Understanding public satisfaction with the police

2019 ◽  
Vol 42 (4) ◽  
pp. 571-584 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mengyan Dai ◽  
Xiaochen Hu ◽  
Victoria Time
Keyword(s):  
Military Family ◽  
Neighborhood Conditions ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Hampton Roads ◽  
Citizen Satisfaction ◽  
The Public ◽  
Educational Backgrounds ◽  
Military Background ◽  
Prior Experiences ◽  
Prior Contact

Purpose Building upon prior research, the purpose of this paper is to improve the understanding of public satisfaction with the police by examining the effects of one’s military background and the interactions between one’s education and perceptions about prior contact with the police. Design/methodology/approach This study statistically analyzes the 2012 citizen survey data collected in the Hampton Roads area of Virginia, USA, and the theoretical framework includes the major models of citizen satisfaction with the police (i.e. demographic, prior contact with the police and neighborhood conditions). Findings Findings show that being a military family member is significantly positively related to satisfaction with the police. In addition, there are significant interactions between higher education and prior contact with the police, suggesting that people with different educational backgrounds tend to consider their prior experiences (either positive or negative) differently in their general evaluations of the police. Originality/value The study expands the literature by empirically assessing two often omitted factors that could have significant impacts on how the public evaluate the police.

Citizens and expatriates satisfaction with public services in Qatar – evidence from a survey

2019 ◽  
Vol 46 (3) ◽  
pp. 326-337
Author(s):  
Nada Abdelkader Benmansour
Keyword(s):  
Public Services ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Citizen Satisfaction ◽  
The Public ◽  
Local Public Services ◽  
Level Of Satisfaction ◽  
Determinants Of Satisfaction ◽  
Positive Feelings

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to analyze citizens’ and expatriates’ satisfaction with public service delivery in Qatar, one of the world’s highest per capita incomes countries. Design/methodology/approach The author uses a 2017 survey conducted in Qatar among both Qatari and expatriates’ respondents. The scientifically grounded sample consisted of 1,356 respondents, who were 18 years of age and older. The data were collected through a face-to-face survey. The focus was on citizen satisfaction with basic public services such as education, health, roads and infrastructure, water and electricity and government services. The author uses logit and regression analysis to estimate the determinants of satisfaction. Findings Expatriates hold more positive feelings about local public services than citizens. The highest levels of satisfaction are with government offices and the lowest levels of satisfaction are with independent schools. The dispersion by municipality is less significant as there is no municipality where citizens and expatriates are totally satisfied with all the public services provided. Research limitations/implications Qatar has one of the fastest population growth and highest migrant population which makes the question of the satisfaction with public services unique. And, since the blockade on Qatar in May 2017 and the environment of economic restriction, the issue becomes even more critical. Originality/value Until now, there have been no empirical studies published analyzing the level of satisfaction with public services in Qatar for citizens and for expatriates.

Significant reforms in public sector audit – staying relevant in times of change and challenge

2014 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 150-161 ◽  
Author(s):  
Des Pearson
Keyword(s):  
Public Sector ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Public ◽  
Program Manager ◽  
Practical Experiences ◽  
Auditor General ◽  
The Right ◽  
Prior Experiences ◽  
Changing Role

Purpose – This paper aims to talk about the changes to auditing practice in the context of broader changes in the public sector. Design/methodology/approach – A personal reflection on the issue using prior experiences as a former auditor-general of two Australian states. Findings – The role for government audit will always mirror the change in the public sector. Whether audit fulfils this role depends on having the right legislation and the right approach. While audit legislation lags behind recent shifts in public sector approaches, government auditors are continuing to explore new ways to give parliament, as well as the sector, authoritative opinions and commentary that is relevant and valuable. Practical implications – Increased understanding of the changing role of the Auditor-General's Office that affects the efficiency and effectives of public sector entities will help practitioners in improving strategic directions of their operations. This will also help academic researchers in developing ideas for future research. Originality/value – Reflections presented here are based on the author's practical experiences over the past 40 years as a program manager and as a government auditor.

scholarly journals Stretching the public purse: budgetary responses to COVID-19 in Canada

2020 ◽  
Vol 32 (5) ◽  
pp. 771-783 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charles H. Cho ◽  
John Kurpierz
Keyword(s):  
Emergency Response ◽  
Social Factors ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Public Private Partnerships ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Citizen Satisfaction ◽  
The Public ◽  
Political Economic ◽  
Emergency Measures

