Social Media in the Public Sector


Book Description

Grounded in solid research, Social Media in the Public Sector explores the myriad uses of social media in the public sector and combines existing practices with theories of public administration, networked governance, and information management. Comprehensive in scope, the book includes best practices, the strategic, managerial, administrative, and procedural aspects of using social media, and explains the theoretical dimensions of how social behavior affects the adoption of social media technologies. Praise for Social Media in the Public Sector "Mergel has produced a foundational work that combines the best kind of scholarship with shoe-leather reporting and anthropology that highlights the debates that government agencies are struggling to resolve and the fruits of their efforts as they embrace the social media revolution. Social Media in the Public Sector is a first and sets a high standard against which subsequent analysis will be measured." —Lee Rainie, director, Pew Research Center's Internet & American Life Project "Mergel is an award-winning author who again wields her story skills in this book. She excels in explaining in concrete, practical terms how government managers can use social media to serve the public. Her book puts years of research into one handy guide. It's practical. It's readable. And it's an essential read." —John M. Kamensky, senior fellow, IBM Center for The Business of Government "Mergel moves beyond the hype with detailed, comprehensive research on social media technologies, use, management, and policies in government. This book should be required reading for researchers and public managers alike." —Jane Fountain, professor and director, National Center for Digital Government, University of Massachusetts Amherst "Comprehensive and compelling, Social Media in the Public Sector makes the case that to achieve Government 2.0, agencies must first adopt Web 2.0 social technologies. Mergel explains both how and why in this contemporary study of traditional institutions adopting and adapting to new technologies." —Beth Simone Noveck, United States Deputy Chief Technology Officer (2009-2011)




Social Media and Africa's Public Sector


Book Description

This book focuses on developing a systematic approach to understanding the transformations in Africa's public sector social media landscape. Looking at the use of social media from the African public sector perspective, the authors present a comprehensive understanding of social media practices and how these could be integrated into African public sector institutions’ operational activities in order to deliver greater value for African citizens and consumers of public goods and services. Chapters explore how social media in Africa differs from traditional media use, their application in the public sector, objectives for government using social media, and how social media plays an interactive role in e-government services. Providings practical guidance on the use of social media in Africa’s public sector and governmental spaces, the book also serves as a teaching text in governance and public sector communication efforts within the African context for both undergraduate and graduate programmes.




Social Media and Politics in Africa


Book Description

The smartphone and social media have transformed Africa, allowing people across the continent to share ideas, organise, and participate in politics like never before. While both activists and governments alike have turned to social media as a new form of political mobilization, some African states have increasingly sought to clamp down on the technology, introducing restrictive laws or shutting down networks altogether. Drawing on over a dozen new empirical case studies – from Kenya to Somalia, South Africa to Tanzania – this collection explores how rapidly growing social media use is reshaping political engagement in Africa. But while social media has often been hailed as a liberating tool, the book demonstrates how it has often served to reinforce existing power dynamics, rather than challenge them. Featuring experts from a range of disciplines from across the continent, this collection is the first comprehensive overview of social media and politics in Africa. By examining the historical, political, and social context in which these media platforms are used, the book reveals the profound effects of cyber-activism, cyber-crime, state policing and surveillance on political participation.




Ethics and Accountable Governance in Africa's Public Sector, Volume II


Book Description

This book is a fascinating treatment of ethics, governance, and anti-corruption initiatives from a public sector management perspective and is especially relevant for an Africa looking to benefit from the recently launched Africa Continental Free Trade Area. This second part of a two-volume set spans a wide array of contemporary issues. Chapters explore the challenges related to building an ethical climate in Africa’s public sector, what the imperatives of anti-corruption initiatives should be in Africa, ethical orientation in promoting project performance, corporate governance in Zimbabwe’s local authorities and the role of NGOs/CSOs in promoting public sector accountability. On digitalisation, the book discusses the management of Tanzanian public service integrity in the digital era and digital innovation towards sustainable public sector administration in Africa. Public sector management, ethics and corporate governance academics, students, managers and policy makers will find this edited volume critical to improving public sector management in Africa.




