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.     

Changing Conditions and Quality of Housing

Social Indicators Research - This article analyzes the major trends and features of the housing market. It also reviews governmental programs and policies in light of the critical issues facing...     

Voluntary and involuntary driving cessation in later life

This study explores the decision-making process of driving cessation in later life, with a focus on voluntariness. The sample included 83 former drivers from the Baltimore Epidemiologic Catchment Area Study. A majority of participants (83%) reportedly stopped driving by their own decision. However, many voluntary driving retirees reported external factors such as financial difficulty, anxiety about driving, or lack of access to a car as main reasons for driving cessation. These findings imply that distinction between voluntary and involuntary driving cessation is ambiguous and that factors beyond health status, including financial strain, play a role in the transition to non-driving.     

Barriers to evidence based practice in accommodations for an aging workforce

According to a recent Government Accountability Office report, the number of workers over age 55 is projected to increase significantly over the next twenty years, with this demographic group projected to comprise as much as twenty percent of the workforce by 2015 [12]. Accommodating the functional limitations of a large number of older workers may prove challenging for employers; however, policies and practices shaped over the course of the next few decades could allow aging workers to remain a valuable part of the US economy. Given these considerations, it is useful from a public policy perspective to determine the degree to which employers are currently addressing the accommodation needs of older workers. This paper presents the results of a study that attempted to determine the extent to which a sample of Fortune 500 employers was currently accommodating older workers. The study's methodology (in particular, its use of semi-structured telephone interviews) is reevaluated and new options (such as anonymous online employer surveys) are considered for the valid and reliable collection of data on accommodations for older workers.     

Employee Volunteering and Social Capital: Contributions to Corporate Social Responsibility

As employee volunteering (EV) is increasingly regarded as a means of improving companies' community and employee relations, we investigate the contribution of EV to corporate social responsibility, specifically whether and how it contributes to social capital. We investigate the dynamics of EV in three UK companies. We explore the social relations and resources which underpin social capital creation; the roles of opportunity, motivation and ability in bringing the actors together and enhancing their capacity for cooperation; and the ways in which alternative EV modes inform the different dimensions of social capital – networks, trust and norms of cooperation. Our paper contributes to our understanding of EV and the factors that enable it to create social capital. Finally we assess the contribution of EV to the overall corporate social responsibility agenda of companies.     

Use of a case study in sequencing/scheduling research

This paper describes a study of an industrial sequencing/scheduling problem. The study contains the definition of the problem, data requirements and examination of solution technique. Definition of the problem is discussed from the aspect of uniqueness of the specific system. Discussion of data requirements includes availability and accuracy, while examination of solution technique considers limitation of time, computer capacity, etc., as well as the possibility of imbedding available algorithms into the solution procedure. Conclusions are presented relative to the use of the case study approach in sequencing/scheduling research.     

LM Test of Neglected Correlated Random Effects and Its Application

This article aims at achieving two distinct goals. The first is to extend the existing LM test of overdispersion to the situation where the alternative hypothesis is characterized by the correlated random effects model. We obtain a result that the test against the random effects model has a certain max-min type optimality property. We will call such a test the LM test of overdispersion. The second goal of the article is to draw a connection between panel data analysis and the analysis of multiplicity of equilibrium in games. Because such multiplicity can be viewed as a particular form of neglected heterogeneity, we propose an intuitive specification test for a class of two-step game estimators.     

News and information leadership in the digital age

This paper examines information networks on social media to draw conclusions about influence relationships among members of the mass media. The project considers social networks and information patterns using Twitter data, first at the newspaper level and second at the journalist level. Using a computational approach, we look for evidence of elite-directed information flows, as well as exploring whether we find evidence of an increase in the democratization of newsmaking. This study finds that elite voices continue to dominate information networks in the digital age; however, it also finds evidence that information can move expeditiously from journalists in local and regional outlets to elite ones, and vice versa. We move further to explore the content of tweets among the journalist network, finding that there are substantial, direct interactions among elite and regional and local journalists. Our results taken together uncover new network patterns and provide a novel insight on the role of information technologies in newsmaking in the digital age.