development; (iii) justifying why the risks of potential infringements on rights are proportionate; and (iv) adopt organizational and/or technical measures mitigating risks identified. We further indicate how regulators might support these processes with practical guidance.

What drives the perceived legitimacy of collaborative governance? An experimental study

ABSTRACT This study explores the perceived legitimacy of collaborative governance from a citizens’ perspective. We use a preregistered online survey experiment to test the effect of three factors – representation, performance information, and issue complexity – on the perceived legitimacy of a collaboration. Findings show that representation and positive performance information influence citizens’ perceptions of collaborative governance legitimacy, while issue complexity has little impact. Additionally, heterogeneous treatment effects were found: respondents with low trust in public organizations factor representation more into their legitimacy perceptions of collaborative governance, while those with high trust in public organizations show little influence of representation.

\u201cDon\u2019t confuse me with facts\u201d\u2014how right wing populism affects trust in agencies advocating anthropogenic climate change as a reality

Everyday public denial of anthropogenically caused climate change (ACC) has complex antecedents and exists on both individual and institutional levels. Earlier research has linked ACC denial to opposition to formal science and elites, perceived threats to the industrialist capitalist order and existing system properties. Research also suggest that trust in public organizations is a key factor in determining support or opposition to climate change policies. In this paper, we explore the possibility that right wing populism and anti-elitist attitudes fuel both ACC denial and low trust in environmental institutions. We surveyed a representative sample of Norwegians (N = 3032) to measure ACC denial, how denial is linked to socio-demographic characteristics, trust in environmental institutions, attitudes toward elites and immigration, as well as environmental attitude orientations. Results show that lack of trust in environmental institutions is strongly associated with ACC denial, and furthermore that the degree of trust—or lack thereof—is partly a function of anti-elitist attitudes, opposition to migration and views of nature.

The Effects of Epistemic Trust and Social Trust on Public Acceptance of Genetically Modified Food: An Empirical Study from China.

Most studies exploring the public acceptance of genetically modified food (GMF) are based on social trust and the establishment of a causal model. The underlying premise is that social trust indirectly affects public acceptance of GMF through perceived risks and perceived benefits. The object of social trust is trust in people, organizations, and institutions. Different from the social trust, epistemic trust refers to people’s trust in scientific knowledge behind the technology of concern. It has been shown that epistemic trust, like social trust, is also an important factor that affects the public perception of applicable risks and benefits. Therefore, it is necessary to incorporate epistemic trust into the causal model to derive a more complete explanation of public acceptance. However, such work has not been conducted to date. The causal model proposed in this paper integrated epistemic trust and social trust and divided social trust into trust in public organizations and trust in industrial organizations. A representative questionnaire survey (N = 1091) was conducted with Chinese adults. The model was analyzed by the partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) method. Three major findings were obtained: First, epistemic trust is an important antecedent of perceived risks and perceived benefits and exerts a significant indirect effect on the acceptance of GMF. Secondly, trust in industrial organizations negatively impacts perceived risks, while trust in public organizations positively impacts perceived benefits. Thirdly, contrary to the common opinion, trust in industrial organizations did not exert a significant direct effect on perceived benefits, and trust in public organizations did not demonstrate a significant direct effect on perceived risks. Therefore, trust in industrial organizations and trust in public organizations utilize different influence paths on GMF acceptance. This study enriches the understanding of the influence path of trust with regard to the acceptance of emerging technologies and is of great significance to relevant risk-management practices.

Intra-organizational trust in public organizations – the study of interpersonal trust in both vertical and horizontal relationships from a bidirectional perspective

ABSTRACT The purpose of this paper is to enhance our understanding of intra-organizational trust in public organizations by studying interpersonal trust in both vertical and horizontal relationships from a bidirectional perspective. Previous research has focused on trust at a single level of analysis, ignoring influences from other organizational levels, which has led to gaps in our understanding of trust. In addition, few studies take a bidirectional perspective where a trustor is simultaneously a trustee and vice versa. Through a case study, we contributed to filling this gap by studying the antecedents of trust – ability, benevolence and integrity.

Attitudes to genetically modified food over time: How trust in organizations and the media cycle predict support.

This research examined public opinion toward genetically modified plants and animals for food, and how trust in organizations and media coverage explained attitudes toward these organisms. Nationally representative samples (N=8821) over 10 years showed Australians were less positive toward genetically modified animals compared to genetically modified plants for food, especially in years where media coverage was high. Structural equation modeling found that positive attitudes toward different genetically modified organisms for food were significantly associated with higher trust in scientists and regulators (e.g. governments), and with lower trust in watchdogs (e.g. environmental movement). Public trust in scientists and watchdogs was a stronger predictor of attitudes toward the use of genetically modified plants for food than animals, but only when media coverage was low. Results are discussed regarding the moral acceptability of genetically modified organisms for food, the media's role in shaping public opinion, and the role public trust in organizations has on attitudes toward genetically modified organisms.

Identification and Trust in Public Organizations: A communicative approach

Little empirical research has examined the link between organizational identification and organizational trust. Identification presupposes a level of consistency in its object, and this study proposes that trust can reduce uncertainty between organization and employee, enabling a bond between the two to form. Secondly, this research looks at how interaction with various organizational groups may affect organizational trust, thereby indirectly encouraging identification. It is thus proposed that organizational trust should be understood as an important mechanism mediating the relationship between interaction with employees at different levels of the organizational hierarchy and identification with the organization as a whole.

