Linking Citizen Satisfaction with E-Government and Trust in Government

This article asks how Internet use, citizen satisfaction withe-government, and citizen trust in government are interrelated.We first review the literature on trust and explore how radicalinformation technologies may work to alter the production ormaintenance of trust. We then develop hypotheses about how citizens'experience with e-government, satisfaction with e-governmentand government Web sites, and trust in government are interrelated.Moreover, the model for e-government and Web site satisfactionincorporates citizen perspectives on electronic transaction,transparency, and interactivity. Using data obtained from theCouncil on Excellence in Government, we then develop and testa two-stage multiple-equation model that simultaneously predictsexperience, satisfaction, and trust. Findings indicate thatgovernment Web site use is positively associated with e-governmentsatisfaction and Web site satisfaction and that e-governmentsatisfaction is positively associated with trust in government.We also find that while citizens are generally satisfied withthe electronic provision of information (transparency), thereis some dissatisfaction with the transaction and interactivityof Web sites. We conclude that electronic government strategies—transaction,transparency, and interactivity—are important factorsthat directly affect e-government satisfaction and indirectlyaffect trust. Individuals who use government Web sites are notonly critical consumers but also demanding citizens.     

Linking economics with psychology an economist's view

This article deals with some mutual prejudices between economists and other social scientists. By means of a rather new instrument of research, the so-called Income Evaluation Question (IEQ). it is shown that norms with respect to income can be measured quantitatively. It is basically an attitude question. The results are used to derive equivalence scales for family size and climate differences. In the psychological field they are used to estimate the impact of past experiences and the anticipated future on present norms. In the sociological field we mention an application to derive the impact of the social reference group of an individual on the individual's norms. The examples show that research instruments from the psychologist's list of instruments may be fruitfully combined with economic model building to shed some light on central problems in the social sciences, economics included.     

Linking federally assisted housing with services for frail older persons

Advocates of policies designed to link federally assisted housing with social services for the frail elderly have encountered barriers such as the historical separation of housing and services, political and bureaucratic fragmentation, and budget constraints. Over a 20-year period, they have attempted to address these issues by identifying the nature and extent of the problem, creating workable models, and developing a political constituency. Major reform, however, occurred only in 1990 when Congress passed the landmark National Affordable Housing Act (NAHA) which provided an "open policy window" for supportive housing legislation. NAHA's passage, however, still left many issues unresolved (e.g., targeting and funding for services). The future challenge is to develop new models of supportive housing and provide a range of residential settings and portable services to increase the choices for frail older persons.     

Linking development and aging

Evolutionary theory predicts that the different life stages of organisms are coordinated to achieve maximal reproductive output. Moreover, aging can be seen as an evolutionary side effect of this selective process that applies to many living organisms. Hence, genetic, developmental, and physiological mechanisms resulting from this selection are expected to be conserved in diverse lineages. The insulin/insulin-like growth factor signaling (INS) pathway appears to be such a mechanism that regulates life span and reproduction in a variety of model organisms. Here I argue that the experimental tools of environmental manipulation and gene by environment interaction should be used more often both during the experimental organism's development and its adult life. This approach will help us to fully understand the functions of longevity-determining pathways and will determine the life stages during which these pathways exert their effects on adult life. These points are raised because of a recent Aging Cell publication by Tu and Tatar, in which the larval food environment was manipulated to determine the effects on adult reproduction, life span, aging, and INS. The results of this study are a promise of the usefulness of this approach for understanding the aging process.     

Linking Federally Assisted Housing with Services for Frail Older Persons

Advocates of policies designed to link federally assisted housing with social services for the frail elderly have encountered barriers such as the historical separation of housing and services, political and bureaucratic fragmentation, and budget constraints. Over a 20-year period, they have attempted to address these issues by identifying the nature and extent of the problem, creating workable models, and developing a political constituency. Major reform, however, occurred only in 1990 when Congress passed the landmark National Affordable Housing Act (NAHA) which provided an "open policy window" for supportive housing legislation. NAHA's passage, however, still left many issues unresolved (e.g., targeting and funding for services). The future challenge is to develop new models of supportive housing and provide a range of residential settings and portable services to increase the choices for frail older persons.     

Linking human factors to corporate strategy with cognitive mapping techniques

For human factors (HF) to avoid being considered of "side-car" status, it needs to be positioned within the organization in such a way that it affects business strategies and their implementation. Tools are needed to support this effort. This paper explores the feasibility of applying a technique from operational research called cognitive mapping to link HF to corporate strategy. Using a single case study, a cognitive map is drawn to reveal the complex relationships between human factors and achieving an organization's strategic goals. Analysis of the map for central concepts and reinforcing loops enhances understanding that can lead to discrete initiatives to facilitate integration of HF. It is recommended that this technique be used with senior managers to understand the organizations` strategic goals and enhance understanding of the potential for HF to contribute to the strategic goals.     

Linking Migration Intentions with Flows: Evidence and Potential Use

In the absence of reliable, internationally available migration flow data necessary for statistical forecasting, policymakers increasingly turn to survey data on emigration intentions to evaluate future migration trends. The important assumption – i.e. that there is a measurable and systematic relationship between the intention to migrate and actual migration – has not been firmly established at the international level. We examine the association between estimated population averages of emigration intentions and official migration flow data based on data for more than 160 countries. The results show a strong association between emigration intentions and recorded bilateral flows to industrialized countries, as well as between intentions and aggregated out‐migration. The results provide policymakers with a reliability assessment of survey data on emigration intentions and encourage future attempts to incorporate survey data in formal statistical migration forecasting models.     

