Social media engagement forms in government: A structure-content framework

This article presents a structure-content framework to characterize social media engagement between government and the public because related scholarship fails to adequately link the concepts. The term structure refers to the flow of information—or the direction of messages from one type of account to another (e.g., a government agency to the public or vice versa) and the extent to which they interact. The term content represents the messages' intended goals and meaning. This framework integrates both concepts, notably the communication modes model (an example of structure) with content categories such as transparency, symbolic presentation, customer service, coproduction, and citizen participation. Because it is more comprehensive than typologies focused on either concept alone, the article more thoroughly conveys the complexity of available engagement opportunities. Facebook data from Hurricane Florence exemplify the model and account for both routine and critical operating conditions.     

政府数据开放中的公众参与模式:理论构建与案例实证

[目的/意义] 探讨政府数据开放中公众参与的理论模式，旨在指导政府部门有效实现公众参与数据开放的政策目标，以及推进政府数据开放中公众参与议题的研究进展。[方法/过程] 采用文献分析法、逻辑分析法和案例分析法，同时以公众参与阶梯理论作为分析工具，构建并实证政府数据开放中的公众参与模式。[结果/结论] 政府数据开放中的公众参与可从理论层面构建为告知型参与、咨询型参与、合作型参与和授权型参与4种模式，其核心涵义分别是政府向公众传达信息、政府咨询公众意见、政府与公众平等合作、政府与公众共同治理。这4种政府数据开放公众参与理论模式一方面在政府意图、主导力量、信息流动、公众信息知晓度和公众自治程度方面存在明显的特征差异，另一方面从国内外政府数据开放公众参与实践案例中获得良好的经验支持。     

政府数据开放中的公众参与模式:理论构建与案例实证

[目的/意义] 探讨政府数据开放中公众参与的理论模式，旨在指导政府部门有效实现公众参与数据开放的政策目标，以及推进政府数据开放中公众参与议题的研究进展。[方法/过程] 采用文献分析法、逻辑分析法和案例分析法，同时以公众参与阶梯理论作为分析工具，构建并实证政府数据开放中的公众参与模式。[结果/结论] 政府数据开放中的公众参与可从理论层面构建为告知型参与、咨询型参与、合作型参与和授权型参与4种模式，其核心涵义分别是政府向公众传达信息、政府咨询公众意见、政府与公众平等合作、政府与公众共同治理。这4种政府数据开放公众参与理论模式一方面在政府意图、主导力量、信息流动、公众信息知晓度和公众自治程度方面存在明显的特征差异，另一方面从国内外政府数据开放公众参与实践案例中获得良好的经验支持。     

A framework for interpreting social media interactions in the public sector

Social media applications are extending the information and communication technology landscape in the public sector and are used to increase government transparency, participation and collaboration in the U.S. federal government. The success, impact and performance of these new forms of bi-directional and networked interactions can provide insights to understand compliance with the mandate of the Open Government Initiative. Many government agencies are experimenting with the use of social media, however very few actively measure the impact of their digital interactions. This article builds on insights from social media directors in the U.S. federal government highlighting their current lack of measurement practices for social media interactions. Based on their articulated needs for measurement, existing rules regulating the extent of measurement practices and technological features of the main social media platforms, a framework is presented that traces online interactions to mission support and the resulting social media tactics. Implications for both researchers and practitioners are discussed.     

Factors affecting openness of local government websites: Examining the differences across planning,finance and police departments

The use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in public organizations increasingly holds the potential to improve transparency, accountability, and public participation, by providing a more effective and efficient disclosure of information to the citizens and organizations and by providing channels for interaction with the government. While transparency and interactivity features of government websites constitute two critical elements for public participation and democracy facilitated by web-based technologies, little research has been done to explain why some public organizations choose to deploy website technology more openly with these features. This paper aims to examine the managerial, organizational, and environmental factors that are related to variation in transparency and interactivity features of local government websites, which we believe are key dimensions to governmental website openness. The paper first develops a literature informed conceptual model of governmental website openness and then tests this model using data from a national survey of 850 government managers in 500 cities. The model results are compared across three different departments: community development, finance, and police department. Overall findings indicate that higher website openness is positively related to increased frequency of public participation in agency decision making and civil society influence, increased technical capacity, lower organizational control, and higher perceived usefulness of website technology. In addition, due to differences in the operating contexts of the departments, the effects of organizational control, technical capacity, environmental influences, and perceived usefulness of website technology on governmental website openness tend to differ by the type of department.     

