Citizen participation, perceived public service performance, and trust in government: Evidence from health policy reforms in Hong Kong

Jingwei Alex HE, Liang MA

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlespeer-review

50 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Citizen participation is advocated as an effective instrument to retain and promote government legitimacy, but to what extent and through what mechanisms participation affects government trust have not been fully elaborated. In this study, we examine the mediating role played by perceived government performance in the link between citizen participation and government trust, by analyzing data from Hong Kong. We seized the opportunity when the Hong Kong SAR Government was undertaking public consultation on a health financing reform proposal and collected data from a telephone survey of adult citizens. Empirical evidence reveals that citizens who believe that their opinions about health care reform are considered by the government are more satisfied with health system performance, which, in turn, leads to stronger trust in government. If designed and executed properly, citizen participation in health policy generates positive outcomes, enhancing the legitimacy of health policy and that of government as a whole. The theoretical and policy implications of the empirical results are discussed with reference to the value of citizen participation and the political ramifications of social policies. Copyright © 2020 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)471-493
JournalPublic Performance & Management Review
Volume44
Issue number3
Early online date28 Jun 2020
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2021

Citation

He, A. J., & Ma, L. (2021). Citizen participation, perceived public service performance, and trust in government: Evidence from health policy reforms in Hong Kong. Public Performance & Management Review, 44(3), 471-493. doi: 10.1080/15309576.2020.1780138

Keywords

  • Citizen participation
  • Government trust
  • Health system performance
  • Health policy reform
  • Hong Kong

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