Rationality and politics of algorithms. Will the promise of big data survive the dynamics of public decision making?

Big data promises to transform public decision-making for the better by making it more responsive to actual needs and policy effects. However, much recent work on big data in public decision-making assumes a rational view of decision-making, which has been much criticized in the public administration debate. In this paper, we apply this view, and a more political one, to the context of big data and offer a qualitative study. We question the impact of big data on decision-making, realizing that big data – including its new methods and functions – must inevitably encounter existing political and managerial institutions. By studying two illustrative cases of big data use processes, we explore how these two worlds meet. Specifically, we look at the interaction between data analysts and decision makers. In this we distinguish between a rational view and a political view, and between an information logic and a decision logic. We find that big data provides ample opportunities for both analysts and decision makers to do a better job, but this doesn't necessarily imply better decision-making, because big data also provides opportunities for actors to pursue their own interests. Big data enables both data analysts and decision makers to act as autonomous agents rather than as links in a functional chain. Therefore, big data's impact cannot be interpreted only in terms of its functional promise; it must also be acknowledged as a phenomenon set to impact our policymaking institutions, including their legitimacy.     

Talking about public opinion and public opinion yet to come: Media and legislator constructions of public opinion in the Clinton‐Lewinsky Scandal

Previous scholarship has argued that constructions of public opinion serve one of three dominant purposes: (1) to provide drama; (2) to promote particular strategic political interests; and (3) to symbolically legitimize the public's role in democracy. This paper analyzes media and legislator constructions of public opinion in the Clinton‐Lewinsky scandal. We assess the uses of public opinion and the purposes to which they were put, and particularly examine the use of different time frames in this discourse. Throughout the scandal, the public remained firmly ambivalent about President Clinton, with majorities supporting him remaining in office, even as they disapproved of his sexual relationship with Ms. Lewinsky. However, the media frequently emphasized the possibility that public might change, and this future orientation was joined to a strongly disapproving emphasis on public morality, rooted in a construction of past values. Later the media took present public opinion as a given, but political implications for the present and future framed the coverage. Once the scandal came to Congress, members of Congress usually recognized the public's support for President Clinton, but offered different interpretations of the roots of this support, its proper influence on Congress, and its future course. In assessing political consequences of their votes, legislators acted like investors involved in futures markets, and judged which opinions were likely to retain intensity in the coming months and years. Changing in a dynamic fashion in response to events, elites’ judgments, and polls, constructions of public opinion served multiple purposes, and were strongly tinged by assessments about the stability and basis of public opinion. The low use of present‐oriented time frames delegitimized citizen views.     

Displacement or complementarity? Assessing the relationship between social media and public library usage in the U.S., South Korea,and Singapore

The relevancy of public libraries is often called into question, with some saying that library services have been or will be displaced by, among other things, new media such as social media. This study tested this displacement hypothesis with survey data collected from three nations (the U.S.: N = 879; South Korea: N = 700; and Singapore: N = 987). Ordinal regressions were used to investigate the relationship between the use of social media and nine public library services, taking into account individual demographic differences. The results show that for all three nations, social media use has significant complementary relationships with all nine library services examined. Computer and information literacy training showed the largest effect size. However, signs of displacement effects were observed in the odds ratio statistics, particularly among daily social media users and in reference services, library visits, and time spent in the library, suggesting that where displacement is concerned, these areas warrant extra attention.     

Weed to achieve: a fundamental part of the public library mission?

Weeding or deselection of materials has become an integral part of library management. Based on a nineteen-question survey about weeding practices in public libraries, this article discusses the personal perspectives of public librarians on weeding as well as the weeding practices of their institutions. The three most common criteria for weeding are circulation, physical condition, and accuracy of information. Librarians overwhelmingly believe that weeding increases use of books and patron satisfaction. In addition, the public library was framed as a venue that offers safe, clean, and fresh “product lines” with various natural life cycles and expiry dates. This discursive formation raises questions about the extent to which public libraries and their collections are becoming commodified, homogenized, and ephemeral, and whether such ephemeralness and homogenization serve the interests of all community members.     

Poison or panacea?: Sarah Moore Grimké's use of the public letter

Rhetors have long used the letter form to overcome difficult situations. This essay considers the difficulties inherent in the form when used by a female rhetor. During her career as an abolitionist, Sarah Grimke attempted to use the apostolic letter to appeal to divergent audiences yet discovered, that the form and its attendant persona limited her audience appeal. In her work as a woman's rights activist, she reformulated the private letter and developed a persona that allowed her to empower herself as well as her audience.     