公益传播四维框架的构建和阐释

本文将公益传播置于公民社会逐渐形成的现实环境之中,以传播主体为切入点,形成"媒体公益传播"、"企业公益营销"、"政府公益管理"、"民众公益参与"四个考量维度,称之为"公益传播的四维框架".探讨我国公民社会构建中四个维度如何统筹,为公益传播提供符合现实的功能性解释框架.     

Public value creation through voluntary business to government information sharing enabled by digital infrastructure innovations: a framework for analysis

Public value creation is traditionally considered as the citizens' collective expectations with respect to government and public services. Recent e-government literature indicates that what exactly constitutes public value in digital government is still debated. Whereas previous research acknowledges aspects such as co-production and the orchestration role of government in the context of public value creation, there is only a limited understanding of how public value is created by the interactions between government and business actors, and the role digital technologies play in that process. Furthermore, so far, research into public value creation processes is limited to specific services that aim to meet a specific goal; for a more complete view, an integrative perspective is required to address the multiplicity of goals. Societal challenges including climate change, sustainability, and the transition towards circularity will require governments to play a crucial role. Businesses are also transforming their vision by adding societal goals to their economic objectives and contributing to these societal challenges. This necessitates even more the need to explicitly consider the role of business in public value creation processes. In this paper we argue that there is a need to understand public value creation as an interactive process, involving both government and business actors. In this process, voluntary information sharing enabled by digital infrastructures has the potential to contribute to the value creation processes, but the increased complexity of digital technologies obscures the effects they can have on value creation. Therefore, we develop a framework that allows to reason about public value creation as an interactive process, involving government and businesses, facilitated by voluntary information sharing. The framework also allows to reason about how the technological design choices of the underlying digital infrastructure influence this value creation process. For the framework development, we use an in-depth case study from the domain of international trade. We analyze the interactions between customs authorities and supply chain actors for jointly creating public value related to revenue collection, as well as safety and security of goods entering the European Union, using business data made available via a global blockchain-enabled infrastructure. In future research, the framework that we developed can be used to analyze more complex cases with additional public value aspects, such as sustainability and circularity.     

A case study of E-governance initiatives in India

Information communication technology (ICT) in government agencies as well as educational and research institutions facilitates an efficient, speedy and transparent dissemination of information to the public and other agencies for performance of government administration activities. The importance of ICT in governance has been recognized the world over. E-governance highlights several elements of good governance such as transparency, accountability, participation, social integration, public financial management reform and development. This study is based on research and personal interviews of selected representatives of the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi. The findings of this study highlight the role of Internet, particularly the World Wide Web (WWW), which has made it easier for citizens to locate and download official information and to conduct transactions. Information management agencies such as libraries and knowledge centres play a vital role in supporting transparent and accountable governance in this digital era. E-government needs to be integrated into the broader public management framework so as to make a substantial change in the government to citizen (G2C) relationship.     

Assimilating newcomers into an organization: A cultural perspective

This study investigates the differences and similarities in communication practices between the public and private sectors. Through a survey of 976 government and corporate communicators, 12 organizational attributes previously identified in research on the government communication decision wheel (Liu & Horsley, 2007; Liu & Levenshus, 2008) were tested. The results indicated differences between the two groups in budgets, political influence, communication frequency, public pressure, interaction with other organizations, media coverage frequency, media coverage evaluation, and impact of legal frameworks as they relate to communication practices. No significant differences in diversity of publics, opportunities for professional development, participation in organizational leadership, or management support for communication between the two groups were found. The findings allowed for refinement of this developing model of government communication.     

