Milena I. Neshkova

Citizen Input in the Budget Process: When Does It Matter Most?

Citizen participation in public budgeting processes has been widely advocated by both theorists and practitioners of public administration. Yet there is less agreement on when the public should be brought into the process and how the timing of citizen inclusion affects the outcomes of public agencies. Using survey data about citizen involvement practices utilized by the state departments of transportation (DOTs) across the country, the authors construct citizen input indices for different stages of the budget process and examine the impact of participation on the overall organizational effectiveness. The study results show that citizen participation in the budget process has greatest positive effect on organizational performance at both the early and ending stages of the budget process, namely, the stages of information sharing and program assessment.

Critical Questions for the Transition to Defined Contribution Pension Systems in the Public Sector

Unfunded liabilities of pension plans sponsored by state and local governments have drastically increased in the past few years. This article examines the potential challenges faced by states and municipalities in meeting their pension obligations and explores the cost and benefits of a switch from traditional defined benefit (DB) plans to defined contribution (DC) plans. The authors draw on the experience of the private sector to depict the potential cost savings for governments and the likely impacts on employees. The authors also identify several issues that are unique to governments if a shift in pension coverage plans is to occur. One of the attractions of public sector employment has been the generous benefits offered; the authors examine whether it will be harder to recruit people in the public sector if the government does not offer DB pensions. The authors explore equity issues and the effects of eroding political support for public sector DB systems in light of their demise in the private sector. The authors also address the issue of financial illiteracy in the work place and its impact on the human resource function in the context of DC plan implementation. Finally, the authors pose critical questions regarding DC plan rollout and its inherent difficulties.

The effects of police performance on agency trustworthiness and citizen participation

ABSTRACT We examine the effect of performance information on citizens’ willingness to engage with government. We hypothesize that when performance information is positive, citizens perceive government as trustworthy, which increases proclivity for participation. To validate this framework, we conduct an experiment that tests the effect of police performance on citizens’ perceptions of police trustworthiness and intentions to participate in a neighbourhood watch programme. We find that information about police performance strongly affects perceptions of police trustworthiness. Yet, citizen decisions to participate in the community watch programme are more complex and can be triggered by either positive or negative police performance.

HOW DOES RACE AFFECT PERCEPTIONS OF POLICE TRUSTWORTHINESS

ABSTRACT: While race is often discussed in relation to police, there is still little empirical evidence on the role of race in shaping citizens’ evaluations of government performance. Using an experimental design, this study examines how different levels of police performance affect perceptions of police trustworthiness and to which degree observed effects vary by individual race and across communities with different racial makeups. Specifically, we study the effect of different levels of performance on perceived trustworthiness in two communities—one predominantly African American and one predominantly White—and replicate across two samples: a sample consisting of primarily White participants and another consisting of only African American participants. Results indicate that the interaction between the racial composition of a community and individual race plays a critical role in shaping the effects of performance among White participants, who appeared more sensitive to community context than African American participants. Implications for research and practice are discussed.

Policy Target Populations and Public Participation in Agency Decision Making

ABSTRACT Why are some government agencies more open to public input than others? Although many agree about the normative desirability of involving citizens in administrative decision making, there is significant variation across agencies in the extent of public participation. This article investigates the conditions under which public managers solicit greater public participation. We argue that, in addition to normative rationales, participation also serves instrumental considerations related to agency constituency. We draw on a rich body of literature examining participation in the policy process to develop empirically testable hypotheses about the patterns of participation in the administrative decision making of public agencies. Using data on the approaches to gathering citizen input in the budget process at four state departments—environmental protection, transportation, child protective services, and corrections—we find that the characteristics of target populations (namely, their political power and social construction) are strong predictors of an agencys openness to the public.

Path Dependence in Pension Policy: The Case of Florida Local Governments

Policymakers face significant liabilities with traditional defined benefit (DB) plans in the government. Unlike defined contribution (DC) plans, the fiscal risks under DB plans are borne by the plan sponsors, that is, state and local governments, and ultimately taxpayers. The Great Recession heightened pension solvency concerns in many jurisdictions, necessitating a reconsideration of their retirement systems. Drawing on Florida municipalities’ plans from 2006 to 2012, we develop an index of pension change and track its evolution. Findings reveal a preponderance of incremental change and suggest the lack of significant change may be a function of high financial costs and status quo bias.

Inequality and Competition in State Redistributive Systems: Evidence From Welfare and Health

When determining their redistributive budgets, states must strike a subtle balance—to provide for their needy residents without becoming a “welfare magnet” and attracting poor individuals from neighboring states. We examine the competing incentives that state politicians face in federal systems and their effects on program accessibility and redistributive spending across U.S. states between 2005 and 2011. Comparing two redistributive programs under state control—Medicaid and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)—we find strong evidence of interstate competition in the case of cash assistance programs, but less evidence in the case of health care. Yet our data show that states do not alter their policies in response to rising inequality, that is, when the median voter becomes poorer than the average voter. Moreover, the Great Recession had a greater impact on TANF than Medicaid. We attribute these differential effects to different funding mechanisms used by the federal government to finance the two state-administered programs.