Tsunami early warnings via Twitter in government: Net-savvy citizens' co-production of time-critical public information services

Governments aim to mitigate natural hazards' impacts through a disaster early warning system. Drawing on citizen co-production theory and resilient information infrastructures framework, we empirically examined government use of Twitter Tsunami Early Warning Civic Network and citizens' roles in co-providing timely and actionable information. The Indonesian government issued its tsunami early warning Tweet, which was “re-tweeted” without delay by its followers to their own followers to warn tsunami hazards during the 2012 earthquake. Within 15 min it reached over 4 million Twitter users. Based on our case study and social network analysis of Twitter information flows and exchanges within the network, we found that the speed and enormous reach of the government's Twitter tsunami early warnings would be significantly less without citizens' direct participation in re-tweeting, hence influencing greater control of the network. We present evidence for net-savvy citizens' co-production effects on increased government efficiency in providing time-critical public information services.     

We shall endure: Exploring the impact of government information quality and partisanship on citizens' well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic

Based on the information-as-coping perspective, we provided a theoretical framework to understand how the quality of government information and citizens' partisanship impact citizens' wellbeing in terms of satisfaction with life and anxiety during COVID-19. With survey data from 705 respondents in Indonesia, we found that government information quality is of vital importance in helping citizens get ready to fight the pandemic, as well as lowering their anxiety. Our results show that higher information quality leads to a higher ability to respond quickly to the crisis, as well as a reduced level of information overload. While partisanship is a significant predictor of information overload, it had no significant impact on perceived quick response ability. Quick response ability and information overload, in turn, predict anxiety and citizen's satisfaction with life.     

政府统计信息网上发布情况的调查分析

文章调查分析了政府统计信息网上公开情况,以统计局网站为研究平台,全面、细致、系统地比较国内外统计局网站提供的服务,包括各项统计数据、统计方法、更新速度、查询策略、统计出版物、互动方式等,从而找出中国统计局网站与国际标准或同类型优秀网站的差距,对我国统计局网站的设计与制作提出建设性意见.     

利用档案网站报送和发布政府公开信息之实践

该文结合成都市信息化建设的实际情况,提出了以档案网站报送和发布政府公开信息为核心的实施方案。     

The role of government information officers

In most countries, a key figure in the provision of public information at the central government level is the government information officer (GIO). These individuals may be known as spokespersons, press officers, press attachés, public affairs officers, or public information officers. A GIO contributes to public understanding of government policies and raises awareness of the roles of decision makers and purview of state institutions, the availability of social services, noteworthy trends, and risks to public health and safety. In Central and Eastern Europe, a GIO's responsibilities typically include: monitoring media coverage of public affairs; briefing and advising political officials; managing media relations; providing information directly to the public; sharing information across the administration; formulating communication strategies and campaigns; and researching and assessing public opinion. Because of the region's communist heritage, GIOs in Central and Eastern Europe confront a number of special challenges, starting with poorly performing public administrations. Other problems include immature media, secrecy and political influence, and a lack of training and skills. However, as democratic, market, and media practices in Central and Eastern Europe come to resemble those in Western Europe, the activities and attitudes of GIOs in the former region are becoming more like their counterparts in the latter.     

A cue or two and I'll trust you: Determinants of trust in government organizations in terms of their processing and usage of citizens' personal information disclosed online

This article discusses the results of a large-scale Internet survey (with 1156 respondents) that investigated the cues and factors that could positively influence Dutch Internet users' trust in government organizations in terms of their usage and processing of citizens' personal data. Confidence in online privacy statements, as indicated by the results of this study, significantly influences trust in government organizations among Dutch Internet users with and without previous e-government experience. Among those with e-government experience, the quality of their online government transaction experience and a positive government organizational reputation can also increase their trust in government organizations, specifically in terms of how they process and use citizens' personal data.     

Determinants of citizens' intention to engage in government-led electronic participation initiatives through Facebook

The research work on understanding whether citizens will readily accept to engage with governments in e-participation initiatives through social media remains limited. Therefore, this study investigates the factors that are influencing citizens' intention to engage in government-led e-Participation initiatives through Facebook. To that end, the study proposes and validates a citizen-centric acceptance model. The proposed model extends the model primarily established on the theory of planned behavior, by incorporating additional factors that emerged from relevant literature. The research data were collected from a survey of 400 Facebook users in Jordan using a probability sample technique. The results revealed that the factors with the most significant influence on citizens' intention to engage in government-led e-participation initiatives through Facebook are: the citizens' attitude, participation efficacy, and perceived behavior control. Subjective norms and perceived value, however, have no direct effect on citizens' intention to engage in government-led e-participation initiatives through Facebook. Furthermore, the results showed that the citizens' attitude is primarily determined by participation efficacy, perceived usefulness and compatibility of Facebook, and perceived value. In contrast, the factors perceived ease of use of Facebook, citizens' trust in government, and citizens' trust in Facebook, have no significant impact on citizens' attitude. These factors have rarely been empirically tested in the context of e-participation. Consequently, this study paves the way towards a better understanding of the important factors that influence citizens' intention to participate, which, in turn, will inform the design and implementation of e-participation initiatives.     

