Instrumentation and limitations in research studies

¶ … Marcia Godwin: Only graded this part of the prospectus.

This methodological chapter presents a discussion of the methodological considerations used in this study, which attempts to evaluate and explain the relationship between citizen participation and organizational accountability in Taiwanese central and local governments. This methodological chapter includes the following elements: purpose of the study, research model, research questions, hypotheses, research design, sample and population, instrumentation, data collection procedures, statistical analysis, and limitation of the study.

This study has two principal purposes. The first purpose of this study is to measure citizens' perceptions of the governments' responsiveness in operating emergency management in the Typhoon Morakot. Specifically, this researcher uses the operational accountability benchmarks as a model to investigate the level of organizational accountability in the Taiwanese central and local governments from six aspects: (1) fiscal transparency, (2) internal accountability, (3) public relations, (4) preparation for crisis, (5) decision making, and (6) existence of a learning organization.

The second purpose of this study is to investigate the influence of demographics of citizens in Kaohsiung County and Pingtung County and the impact of citizen participation in the Taiwanese central and local governments' accountability on operating emergency management operations.

Research Model

The theoretical foundation of this study includes citizen participation and benchmarking in the public and nonprofit sectors. This research model is shown in Figure 1 and depicts how citizens of different categories and citizen participation may affect organizational accountability.

This research model takes into consideration three key sets of issues: (1) characteristics of citizen, (2) citizen participation, and (3) organizational accountability. This research model is based on the following reference sources:

1. Arnstein (1969) develops a ladder of citizen participation and the eight rungs of the ladder are broadly categorized as: (1) Nonparticipation, (2) Tokenism, and (3) Citizen Power.

2. Cornwall and Gaventa (2001) who examine current participatory approaches and strategies that seek to bridge the gap between the government and citizens.

3. Gaventa (2002) offers a general, exploratory overview of citizenship within the framework of a "growing crisis of legitimacy" in regards to "citizens and the institutions that affect their lives" (p. 1).

4. Gibson, Lacy, and Dougherty (2005) advocate improving performance and accountability in local government with citizen participation.

5. Magd and Curry (2003) emphasize benchmarking is a vital management tool in order to accomplish best-value services in the public sectors.

6. Wynn-Williams (2005) uses benchmarking as a tool to facilitate public sectors' responses to calls for accountability in New Zealand.

7. Keehley and Abercrombie (2008) categorize benchmarking process into six precise benefits to evaluate organizational accountability in the public and nonprofit sectors.

Figure 1. Research Model (Designed by Researcher)

Research Questions

In accordance with the purpose of the study, this study primarily explores the following questions:

1. To what degree does the level of citizen participation that influences the following organizational accountability factors as perceived by the citizens: (1) fiscal transparency, (2) internal accountability, (3) public relations, (4) preparation for crisis, (5) decision making, and (6) existence of a learning organization?

2. To what degree do demographic characteristics of citizens influence their perceptions of the level of citizen participation in the Taiwanese central and local governments in the emergency management of Typhoon Morakot?

Hypotheses

The hypotheses tested are started as follows:

Hypothesis 1: Different degrees of citizen participation lead to different perceptions of organizational accountability.

Hypothesis 1(A): Lower citizen participation leads to lower rating of organizational accountability. Comment by Marcia Godwin: Rephrase. You really have just one hypothesis, which is that citizen participation levels are positively associated with organizational accountability ratings.There are some grammatical concerns with these hypotheses as well. When you get closer to a completed research design, will want to more clearly match up research questions and hypotheses to your research model and then connect to survey questions. Typically, students will have a table that shows how RQs and hypotheses are matched with survey questions.

Hypothesis 1(B): Mid-level citizen participation leads to mid-level rating of organizational accountability.

Hypothesis 1(C): Higher citizen participation leads to higher rating of organizational accountability.

Hypothesis 2: Citizens of different categories hold different perceptions of organizational accountability.

Hypothesis 2(A): Females' rating of organizational accountability is higher than males'.

Hypothesis 2(B): The older citizens lead to the higher rating of organizational accountability.