PurposeThis paper summarizes the emergency measures taken by Canada in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and discusses the key political, economic, and social factors that influenced the design of these measures.Design/methodology/approachThis paper collects the announcement of emergency measures in the Canadian provincial and federal governments between March 18 and May 30, 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and categorizes them by type of emergency response.FindingsCanada has a diversified response of emergency measures mediated by its various provinces. This suggests that Canada may be more robust to biological and economic threats than nations that have less policy diversity.Originality/valueCanada's diversity of emergency measures allows for several different avenues for future research, including countercyclical spending by subnational polities, organizational diversity's effect on resilience, the effect of tax breaks versus direct or indirect payments, effectiveness of public-private partnerships, and the effect of transparency on citizen satisfaction.

Community benefits agreements (CBAs): a typology for shrinking cities

2017 ◽  
Vol 37 (3/4) ◽  
pp. 231-247 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kelly L. Patterson ◽  
Molly Ranahan ◽  
Robert M. Silverman ◽  
Li Yin
Keyword(s):  
Economic Development ◽  
Private Sector ◽  
Local Economic Development ◽  
Grassroots Organizations ◽  
Shrinking Cities ◽  
Neighborhood Conditions ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Public ◽  
Community Benefits ◽  
Community Benefits Agreements

Purpose Community benefits agreements (CBAs) redistribute the benefits of new development to distressed communities and historically disenfranchised groups. They allow coalitions of labor and grassroots organizations to negotiate for concessions in the development process. Yet, CBAs are a relatively new tool used in planning and local economic development, and specification about their content and scope is evolving. Some of the earliest CBAs were negotiated in cities experiencing an influx of new growth and investment. However, less is known about the scope of CBA negotiations in shrinking cities where economic development is relatively anemic. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach This paper offers an extension to the existing literature through an exploratory analysis of the scope of CBAs in the ten fastest shrinking cities in the USA between 2000 and 2010. The analysis is organized in three parts. First, the authors present a CBA typology that differentiates among CBAs negotiated with developers in the public, private and nonprofit sectors. Second, the authors compare neighborhood conditions in shrinking cities with CBAs to those without negotiated agreements. Finally, the authors discuss critical cases where CBA negotiations have occurred in shrinking cities. Findings Grassroots coalitions have more leverage when negotiating for concessions with private sector developers vs developers from the public and nonprofit sectors. The added leverage is attributed to the high profile and limited public benefits associated with projects pursued by private sector developers. Moreover, shrinking cities face additional obstacles when negotiating CBAs. The authors concluded that cities with the highest levels of physical distress are the least likely to negotiate and adopt CBAs. Originality/value This paper contributes to the literature by focusing on CBAs in shrinking cities. It also highlights nuisances in CBA negotiations with developers from the private, public and nonprofit sectors. Although the analysis focused on the US context, the inclusion of these perspectives in the CBA typology provides researchers in other institutional settings with a common framework for comparative analysis.

Determining the impact of service quality on citizens' satisfaction and the role of citizens' demographics. The case of the Greek citizen's service centers

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Evangelos Psomas ◽  
Nancy Bouranta ◽  
Maria Koemtzi ◽  
Efthalia Keramida
Keyword(s):  
Public Sector ◽  
Service Quality ◽  
Linear Regression Analysis ◽  
Policy Decision ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Citizen Satisfaction ◽  
The Public ◽  
Quality Dimensions ◽  
Service Quality Dimensions ◽  
The Impact

PurposeCitizen's service centers (CSCs) are front-end delivery public points which aim to reduce bureaucratic procedures and improve citizens' services. The present study, based on the citizens' perceptions, aims to explore the impact of the CSCs' service quality on citizens' satisfaction and also to identify statistically significant differences with regard to service quality dimensions and citizen satisfaction among different groups of citizens.Design/methodology/approachA questionnaire survey was carried out based on the five dimensions of the SERVPERF model. Random sampling was used to acquire a representative and reliable sample of 1,226 respondents. Descriptive statistics, multiple linear regression analysis, T-test and ANOVA were applied to analyze the data.FindingsAccording to the citizens' perceptions, the levels of the service quality dimensions and citizen satisfaction are medium to high. The service quality dimensions have a statistically significant impact on citizens' satisfaction. Moreover, statistically significant differences are observed among groups of citizens in terms of the service quality dimensions and citizen satisfaction.Originality/valueThe present study is stimulated by the existing gap identified in the literature in the field of the public sector and more specifically in the CSCs. Building on the public sector literature, the study examines the relationship between service quality dimensions and citizens' satisfaction from the services provided by the Greek CSCs, which are innovative public service organizations operating all over Greece. It also highlights key implications for public organizations and government policy decision-makers based on citizens' demographic characteristics.

