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Open Access
Article
Publication date: 14 July 2020

Yuning Zhao, Xinxue Zhou and Tianmei Wang

Following Hovland’s persuasion theory, this paper aims to develop a conceptual model and analyzes characteristics of online political deliberation behavior from three aspects…

1317

Abstract

Purpose

Following Hovland’s persuasion theory, this paper aims to develop a conceptual model and analyzes characteristics of online political deliberation behavior from three aspects (i.e. information, situation and manager). Based on the whole interactive process of online political deliberation, this paper aims to reveal the key points that affect the response effect of the government from the persuasive perspective of online political consultation.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on more than 40,000 netizens’ posts and government responses from 2011 to the first half of 2019 of the Chinese political platform, this paper used the text analysis and machine learning methods to extract measurement variables of online political deliberation characteristics and the econometrics analysis method to conduct empirical research.

Findings

The results showed that the textual information, political environment and identity of the political objects affect the effectiveness of government response. Furthermore, for different position categories of political officials, the length of political texts, topic categories and emotional tendencies have different effects on the response effectiveness. Additionally, the effect of political time on the effectiveness of response differs.

Originality/value

The findings will help ascertain the characteristics of online political deliberation behavior that affect how effective government response is and provide a theoretical basis for why the public should express their political concerns.

Details

International Journal of Crowd Science, vol. 4 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2398-7294

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 7 July 2023

Imalka Wasana Rathnayaka, Rasheda Khanam and Mohammad Mafizur Rahman

This study aims to explore the efficacy of government policy directions in mitigating the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic by employing a panel of 22 countries throughout the…

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to explore the efficacy of government policy directions in mitigating the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic by employing a panel of 22 countries throughout the 2020-second quarter of 2022.

Design/methodology/approach

The panel autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) model is employed to examine this phenomenon and to investigate the long-run effects of government policy decisions on infection and mortality rates from the pandemic.

Findings

The study reveals the following key findings: (1) Income support and debt relief facilities and stringent standards of governments are associated with reduced infection and death rates. (2) The response of governments has resulted in decreased mortality rates while simultaneously leading to an unexpected increase in infection rates. (3) Containment and healthcare practices have led to a decrease in infection rates but an increase in mortality rates, presenting another counterintuitive outcome. Despite the expectation that robust government responses would decrease infection rates and that healthcare containment practices would reduce mortality, these results highlight a lack of health equity and the challenge of achieving high vaccination rates across countries.

Research limitations/implications

To effectively combat the spread of COVID-19, it is crucial to implement containment health practices in conjunction with tracing and individual-level quarantine. Simply implementing containment health measures without these interconnected strategies would be ineffective. Therefore, policy implications derived from containment health measures should be accompanied by targeted, aggressive, and rapid containment strategies aimed at significantly reducing the number of individuals infected with COVID-19.

Practical implications

This study concludes by suggesting the importance of implementing economic support in terms of income, and debt relief has played a crucial role in mitigating the spread of COVID-19 infections and reducing fatality rates.

Social implications

To effectively combat the spread of COVID-19, it is crucial to implement containment health practices in conjunction with tracing and individual-level quarantine. Simply implementing containment health measures without these interconnected strategies would be ineffective. Therefore, policy implications derived from containment health measures should be accompanied by targeted, aggressive, and rapid containment strategies aimed at significantly reducing the number of individuals infected with COVID-19.

Originality/value

This research makes a unique contribution to the existing literature by investigating the impact of government responses on reducing COVID-19 infections and fatalities, specifically focusing on the period before COVID-19 vaccinations became available.

