Government Communication Strategies Research Articles

THE ROLE OF SOCIAL MEDIA IN PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION AND MANAGEMENT: INTERACTION CHANNELS AND THEIR EFFECTIVENESS

Modern technologies and the Internet have significantly altered how people, organizations, and governments interact. Social media platforms have evolved beyond personal communication tools to become powerful instruments for public administration. They enable governments to communicate more effectively with citizens, enhance transparency, and engage the public in governance processes. However, challenges exist in optimizing these tools. This article aims to analyze the role of social media in public administration, identify the most effective channels of interaction, and propose recommendations for their use. It emphasizes the need to enhance government communication strategies to meet rising citizen expectations regarding transparency and accessibility of administrative services. Research reveals that social media allows governments to rapidly disseminate information on emergencies, new laws, and policies, thereby reducing the time needed to inform the public and increasing their engagement. The ability to organize public discussions, gather feedback, and conduct surveys via social media fosters a more democratic and inclusive governance process. In addition to benefits, the article highlights potential risks of using social media in public administration, such as cybersecurity issues, personal data protection, and the spread of misinformation. Authors recommend developing strategies to minimize these risks and maximize the positive impact of social media on public administration processes. In conclusion, the article convincingly underscores the significance of social media as tools of modern governance, contributing to increased efficiency, transparency, and openness of government structures to the public

Indonesian Government Communication in Media Framing in Covid-19 Crisis Policy

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to explore the Indonesian Government's communication strategies and how these strategies are framed in the media during the COVID-19 crisis. The research aims to understand the portrayal of government directives and public health measures in prominent Indonesian news outlets. Theoretical Reference: This study is grounded in media framing theory, which examines how information is presented and the effects of this presentation on public perception. The research specifically investigates the framing of governmental crisis communication within the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Method: A qualitative content analysis was conducted on articles from Detik.com and Liputan6.com, covering the period from January 2020 to December 2022. The analysis was facilitated by NVivo 12 Plus, which was used to systematically assess the media portrayal of government actions and public health initiatives. Results and Conclusion: The findings reveal that Detik.com initially led in pandemic coverage, while Liputan6.com later provided more frequent updates as public information demands increased. Both outlets maintained substantial attention to the ongoing social and economic impacts of the pandemic, demonstrating continued media engagement with post-crisis issues. Distinct media framing approaches were identified, with Detik.com focusing extensively on pandemic management and Liputan6.com possibly emphasizing alternative crisis narratives. The study concludes that governmental crisis communication significantly influences public perception and highlights the crucial role of transparent and accurate information dissemination for effective public response in health emergencies. Implications of Research: This research underscores the importance of strategic media engagement by government authorities during crises. By identifying different framing approaches, it provides insights into how media platforms can shape public understanding and reaction to government policies. The findings suggest that government agencies should prioritize clear, consistent, and transparent communication to foster trust and ensure effective public compliance during health emergencies. Originality/Value: This study contributes to the limited body of research on media framing of governmental communication during health crises in Indonesia. It offers valuable insights into the dynamics between government communication strategies and media portrayal, highlighting the significant role of media in influencing public perception during a pandemic. This research emphasizes the necessity of effective communication strategies to manage public responses and mitigate the impact of health emergencies.

Comparative Analysis of Government Communication Strategies in Environmental Law Enforcement: A Case Study of Indonesia (DKI Jakarta) and Singapore

This study explores the communication strategies of Indonesia and Singapore in enforcing environmental law, particularly in the context of the Awyu and Moi tribes' refusal to give up their customary forests for palm oil plantations. Using a descriptive-comparative qualitative method, it highlights the differences in the two countries' environmental legal frameworks and communication approaches. With a low Environmental Performance Index (EPI) rating, Indonesia struggles with bureaucratic challenges in implementing its environmental laws, based on the 1945 Constitution and the 2009 Law on Environmental Protection and Management (UUPPLH). In contrast, Singapore ranked fourth globally for environmental quality, uses a common law system and specific legislation, such as the Environmental Protection and Management Act, with specialized regulatory agencies ensuring effective law enforcement and communication. Based on the WHO Strategic Communications Framework, the analysis reveals that Indonesia faces infrastructure and internet access issues and a lack of coordination between community initiatives and the central government. Conversely, Singapore effectively uses technology and media to spread environmental information, supported by well-structured community programs and strong government support. The study emphasizes the crucial role of strategic communication in enforcing environmental law and the need for Indonesia to streamline its law enforcement and improve its communication strategies for better environmental protection.

