What drives citizen satisfaction and trust with US federal government agencies? Are these determinants constant across agencies, or do they differ? In this article, we examine elements of citizen perceived performance as determinants of satisfaction and trust in federal agencies using a multi-year, cross-sectional, multi-agency sample of respondents. Focusing on six high-incidence federal agencies experienced by a large cross-section of American citizens, we observe differences in the determinants of satisfaction and trust, which include perceptions of the quality of the services experienced and the information provided, demographic factors, citizen expectations, and e-government adoption. We discuss these differences, with a particular focus on the implications of these findings for the practice of performance benchmarking. Given that one central objective of a variety of recent federal initiatives has been to better measure bureaucratic performance with the goal of improving the quality of services delivered to citizens through benchmarking, these findings highlight the complexity of government efforts to realize this goal. In conclusion, suggestions for improving cross-agency benchmarking are provided. Points for practitioners The key finding in this article for public administration and management practitioners relates to the difficulties inherent in identifying benchmarking partners, and thus in effectively benchmarking performance across agencies with the goal of identifying best practices useful in improving performance. These difficulties arise from the differential nature of what determines citizen satisfaction across agencies with different missions, purposes and goals. An alternative strategy for identifying benchmarking partners based on similarities in satisfaction determinants — what we call ‘benchmark partner selection by determinants’ — is discussed.

For universities to create beneficial and sustainable engagement with the community requires attention to three dimensions: internal (politics, organizational dynamics, and culture interior to the university); external (relationships and dynamics of the community, management of power and resource imbalances, and development of a community identity); and personal (the psychology, competencies, and career issues of the faculty). Sustainable types of engagement are those that lead to valued capacity building for the community and positively address each dimension. We offer illustrations of the challenges and strategies for building successful university–community relationships.

The aim of this article is to provide structured information on the profile, trends, and challenges of worker cooperatives in Romania. Its main purpose is to help refine the current explanatory framework for worker cooperatives in post-communist countries in the light of empirical evidence drawn from research conducted in Romania. Building on the literature and empirical research, it identifies and highlights some of the present issues and challenges facing Romanian worker cooperatives. Our analysis has shown that many of the elements that are considered key to the successful development of worker cooperatives on the basis of international good practice are missing in Romania. While some enabling elements are impossible to replicate, there are others that might be improved and could help worker cooperatives develop further: a shift away from policies that discriminate against cooperatives in terms of access to credits and the development of governmental programs that could open the public market more to these entities; a better organization of type II cooperatives and of the services they offer to their members; better public image and communication strategies, and greater investment to enhance the advocacy skills of these organizations.

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