Details

International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy, vol. 44 no. 1/2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0144-333X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 18 February 2022

Jiun-Yi Tsai, Janice Sweeter and Elizabeth Candello

Email communication is indispensable for US state agencies to respond to citizen requests and engage with constituents, contributing to building trust in local governments. While…

Abstract

Purpose

Email communication is indispensable for US state agencies to respond to citizen requests and engage with constituents, contributing to building trust in local governments. While prior studies examine the responsiveness of elected officials, the quality of virtual interactions between government organizations and citizens is often overlooked. This study aims to investigate how US government agencies capitalize on the potential of online interactions with constituents to manage generic queries and introduce the response engagement index (REI) consisting of response time, reactive transparency and message interactivity to evaluate levels of communicative engagement.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors conducted a field experiment encompassing emailing a request to 547 state agencies based in the five largest states and one small state. A total of 377 organizational responses were manually analyzed to reveal the usages of six communicative engagement strategies.

Findings

The results show the potential of online communication is underutilized as the average score of response engagement remains low. Human responses are less engaging than auto-reply messages and require a one-day waiting period, if not longer. Response types and gender of government communicators significantly differ in response time and engagement strategies. The findings identify divergent patterns of response engagement and provide practical implications for facilitating citizen engagement.

Research limitations/implications

This research fills a critical gap by investigating the quality of online interactions between US government agencies and citizens. The authors develop a theory-grounded tool of response engagement to identify three features: response speed, reactive transparency and interactivity. The findings can improve the quality of email communication in state agencies, enhancing governance quality. The REI proposed here addresses what Pfau (2008) deemed problematic for communication scholarship: research is sparse on “functional issues” that examine the communication process. Pfau argued for research that provides knowledge of interest across disciplines so as to “cross-fertilize” ideas between political communication and public relations; this study sought to bridge that gap with a theoretical and practical tool for building public trust in governments.

Practical implications

To support the evaluation of transparent and responsive governments, reliable and valid measurements are needed. The proposed REI provides practitioners with a theory-grounded tool to identify areas of engagement quality in government responses. The findings can be used to improve the quality of email communication in state agencies, enhancing governance quality.

Social implications

Citizens seek reciprocal dialogue through prompt, open and interactive communication. US state agencies should leverage the engagement features for increasing citizen trust – response time, reactive transparency and interactivity – when responding to public inquiries. Ultimately, trust in government agencies' interests in serving stakeholders cannot be strengthened without prompt and engaging responses to meet the public's needs.

Originality/value

This field experiment was one of the first to focus on US state agencies' responses to information requests. It introduces a new REI to assess communicative engagement in a government/citizen exchange.

Details

Journal of Communication Management, vol. 26 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1363-254X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 March 2005

Nobuyuki Ainoya and Robert C. Myrtle

When a natural disaster occurs, the media directs the public’s attention to the key elements of disaster management and provides accounts of how effective the government is in…

Abstract

When a natural disaster occurs, the media directs the public’s attention to the key elements of disaster management and provides accounts of how effective the government is in responding to it. This study analyzed 80 reports contained in 21 stories published in three international newspapers and 35 editorial statements from 21 editorials obtained from two national papers regarding the Japanese government’s responses to the great Hanshin-Awaji earthquake. Issue clusters for different levels of government responding to the crisis were identified. The lack of systematic reactions to the crisis provoked the most media scrutiny. The legitimacy of the government’s behaviors in this area were perceived more negatively by the media than were the inappropriate behavior of elected officials or the lack of care expressed towards the victims by local officials.

Details

International Journal of Organization Theory & Behavior, vol. 8 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1093-4537

Article
Publication date: 18 May 2021

Ansgar Belke and Pascal Goemans

The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether the macroeconomic effects of government spending shocks vary with the degree of macroeconomic uncertainty.

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether the macroeconomic effects of government spending shocks vary with the degree of macroeconomic uncertainty.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors use quarterly US data from 1960 to 2017 and employ the Self-Exciting Interacted VAR (SEIVAR) to compute nonlinear generalized impulse response functions (GIRFs) to an orthogonalized government spending shock during tranquil and in uncertain times. The parsimonious design of the SEIVAR enables us to focus on extreme deciles of the uncertainty distribution and to control for the financing side of the government budget, monetary policy, financial frictions and consumer confidence.