The Impact of Media Coverage of Performance Information on the Budget Spending Intentions of Government Officials and Citizens in South Korea

This research investigates the impact of media coverage of performance information on the budget spending intentions of both public officials and citizens. It delves into the mechanisms through which media coverage shapes government performance assessment and explores how negative media portrayal affects budgetary decisions, distinguishing between budget inefficiencies, policy design flaws, and budget shortages as key content categories. The findings elucidate divergent budget spending intentions between public officials and citizens, emphasizing the intricate interplay between the tone and content of media reports and their influence on budgetary intentions. This study highlights the pivotal yet often neglected aspect of news content in molding public and official perceptions of government performance. Furthermore, it accentuates the essentiality of proactive government communication strategies in managing public perception, advocating for the institutionalization of performance information dissemination to effectively address the nuances of both successful and unsuccessful policy measures.

Forest and Land Fire: Indonesian Government's Homework on Communicating Environmental, Social and Legal Countermeasures in South Kalimantan

This research aims to elucidate the government's communication strategies on the forest and land fire catastrophe in South Kalimantan. By inquiring about the effectiveness of government communication regarding forest and land fires in South Kalimantan. By employing Ulber Silalahi's idea of government communication. The research methodology utilized in this work uses a qualitative approach, specifically of a descriptive type. The selected research methodology is descriptive qualitative, which entails investigating and understanding individual or group perspectives on human and social matters. The data collection methods utilized include interviews, examination of documents, and review of literature. There is little communication among the government, communities, and the private sector regarding government actions taken and implemented by the government bureaucracy concerning forest and land fires, which affect public, community, and commercial interests. To address and reduce the issue of forest and land fires, the Indonesian government and other relevant parties must adopt efficient policies and measures, including promoting agroforestry, education on fire prevention, enforcement of laws, and rehabilitation of degraded lands. Hence, it is crucial for the government to effectively disseminate diverse policies and measures aimed at preventing and resolving forest and land fires in South Kalimantan.

Government Communication in Building Religious Moderation Based on Local Wisdom Values in Tanjung Balai City

The objective of this study is to examine the government's communication strategies in building religious moderation in Tanjung Balai City. This research holds significance due to the historical prevalence of intolerance instances in the city of Tanjungbalai, earning it the reputation as one of the places with a high level of intolerance. Tanjung Balai possesses a rich historical heritage of local wisdom that might serve as a means to promote religious moderation within the community. This study employs a qualitative research methodology utilizing a phenomenological approach. The data collection techniques employed in this article are observation, interviews, and documentation. Then, the collected data will be analyzed. The obtained data will undergo analysis employing qualitative research methods. The research findings indicate that the city of Tanjung Balai is currently rich in ethnic and religious diversity. This city possesses a distinctive cultural background due to the presence of multiple communities that still adhere to animism and dynamism. Local knowledge can be effectively utilized to combat intolerance by promoting unity and setting aside differences. Currently, the government has been advocating for the utilization of local knowledge as a means to achieve religious moderation. However, the extent of its effectiveness has not yet been measured. At this level, it is necessary for the government to actively collaborate and create synergy with the community in order to mitigate religious issues in the city of Tanjung Balai.

Thai dance diplomacy: Thai government communication strategies for building soft power through staging Thai performances abroad

ABSTRACT Thailand has employed dance diplomacy in its international relations activities for more than 150 years, but there is a dearth of research on Thai dance. This study empirically explores untapped data on Thai dances used by Thai royal courts and governments. The research objectives are to elucidate communication strategies and strategic designs behind the ‘Thai dance diplomacy’ sponsored by Thai governments from 1998 to 2022 and to study the effectiveness of the diplomacy’s evaluation. Documentary research and in-depth interviews with five experts behind official Thai performances at home and abroad were conducted. The results indicate that directors designed performances based on budget constraint, creativity, cultural familiarity, and similarity between Thailand and other countries, exploiting the meanings of occasions upon which shows were performed. Show tactics were derived in alignment with the modified SMCR model of Thai dance communications by Virulrak ([2004]. หลักการแสดงนาฏยศิลป์ปริทรรศน์ [Principles of dramatic arts]. Bangkok: Chulalongkorn University Press) to portray beautiful, skilful, moral, and contemporary elements of Thai culture. A pitfall of Thai dance diplomacy is the evaluation system, which employs only the subjective judgement of diplomats and dance crews.

