Mapping the field of government communication: A bibliometric analysis

Miryam Chafik; Ahmed Benjelloun

doi:10.31893/multiscience.2025521

Keywords:

bibliometric analysis

government communication

good governance

participation

VOSviewer

Abstract

It is widely acknowledged that good governance is critical, regardless of a country's level of development. It defines how governmental entities manage public resources and conduct public affairs in a way that promotes the public interest while also considering society's justified expectations today and in the future. Effective public governance is built on transparency, accountability, and, most importantly, public participation in policymaking, all of which can be supported by government communication. This article aims, through a bibliometric analysis conducted with VOSViewer software, to provide insights into the current state of academic research on government communication. A total of 196 articles extracted from the Web of Science database was analyzed. These articles were examined based on several indicators, including publication trends, leading countries and international cooperation, highly productive authors and journals, and keyword analysis. The results show that there has been a remarkable growth in the number of publications, with the United States of America as the most influential and prominent country, accounting for around 18% of all research undertaken on the subject worldwide. Hansson S secured the top position as the most productive author in the field, having published a total of 9 documents, and Liu BF stood out as the most influential one being cited 176 times. Regarding the leading journal, Public Relations Review is recognized as the most influential journal in this field due its significant number of publications and the consequent number of citations its articles garner. Finally, the keyword co-occurrence analysis revealed five primary research clusters and also pinpointed that the current issues in the field are closely intertwined with “covid 19”, “coronavirus”, “health communication”, “risk communication”, and “citizen engagement”.
References
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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

How to cite

Chafik, M., & Benjelloun, A. (2025). Mapping the field of government communication: A bibliometric analysis. Multidisciplinary Science Journal, (| Accepted Articles). https://doi.org/10.31893/multiscience.2025521

[1] Ammor, S. (2019). La communication publique participative : à l'ère de la régionalisation avancée au Maroc. Université Hassan II de Casablanca.

[2] Awono, R. (2015). La communication territoriale : constructions d’un champ. Communiquer.

[3] Baharuddin, T., Nurmandi, A., Qodir, Z., Jubba, H., & Syamsurrijal, M. (2022). Bibliometric Analysis of Socio-Political Research on Capital Relocation: Examining Contributions to the Case of Indonesia. Journal of Local Government Issues.

[4] Balit, S. (1998). Communication is the Message. CERES, vol. 21, n° 2, pp. p. 13-15. .

[5] Balme, R., Jean Louis, M., & Olivier , R. (2003). Les motifs de la confiance (et de la défiance) politique : intérêt, connaissance et conviction dans les formes du raisonnement politique. Revue internationale de politique comparée.

[6] Belkaid , E., & Alili, A. (2023). Les déterminants de la participation citoyenne en AlgérieExemple de la ville de Tlemcen. Management international.

[7] Bellantoni, A., Mc Evoy, C., & Devrim, D. (2022). La protection et la promotion de l’espace civique : Renforcer l’alignement avec les normes et lignes directrices internationales. OCDE.

[8] Bezard, A. (2018). Rapport Fondation Jean Jaurès : budgets participatifs : la nouvelle promesse démocratique ?

[9] Birkle, C., Pendlebury , D., Schnell , J., & Adams , J. (2020). Web of Science as a data source for research on scientific and scholarly activity. Quantitative Science Studies.

[10] Blondiaux, L. (2008). Le nouvel esprit de la démocratie : actualité de la démocratie. Paris: Seuil.

[11] Boisvert, Y. (2002). Crise de confiance et crise de légitimité : de l’éthique gouvernementale à l’éthique publique. Éthique de l'administration et du service public.

[12] Bultitude, K. (2011). Science Communication – Why and How?

[13] Castillo, N. (2023). The value of communication in a pandemic.

[14] Cazenave, É., & Bellantoni, A. (2022). Communication publique accessible et inclusive : Panorama de pratiques de pays de l'OCDE. Paris: Éditions OCDE.

[15] Chai, L., & Wang, M. (2017). Three new bibliometric indicators/approaches derived from keyword analysis. Scientometrics.