A benchmarking study of Indian seaports

2019 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 88-102
Author(s):  
Sajeev Abraham George ◽  
Anurag C. Tumma
Keyword(s):  
Financial Performance ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Data Envelopment ◽  
Operational Parameters ◽  
Two Stage ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Public ◽  
Port Authorities ◽  
Financial Performance Measures ◽  
The Government

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to benchmark the operational and financial performances of the major Indian seaports to help derive useful insights to improve their performance. Design/methodology/approach A two-stage data envelopment analysis (DEA) methodology has been used with the help of data collected on the 13 major seaports of India. The first stage of the DEA captured the operational efficiencies, while the second stage the financial performance. Findings A window analysis over a period of three years revealed that no port was able to score an overall average efficiency of 100 per cent. The study identified the better performing units among their peers in both the stages. The contrasting results of the study with the traditional operational and financial performance measures used by the ports helped to derive useful insights. Research limitations/implications The data used in the study were majorly limited to the available sources in the public domain. Also, the study was limited to the major seaports which are under the Government of India and no comparisons were carried out with other local or international ports. Practical implications There is a need to prioritize investments and improvement efforts where they are most needed, instead of following a generalized approach. Once the benchmark ports are identified, the port authorities and other relevant stakeholders should work in detail on the factors causing inefficiencies, for possible improvements in performance. Originality/value This paper carried out a two-stage DEA that helped to derive useful insights on operational efficiency and financial performance of the India seaports. A combination of the financial and operational parameters, along with a comparison of the DEA results with the traditional measures, provided a different perspective on the Indian seaport performance. Considering the scarcity of research papers reported in the literature on DEA-based benchmarking studies of seaports in the Indian context, it has the potential to attract future research in this field.

The 2016 Police and Crime Commissioner elections

2017 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 41-54 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Joyce
Keyword(s):  
Public Awareness ◽  
Primary Source ◽  
Source Material ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Public ◽  
The Social ◽  
Key Issues ◽  
The Subject ◽  
The Government

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to analyse the 2016 elections for Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) and to compare them with those that took place in 2012. It seeks to evaluate the background of the candidates who stood for office in 2016, the policies that they put forward, the results of the contests and the implications of the 2016 experience for future PCC elections. Design/methodology/approach This paper is based around several key themes – the profile of candidates who stood for election, preparations conducted prior to the contests taking place, the election campaign and issues raised during the contests, the results and the profile of elected candidates. The paper is based upon documentary research, making particular use of primary source material. Findings The research establishes that affiliation to a political party became the main route for successful candidates in 2016 and that local issues related to low-level criminality will dominate the future policing agenda. It establishes that although turnout was higher than in 2012, it remains low and that further consideration needs to be devoted to initiatives to address this for future PCC election contests. Research limitations/implications The research focusses on the 2016 elections and identifies a number of key issues that emerged during the campaign affecting the conduct of the contests which have a bearing on future PCC elections. It treats these elections as a bespoke topic and does not seek to place them within the broader context of the development of the office of PCC. Practical implications The research suggests that in order to boost voter participation in future PCC election contests, PCCs need to consider further means to advertise the importance of the role they perform and that the government should play a larger financial role in funding publicity for these elections and consider changing the method of election. Social implications The rationale for introducing PCCs was to empower the public in each police force area. However, issues that include the enhanced importance of political affiliation as a criteria for election in 2016 and the social unrepresentative nature of those who stood for election and those who secured election to this office in these contests coupled with shortcomings related to public awareness of both the role of PCCs and the timing of election contests threaten to undermine this objective. Originality/value The extensive use of primary source material ensures that the subject matter is original and its interpretation is informed by an academic perspective.

