According to a recent Gallop Poll 20% of Americans
are worried about jobs, 19% on how government functions, and 17% about the
nature of the economy. Over the past year all three have switched places as
main American concerns and appear to be somewhat tied in a race of sprints and
walks with each coming out on top at one time or another. Some are saying it is the economy and others
are indicating it is the employment rate-all three numbers are likely
associated.
Certainly there is no denying the connection between
the employment rate and the strength of the economy. A strong economy is able
to create jobs and keep people employed. Generally, as the economy improves so
does opportunities for gainful employment. Employment rate is a major symptom
of economic strength and can fluctuate as the economy shifts gears.
However, the numbers released by Gallop indicate
that the economy, employment, and perception of government are important to Americans.
Research by Heinz Welsch found that life satisfaction is negatively associated
with unemployment and positively associated with growth (2011). As the economic
engine speeds up, so does the satisfaction of citizens and this is an obvious
benefit to everyone.
Likewise, other research supports the concept that
trust in local government is associated with overall satisfaction and often
results in residence retention (Van Ryzin, et. al. 2004). The New York study
helps highlight how governmental functioning impacts satisfaction and may run
off into other areas such as employment numbers and economic strength.
Over the recession employment growth has been based primarily
in small business. Further research by Glaeser & Kerr (2010) helps us
understand that many small businesses lead to greater job growth than a few
large employers alone. Revitalizing small business can have a direct impact on
economic growth and in turn the employment rate. The same can be said for
cities and national economics.
What we may find through the Gallop study is that as
the economy speeds up and more jobs are created that concerns of government
effectiveness are likely to decline while citizen satisfaction rises. Of course
there are no perfect solutions and there are many confounding variables that go
into the development of a nation. Many of the variables are associated with each
other in one way or another but do not have a one-to-one relationship. Focusing on the economy and the employment
numbers seem to improve perception of government effectiveness and therefore a
proper place for discussion.
Glaeser, E. & Kerr, W. (2010). The secret to job
growth: think small. Harvard Business
Review, 88, (7/8).
Riffkin, R. (May 19, 2014). Jobs, Government, and
Economy Remain Top U.S. Problems. Gallup Politics. Retrieved May 20th,
2014 from http://www.gallup.com/poll/169289/jobs-government-economy-remain-top-problems.aspx
Van Ryzin, G. et. al. (2004). Drivers and
consequences of citizen satisfaction: an application of American customer
satisfaction index model to New York City.
Public Administration Review, 64 (3).
Welsch, H. (2011). The magic triangle of
macroeconomics: how do European countries score? Oxford Economic Papers, 63 (1).
