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The UK COVID-19 app: the failed co-production of a digital public service
Version 2 2023-06-12, 08:06
Version 1 2023-06-10, 01:10
journal contribution
posted on 2023-06-12, 08:06 authored by Tobias Polzer, Galina GoncharenkoThe COVID-19 pandemic put governments under pressure to make radical and urgent decisions, and to implement new digital solutions to steer society and deliver public services. Our study analyzes social media discourse to understand the co-production of a digital public service in an emergency situation. Empirically, we mobilize Twitter netnography and discourse analysis to examine citizens’ perceptions of the contact tracing app (CTA) introduced by the UK government to tackle the pandemic and save lives. Our study contributes to research on public sector accountability for digital transformations by advancing scholarly understanding of how societal concerns and public perceptions impact the co-production of digital services. Our findings reveal a high level of public skepticism toward the app and a general distrust of the UK government among the main social challenges of the CTA's implementation. Furthermore, we evidence widespread public distress over the potential violation of democratic freedoms and misuse of the data collected by the app. Finally, we reflect on the linkages between the lack of governmental accountability and the difficulties in mitigating the expressed societal concerns, causing a corresponding resistance on the part of the public to engage in and support co-production.
History
Publication status
- Published
File Version
- Published version
Journal
Financial Accountability and ManagementISSN
0267-4424Publisher
WileyExternal DOI
Page range
1-18Department affiliated with
- Accounting and Finance Publications
Full text available
- Yes
Peer reviewed?
- Yes
Legacy Posted Date
2021-09-28First Open Access (FOA) Date
2021-10-13First Compliant Deposit (FCD) Date
2021-09-28Usage metrics
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