Relationship between CSR motivations and corporate social performance: a study in the power industry in India

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Moumita Acharyya ◽  
Tanuja Agarwala
Keyword(s):  
Public Sector ◽  
Private Sector ◽  
Corporate Social Performance ◽  
Social Performance ◽  
Power Sector ◽  
Public And Private ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Public ◽  
Self Interest ◽  
Public And Private Sector

PurposeThe paper aims to understand the different motivations / reasons for engaging in CSR initiatives by the organizations. In addition, the study also examines the relationship between CSR motivations and corporate social performance (CSP).Design/methodology/approachThe data were collected from two power sector organizations: one was a private sector firm and the other was a public sector firm. A comparative analysis of the variables with respect to private and public sector organizations was conducted. A questionnaire survey was administered among 370 employees working in the power sector, with 199 executives from public sector and 171 from private sector.Findings“Philanthropic” motivation emerged as the most dominant CSR motivation among both the public and private sector firms. The private sector firm was found to be significantly higher with respect to “philanthropic”, “enlightened self-interest” and “normative” CSR motivations when compared with the public sector firms. Findings suggest that public and private sector firms differed significantly on four CSR motivations, namely, “philanthropic”, “enlightened self-interest”, “normative” and “coercive”. The CSP score was significantly different among the two power sector firms of public and private sectors. The private sector firm had a higher CSP level than the public sector undertaking.Research limitations/implicationsFurther studies in the domain need to address differences in CSR motivations and CSP across other sectors to understand the role of industry characteristics in influencing social development targets of organizations. Research also needs to focus on demonstrating the relationship between CSP and financial performance of the firms. Further, the HR outcomes of CSR initiatives and measurement of CSP indicators, such as attracting and retaining talent, employee commitment and organizational climate factors, need to be assessed.Originality/valueThe social issues are now directly linked with the business model to ensure consistency and community development. The results reveal a need for “enlightened self-interest” which is the second dominant CSR motivation among the organizations. The study makes a novel contribution by determining that competitive and coercive motivations are not functional as part of organizational CSR strategy. CSR can never be forced as the very idea is to do social good. Eventually, the CSR approach demands a commitment from within. The organizations need to emphasize more voluntary engagement of employees and go beyond statutory requirements for realizing the true CSR benefits.

Shapeholders: managing them as allies, partners and significant constituents

2017 ◽  
Vol 45 (5) ◽  
pp. 41-48 ◽  
Author(s):  
Oleksiy Osiyevskyy ◽  
Vladyslav Biloshapka
Keyword(s):  
Business Models ◽  
Social Activism ◽  
Business Success ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Building Relationships ◽  
The Public ◽  
Short Run ◽  
Common Interests ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose The authors review the concept of building relationships with Shapeholders,: a broad group of players that have no financial stake in the company yet can substantively influence it. The process for doing this is the subject of a new book by Mark Kennedy, Shapeholders: Business success in the age of social activism. Design/methodology/approach The authors examine Mark Kennedy’s framework for managing the firm’s shapeholders, a model composed of seven basic steps (7A’s): Align with a purpose, Anticipate, Assess, Avert, Acquiesce, Advance common interests, and Assemble to win. Findings Managing corporate reputation in alliance with enlightened shapeholders is a potential defense against self-aggrandizing schemes to wantonly maximize shareholder value in the short run. Practical implications Managing shapeholders is part of the messy democratic process that works when power is apportioned fairly among those affected by a firm’s decisions, and this process underpins the winning business models of true market leaders. Social implications Stakeholders previously discredited as mere “mosquitos” have gained new power, particularly when their legitimate concerns and unfair treatment resonate with the interests of a significant segment of the public and influential shapeholders. Originality/value Shapeholders can create enormous opportunities for smart managers capable of effectively engaging with them.

Performance measurement and management in the public sector: state of the art and research opportunities

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Patrizia Garengo ◽  
Alberto Sardi
Keyword(s):  
Public Sector ◽  
Performance Measurement ◽  
State Of The Art ◽  
Business Management ◽  
Academic Research ◽  
Conceptual Structure ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Research Opportunities ◽  
The Public ◽  
Public Organisations

PurposeSince the 1980s, performance measurement and management (PMM) has been described as an essential element of new public management (NPM) reforms. The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of the current state of the art and future research opportunities for PMM in public sector management.Design/methodology/approachThe paper carried out a bibliometric literature review using two main techniques named (1) performance analysis and (2) science mapping techniques. It investigated the academic research area describing the main publications' trend, the conceptual structure and its evolution from 1996 to 2019.FindingsThe results highlighted the growing relevance of PMM research in public organisations and confirmed a great interest of the business, management and accounting literature on PMM in public sector management. Furthermore, the results also described a conceptual structure of the public PMM literature analysed and its evolution being too generic to answer public organisations' needs. The results identified five main research gaps and research opportunities.Originality/valueAlthough the adoption of rigorous bibliometric techniques was recognised as being useful for assessing the academic research study, the paper describes the business, management and accounting literature contributing to new theoretical and practical future opportunities.

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