When planning new policies, local governments should take into account how much they are trusted by citizens

While trust in the federal government may be at an all-time low, citizens still trust state and local governments. In new research using Lincoln, Nebraska, as a case study, Mitchel Herian looks at how people’s levels of trust in their local government influences their support for government activities. He finds that citizens with high levels of trust in local governments are more likely to support government involvement in human services such as health, libraries and public transport, and in infrastructure development, including policies aimed at increasing economic growth

Trust in Government and Support for Municipal Services

This article examines the relationship between trust in government and support for local govern-mental services. It is hypothesized that trust in government will predict support for local government services, but that trust will differentially predict support across policy areas. The results demonstrate that trust predicts support for human services and infrastructure but is not related to support for emergency services. The findings of this article contribute to the broader literature on attitudes to-ward local governmental services and may hold potential clues for policy makers interested in understanding the factors that shape public preferences for governmental service delivery

Show Me the Money!

Table of Contents: What Are Expanded Learning Opportunities? Identifying resources available to support expanded learning opportunity programs in Nebraska Some Key Findings of the Fund Mapping Projec

Sharing Health Records Electronically: The Views of Nebraskans

In November of 2008, the University of Nebraska Public Policy Center implemented a public input project to gather information from Nebraskans about electronic sharing of medical information. One hundred and sixty eight Nebraskans completed an online or paper copy survey, and 34 of those survey respondents also participated in a deliberative discussion. Comfortable with Sharing Medical Information Electronically • Nebraskans have positive views about electronic sharing of medical information. • Nebraskans understand the benefits of electronic health information exchange. • Nebraskans have concerns about who should have the authority to access their electronic health information. Experienced with Information Technology and Healthcare • Nebraskans already have moderate levels of experience with using technology to find health and insurance information. • Nebraskans have little experience with using technology to communicate directly with healthcare providers, though they support the concept of electronic communication with healthcare providers. Want More Consumer Education about Electronic Sharing of Health Information • Nebraskans see a role for State government in educating citizens about the use and sharing of electronic medical records. • Education can increase levels of knowledge about the issues surrounding the use and exchange of electronic health information. • Education can have a positive impact on Nebraskans’ perceptions of the use and sharing of electronic health information. Concerns with Network Vulnerabilities • Nebraskans are concerned about network vulnerabilities that would compromise security of electronic health records. • Nebraskans are not overly concerned with improper access of electronic medical records by insurance companies, employers, etc. Prefer an Indirect Role for State Government in Facilitating the Sharing of Electronic Health Information • Nebraskans want State government to educate citizens and ensure that the electronic sharing of medical records is done in a safe and secure manner. • There was a relationship between frequency of healthcare visits and attitudes about the role of government in electronic health information exchange

Sharing Health Records Electronically: The Views of Nebraskans

In November of 2008, the University of Nebraska Public Policy Center implemented a public input project to gather information from Nebraskans about electronic sharing of medical information. One hundred and sixty eight Nebraskans completed an online or paper copy survey, and 34 of those survey respondents also participated in a deliberative discussion. Comfortable with Sharing Medical Information Electronically • Nebraskans have positive views about electronic sharing of medical information. • Nebraskans understand the benefits of electronic health information exchange. • Nebraskans have concerns about who should have the authority to access their electronic health information. Experienced with Information Technology and Healthcare • Nebraskans already have moderate levels of experience with using technology to find health and insurance information. • Nebraskans have little experience with using technology to communicate directly with healthcare providers, though they support the concept of electronic communication with healthcare providers. Want More Consumer Education about Electronic Sharing of Health Information • Nebraskans see a role for State government in educating citizens about the use and sharing of electronic medical records. • Education can increase levels of knowledge about the issues surrounding the use and exchange of electronic health information. • Education can have a positive impact on Nebraskans’ perceptions of the use and sharing of electronic health information. Concerns with Network Vulnerabilities • Nebraskans are concerned about network vulnerabilities that would compromise security of electronic health records. • Nebraskans are not overly concerned with improper access of electronic medical records by insurance companies, employers, etc. Prefer an Indirect Role for State Government in Facilitating the Sharing of Electronic Health Information • Nebraskans want State government to educate citizens and ensure that the electronic sharing of medical records is done in a safe and secure manner. • There was a relationship between frequency of healthcare visits and attitudes about the role of government in electronic health information exchange