Communicating in diverse local cultures: Analyzing Chinese government communication programs around nuclear power projects

AbstractPrevious studies have demonstrated the importance of sociocultural context in the process of government communication, but few studies have elaborated on the underlying mechanisms. By comparing government communication strategies under diverse sociocultural factors, this study aims to explore the role of local culture as a contextual factor in the design of government communication. Drawing on evidence from China's government communication on nuclear power projects, we explore how the central government constructed communication strategies based on different local cultures to enhance public acceptance of nuclear power projects. A comparison of this case in two cities reveals that the government can design communication strategies based on their understanding of local citizens – using local culture as the basis of audience segmentation to create different communication strategies for different citizens.

Assessing the Effectiveness of Government Communication on Public Policy in Ghana: The Case of Planting for Food and Jobs Policy

This paper examined the effectiveness of government communication on public policy in Ghana using the Planting for Food and Jobs (PFJ) policy as a case. Data was obtained from 412 inhabitants from the Western Region who responded to a set of questionnaires and a structured interview guide. Means, standard deviation, Mann-Whitney U-test, and Kruskal Wallis test were employed for data analysis. The study established that though respondents perceived the PFJ policy as highly relevant to job creation and food production, the overall effect of the policy on job creation was low. No significant differences existed in the views of male and female respondents regarding the perceived effect of the policy on job creation and food production. Government communication strategies to promote awareness, public dialogue, shared understanding, and public support towards the policy were all perceived as moderately effective. However, government communication activities to explain the policy details to the public, mobilize citizens and communities to support the policy, and promote positive behavior change for the policy were perceived as lowly effective by the respondents despite the differences in their ethnic backgrounds. Government press releases and press conferences on the progress of the policy were lowly effective. Though government communication at the implementation stage of the policy was effective, it was generally ineffective during the formulation, monitoring, and evaluation stages of the policy. Measures suggested to sustain the policy include increased commitments from state authorities, increased participation by all stakeholders, improved communication on the policy, grassroots ownership, and de-politicization of the policy.

Examining the debate on government's communication strategies for covid-19 management in online media: A content analysis

The Covid-19 pandemic has had far-reaching effects worldwide, impacting various aspects of society and the economy. For this, governments have faced significant challenges in addressing this global crisis. Amidst the outbreak, there have been public debates and disputes surrounding government communication and policies related to Covid-19. The lack of public understanding of the implemented measures has led to criticism of the government's response, seen insufficient and ineffective in communicating with the public. This study focuses on analyzing controversies and debates surrounding government policies during the early stages of the pandemic. Using a quantitative content analysis approach, the study examined policy content sourced from popular Indonesian news media portals. The research findings indicated that the president played a central role in conveying government policies, which primarily focused on macro-level strategies to combat the pandemic. However, the communication of these policies has generated significant controversy and discord among the public.

Enhancing Government Communication Strategies for Effective Health In-formation and Public Health Education

