Service Cynicism: How Civic Disengagement Develops

How does civic disengagement develop? This article examines the theory that the dissatisfaction and disengagement citizens develop toward one government agency can extend to an alternative agency. Leveraging police precinct-level data on 311 calls and criminal complaints from 2004 to 2012 in New York City, it investigates whether government responsiveness to municipal issues predicts citizens’ willingness to submit criminal complaints to the police. The study finds that predictors of disengagement with law enforcement extend beyond negative interactions with law enforcement alone. Rather, the time it takes local government officials to fix a 311 request for services, such as filling potholes and abating noise, shapes the likelihood that residents will file misdemeanor criminal complaints. Thus policymakers must account for the policy environment beyond their agency’s domain to alleviate citizens’ dissatisfaction and disengagement with government overall.

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Rapid Research and Assessment on COVID-19 and Climate in New York City

Journal of Extreme Events ◽

10.1142/s234573762150010x ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 2150010

Author(s):

Nora Kyrkjebo ◽

Adam Parris ◽

Janice Barnes ◽

Illya Azaroff ◽

Deborah Balk ◽

...

Keyword(s):

New York ◽

New York City ◽

York City ◽

Technical Assistance ◽

Policy Design ◽

Rapid Assessment ◽

Expert Elicitation ◽

Government Officials ◽

Organizational Sensemaking ◽

Climate Service

In May 2020, the New York City (NYC) Mayor’s Office of Climate Resiliency (MOCR) began convening bi-weekly discussions, called the Rapid Research and Assessment (RRA) Series, between City staff and external experts in science, policy, design, engineering, communications, and planning. The goal was to rapidly develop authoritative, actionable information to help integrate resiliency into the City’s COVID response efforts. The situation in NYC is not uncommon. Extreme events often require government officials, practitioners, and citizens to call upon multiple forms of scientific and technical assistance from rapid data collection to expert elicitation, each spanning more or less involved engagement. We compare the RRA to similar rapid assessment efforts and reflect on the nature of the RRA and similar efforts to exchange and co-produce knowledge. The RRA took up topics on social cohesion, risk communication, resilient and healthy buildings, and engagement, in many cases strengthening confidence in what was already known but also refining the existing knowledge in ways that can be helpful as the pandemic unfolds. Researchers also learned from each other ways to be supportive of the City of New York and MOCR in the future. The RRA network will continue to deepen, continue to co-produce actionable climate knowledge, and continue to value organizational sensemaking as a usable climate service, particularly in highly uncertain times. Given the complex, rare, and, in many cases, unfamiliar context of COVID-19, we argue that organizational sensemaking is a usable climate service.

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Partnering With Trauma Survivors to Create a Grassroots Demand for Trauma-Informed Approaches

Ethical Human Psychology and Psychiatry ◽

10.1891/1559-4343.21.1.31 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 21 (1) ◽

pp. 31-38

Author(s):

Clarencetine Brooks ◽

Sean Brennan ◽

Diane Roberts ◽

WillieFlora Gaines ◽

Kira Labinger ◽

...

Keyword(s):

New York ◽

New York City ◽

Local Government ◽

Learning Community ◽

Lived Experience ◽

York City ◽

Community Response ◽

Trauma Survivors ◽

Health Empowerment ◽

Trauma Informed

Established in collaboration with the Office of Consumer Affairs at the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene and the Mental Health Empowerment Project, Inc., the New York City Trauma-Informed Learning Community (NYCTIA-LC) represents a unique partnership between the community, local government, and trauma survivors. The NYCTIA-LC is comprised of individuals with lived experience who are committed to learning about trauma and trauma-informed approaches, advocating for the creation of trauma-informed environments, and the use of these approaches in behavioral health. This article will chronicle the development and evolution of the NYCTIA-LC and explore how local government and individuals who have been directly impacted by trauma can partner to consider a community response to this crisis.

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