Findings

Fiscal spending has positive output effects in tranquil times, but is contractionary during times of heightened macroeconomic uncertainty. The results indicate an important role of the endogenous response of macroeconomic uncertainty. Investigating different government spending purposes, only increases in research and development expenditures reduce uncertainty and boost output during uncertain times.

Originality/value

The authors contribute to the literature in using a method which allows to control for a large set of confounding factors and accounts for the uncertainty response.

Article
Publication date: 9 May 2024

Mohammed Iqbal Al-Ajlouni, Rawa Hijazi and Sahem Nawafleh

The aim of this paper is to examine a model that combines barriers, drivers, government responses, recovery expectations, expected future changes in performance and the extent of…

Abstract

Purpose

The aim of this paper is to examine a model that combines barriers, drivers, government responses, recovery expectations, expected future changes in performance and the extent of digitalisation as a moderator in SMEs.

Design/methodology/approach

This study uses exploratory causal methodologies. The study employs a quantitative methodology based on utilising an electronic questionnaire to gather the opinions of home workers and entrepreneurs in Jordan. The cross-sectional data collection approach was conducted in a single time frame, and a total of 1,179 valid questionnaires were analysed using Smart PLS along with SPSS.

Findings

The findings demonstrate that the barriers lower the expectations of recovering performance, whilst the drivers and government responses raise the expectations of both performance recovery and change in performance. Concerning digitalisation, this study discovered that firms going digital had a significant positive direct impact on expectations of performance change. This paper also found that expectations of performance change are significantly positively impacted by the interaction between drivers and digitalisation. However, the moderating influence of digitalisation on the positive impact of government responses on expectations of performance change was not verified.

Practical implications

The study's conclusions led to the formulation of several policy recommendations aimed at easing the burden on SMEs.

Originality/value

This study adds something new to the body of knowledge on SMEs by investigating the effects of barriers, drivers and government responses on expectations of performance recovery and the expected future change in performance moderated by digitalisation.

Details

Business Process Management Journal, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1463-7154

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 3 May 2024

Lixiang Wang, Wendi Hou and Weian Li

The aim of this study is to investigate the role of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in assisting firms in their response to public emergency crises under the integrated view…

Abstract

Purpose

The aim of this study is to investigate the role of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in assisting firms in their response to public emergency crises under the integrated view of government emergency response.

Design/methodology/approach

Using event study and survival analysis method, the authors examine whether CSR can act as a stock price stabilizer for companies from China by splitting the stock price fluctuations into two phases – CSR price insurance, which decrease the shock on stock prices during the emergency crisis, and CSR price recovery, which helps stock prices rebound faster during the postcrisis phase.

Findings

The authors’ empirical results confirm the stabilizer role of CSR during crisis and that effective government response can strengthen such effect. Furthermore, the authors examine the different aspects of the government’s response and the impact of multiple waves of public emergency.

Originality/value

This study provides empirical evidence on the topic of CSR and the government’s response to public emergency under the emerging context.

Details

Nankai Business Review International, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2040-8749

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 12 October 2021

Phan Huy Hieu Tran and Thu Ha Tran

The authors examine whether the uncertainty avoidance culture and the stringency of government response play a role in shaping the stock market's response to coronavirus disease…

Abstract

Purpose

The authors examine whether the uncertainty avoidance culture and the stringency of government response play a role in shaping the stock market's response to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The authors find that investors' response to the pandemic will not only depend on their instinct of uncertainty aversion but also on their expectation about the effectiveness of the government measures. The uncertainty avoidance culture amplifies the irrational actions of investors. However, harsh government responses will weaken this effect. Harsh government responses also send a negative signal to the market about the extent of the pandemic and the economic damage caused by anti-COVID measures. Governments need to be balanced in imposing anti-COVID measurements to preserve market confidence.

