In their study, “What Affects Citizens’ Perception of Public Infrastructure Decision-Making in a Disaster Setting?”, Drs. Jeonghwa Yang (SUNY at Geneseo), Hyunseok Hwang (ISTPP Research Fellow), and Arnold Vedlitz (ISTPP Director), explore factors that influence citizens’ views on public-private partnerships (PPPs) in Texas. Using original data from a Texas, the study results indicate that risk awareness and institutional trust significantly impact citizens’ perceptions of PPPs and their preferences for private or nonprofit partners in local disaster-related infrastructure projects. The study suggests that citizens trust nonprofits more than for-profit entities, particularly in crisis situations, due to the community-centered focus of nonprofit groups. The findings highlight the importance of incorporating diverse citizen perspectives into resilience policies to promote social equity in public service delivery.
