Digitizing public services and multiple interactive communications as a local government requirement: The case of the Kurdistan region of Iraq

Abstract

Two-way communication between the government and the public requires advanced information and communications technology (ICT). As a participatory platform, social media can facilitate public engagement and assist the authorities in introducing co-production of services with higher quality and at lower cost. This study examines the possibility, potential and challenges of digitizing the government and implementing two-way communication via social media in order to improve government information provision in an evolving digital ecosystem, using the Kurdistan regional government (KRG) as a case study. The study has adopted a survey method that gathered questionnaire responses from public servants working for the KRG, usually referred to as ‘employees’ in the Kurdistan region of Iraq (KRI), carried out between February 2019 and June 2019 (n = 1215). The findings suggest that, at present, individual KRG employees use social media on their own initiative without following structured policies or coordinated plans involving the whole of government. As a result, this study recommends that the government develop structured criteria and a formal policy for using social media across all government institutions.