Digital networks in public administration: The case of #Localgov

Abstract

Digital networking has been shaping interactions between governments and their respective publics over the last years. At the same time, networking spaces have become hosts to informal communities of public sector professionals engaging in discussions that remain largely unexplored. This papers looks at the dynamics of interaction between public sector professionals in digital networking spaces using a dataset of tweets that contain the hashtag #localgov. This hashtag is used by a variety of accounts mainly within the UK local government. An analysis of 235,681 tweets posted during 2013–2015 shows how #localgov facilitates interactions and the sharing of expertise within the context of intense financial cuts imposed by the UK government. We discuss how networking spaces like #localgov support open discourses as part a network of practice outside organisational barriers.