Design/methodology/approach

In this article, the authors investigate whether the stock market volatility of emerging countries is simultaneously driven by two factors: the uncertainty-aversion culture of investors in a country and the stringency of the government's response to the pandemic. The authors conduct an empirical study on a sample of 20 emerging countries during the period from January 2020 to March 2021.

Findings

The authors find that the national-level uncertainty aversion amplifies the irrational actions of investors during the period of crisis. However, harsh government responses will weaken this effect. The authors’ findings show evidence that investors' response to the pandemic will not only depend on their instinct of uncertainty aversion but also on their expectation about the effectiveness of the government measures. Although harsh government responses can stabilize the investors' sentiment in countries with high levels of uncertainty aversion, they also send a negative signal to the market about the extent of the pandemic as well as the economic damage caused by anti-COVID measures.

Originality/value

First, the study’s results complement evidence from existing studies on the effect of uncertainty avoidance culture in determining stock market responses to COVID-19. Second, an important difference from previous studies, this paper adds to the behavioral finance literature by showing that investors' investment decisions in the face of economic uncertainty are not driven solely by their cultural values but also by their expectation about the effectiveness of the government policy. During a crisis, when the market has neither rational information nor adequate experience to forecast the future, the government must play an important role in stabilizing investors' sentiment and reactions.

Details

Review of Behavioral Finance, vol. 15 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1940-5979

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 3 September 2021

Pedro Manuel Nogueira Reis and Carlos Pinho

Purpose: This work provides an empirical analysis of investor behaviour's simultaneous influence due to the surprise effect caused by COVID-19 cases and government responses to…

Abstract

Purpose: This work provides an empirical analysis of investor behaviour's simultaneous influence due to the surprise effect caused by COVID-19 cases and government responses to market risk. This analysis compares tourism assets risk with other sectors and different types of investors' assets and categories in Europe.

Design: The paper applies an ARIMA with a GARCH model to predict conditional volatility of models for market uncertainty. Nonlinear models, factor analysis and time series linear regression for stationary variables in first differences are applied to predict market uncertainty.

Findings: We demonstrate that market risk does not arise from COVID-19 cases but instead from the surprise effect, as the market accurately predicts future cases. Only the volatility of the sectors Travel, Airline, and Utility are influenced by both surprise effect and government response, but only the travel sector reveals an interaction effect with both government response effort and surprise effect.

Originality: The article mutually studies the simultaneous interactions among investor behaviour due to the surprised effect caused by COVID-19 and government responses to the pandemic and the influence on professional investors' volatility in two asset types and between different sectors.

Practical implications: With this model and results, investors and financial service providers may verify whether or not government intervention during pandemic periods is effective in reducing uncertainty and risk levels on sectors, types of investors and different sorts of assets.

Details

Pandemics and Travel
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-80071-071-9

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 31 July 2023

Le Thanh Tung and Pham Tien Thanh

While the COVID-19 pandemic wreaked havoc across the globe in 2020 and early 2021, Vietnam made some achievements in containing this virus. This study aims to focus on how…

Abstract

Purpose

While the COVID-19 pandemic wreaked havoc across the globe in 2020 and early 2021, Vietnam made some achievements in containing this virus. This study aims to focus on how government response could influence public compliance in Vietnam in 2020 (the first pandemic year).

Design/methodology/approach

The authors used data gathered from individuals residing in Vietnam during the COVID-19 social distancing in April 2020. An online survey was used to collect the data. To conduct the empirical analysis, we used a structural equation model (SEM). The data were analyzed using SPSS 25 and AMOS 24.

Findings

Government response was positively associated with public compliance through the mediating roles of trust in government and support for government.

Practical implications

This research provides implications for crisis management in developing countries during a public health crisis, especially when or where vaccines are unavailable.

Originality/value

This research is among the first attempts that examine how government response enhances citizen compliance directly and indirectly through the mediating roles of citizen trust in government and citizen support for government.

Details

Transforming Government: People, Process and Policy, vol. 17 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1750-6166

Keywords

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