Transparency,participation, and accountability practices in open government: A comparative study

In a comparative national study addressing the fiscal domain, we explored relationships between socio-cultural, political, economic, and government conditions and concepts critical to open government, defined as (a) budget transparency (b) participation in budget processes, and (c) accountability information. We found that democracy, human capital, and budget document disclosures are consistently related to transparency, accountability, and the involvement of the Supreme Audit Authority with the public. E-participation and commitment to the Open Government Partnership are each related to particular measures of transparency and accountability. Gross domestic product was negatively related to particular measures of transparency and accountability. Only democracy was related to public participation in budget discussions with the executive, and that was a minimal effect.     

eParticipation practices and mechanisms of influence: An investigation of public policymaking

This paper investigates eParticipation practices and the mechanisms of influence that help promote changes in public policy formulation. We use the perspective of power as a lens for our investigation. We analyze eParticipation processes in the drafting of three public mobility policies in major Brazilian cities. Based on comparative and retrospective cases, we propose a processual framework for understanding eParticipation practices and the mechanisms used over time to influence decision-making. We show how the actors involved, tools chosen, platform design, interactions on the platform, mediation, and mechanisms used by engaged citizens and the government influence public policymaking. Our study contributes to the literature concerning eParticipation with an original processual framework to explain actors' practices and the mechanisms of influence on policymaking in digital participation spaces. Additionally, we broaden the discussion regarding the complementarity between possession and practice views of power. We argue that a better understanding of the eParticipation platform interactions that influence public policy decisions requires attention to formal authority and critical resource control. However, it is also necessary to recognize the interactions and mechanisms implemented in practice. Our findings are helpful for policymakers seeking to create effective participatory processes while considering citizens' opinions.     

Understanding risks,benefits, and strategic alternatives of social media applications in the public sector

Social media such as blogs, microblogs or electronic social networks can transform the ways in which we relate to other people and organizations. Government organizations are experimenting with social media to communicate with their constituents, and many analysts see in these media a powerful set of tools to reinvent government–citizen relationships. In this paper, we present the perceptions of risks, benefits and strategic guidelines about social media applications gathered from 250 public servants from Central Mexico, most of them working in information technology, as web masters or responding to Freedom of Information Act requests. The conclusions of the analysis are 1) that governments' participation in social media may result in improved communication and citizen participation, more transparency, and transfer of best practices among government agencies; 2) that a good implementation strategy is necessary to realize these benefits and to avoid risks; and 3) that the implementation of social media highlights the importance of updating laws and regulations, and of promoting changes in government culture and organizational practices.     

Social media use in the U.S. Executive branch

In 2009, the Obama administration issued the Open Government Initiative that directed Executive agencies to improve transparency, openness in government, and public participation with government. The Obama administration views transparency and openness in government as a cost-effective and efficient process capable of improving public participation with government and public access to government information. To address the initiative in part, many agencies adopt social media as the means to disseminate information out to the public and to increase public participation with agency website content and activities. This exploratory study examines Executive agency use of social media and public participation with the media. Findings indicate that most agencies reviewed do use social media. The public does interact with the media and some agencies experience high overall participation levels; however, there are some issues with agency use of social media and public participation with the media.     

Responsibility Rolls Down: Public Libraries and the Social and Policy Obligations of Ensuring Access to E-government and Government Information

Access to government information has been considered an essential element of democracy since the foundation of the American republic. Over time, the amount of government information produced has increased significantly, and the rise of e-government has made access to online government information, communication, and services equally vital to participation in society and interaction with governments. However, the outlets of free public access to government information and e-government have constricted over time, leaving public libraries as one of the only free public Internet access points in most communities. As a result, public libraries serve as a social guarantor of access to and assistance with government information and e-government services. This article first discusses the historical evolution of the means of access to government information and changes over time in responsibilities in providing such access. After exploring the interrelationships between government information and e-government, the article then details the development of the role of public libraries as guarantors of e-government access. Finally, the article examines the impacts of policy on e-government access in libraries, leading to a set of recommendations and conclusions to support the vital library roles related to e-government.     

