Dong Chul Shim

Horizontal trust, which emerges from interdependence and shared values and norms among people of comparable social status, has been considered a crucial driver of individual health-protective behaviors and community resilience during health emergencies. However, recent data suggest the global decline in community resilience and its disproportionate impact on low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). To assess this empirically, we examined the difference in the degree of social trust, which was measured as trust in neighbors, in 94 countries between 2018 and 2020. The study dataset combined a global survey from the Wellcome Global Monitor and other country-level measures from Google Mobility Reports, the Johns Hopkins University’s COVID-19 Tracker, the United Nations, and the World Bank. Using a multilevel regression with post-stratification weights, we estimated that the global average decline in trust in neighbors until the early stage of the pandemic was 6 percentage points. This impact was disproportionately harsher for LMICs, causing the most salient drop of 17 percentage points among low-income countries, however, it was comparable among high- and middle-upper income countries. This finding implies a hightened degree of global disparities in social capital between LMICs and wealthier countries since the pandemic and calls for international collaboration and support to help LMICs address these additional social and economic burdens.

Dans le présent article, nous étudions de manière empirique la compréhension et l’évolution du concept de capacité administrative dans le contexte coréen. Malgré un consensus universel sur son importance, la capacité administrative est définie différemment par les régimes et les parties prenantes (c’est-à-dire, dans la présente étude : le public, les membres de l’Assemblée nationale et les universitaires). Afin d’améliorer notre compréhension de la capacité administrative, nous avons recueilli trois types de textes (337 articles universitaires, 1470 procès-verbaux de l’Assemblée nationale et 3316 articles de journaux de 2000 à 2019) et analysé les données en utilisant des méthodes de modélisation des sujets et d’analyse des réseaux de textes. Les résultats indiquent que même si les articles académiques mettent l’accent sur le leadership, la main-d’œuvre, l’éducation et d’autres capacités d’élaboration des politiques, l’Assemblée nationale met l’accent sur la capacité d’innovation pour résoudre différents problèmes stratégiques. Enfin, les médias, censés refléter l’opinion publique, mettent l’accent sur les capacités liées à la sécurité nationale. Remarques à l’intention des praticiens La présente étude indique que différents types de capacités administratives pourraient être nécessaires selon le stade de développement des États. Alors que les capacités de gestion et d’administration devraient être renforcées dans les pays poursuivant un développement économique dirigé par l’État, les capacités de gouvernance pourraient être davantage nécessaires dans les pays confrontés à des demandes de démocratisation et répondant aux divers besoins et à la participation des citoyens.

This article empirically explores the understanding and changes in the concept of administrative capacity in the Korean context. Despite a universal consensus on its importance, administrative capacity is defined differently by regimes and stakeholders (i.e. in this study: the public, members of the National Assembly, and academia). To improve our understanding of administrative capacity, we collected three types of texts (337 academic papers, 1470 National Assembly minutes, and 3316 newspaper articles from 2000 to 2019) and analyzed the data using topic modeling and text-network analysis methods. The results suggest that although academic articles emphasized leadership, manpower, education, and other policymaking capacities, the National Assembly stressed innovation capacity in solving different policy problems. Finally, the media, assumed to reflect public opinion, emphasized capacities related to national security. Points for practitioners: This study suggests that different types of administrative capacities could be needed according to the developmental stage of states. While managerial and administrative capacity should be developed in countries pursuing state-led economic development, governance capacity could be more requested in countries facing demands for democratization and meeting citizens’ various needs and participation.

The current research examined the relationship between developmental leadership and followers’ work engagement based on the notion that developmental leaders may strengthen subordinates’ job-related skills and knowledge development. Using the Federal Human Capital Survey dataset over three years, the research addressed two research questions: (1) Is developmental leadership positively related to work engagement? and (2) Does perceived skill development moderate the relationship between developmental leadership and work engagement? Results showed that both developmental leadership and perceived skill development positively and significantly affected public employees’ work engagement. In addition, perceived skill improvement had a moderating effect on the relationship between developmental leadership and work engagement.