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A bayesian approach for behavioral public administration: Citizen assessments of local government sustainability performance

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  • Aaron Deslatte

    (Northern Illinois University)

Abstract

Citizens are increasingly critical information-processors, and government performance information has become ubiquitous to the tenants of democratic anchorage and support for public programs. Yet human perceptions of governmental policies and outcomes are increasingly partisan and resistant to updating. Partisan motivated reasoning can lead to inaccurate or biased assessments of both the merit of specific policies and governmental performance. This article presents a case for the use of Bayesian inference for experimental work on information-processing. Combining previous findings with a new experimental design, this study examines whether provision of performance information on local government implementation of federally initiated sustainability efforts ameliorates the partisan motivated reasoning of citizens. Contrary to expectations, the study finds evidence of attitude-strengthening in the face of disconfirming performance as well as suggesting partisan cues may help citizens calibrate their evaluations.

Suggested Citation

  • Aaron Deslatte, 2019. "A bayesian approach for behavioral public administration: Citizen assessments of local government sustainability performance," Journal of Behavioral Public Administration, Center for Experimental and Behavioral Public Administration, vol. 2(1).
    • Handle: RePEc:bpd:articl:v:2:y:2019:i:1:jbpa.21.32
    DOI: 10.30636/jbpa.21.32
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    7. Asmus Leth Olsen, 2018. "Precise performance: Do citizens rely on numerical precision as a cue of confidence?," Journal of Behavioral Public Administration, Center for Experimental and Behavioral Public Administration, vol. 1(1).
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    Cited by:

    1. Richard C. Feiock & Soyoung Kim, 2021. "The Political Market and Sustainability Policy," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(6), pages 1-9, March.
    2. Chien-shih Huang & Ruowen Shen, 2020. "Does city or state make a difference? The effects of policy framing on public attitude toward a solar energy program," Journal of Behavioral Public Administration, Center for Experimental and Behavioral Public Administration, vol. 3(2).
    3. Peter Rasmussen Damgaard & Poul A. Nielsen, 2020. "Does performance disclosure affect user satisfaction, voice, and exit? Experimental evidence from service users," Journal of Behavioral Public Administration, Center for Experimental and Behavioral Public Administration, vol. 3(2).
    4. Aurel Pera, 2020. "Assessing Sustainability Behavior and Environmental Performance of Urban Systems: A Systematic Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(17), pages 1-19, September.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Performance information; Bayesian inference; Local government; Sustainability; Motivated reasoning; Affective intelligence;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D91 - Microeconomics - - Micro-Based Behavioral Economics - - - Role and Effects of Psychological, Emotional, Social, and Cognitive Factors on Decision Making
    • Q59 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - Other
    • Z00 - Other Special Topics - - General - - - General
    • D90 - Microeconomics - - Micro-Based Behavioral Economics - - - General

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