Crowdfunding public projects: Collaborative governance for achieving citizen co-funding of public goods

This study explores the potential of crowdfunding as a tool for achieving “citizen co-funding” of public projects. Focusing on philanthropic crowdfunding, we examine whether collaborative projects between public and private organizations are more successful in fundraising than projects initiated solely by private organizations. We argue that government involvement in crowdfunding provides some type of accreditation or certification that attests to a project's aim to achieve public rather than private goals, thereby mitigating information asymmetry and improving mutual trust between creators (i.e., private sector organizations) and funders (i.e., crowd). To support this argument, we show that crowdfunding projects with government involvement achieved a greater success rate and attracted a greater amount of funding than comparable projects without government involvement. This evidence shows that governments may take advantage of crowdfunding to “co-fund” public projects with the citizenry for addressing the complex challenges that we face in the twenty-first century.     

Technology in government: How organizational culture mediates information and communication technology outcomes

The adoption of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in public organizations promises to better connect managers with citizens, increase public participation in government decision making, improve the efficiency of service delivery, decrease uncertainty, and improve information dissemination. While each of these outcomes is important for both public managers and citizens, we know little about how organizational culture mediates the effectiveness of ICTs on producing these outcomes. This research, using data from two points in time, investigates the relationships between ICTs and managerial outcomes (e.g. improved decision making and public participation) and how they are mediated by organizational culture such as centralization and routineness. Technology variables include technology use and capacity. Models will control for other organizational and technological factors such as size, structure, task and department to investigate the mediating effects of organizational culture on ICT outcomes for local governments. The data come from two national surveys of 2500 local government managers in the United States in 2010 and 2012. The results are important for understanding how organizational mechanisms, in particular organization culture, mobilize ICTs in ways that affect managerial outcomes.     

Government Digital Transformation: Understanding the Role of Government Social Media

Government social media has been integrated as part of the government administrative tools to improve public service and promote public goals. However, the current government information literature is limited to understanding government social media adoption and its purpose for political marketing. The present study seeks to understand the role of government social media in promoting government digital initiatives (i.e., government-backed digital currency). The study validated the inter-relationships between government social media effort, privacy concerns, trust in technology, reachability, and citizens' participation in government-initiated digital innovations. A total of 505 responses from Chinese citizens were collected through an online self-administered questionnaire survey, and the data was submitted to a two-stage Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling-Artificial Neural Network analysis. The analytic results revealed that privacy concerns, trust in technology, and reachability positively influence digital participation. In addition, the information quality and perception of trust in government social media have significant positive influences on government social media engagement. The study provides strategic practical suggestions to government agencies in effectively utilizing social media as a communication platform to foster citizens' participation in government's digital initiatives.     

The 2004 and 2005 Gulf Coast Hurricanes: Evolving Roles and Lessons Learned for Public Libraries in Disaster Preparedness and Community Services

SUMMARY

In the aftermath of the 2004 and 2005 Gulf Coast hurricanes, public libraries played many important roles in their communities, though ensuring access to vital information may have been the most critical service. This article explores the participation of public libraries in the recovery of their communities, the implications of this involvement for the place of public libraries in society, and lessons learned and recommendations for public library disaster planning. As this article demonstrates, public libraries successfully provided a range of disaster preparedness and recovery services that were not provided and could not have been provided by other government agencies.     

Evaluating the readiness of government portal websites in China to adopt contemporary public administration principles

This article aims to evaluate whether the e-government development in China is ready to adopt contemporary public administration principles. In response to these questions, we propose an evaluation framework that integrates the contemporary public administration principles and current web-quality evaluation theories. The proposed framework evaluates government portal websites in terms of their content, function, and construction, following the theory of website evaluation. The indices for each of these dimensions emphasize interactions, transparency, efficiency and effectiveness, all of which reflect the contemporary public administration principles. The validation analysis shows that the proposed evaluation framework well fits the data. The empirical studies suggest that China has implemented advanced e-government services.     

政府应急信息发布中政府、媒体与公众关系研究综述

学术界关于政府应急信息发布中政府、媒体与公众关系的研究主要包括以下方面:信息技术对政府、媒体与公众关系的影响研究,政府、媒体与公众关系应然状态的研究,政府、媒体与公众关系失衡表现与原因的研究,以及政府、垛体与公众关系重构策略的研究等.在分析已有研究的基础上,文章提出了研究展望:一是对政府应急信息发布中公众参与的研究将越...