Local Government Communication: Reaching out through Facebook

2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 217-243
Author(s):  
Lucia Hrůzová ◽  
Filip Hrůza
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Czech Republic ◽  
Local Governments ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Social Networking Site ◽  
The Czech Republic ◽  
The Public ◽  
Government Communication ◽  
Frequency Of Use ◽  
Alternative Service

The development of Web 2.0 technologies has led to the expansion of new technologies and services such as social media, which has become a new tool for public participation and alternative service delivery based on higher G2C (government to citizens) responsiveness. This ongoing development has caused governments to face expectations to adapt their communication channels to the changing environment of online social interactions. The main purpose of this paper is to investigate how local governments in the Czech Republic use social media in their communications with the public and the effects of these communications. To do so, this paper presents a comprehensive analysis of the Facebook communications of Czech regional capitals using multiple methodological approaches, including a survey, statistical analysis and an OLS model. The Facebook social networking site was chosen for this research because of its prevalent popularity over all relevant social media and the frequency of use in the Czech Republic both in general and by local governments, and because of its higher complexity of G2C interactions. The outcomes are given in the context of the relevant previous research.

scholarly journals Providing Public Sport Facilities in Post-Socialist Times: The Case of the Czech Republic

2015 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 190-199
Author(s):  
Jakub Popelka
Keyword(s):  
Czech Republic ◽  
Local Governments ◽  
Sport Participation ◽  
Local Level ◽  
Local Population ◽  
Organized Sport ◽  
The Czech Republic ◽  
The Public ◽  
Research Findings ◽  
Sport Facilities

AbstractThe paper aims to investigate current approaches to the management of public sport facilities by local governments. In the Czech Republic, local clubs traditionally played a key role in providing sport to the public. With decreasing participation in organized sport, a significant number of clubs have been forced to transfer their facilities to local governments and the sport position of local authorities has strengthened considerably in recent years. In consequence, there have been alterations in the management of public sport facilities. The findings of statistical analysis emphasize an increasing role of specialized organizations at the expense of in-house management or external provision (facilities hired out to sport clubs). Moreover, local population and type of facility were found to be the possible reasons for different approaches. In-house management is associated with smaller municipalities whereas most of their facilities have the character of public goods. In contrast, publicly funded organizations and municipal enterprises appear in municipalities with larger populations providing sport facilities of regional importance in the form of mixed goods. Finally, clubs, as representatives of external provision, mostly provide sport facilities primarily intended for their own purposes - club goods. In the context of recent works and contemporary trends in sport participation, the research findings indicate that different forms of management may have significant effects not only on efficiency of public budgets but also on conditions for sport at local level - especially on targeting those who would participate in sport if they had access to new opportunities or leisure programs.

scholarly journals WHY SHOULD LOCAL GOVERNMENTS HAVE A DEVELOPED COMMUNICATION STRATEGY? AN ANALYSIS OF MUNICIPAL COMMUNICATION IN THE CZECH REPUBLIC

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 302-308
Author(s):  
MIROSLAV JURÁSEK ◽  
PETR WAWROSZ
Keyword(s):  
Czech Republic ◽  
Crisis Communication ◽  
Local Governments ◽  
Communication Channels ◽  
Communication Strategy ◽  
The Other ◽  
Financial Resources ◽  
The Czech Republic ◽  
The Public ◽  
Municipal Employees

The creation of a communication strategy is an indicator of the subject's approach to communication with the public. The article, based on a sample of 160 municipalities of the Czech Republic, empirically demonstrates that an elaborated communication strategy enhances the public value of intangible assets particularly in the following areas: various segments of citizens are better targeted through a greater number of frequented communication channels, municipal employees are more frequently trained in communication issues, crisis communication plans are likely to be prepared. On the other hand, we confirmed that all these factors are limited to some extent by the size of the municipality and the financial resources allocated for communication.

scholarly journals Analysis of the perceived condition of forests in the Czech Republic

2013 ◽  
Vol 59 (No. 12) ◽  
pp. 514-519 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Riedl ◽  
L. Šišák
Keyword(s):  
Czech Republic ◽  
Public Perception ◽  
Forest Policy ◽  
Successful Implementation ◽  
The Czech Republic ◽  
The Real ◽  
The Public ◽  
Forestry Sector ◽  
Realistic Perception ◽  
Opinion Polls

A realistic perception of the condition of forests, and the attributes of the forestry sector, by the public constitutes one of the basic prerequisites for successful implementation of forest policy in any country. Although data objectively demonstrate that the condition of Czech forests has improved, opinion polls show a gap between the public perception of the condition of Czech forests and the real status of these forests. The reasons for the discrepancy between reality and the perception of the public, and between the results of different surveys, are analysed. The most significant differences were found in perceptions of damage and threats to forests. The effectiveness of communication about forest policy is discussed, and some ways to create more effective communication are examined.

