The impact of red tape on citizen satisfaction

Red tape is one of the most often-mentioned nuisances of citizens about government. However, there is a dearth in red tape research focusing on citizens. Therefore, the primary goal of this article is to analyze the effect of red tape on citizen satisfaction. The secondary goal is to go beyond testing a linear relationship between red tape and citizen satisfaction by examining individual factors that may moderate this relationship. In order to analyze the red tape-satisfaction relationship, we have designed an experiment in which 179 subjects participated. Experiments are still relatively rare in public administration, but are increasingly seen as a rigorous and useful method for theory testing and development. We found that red tape has a strong negative effect on citizen satisfaction, and that this effect is weaker when citizens have high knowledge of political processes. We conclude with implications and a future research agenda

Regulators as guardians of trust?: The contingent and modest positive effect of targeted transparency on citizen trust in regulated sectors

Targeted transparency has become an essential tool for regulation. Through information disclosure, regulatory agencies try to get regulated companies to improve their practices and comply with regulations. In the past, regulation was associated with distrust in regulated sectors. Recent research suggests that regulation, especially targeted transparency, may also increase citizen trust in regulated sectors. However, empirical evidence on whether transparency as a regulatory tool undermines or decreases trust in a sector is lacking. We contribute to this debate by investigating the effect of targeted transparency on citizen trust through a large-scale representative survey experiment (n = 5,303). We used 12 transparency frames in three regulated domains in the Netherlands (consumer rights, healthcare safety, and nuclear plant safety). Our findings suggest that, in general, targeted transparency does not undermine trust, but has a positive effect on trust in regulated sectors. However, this effect is small and contextual, depending on the regulatory domain and type of transparency frame

The prebiotic molecular inventory of Serpens SMM1: II. The building blocks of peptide chains

Laboratory astrophysics and astrochemistr

The Need for Laboratory Measurements and Ab Initio Studies to Aid Understanding of Exoplanetary Atmospheres

We are now on a clear trajectory for improvements in exoplanet observations that will revolutionize our ability to characterize their atmospheric structure, composition, and circulation, from gas giants to rocky planets. However, exoplanet atmospheric models capable of interpreting the upcoming observations are often limited by insufficiencies in the laboratory and theoretical data that serve as critical inputs to atmospheric physical and chemical tools. Here we provide an up-to-date and condensed description of areas where laboratory and/or ab initio investigations could fill critical gaps in our ability to model exoplanet atmospheric opacities, clouds, and chemistry, building off a larger 2016 white paper, and endorsed by the NAS Exoplanet Science Strategy report. Now is the ideal time for progress in these areas, but this progress requires better access to, understanding of, and training in the production of spectroscopic data as well as a better insight into chemical reaction kinetics both thermal and radiation-induced at a broad range of temperatures. Given that most published efforts have emphasized relatively Earth-like conditions, we can expect significant and enlightening discoveries as emphasis moves to the exotic atmospheres of exoplanets.Comment: Submitted as an Astro2020 Science White Pape

Within- and across-breed genomic prediction using whole-genome sequence and single nucleotide polymorphism panels

International audienceBackground Currently, genomic prediction in cattle is largely based on panels of about 54k single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). However with the decreasing costs of and current advances in next-generation sequencing technologies, whole-genome sequence (WGS) data on large numbers of individuals is within reach. Availability of such data provides new opportunities for genomic selection, which need to be explored.MethodsThis simulation study investigated how much predictive ability is gained by using WGS data under scenarios with QTL (quantitative trait loci) densities ranging from 45 to 132 QTL/Morgan and heritabilities ranging from 0.07 to 0.30, compared to different SNP densities, with emphasis on divergent dairy cattle breeds with small populations. The relative performances of best linear unbiased prediction (SNP-BLUP) and of a variable selection method with a mixture of two normal distributions (MixP) were also evaluated. Genomic predictions were based on within-population, across-population, and multi-breed reference populations.ResultsThe use of WGS data for within-population predictions resulted in small to large increases in accuracy for low to moderately heritable traits. Depending on heritability of the trait, and on SNP and QTL densities, accuracy increased by up to 31 %. The advantage of WGS data was more pronounced (7 to 92 % increase in accuracy depending on trait heritability, SNP and QTL densities, and time of divergence between populations) with a combined reference population and when using MixP. While MixP outperformed SNP-BLUP at 45 QTL/Morgan, SNP-BLUP was as good as MixP when QTL density increased to 132 QTL/Morgan.ConclusionsOur results show that, genomic predictions in numerically small cattle populations would benefit from a combination of WGS data, a multi-breed reference population, and a variable selection method

Getting what you expect:How civil servant stereotypes affect citizen satisfaction and perceived performance

This study tests whether civil servant stereotypes affect how citizens experience public service delivery. Using a pre-registered survey vignette experiment (n?=?1130), we activate civil servant stereotypes (negative, positive, or control) and assess whether this affects subsequent perceptions and evaluations of public services. Results indicate that stereotypes shape experiences, with the activation of negative stereotypes leading to lower levels of satisfaction and perceived performance, compared to positive stereotype activation and control. These findings emphasize that negative civil servant stereotypes can have problematic consequences, and contribute to our understanding of the commonly used Expectancy Disconfirmation Model in citizen satisfaction research