Effective government communication is pivotal in disseminating health information and education to the public, shaping public perceptions, and influencing behavior change. Government agencies play a central role in disseminating critical health information, shaping public perceptions, and fostering behavioral change. This research investigates the multifaceted landscape of government communication strategies within the context of public health. Through an analysis of trust and credibility, messaging effectiveness, challenges related to misinformation, community and stakeholder engagement, and lessons learned, this study provides valuable insights into the strengths and challenges of government health communication. The research reveals that trust in government health sources remains a cornerstone of effective communication, necessitating transparency, responsiveness, and credibility preservation. Clear and accessible messaging emerges as a linchpin for motivating positive health behaviors, with implications for public compliance with guidelines and recommendations. The prevalence of misinformation on digital platforms underscores the urgency of addressing this issue collaboratively, demanding proactive strategies and media literacy promotion. Collaboration with community organizations and stakeholders, coupled with public participation, contributes to the tailoring of health messages and the cultivation of trust among diverse populations. Lessons learned underscore the need for real-time adaptation, proactive strategies to combat misinformation, empowerment of the public through health literacy, and a commitment to transparency. In conclusion, this research offers a roadmap for government agencies seeking to enhance their health communication strategies. The policy implications highlight the importance of prioritizing clarity and accessibility in messaging, fostering partnerships, combating misinformation, building trust, empowering the public, and engaging in real-time monitoring and adaptation. As we navigate the dynamic landscape of health communication, this study reaffirms the pivotal role of government agencies in shaping healthier, more informed, and resilient communities.

Reclaiming the Authority to Plan: Recentralization of COVID-19 Response in Ghana

ABSTRACT The paper examines the implications of COVID-19 pandemic on multi-level governance (MLG) in Ghana. Adopting a qualitative document analysis approach supported by 18 key informant interviews, the findings revealed four enablers of recentralization: COVID-19-induced legislations for centralized decision, centralized distribution of relief packages and medical supplies, centralized institutional response, and centralized government communication strategies. Despite the use of centralized policy making, the management of pandemic is fraught with institutional inefficiencies, rigidities, and ambiguities. The paper argues that the recentralization of COVID-19 management is symptomatic of a long period of neglect of MLG in Ghana. Since, local governments are perceived as inept and ill-equipped, there is a mistaken believe that recentralized decisions are more effective during emergencies. To ensure an effective response to public emergencies, its mitigation and post-crisis recovery in developing countries, a MLG approach – where central, local, and other non-state actors work together in equal partnership is crucial.

Information under lockdown: A content analysis of government communication strategies on Facebook during the COVID-19 outbreak

The aim of this study is to investigate how central government agencies used social media to communicate and disseminate information to the public during the Coronavirus outbreak. In addition, this study seeks to examine the characteristics of the messages, content, and engagement rates of the information which has been published by the four central government bodies responsible for the management of the emerging crisis in Israel. This article is based on content analysis to examine the work of four main government ministries on Facebook (Ministry of Health, Ministry of Defense, Ministry of Education and Ministry of Finance) throughout the first six months of the crisis from February to July 2020. Findings indicate that The Ministry of Health's posts yielded the highest engagement rates compared to the rest of the ministries. Also, we categorized the posts into four main categories: Policy, Advocacy & COVID-19 additional information, Restrictions, Guidelines & Recommendations. In terms of Sentiment analysis, posts containing restrictions have created the highest emotional reactions (positive and negative). Research findings can be deduced regarding modes of distribution in terms of messages, publication dates, and types of content to improve users' responses in terms of audience engagement and sentiment.

Strategi Komunikasi Pengembangan Pariwisata di Kelurahan Matakando Kota Bima

The implementation of tourism development policies in the Matakando Village Kota Bima requires an appropriate communication strategy. Mapping a communication strategy is one way for the government to develop regional potential in 10 Matakando Villages with all forms of available Natural Resources. Researchers examine tourism development through the implementation of communication strategies in understanding existing regulations as well as describing the use of government communication strategies to collaborate with various parties in tourism development in local areas. This situation requires a relevant collaborative approach and analysis of the suitability of the concept of implementing a communication strategy originating from regulations, observational data, collection of complementary documents to meet the needs of research on tourism development. Examined from this context, the researchers used a type of qualitative research through a literature review approach. This position places researchers to sort, select, analyze phenomena that occur within the scope of implementing communication strategy policies through a number of supporting documents, articles, tourism narratives in interpreting various issues regarding tourism development communication strategies. Based on the results of observations in the field and the results of document analysis, it was found that a number of implementations of policy communication strategies were found in the communication strategy for tourism development in Matakando Village, including adaptation to facility development and implementation of strategic policies. Facility development adaptation is related to environmental management through various supporting facilities in the development of local area spatial planning. Facility development adaptation is related to environmental management through various supporting facilities in the development of local area spatial planning. Meanwhile, the implementation of strategic policies is related to government collaboration with various parties in assisting tourism development in the Matakando sub-district.

