Voice, responsiveness, and alternative policy venues: An analysis of citizen complaints against the local government to the national Ombudsman
研究公民向国家监察专员投诉地方政府的差异，发现替代发声渠道减少投诉，而地方政治和困难条件（如失业、犯罪、老龄化）会促使公民投诉。
Abstract The Ombudsman is one of the most relevant and institutionalized tools to give voice to citizens, so they can express their dissatisfaction with local public services. The literature has yet to produce a systematic explanation for the variation in complaints to the national Ombudsman. This article uses classic literature from public administration and public policy to consider arguments of voice, responsiveness and alternative policy venues concerning the role of the Ombudsman in citizen complaints against local governments. Data on all 2139 citizen complaints submitted to the Ombudsman in Portugal (2012–2015) are analyzed using negative binomial regression models. Policy implications drawn from the results show not only that the presence of alternative voice venues reduces the number of complaints to the national Ombudsman but also that context matters. Local politics stimulates civic engagement and difficult local conditions, such as unemployment, crime, and aging populations, activate citizens to resort to the Ombudsman.