Public leadership and strategies of Czech municipalities during the COVID-19 pandemic – municipal activism vs municipal passivism

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Michal Plaček ◽  
David Špaček ◽  
František Ochrana
Keyword(s):  
Czech Republic ◽  
Local Governments ◽  
Strategic Behavior ◽  
Participant Observation ◽  
Capital City ◽  
The Czech Republic ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Public Leadership

PurposeThis paper discusses the role of public leadership and the strategic response of local governments to the external shock caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The authors examine the typical Czech response with regard to how the leadership of municipalities in the Czech Republic responded to this extremely negative external stimulus.Design/methodology/approachThe authors use qualitative research methods for this investigation. They have chosen the case study method (see Yin, 2009; Stake, 1995; Klonoski, 2013). The general case is the Czech Republic. Mini-cases consist of municipalities from the Znojmo region, municipalities of the Central Bohemian region and the municipal districts in the capital city of Prague. Furthermore, the method of participant observation was used.FindingsThe authors’ analysis of the problem of local government responses to the pandemic crisis shows that municipal leaders responded with a variety of (non-)adaptation strategies. It appears that certain framework factors influenced the various local governments' behavior.Originality/valueThe article examines the strategic behavior of Czech municipal leaders regarding the pandemic crisis based on the observation of the reactions of local governments in the Czech Republic to the pandemic crisis and strives to define their basic strategies.

scholarly journals Increase in hepatitis A cases in the Czech Republic in 2008 - preliminary report

2008 ◽  
Vol 13 (40) ◽  
Author(s):  
K Fabianova ◽  
J Cástková ◽  
C Beneš ◽  
J Kyncl ◽  
B Kriz
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Czech Republic ◽  
Viral Hepatitis ◽  
Preliminary Report ◽  
Hepatitis A ◽  
Health Protection ◽  
The Czech Republic ◽  
The Public ◽  
Viral Hepatitis A ◽  
Public Health Protection

The public health protection authorities in the Czech Republic report a rise in cases of viral hepatitis A (HAV) since the end of May 2008. In total, as many as 602 HAV cases have been reported in 2008 until the end of calendar week 39 (28 September).

scholarly journals Consequences of the Public Contract Law for Purchase of Scientific Appliances in the Czech Republic

2015 ◽  
Vol 63 (2) ◽  
pp. 675-681
Author(s):  
Martin Vyklický
Keyword(s):  
Czech Republic ◽  
Contract Law ◽  
Public Funds ◽  
The Czech Republic ◽  
The Public ◽  
Flow Of Funds ◽  
Science And Research ◽  
Research Equipment ◽  
Public Contract

This article essentially covers in more detail the consequences of the present wording of the Public Contract Law for purchase of scientific appliances in the Czech Republic. The beginning of the article deals with increasing public expenses in research; then, the problem is defined concerning unsuitable wording of certain provisions of the Public Contract Law; while subsequently, the solution for the problem is searched together with the final comments. Investing of public funds into science and research is probably the most efficient in a long-term horizon. However, the flow of funds for acquisition of scientific and research equipment should be supported by appropriate legislation with such wording and form not to prevent purchases of that equipment. Availability of public funds for something which in fact cannot be, due to wrongly set legislation, acquired by a contracting authority is the problem which must be eliminated through timely implementation of the above proposed changes in the Public Contract Law.

scholarly journals The Role of Social Media in Promoting Information Disclosure on Environmental Incidents: An Evolutionary Game Theory Perspective

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shuang Ling ◽  
Shan Gao ◽  
Wenhui Liu
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Local Government ◽  
Local Governments ◽  
Information Disclosure ◽  
Central Government ◽  
Media Use ◽  
Evolutionary Game ◽  
Media Influence ◽  
Social Media Use ◽  
The Public

Despite the expectation that social media use in the public sector contributes to enhancing government's transparency, few studies have been investigated whether social media use actually leads to more disclosure during environmental incidents in practice and how social media influence local governments and their officials' information disclosure. In this article, we model information disclosure during environmental incidents as an evolutionary game process between the central government and local government in social media context, and examine the internal mechanism that how social media influence the progress of information disclosure during environmental incidents. The findings indicate that social media plays an active constructive role in central-local government game relations. Specific- ally, social media can provides an efficient information channels for the central government supervise regional officials in environmental incidents, and thus improves its supervision efficiency, and it also provides an important means for internet mobilization and online-offline interaction by encouraging the public exchange information and express their views, and in turn forces local governments and their officials tend to disclosure ahead.

scholarly journals Exploring citizen science in post-socialist space: Uncovering its hidden character in the Czech Republic

2019 ◽  
Vol 27 (4) ◽  
pp. 241-253 ◽  
Author(s):  
Barbora Duží ◽  
Robert Osman ◽  
Jiří Lehejček ◽  
Eva Nováková ◽  
Pavel Taraba ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Czech Republic ◽  
Citizen Science ◽  
The Czech Republic ◽  
The Public ◽  
Public Representation ◽  
Science Projects ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
High Level ◽  
Search Approach ◽  
Insight Into

Abstract Citizen science is a relatively new phenomenon in the Czech Republic and currently a general overview of existing citizen science projects is not available. This presents the challenge to uncover the ‘hidden’ citizen science landscapes. The main objective of this paper is to explore the (public) representation of citizen science (CS) projects and to describe their heterogeneity. The study aims to answer the question of what type of projects in the Czech Republic meet the definition of citizen science. Based on a specific methodological data-base search approach, we compiled a set of CS projects (N = 73). During the classification process, two general citizen science categories were identified. The first group (N = 46) consists of “pure” CS projects with a prevalence towards the natural sciences, principally ornithology, and thus corresponding to general European trends. Citizens usually participate in such research in the form of data collection and basic interpretation, and a high level of cooperation between academia and NGOs was detected. The second group of “potential” CS projects (N = 27) entails various forms of public participation in general, frequently coordinated by NGOs. Based on these results, we discuss the position of citizen science in the Czech Republic, including socially-oriented citizen science. Further research is strongly encouraged to achieve a more in-depth insight into this social phenomenon.

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