Public Sector Reform in the Middle East and North Africa


Book Description

Critical examinations of efforts to make governments more efficient and responsive Political upheavals and civil wars in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) have obscured efforts by many countries in the region to reform their public sectors. Unwieldy, unresponsive—and often corrupt—governments across the region have faced new pressure, not least from their publics, to improve the quality of public services and open up their decisionmaking processes. Some of these reform efforts were under way and at least partly successful before the outbreak of the Arab Spring in 2010. Reform efforts have continued in some countries despite the many upheavals since then. This book offers a comprehensive assessment of a wide range of reform efforts in nine countries. In six cases the reforms targeted core systems of government: Jordan's restructuring of cabinet operations, the Palestinian Authority's revision of public financial management, Morocco's voluntary retirement program, human resource management reforms in Lebanon, an e-governance initiative in Dubai, and attempts to improve transparency in Tunisia. Five other reform efforts tackled line departments of government, among them Egypt's attempt to improve tax collection and Saudi Arabia's work to improve service delivery and bill collection. Some of these reform efforts were more successful than others. This book examines both the good and the bad, looking not only at what each reform accomplished but at how it was implemented. The result is a series of useful lessons on how public sector reforms can be adopted in MENA.




Public Sector Marketing Communications Volume I


Book Description

African nations are seeking ways to build strong institutions that are development-oriented and people-centred. Extant literature has reported the negative consequences of ineffective government communications with the public. In response, this book — the first of a two-volume edited work — focuses on marketing communication themes related to branding, public relations, trade fairs and exhibitions, and public sector communications. Public sector marketing communication plays a crucial role in bridging the gap between society and the government. Building a relationship with the public through appropriate communication tools and platforms is sacrosanct to restoring public sector image and trust. The book supports this effort by sharing conceptual and theoretical research towards the marketisation of Africa’s public sector as it strives to become an effective partner with the public it serves. Together with the second volume, which focuses on traditional and digital perspectives, this collection fills an existing information gap that is evident in Africa’s public sector.




Social Media and Democracy


Book Description

A state-of-the-art account of what we know and do not know about the effects of digital technology on democracy.




New Public Management in Africa


Book Description

This book analyses and evaluates the accomplishments, challenges, and approaches associated with the New Public Management (NPM) in Africa towards establishing context-specific interventions for public sector institutions' performance. Taking the reader through various business and management approaches, including leadership in the public sector, digitalisation, market orientation and trust building, this book provides an understanding of the key issues facing public sector organisations in Africa and offers novel ways of approaching public management in a changing socio-economic landscape to drive improved performance of public institutions. The book offers students, practitioners and researchers important insights on NPM and public sector institutions in Africa. The recommendations of the book will help government and policymakers implement appropriate public sector management policies for strengthening public sector service delivery in Africa.




Digital Transformation in Public Sector Human Resource Management


Book Description

The advent of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) has created a pressing need for digital transformation in human resources management (HRM) in public institutions. Traditional practices must be updated, preventing institutions from effectively managing their workforce and meeting stakeholder demands. The lack of digitalization leads to inefficiencies, ineffective performance evaluation, and an inability to adapt to the rapidly evolving technological landscape. This gap between existing HR practices and the demands of the digital age poses a significant challenge for public sector organizations. Digital Transformation in Public Sector Human Resource Management offers a comprehensive solution to the challenges faced by public institutions. The book provides practical insights and strategies for aligning HR practices with the modern technological landscape by exploring how digital transformation can revolutionize HRM processes. It demonstrates the benefits of adopting digital technologies and innovative strategies in public sector HRM through real-world examples and case studies. The book guides public sector professionals, policymakers, and academics, helping them navigate the complexities of digital transformation in HRM.




Ethics and Accountable Governance in Africa's Public Sector, Volume I


Book Description

This book is an excellent resource for academics and students interested in ethics and accountability in the public sector, as well as for practitioners, NGO workers and policymakers. Over the last decades, issues in ethical leadership have become central to the global call for higher moral standards on the part of corporate organisations and their leaders and managers. The book’s chapters investigate these concerns in Africa, where governance gaps often reflect poor leadership. Parenthetically, in 2001, a UNDP report found difficulties in applying anti-corruption laws and managing public institutions in the continent. Twenty years on, significant efforts have been made to improve the situation, yet extensive challenges still subsist. In this first volume, contributors discuss the practice of ethics, anti-corruption, and performance management, and propose solutions, some general to the continent and others country-specific.