Understanding the dynamic mechanism of interagency government data sharing

Interagency government data sharing plays an important role in promoting the coordination of government departments and improving public services. Under the guidance of a theoretical framework that combines the force-field theory of change and the theory of mechanism, this study conducted a case study on two Chinese urban governments and built a dynamic mechanism model for IGDS. The model consists of six forces acting on IGDS, as well as their activities, effects and interactions. Some effects of them are context-dependent. This model can be used to explain the reasons of various barriers to IGDS and thus to guide government departments and policy makers design more specific and targeted dynamic mechanisms to promote IGDS. Finally, several mechanisms were discussed in the context of policy making.     

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.     

政府信息资源描述的规范性研究

论文在对GILS和DC两种信息资源描述格式进行对比分析的基础上，提出了政府信息资源描述规范性研究的基本立足点，并对政府信息资源描述的规范架构进行了初步探讨。     

政府信息公开的障碍机制

本文所讲的政府信息公开区别于日常生活中被泛化了的“公开”之义,是要令公开的信息对公众达到可得性、可理解性和可接受性。文章拟通过对政府信息公开过程中的主体环境、知识平台、资源分布三方面的探讨,初步构建政府信息公开的流动性障碍模型。     

政府信息资源的物品属性分析

政府信息资源的物品属性就是政府信息资源与经济学中三种物品相似的属性,不同的物品属性具有不同的激励功能。对政府信息资源的三种物品属性及其激励功能进行深入分析,有助于更为全面地把握政府信息资源的本质,更为准确地评价具有不同物品属性的政府信息资源,从而采取不同的机制对政府信息资源进行开发与提供。     

The Find-It! Illinois controlled vocabulary: Improving access to government information through the Jessica subject tree

The need to improve information access on the Web has resulted in Illinois’ implementation of lexicographer Dr. Jessica Milstead’s subject tree for the Find-It! Illinois Program. In 1999, when the Illinois State Library joined four other states in implementing a state Government Information Locator Service (GILS) project, developing a controlled vocabulary became an essential component for maximizing retrieval of government information. Furthermore, application of library cataloging tools such as the Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH) is insufficient for online retrieval. An analysis of the structure and content of Dr. Milstead’s subject tree reveals the importance of new tools for improving online access methods. Illinois’ implementation of Dr. Milstead’s subject tree exposed the interest for nationwide application. The Illinois subject tree has been named the “Jessica Tree” to convey its expanded utility. The national adoption of a controlled vocabulary for retrieving state government information online will require collaboration among all states, so that the vision of a Find-It! America can be actualized.     

Understanding adopters of audio information innovations

The use of two phone‐based audio innovations—audiotext audio information services and fax—was assessed in a probability survey of urban respondents. Support was found for the notion that social indicators are less important in the prediction of innovation use than are attitudinal and communication variables. Findings are interpreted in light of diffusion of innovation theory and research on the adoption of new technologies.     

服务型政府目标下的政府信息公开评价体系研究

政府信息公开评价体系的研究水平,直接决定了研究结论的信度和对策建议的效度,制约政府信息公开问题整体研究水平。当前衡量政府信息公开的两大指标体系分别属于"法定义务导向"和"用户需求导向",存在一致性的问题。服务型政府目标下的政府信息公开评价体系的构建应兼顾规范性和功能性。     

Citizen preferences and government chatbot social characteristics: Evidence from a discrete choice experiment

Government chatbots have become increasingly popular as artificial-intelligence-based tools to improve communication between the government and its citizens. This study explores the interaction mode design of a trustworthy government chatbot, which involves multiple social characteristics from the user-centric perspective. A discrete choice experiment was conducted in the context of Chinese government chatbots to examine the effects of various social characteristics on citizen preferences. Participants utilized a crowdsourcing survey platform to report their preferences for interaction processes designed with distinct sets of social characteristics. Valid data were obtained from 371 participants and analyzed using a multinomial logit model. The results indicate that (in order from highest to lowest impact) emotional intelligence, proactivity, identity consistency, and conscientiousness significantly influence the citizens' preferences. Identity consistency has a negative effect, whereas the other factors all have positive impacts. It was also determined that some of these correlations are influenced by the participants' individual characteristics, such as age, gender, and prior experience with chatbots. This work provides empirical evidence for the relative importance of social characteristics and their impacts on user perception, expands the service dimension scope of information provision/communication (one of five categories of digital interaction), and facilitates the identification and operationalization of the social characteristics. We provide a theoretical framework to understand the interaction model design of a trustworthy government chatbot and also offer practical recommendations for government chatbot designers and policy implications.     

Explaining the transparency of local government websites through a political market framework

This paper contributes to the literature on government transparency by addressing the question of what drives the differences in local government levels of transparency. Our main objective is to ascertain whether transparency is mainly driven by the leadership, capacity and other political traits of the local governments themselves – “supply-side determinants” – or, rather, if it hinges on social, cultural and/or other local community factors (“demand-side” determinants). We test the hypotheses derived from this theoretical framework using the results of the Municipal Transparency Index which is based on the information disclosed in the local governments' official websites and was applied to all Portuguese municipalities for the first time in 2013. Our findings indicate that municipalities with less financial autonomy, run by male mayors, with a larger number of consecutive terms in office, and smaller margins of victory in local elections display lower levels of transparency. On the demand-side, the unemployment rate and the average age of the municipal population emerge as the best predictors and are both negatively associated with transparency.     

Cybercrimes in the information structure of society: a survey

The range of the most important problems associated with cybercrimes in modern society are considered.