Evaluation of the "Lose Your Excuse" public service advertising campaign for tweens to save energy

This study evaluates the 2008-2009 "Lose your Excuse" public service advertising (PSA) campaign on energy efficiency targeting 8- to 12-year-olds, intended to increase knowledge, foster proactive attitudes, and change energy usage behaviors. Baseline and two follow-up surveys were conducted with online samples representative of the national population of households with kids with online access. Almost half (47%) of the tweens recognized at least one ad from the campaign. Ad recognition was positively associated with knowledge, proactive attitudes, and energy-saving behavior. Propensity score analysis confirmed a small but measurable and statistically significant effect on energy-saving behavior. The discussion section compares these results to public health campaigns in terms of ghost awareness, reach, and effect size.     

Towards a standard conceptual typology of public sector performance measurement

This article aims to enhance fundamental conceptualisation in performance measurement through the development of a standard conceptual typology of the field. Performance measurement is a common phenomenon in the worldwide public sector, and one that has attracted substantial academic attention. However, analysis has been hindered by confusing and inconsistent terminology, and a lack of clear and explicit classification schemes. The proposed typology is based on five explicit design considerations and three fundamenta divisionis. The typology produced has four elements: levels; measures; targets; and actuals. These elements relate to the nature, specific aspect and state of performance phenomena. It is likely that a standard conceptual approach will have benefits for academic analysis, by clarifying language and conceptual definitions. It is also likely to have beneficial practical implications.     

How the Risk of Displacement for Older Workers Has Changed

Using Blinder–Oaxaca decomposition and relying on the consistent design of the Displaced Worker Survey since 1996, this study analyses various factors contributing to the rising dislocation of older workers, such as changes in tenure, industry mix, educational attainment, and labor force participation. Although in the past older workers were less prone to displacement compared with prime‐age workers, this paper finds that older workers are now more likely to be displaced, conditional on education, manufacturing industry, and tenure. Declining tenure, a higher incidence of displacement in manufacturing, and a higher labor force participation among older workers largely explain the convergence of displacement rates among older and prime‐age workers.