Model Pengembangan Pembiayaan Syariah Sektor Pertanian di Provinsi Aceh: Suatu Telaah Soft System Methodology

The agricultural sector is the largest sector for economic output in Aceh which also dominates the largest number of workers in Aceh. The Aceh government needs to establish strategic steps to formulate financing in the sector as stipulated in the agricultural regulations based on Qanun Number 11 of 2018 about Islamic Financial Institutions (LKS). This research is designed to formulate system for developing Islamic financing in the agricultural sector after the implementation of Qanun Number 11 of 2018 about LKS in Aceh with soft systems methodology (SSM) approach. This study has resulted a conceptual model of the Islamic financing strategy for the agricultural sector in Aceh Province. Based on the results of the review of the conceptual framework using the SSM approach, strategies that can be performed for implementation of Islamic agricultural finance are the Islamic financial product strategy, Islamic agricultural financing institutional strategy, local and central government communication strategies, and human resource development strategy. This study recommends that the Government of Aceh needs to prepare regulatory policies, Islamic financial product schemes, and institutions in strengthening the implementation of Islamic financing based on the agricultural sector in Aceh.
 
 Keywords: islamic financing, agriculture, soft systems methodology, Qanun LKS

Linguistic and communication exclusion in COVID-19 awareness campaigns in Malawi

The emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic has unravelled the significance of having robust communication structures about health and disease to dynamic societies. The need to construct a mutual understanding of health issues has become imperative, and achieving a universal understanding of the disease burden requires robust information-sharing processes which can easily surmount the barriers to communication. What is challenging, however, is to communicate in a way and in a language that the majority of the population understands. In Malawi, where the majority of the population (84 per cent) live in rural areas, and without access to information technologies, it becomes more challenging when devising messages that should reach such hard-to-reach populations. This therefore begs the question: how effective is the COVID-19 communication to the Malawi public domain? This article attempts to answer this question by discussing the language choice vis-à-vis the lingua-cultural needs of the masses in COVID-19 awareness, and the strategies and modes of communication in COVID-19 communication. In view of this, the article argues that the government communication strategies concerning COVID-19 were not entirely effective. The article notes that the use of English in most of the COVID-19 messages has excluded the majority and has perpetuated the attitude of perceiving COVID-19 as a disease for the rich people. The modes being used in communicating COVID-19 do not effectively reach the masses since the media penetration is minimal resulting in most Malawians getting second-hand information and developing myths and conspiracy theories. The article concludes that it is imperative for Malawi to devise a contextually appropriate framework for communicating complex health messages.

How ‘cocooning’ as a public health measure was reported during the Covid-19 crisis

Abstract This paper explores the nature of newspaper coverage of ‘cocooning’ as a public health measure at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic in Ireland in 2020. The study, which focuses on coverage in The Irish Times, shows that the number of human-interest-framed articles on cocooning was approximately four times greater than the number of informative ones. This suggests that the proportion of human-interest and emotive stories diluted the volume of informative articles. The findings also point to an absence of significant official voices in the coverage of cocooning, such as key ministerial figures, which may have contributed to knowledge gaps. There was also a discernible gender bias, not just in experts quoted but also in the journalists who wrote news and feature articles. The study offers important lessons for government communication strategies in how important public information is provided to target groups.

Government Communication Strategies in Time of Pandemic: Comparative Study between South Korea and Indonesia

The COVID-19 pandemic is a multi-faceted crisis with a very high public health risk. The more difficult the pandemic, the greater emphasis must be placed on effective government communications. It will play a major role in responding to the pandemic successfully. Meanwhile, ineffective government communication has resulted in widespread public uncertainty and major blunders in reacting to escalating health dangers have had potentially devastating health and social consequences for society, as well as protracted the outbreak. This paper conducts an empirical and comparative analysis of the determinants of government communication strategies in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic in Korea and Indonesia. It aims to explain the success of Korean public communication compared to Indonesia. This study uses a literature review along with a case study using comparable variables. The determining factors used are initial conditions, institutional capacity, transparency, effective coordination, and collaboration between stakeholders. Evidence shows that Korea is better off across all determinants. The lessons from the experience of government communication strategies in responding to the pandemic in these two countries can be used to teach other countries what to do and not to do in government communication services in the midst of a pandemic situation.