Social Capital, Ideology, and Health in the United States

Research from across disciplines has demonstrated that social and political contextual factors at the national and subnational levels can impact the health and health behavior risks of individuals. This paper examines the impact of state-level social capital and ideology on individual-level health out-comes in the United States. Leveraging the variation that exists across states in the United States, the results reveal that individuals report better health in states with higher levels of governmental liberalism and in states with higher levels of social capital. Critically, however, the effect of social capital was moderated by liberalism such that social capital was a stronger predictor of health in states with low levels of liberalism. We interpret this finding to mean that social capital within a political unit—as indicated by measures of interpersonal trust—can serve as a substitute for the beneficial impacts that might result from an active governmental structure

Reducing Courts’ Failure-to-Appear Rate by Written Reminders

This article examines the effectiveness of using different kinds of written reminders to reduce misdemeanor defendants’ failure- to-appear (FTA) rates. A subset of defendants was surveyed after their scheduled court date to assess their perceptions of procedural justice and trust and confidence in the courts. Reminders reduced FTA overall, and more substantive reminders (e.g., with information on the negative consequences of FTA) were more effective than a simple reminder. FTA varied depending on several offense and offender characteristics, such as geographic location (urban vs. rural), type of offense, and number of offenses. The reminders were somewhat more effective for Whites and Hispanics than for Blacks. Defendants with higher institutional confidence and those who felt they had been treated more fairly by the criminal justice system were more likely to appear, though the effectiveness of the reminder was greatest among misdemeanants with low levels of trust in the courts. The implications for public policy and pretrial services are discussed

Policymakers’ Perceptions of the Benefits of Citizen-Budgeting Activities

Citizen budgeting has become an increasingly common practice in municipalities across the United States. It offers an alternative to traditionally technocratic budgeting processes, and can connect and engage citizens in decisions about services and funding. Little research has been conducted on how local policymakers perceive citizen budgeting and outcomes. This study examined the benefits local policymakers identified following two successive years of a citizen-budgeting process in a mid-sized Midwestern city. Interviews with 23 local policymakers (a mayor, city council members, and city department heads) identified nine types of benefits produced by the citizen-budgeting process. The study demonstrates that identifying perceived benefits of citizen budgeting processes can shed light on the question of the extent to which such budgeting methods are citizen-driven, leader-driven, or a combination of both

The Comprehensive Soldier and Family Fitness Program Evaluation. Report #4: Evaluation of Resilience Training and Mental and Behavioral Health Outcomes

