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In this twin study we show that the penchant for a particular sector of employment has a genetic element: monozygotic twins evidencing a greater similarity of sector choice than dizygotic twins. The findings provide interesting evidence of a genetic basis for the choice to track together into the same sector. The effect sizes, though relatively small, raise the practice-based possibilities that management- or nurture-based approaches might be complemented with nature-based applications of recruitment and selection. Thus, while the research on public employee attraction, selection and attrition focuses nearly exclusively on managerial and behavioral approaches, our findings invite researchers to explore genetic aspects of public service attraction as a complementary approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While many studies have sought to understand the association between merit-based pay and organizational performance, few have assessed the psychological well-being of employees in agencies with such incentive schemes. We show that employees in agencies with merit-based pay are less satisfied with their organization than are those working in agencies that do not implement the incentive systems. We also show that this negative effect is larger in the case of organizational satisfaction than for pay satisfaction or employee satisfaction with the job itself. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One important effect of price shocks in the United States has been increased political attention paid to the structure and performance of oil and natural gas markets, along with some governmental support for energy conservation. This article describes how price changes helped lead to the emergence of a political agenda accompanied by several interventions, as revealed through Granger causality tests on change in the legislative agenda. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Given pressure to act on climate change, nations now use market-based approaches for reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Cap-and-trade systems for reducing GHG are strongly debated. Policy designers must allocate emissions allowances effectively to ensure successful cap-and-trade systems; for example, some argue that the European Union's Emissions Trading Scheme has underperformed due to poor allowance distribution. We apply insights from auction design theory to analyse the performance of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) emissions allowance auctions, and show how RGGI could serve as a model for a national cap-and-trade system. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

We offer a comparative study of the differences in civil service laws across countries in order to observe how these systems relate to one another. We compare the civil service laws of 26 countries from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and eight non-OECD countries from Central and Eastern Europe to identify how different configurations of civil service systems are revealed through their shared attributes. Our data are drawn from the contents of civil service legislation and the status of those civil servants covered by the civil service laws of these countries. We use cluster analysis to identify several groups of countries whose civil service systems share similar features. We find that the estimated topography, or similarity among systems, depends on both subjective decisions about the number of groups and the variables used to estimate the space. However, we draw key conclusions about the value of certain cases, like the United States, for learning about other systems, and the need for expanded knowledge of systems from Central and Eastern Europe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While collaboration among individuals, work groups, and organizations is central for understanding the performance of public agencies, most studies have focused on collaboration between organizations or sectors. We develop a model that focuses on two types of collaborative behavior: between persons (both horizontal and vertical) and between work units. We empirically test our hypotheses using data on work collaboration and perceptions of public agency performance from the United States federal government. We introduce a method for estimating the impact of different types of collaborative behavior that also accounts for nonlinear effects and a dependent variable that takes ordered values. We find that intra-organizational collaborative behavior has a large impact on organizational performance and that horizontal collaborative behavior between workers has the greatest impact among the specific types. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses various reports published within the issue, including one about the relationships between the pay-for-performance movement in the public sector, an article about a different trade-off between intrinsic and extrinsic forms of motivation, and another which considers the implications of the interrelated actions of those asked to participate in the policymaking process.

In this paper we offer an approach for conceptualizing and measuring government effectiveness or performance in which the focus is on the whole government's effectiveness. We examine data that portray how countries compare in terms of perceived government effectiveness using the World Bank Governance Indicators dataset, which cover 212 countries from 1996 until 2006. We also offer and interpret a new measure of perceived government effectiveness that accounts for the economic development of each country. We argue that the comparative study of government effectiveness (in terms of both multiple measures and across countries) benefits the study of public administration, public management, and public policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

How can teachers establish credibility in the classroom? We argue that a teacher seeking to establish credibility in the classroom can look to the insights from the communications studies literature and the strategic games literature. Specifically, this assessment reveals the connection between communication theory and strategic games. We demonstrate the utility of applying what we know from firmly established traditions. We argue that instructors can alter the perception of their competence and trustworthiness through credible commitment mechanisms. We also argue that instructors perceived as competent and trustworthy can facilitate greater learning potential by enhancing the motivational commitment and the imperative commitment of students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Claims that the organizational structure of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) failed to cope with the needs to build comprehensive environmental protection policies. Comparison of the EPA structure with other agencies in the U.S.; Structural choices at the EPA; Argument that the lack of congressional mandate created the structural failures of the agency.

We assess the link between a program's volunteer support and state social capital in the case of the joint implementation of the federal Long-Term Care (LTC) Ombudsman Program by state and federal authorities. This program, which is designed to prevent elder abuse and ensure quality care in long-term facilities, is implemented at the state and local levels and relies heavily on volunteer staff. First, we find that volunteerism is vital to the efficacy of the program's monitoring and investigative functions. Second, we find that volunteerism in this program is tied to broader level conditions of a state's social capital. Last, we discuss the implications of our findings for volunteer-based programs devolved to the states. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]