Social media sentiment analysis to monitor the performance of vaccination coverage during the early phase of the national COVID-19 vaccine rollout

Background and objectiveSocial media sentiment analysis based on Twitter data can facilitate real-time monitoring of COVID-19 vaccine-related concerns. Thus, the governments can adopt proactive measures to address misinformation and inappropriate behaviors surrounding the COVID-19 vaccine, threatening the success of the national vaccination campaign. This study aims to identify the correlation between COVID-19 vaccine sentiments expressed on Twitter and COVID-19 vaccination coverage, case increase, and case fatality rate in Indonesia. MethodsWe retrieved COVID-19 vaccine-related tweets collected from Indonesian Twitter users between October 15, 2020, to April 12, 2021, using Drone Emprit Academic (DEA) platform. We collected the daily trend of COVID-19 vaccine coverage and the rate of case increase and case fatality from the Ministry of Health (MoH) official website and the KawalCOVID19 database, respectively. We identified the public sentiments, emotions, word usage, and trend of all filtered tweets 90 days before and after the national vaccination rollout in Indonesia. ResultsUsing a total of 555,892 COVID-19 vaccine-related tweets, we observed the negative sentiments outnumbered positive sentiments for 59 days (65.50%), with the predominant emotion of anticipation among 90 days of the beginning of the study period. However, after the vaccination rollout, the positive sentiments outnumbered negative sentiments for 56 days (62.20%) with the growth of trust emotion, which is consistent with the positive appeals of the recent news about COVID-19 vaccine safety and the government's proactive risk communication. In addition, there was a statistically significant trend of vaccination sentiment scores, which strongly correlated with the increase of vaccination coverage (r = 0.71, P<.0001 both first and second doses) and the decreasing of case increase rate (r = -0.70, P<.0001) and case fatality rate (r = -0.74, P<.0001). ConclusionsOur results highlight the utility of social media sentiment analysis as government communication strategies to build public trust, affecting individual willingness to get vaccinated. This finding will be useful for countries to identify and develop strategies for speed up the vaccination rate by monitoring the dynamic netizens' reactions and expression in social media, especially Twitter, using sentiment analysis.

The Saudi Ministries Twitter communication strategies during the COVID-19 pandemic: A qualitative content analysis study

ObjectivesTo understand government communication strategies during the COVID-19 pandemic by examining topics related to COVID-19 posted by Saudi governmental ministries on Twitter and situating our findings within existing health behavior theoretical frameworks. Study designRetrospective content analysis of COVID-19 related tweets. MethodsOn November 7th, 2020, we extracted relevant tweets posted by five Saudi governmental ministries. After we extracted the data, we developed and applied a coding schema. ResultsA total of 3,950 tweets were included in our dataset. Topics fell into two groups: disease-related (49.2%) and non-disease related (50.8%). The disease-related group included seven categories: awareness (18.5%), symptom (0.6%), prevention (7.7%), disease transmission (1.9%), treatment (0.3%), testing (3.4%), and reports (16.7%). The non-disease related group included eight categories: lockdown (5.9%), online learning (12.8%), digital platforms (4.3%), empowerment (12.0%), accountability (1.1%), non-disease reports (2.1%), local and international news (10.8%), and general statements (1.9%). Based on the correlation analysis, we found that the top positively correlated categories were: “testing” and “digital platforms” (r = 0.4157), “awareness” and “prevention” (r = 0.3088), “prevention” and “disease transmission” (r = 0.3025), “awareness” and “disease transmission” (r = 0.1685), “symptom” and “testing” (r = 0.1081), “awareness” and “symptom” (r = 0.0812), “symptom” and “digital platforms” (r = 0.0645), and “disease transmission” and “digital platforms” (r = 0.0450), p-values < 0.01. Several health behavior theoretical constructs were linked to our findings. ConclusionsIntegrating behavioral theories in the development of health risk communication should be taken seriously by government communication specialists who manage social media accounts, as these theories help underlining determinants of people's behaviors.