The purpose of this evaluation is to examine the effectiveness of Master Resilience Training, which is a pillar of the Comprehensive Soldier and Family Fitness (CSF2) program. The report evaluates the relationship between resilience training and diagnoses for mental health or substance abuse problems and whether this relationship was mediated by Soldiers’ self-reported resilience/ psychological health (R/PH). In other words, we tested whether Soldiers with MRT trainers in their units experienced increases in self-reported R/PH, and whether increases in self-reported R/PH were associated with reduced odds of Soldiers receiving diagnoses for mental health or substance abuse problems. The results revealed that exposure to resilience training increased various aspects of Soldier R/PH, which, in turn, appeared to be associated with a reduced likelihood of receiving a diagnosis for a mental health problem (i.e., anxiety, depression, or posttraumatic stress disorder [PTSD]). Thus, this finding suggested that the reduced odds of receiving a diagnosis for a mental health problem was partly due to increases in indicators of R/PH that were likely associated with exposure to resilience training. Moreover, the findings provided evidence that Soldiers exposed to the training were diagnosed with substance abuse problems at a significantly lower rate than Soldiers who were not exposed to the training. Importantly, the results of this evaluation bolster findings from previous evaluations by employing more sophisticated and stringent statistical techniques to demonstrate that resilience training can improve the R/PH of Soldiers. Additionally, the analyses included in this evaluation accounted for the potential effects of Soldier deployment; these considerations were not made in previous evaluations of the program. Therefore, the current evaluation provides further evidence that resilience training may improve the self-reported R/PH of Soldiers, even when controlling for a wider range of factors that might be expected to impact the R/PH of Soldiers. The findings of this evaluation have a number of implications. First, this evaluation provides some evidence that resilience training may be related to improvements on objective measures of mental and behavioral outcomes (i.e., diagnoses for mental health and substance abuse problems). Second, when considered at the organizational level, the effects of resilience training may reach beyond improving the health of individual Soldiers by improving the aggregate health and effectiveness of the Army as an organization. Given that diagnoses for mental health disorders are a leading cause for hospitalization in the Armed Forces (Armed Forces Health Surveillance Center, 2012b), the findings provide evidence that interventions such as those offered by CSF2 may help relieve the stress that is currently being placed on medical services in the Army. In sum, it appears that the improvement of R/PH through resilience training efforts can protect against problems that undermine the effectiveness and efficiency of the Army. As with any large-scale evaluation of this type, there are a number of limitations to be acknowledged. First, the timing of deployment cycles of Soldiers in the eight Brigade Combat Teams (BCTs) that were examined introduced potential confounds with regard to the timing of resilience training and data collection efforts for use in this report. Specifically, it appeared that the timing of deployments was such that Soldiers with MRTs in their units were more likely to have been deployed to combat than were those who had no MRT trainers in their units. This means that Soldiers who received resilience training were also more likely to have experienced combat which likely increased the probability of subsequently experiencing the adverse outcomes examined in this study. While this fact posed a potential confound, statistical controls were put in place that allowed for a meaningful test of the resilience training program’s effect on R/PH and diagnoses for mental health and substance abuse problems. Other limitations of this evaluation effort have been described elsewhere (Lester, Harms, Herian, Krasikova & Beal, 2011c) and are expanded upon later in this report. In light of these limitations, it is important that readers recognize two points when reviewing this report. First, this report builds on previous evaluations of the CSF2 program. Specifically, the analyses used here were more stringent given the nature of the data. It is important to note that, given the more rigorous testing methods, the results of this and previous evaluations are fairly consistent. Second, it is critical to recognize that the findings presented in this report represent the latest effort in an ongoing evaluation of the resilience training program. Future analyses may also be conducted that empirically explore the relationship between resilience training and other objective outcomes. If such analyses are undertaken, it is possible that the results may differ from those presented here and in previous evaluations due to the amount of time that has passed since implementation of the training program. In the end, however, the effectiveness of CSF2 cannot be judged solely on the results of any single evaluation, but instead must be considered in light of the entire body of work done to date

EVALUATION OF RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN REPORTED RESILIENCE AND SOLDIER OUTCOMES, Report #2: Positive Performance Outcomes in Officers (Promotions, Selections, & Professions)

This technical report presents an analysis of reported resilience and psychological health among the U.S. Army’s Officer Corps. The focus of the current report is on linking resilience and psychological health (hereafter referred to as R/PH) to objective outcomes associated with high job performance. Specifically, this report examines the statistical relationships between officer R/PH - as measured by the Army’s Global Assessment Tool (GAT) - and promotions to Brigadier General, early (below zone) Field Grade Officer promotions, selections for command / key billet assignments, and officers who serve in career fields that require terminal professional degrees (e.g., medical doctors, dentists, lawyers, etc). Results show that officers who have been promoted to Brigadier General are more emotionally and socially fit than their peers who have not received a promotion to Brigadier General. These officers are more engaged with their work, have higher levels of organizational trust and friendship, report lower levels of loneliness, are more optimistic, and report higher levels of positive affect and lower levels of negative affect. Each of these findings is in line with our expectations regarding R/PH and job performance, and the findings comport with a substantial body of work in the academic literature. Additionally, analysis of R/PH for officers promoted early resulted in findings similar to above. In particular, those who have been promoted below zone report higher levels of work engagement, friendship, organizational trust, optimism, and coping abilities. In short, these officers score higher on the GAT dimensions of Emotional and Social Fitness than their peers who were not promoted early (“due course” officers). Similar results were found for officers selected for command for key billet assignments. They are also more emotionally and socially fit than their peers who were not selected for command (more engaged with their work, have higher levels of organizational trust and friendship, are less lonely, are more optimistic, and report higher levels of positive affect and lower levels of negative affect). There are no practical differences in R/PH between officers serving in career fields that require terminal professional degrees and other officers serving in “line” career fields (rank-matched analysis, Captain - Colonel). In light of academic literature on the subject, this finding is somewhat surprising as it suggests that advanced professional education / training alone may not influence (or be influenced by) R/PH. When taken together, the findings above strongly suggest there is a relationship between reported resilience and psychological health and outcomes associated with high job performance, but we are currently unable to determine causality. Stated differently, we do not know if the reported R/PH contributed to the performance outcomes, or if the high job performance outcomes contributed to the reported R/PH. Further data collection and analysis over the next 12-24 months will broaden our understanding of the relationships