Showing results? An analysis of the perceptions of internal and external stakeholders of the public performance communication by the Belgian and Dutch Railways

Performance measurement and communicating about it with the broader public is not self-evident if one looks at public services organizations (Hernon, P., 1998. The government performance and results act. Government Information Quarterly, 15: 153–156). In Belgium and the Netherlands, one organization that has been under constant surveillance from its stakeholders is the railroad company. Originally a national public service, it has changed through a European directive to operate in a liberalized transportation market. In this paper, we present the results of a qualitative study into what the Belgian and Dutch railway companies measure about their performance towards travelers, how they measure it, and specifically how they communicate it to their employees and stakeholders. Although we might expect the Dutch railway company (NS) to be more transparent than the Belgian railway company (NMBS/SNCB), in reality the two organizations do not differ that much from each other.     

Rating competition and the patterns of South Korean public television programming, 1990–95

This research note presents an analysis of TV programming in south Korea over a period of five years. The paper is concerned with the changing face of public service broadcasting due to the effects of the new commercial situation. It includes a brief summary of Korea's TV history and a comparison of the programming strategies employed by the public broadcasting network and its commercial rivals. The author concludes by suggesting that Korean public broadcasting needs to reappraise its current response to the multi‐channel environment, and to develop a service aimed at promoting a sense of national community.     

The CSR green halo effect on the corporate–public communication: an experimental study

Environmental corporate social responsibility (CSR) has been a popular practice among corporations. However, the mechanism and effectiveness of environmental CSR in affecting corporate–public communication are still unclear. Against the theoretical backdrop of the ‘halo effect’ and through a controlled experiment with 742 participants from Hong Kong and mainland China, we find that: if a company’s environmental CSR activity receives higher support from the consumers, it is less likely for consumers to avoid advertisements endorsed by the company. The CSR green halo effect therefore exists. Moreover, consumers’ nationality and their three preexisting attitudes (general environmental CSR support, environmental beliefs, and favorability of products’ country of origin) are important moderators of the green halo effect and need to be considered in practice.     

Technological frames in public administration: What do public managers think of big data?

Being among the largest creators and gatherers of data in many countries, public administrations are looking for ways to harness big data technology. However, the de facto uses of big data in the public sector remain very limited. Despite numerous studies aiming to clarify the term big data, for many public managers, it remains unclear what this technology does and does not offer public administration. Using the concept of technological frames, we explore the assumptions, expectations, and understandings that public managers possess in order to interpret and make sense of big data. We identify nine big data frames, ranging from inward-oriented techno-enthusiasts to outward-oriented techno-skeptics, each of which characterizes public managers' specific viewpoints relating to the introduction of big data in public administrations. Our findings highlight inconsistencies between different perceptions and reveal widespread skepticism among public managers, helping better understand why the de facto uses of big data in the public sector remain very limited.     

Fin-de-siècle Philadelphia and the founding of the Medical Library Association.

Philadelphia at the time of the founding of the Medical Library Association (MLA) is described. Several factors that promoted the birth of the association are discussed, including the rapid increase in the labor force and the rise of other health related professions, such as the American Hospital Association and the professionalization of nursing. The growth of the public hygiene movement in Philadelphia at the time of Sir William Osler's residency in the city is discussed. Finally, the rapid growth of the medical literature is considered a factor promoting the development of the association. This article continues the historical consideration of the MLA begun in the author's article on the three founders of the association. The background information is drawn from the items listed in the bibliography, and the conclusions are those of the author.     

Bridging the Partisan Divide? Exploring Ambivalence and Information Seeking Over Time in the 2012 U.S. Presidential Election

Research has shown that holding conflicted attitudes (ambivalence) about political decisions may lead people to act as ideal citizens. One example of this normatively ideal behavior is seen in research linking ambivalence to information seeking. To expand on this line of inquiry, this study examines the over-time relationship between ambivalence and information seeking. We use three-wave panel data collected during the 2012 election to determine whether over-time relationships exist between these variables and test the causal direction of these relationships. We find that use of counterattitudinal information increases ambivalence, which leads people to seek out more counterattitudinal information. We also find that use of pro-attitudinal media decreases levels of ambivalence.