Linking family engagement with a rights perspective: macro factors influencing practice

While child welfare practitioners in many countries are struggling to develop methods of effective family engagement, they operate within different national and cultural contexts that influence, both positively and negatively, the ability to engage with families. Increasingly, international comparisons are necessary to further understanding of the development of social work practice. This is particularly necessary because most countries utilize international frameworks (such as the United National Convention on the Rights of the Child) to provide guidance in the development of policies, programs, and interventions. Each country (and locality) struggles to advance practice to be more effective and humane. Our paper offers a comparative analysis focused on family-oriented and rights-based frameworks of different countries. Based on a review of current national policies and a review of the literature regarding family-based practices, we examine similarities and differences among four countries: the United Kingdom, Sweden, the United States, and South Korea. These countries were selected because they have some similarities (advanced industrialized democracies, professional social work, and formal child protection systems) but have some differences in their social welfare systems (policies, specific practices, and socio-cultural context). These differences can be utilized to advance understanding regarding the promise and potential for family engagement strategies. We then discuss the utility of this comparison for theory-building in the arena of child-care practice and conclude by identifying the challenges and limitations of this work.     

Linking Systems and Community Services:

A panel of experts from the legal, medical, adult protective services, criminal justice, and family counseling/mental health professions discuss, in depth, two difficult elder abuse case studies. The goal is to showcase as "interdisciplinary team approach" in developing solutions to the problems of victims of abuse and their abusers.     

Linking Professionalism and Community Organization:

A resurgence of community practice requires that the historical tension between professionalism and community organization be resolved. This paper proposes a scholar/advocate approach to forge a link between professionals and community organizations. The scholar/advocate approach facilitates social change, provides an opportunity for social work professionals to participate in community organizing, and empowers grassroots groups. The benefits and limitations of this method for professionals and community groups are illustrated by its application with three community organizations concerned about the urban poor and homeless. The paper argues that it is time for a resurgence of community-based social work and the development of new methods to attract students to this traditional, and still relevant, field.     

Linking Citizen Participation to Empowerment Practice

Abstract

The author examines the social work literature on citizen participation and empowerment in order to identify key concepts that can be used to define empowerment-oriented community practice. A historical overview of the emergence of citizen participation and empowerment in the practice literature is presented, along with an overview of similar innovations and concepts related to social service delivery: the use of informal help and the Independent Living Movement. This literature is used to develop a model of empowerment practice that focuses on the importance of participatory decision-making structures in community-based organizations.     

Linking Disaster Preparedness and Organizational Response Effectiveness

An analytical model is developed to specify the relationship between organizational disaster preparedness and effective disaster response. Specifying this relationship clarifies the theoretical significance of the concept of preparedeness. The model shows how the concept of disaster preparedness. The model shows how the concept of disaster preparedenss applies to a broad range of social services when circumstances overwhelm the usual means of responding to problems. The relationship between organizational preparedness and effectiveness has been widely and ambiguously assumed but never actually tested. The viability of the model is illustrated with data from a Key Resource Chapter of the American Red Cross. The paradoxical nature of organizational effectiveness suggests the need for many empirical studies to further sharpen the analytical connection between preparedness and effectiveness.     

Linking Social Welfare Policy and Global Problems

This article is a case study of an advanced social welfare policy seminar that explored the interconnections between global threats such as violence and warfare, environmental degradation, poverty, and immigration, and the current and future endeavors of the social work profession. The author describes the theoretical underpinnings and format of the seminar, examines four propositions or lessons that emerged from the course, and analyzes the implications of these lessons for social work practice, research, and education.     

Linking Practitioners' Attitudes Towards and Basic Knowledge of Immigrants with Their Social Work Education

Based on a survey of 1,124 social workers in the United States, this article examines how practitioners' attitudes towards immigrants and their general knowledge of immigration varied according to the content of their social work education. Although the majority of practitioners reported receiving coursework on practice with immigrants, this showed no effect on their attitudes or knowledge. In contrast, coursework on immigration policy predicted more favorable attitudes towards immigrants. Considering the mounting anti-immigrant sentiment and retrenchment of immigrants' rights in the United States, the results suggest the need to further explore what course work content is needed to prepare social workers for the current needs of the field. We argue that social work education must expand upon existing cultural competence models of practice with immigrants, to better prepare social workers to address the deepening social exclusion of undocumented immigrants in the United States.     

Linking Local Government Discretion and Accountability in Decentralisation

Decentralisation offers significant opportunities to improve government accountability by exerting stronger pressures both from below (demand) and above (supply). The literature contains many examples, however, where the potential has not been realised, partly because decentralisation reforms have often been introduced without thinking through their accountability implications. Even when accountability is taken into account, the efforts tend to emphasise either the supply or the demand side of the equation, but not both. Drawing on the sets of literature on fiscal, administrative and political decentralisation, this article presents a methodology for studying this.     

Linking power and inequality in global value chains

There is increasing interest in the study of globalization on whether the emergence and consolidation of global value chains (GVCs) have exacerbated inequalities within and across nations and/or how GVCs may be leveraged to mitigate them. Although power asymmetries have been identified as a central factor shaping (un)successful GVC participation, dominant discourses still disregard the links between power and inequality or use these concepts interchangeably. In this article, we provide an analytical approach to GVC-related inequalities (within, along and through value chains) and examine how they may co-evolve with different types of power (bargaining, demonstrative, institutional and constitutive). We apply this approach to the case study of the hake value chain in South Africa to illustrate how existing inequalities are manifested, challenged, mitigated or exacerbated—and draw an agenda for future research.