Trust in organizations concerned with risks of the Great East Japan Earthquake

This study investigated the levels of public trust in organizations associated with the Great East Japan Earthquake. In Study 1 (N = 639), the levels of trust in eight organizations as well as the determinants of trust--perceived salient value similarity (SVS), ability, and motivation--were measured twice, first immediately after the earthquake and then a year later. The results indicated that the trust levels for six of the eight organizations had been preserved, supporting the double asymmetric effect of trust. The results of structural equation modeling (SEM) revealed that SVS explained trust more when the organization had been less trusted. Trust in the organization explains well the perceived reduction of the target risk. The results of SEM in Study 2 (N = 1,030) replicated those of Study 1, suggesting the stability of the explanatory power of the determinants of trust. Implications of the study for risk management practices are discussed.

Human Resource Management Practices and Trust in Public Organizations

Trust has been acknowledged as a valuable managerial resource within organizations. Working as a lubricant of organizational functioning, trust reduces opportunistic behaviours while it increases voluntary compliance to organizational norms and rules as well as enhancing individual and organizational performance. Considering the importance of trust, it is worthwhile to explore what factors may help build trust within organizations. This research investigates whether perceptions of several human resource management (HRM) practices are associated with trust in government organizations. According to social exchange theory, HRM practices signal management's commitment to employees which in turn leads to greater trust in the organization. Using data from an employee survey conducted for the Georgia Department of Transportation in 2007, this research tests how employee perceptions of HRM practices are related to trust in three distinct levels of management in a large department of state government: trust in department leadership, trust in one's leadership team, and trust in one's supervisor. Binary logit analyses suggest that perceptions of HRM practices focusing on autonomy, compensation, communication, performance appraisal, and career development are associated with trust in public organizations. According to the result, those practices present variation in their leverage on trust in leadership at different levels.

Repairing Public Trust in Organizations

While past research has examined organizational trust with key stakeholders, including employees, little research has examined how organizations can repair trust with the general public. Public trust in an organization is critical to ensuring legitimacy and firm survival. However, the type of violation of public trust can impact the repair strategies firms may choose to enact. This paper examines the construct of public trust, discusses the important aspects of trust violation and develops a framework for organizations to repair trust with the public. We argue that communication and strategic institutional reforms are necessary to repair trust, but are more important following competence, rather than integrity violations.

Competence‐Based and Integrity‐Based Trust as Predictors of Acceptance of Carbon Dioxide Capture and Storage (CCS)

Public trust in organizations that are involved in the management and use of new technologies affects lay judgments about the risks and benefits associated with these technologies. In turn, judgments about risks and benefits influence lay attitudes toward these technologies. The validity of this (indirect) effect of trust on lay attitudes toward new technologies, which is referred to as the causal chain account of trust, has up till now only been examined in correlational research. The two studies reported in this article used an experimental approach to more specifically test the causal chain account of trust in the context of carbon dioxide capture and storage technology (CCS). Complementing existing literature, the current studies explicitly distinguished between two different types of trust in organizations: competence-based trust (Study 1) and integrity-based trust (Study 2). In line with predictions, results showed that the organizational position regarding CCS implementation (pro versus con) more strongly affected people's risk and benefit perceptions and their subsequent acceptance of CCS when competence-based trust was high rather than low. In contrast, the organizational position had a greater impact on people's level of CCS acceptance when integrity-based trust was low rather than high.

Trust as predictor of public acceptance of CCS

Abstract Reduction of carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere can be realized by the implementation of carbon dioxide capture and storage (CCS) technology. Successful implementation of CCS will depend on public acceptance of this technology. It has been argued that public trust in organizations involved in complex novel technologies influences risk/benefit perceptions and, consequentially, public acceptance of these technologies (e.g., Siegrist, 1999, 2000). This paper discusses whet her or not this model holds true in the context of CCS and whether or not it holds true for both integrity -based trust and comp etence-based trust.

How organizational motives and communications affect public trust in organizations: The case of carbon dioxide capture and storage

Preventing climate change is among the greatest environmental challenges facing the world today. Recently developed carbon dioxide capture and storage (CCS) technology is an important strategy to mitigate climate change. Public trust in organizations involved in CCS technology is important for successful implementation of this technology. This work adresses how inferred organizational motives and organizational communications affect public trust in these organizations. Study 1 ( N = 264) showed that Dutch citizens generally have less trust in the industrial organizations than in the environmental NGOs involved in CCS. As predicted, inferred organizational motives (organization-serving motives versus public-serving motives) accounted for this difference. In Study 2 ( N = 78) and Study 3 ( N = 51) we used experimental designs. Both experiments showed that organizations that communicated arguments incongruent with inferred organizational motives instigated less trust than organizations that communicated arguments congruent with inferred organizational motives. Study 3 additionally showed that communicating an incongruent and a congruent argument together diminished the negative effects of the incongruent argument. In both Study 2 and Study 3 the effect of congruency on trust was mediated by perceived honesty of the organizations.

Promoting Public Trust in Public Organizations: Explaining the Role of Public Accountability

This paper is aimed at explaining the role of public accountability in promoting public trust in public organizations. Initially a conceptual model was developed. Then, the model was tested empirically in Iran. The result shows that public accountability influences the public trust by improving citizens’ satisfaction. In other words, legal, ethical, financial, functional, and utmost political accountability affect public trust through influencing citizens’ satisfaction. This study also confirms that changes in social trust, citizens’ trust in government, and media will moderate trust in public organizations.