[16] CNFPT. (2017). La communication publique territoriale.

[17] CommGAP. (2007). Communication for Good Governance. Washington, D.C.: World Bank.

[18] Dacheux, É. (2017). La communication publique de l’Union européenne ne rapproche pas l’Europe des citoyens. Hermès, La Revue.

[19] Dann, C. (2022). Does public trust in government matter for effective policy-making? Attitudes, media and governance.

[20] Deng, Z., Wang, H., Chen , Z., & Wang , T. (s.d.). Bibliometric Analysis of Dendritic Epidermal T Cell (DETC) Research From 1983 to 2019. Frontiers in Immunology 2020.

[21] Dufrasne, M. (2022). Les dispositifs participatifs dans un monde de communication. Questions de communication.

[22] El Bettioui, R., Akrich, S., & Ben Dahhane, A. (2020). Bonne gouvernance participative de la collectivité territoriale et communication publique externe : Quelle relation ? Journal of Academic Finance.

[23] Gan, J., Yaacob, A., & Latif, R. (2021). A bibliometric analysis on the influence of social media during the COVID-19 pandemic. SEARCH Journal of Media and Communication Research.

[24] Gardère, E., & Lakel, A. (2009). Repenser la communication des organisations publiques. Communication et organisation.

[25] Govindaraju, G., & Muniandy, R. (2023). Mediatisation: Mapping the conceptual terrain. SEARCH Journal of Media and Communication Research.

[26] Hansson, S. (2015). Discursive strategies of blame avoidance in government : A framework for analysis. Discourse and society.

[27] Hong, H. (2013). Government websites and social media's influence on governent-public relationships. Public Relations Review.

[28] Huai, C., & Chai, L. (2016). A bibliometric analysis on the performance and underlying dynamic patterns of water security research. Scientometrics.

[29] Johnston, M. (2002). Good Governance: Rule of Law, Transparency, and Accountability.

[30] Lee, K. (2009). How the Hong Kong government lost the public trust in SARS : insights for government communication in a health crisis. Public Relations Review.

[31] Liu, B., Horsley, J., & Levenshus, A. (2010). Government and Corporate Communication Practices: Do the Differences Matter? JOURNAL OF APPLIED COMMUNICATION RESEARCH.

[32] Mansoor, M. (2021). Citizens' trust in government as a function of good governance and government agency's provision of quality information on social media during COVID-19. Gov Inf Q.

[33] Mégard, D. (2005). Sur les chemins de la communication publique. Les Cahiers Dynamiques.

[34] Mégard, D. (2017). La communication publique et territoriale. Dunod.

[35] Nielsen, J., Eckstein, L., Nicol D, & Stewart, C. (20021). Integrating Public Participation, Transparency and Accountability Into Governance of Marketing Authorisation for Genome Editing Products. Front. Polit. Sci. 3.

[36] Obayuwana , A., & Okoye, J. (2023). Towards the Development of Machine Learning Models for Deep Cycle Battery Performance Analysis: Research Gap Identification via Bibliometric Analysis and Global Evidence Mapping. Nigerian Research Journal of Engineering and Environmental Sciences.

[37] OCDE. (2014). Panorama des administrations publiques 2013.

[38] OCDE. (2015). Le gouvernement ouvert au Maroc, Examens de l'OCDE sur la gouvernance. Le gouvernement ouvert au Maroc, Examens de l'OCDE sur la gouvernance.

[39] OCDE. (2017). Recommandation du Conseil sur le Gouvernement Ouvert. .

[40] OCDE. (2021). La communication publique Contexte Mondial et Perspectives .

[41] OECD. (2008). OECD Glossary of Statistical Terms. Paris: OECD Editions.

[42] OECD. (2009). Focus on Citizens: Public Engagement for Better Policy and Service. Paris: OECD Publishing.

[43] OECD. (2017). Trust and Public Policy: How Better Governance Can Help Rebuild Public Trust . Paris: OECD Publishing.

[44] OECD. (2020). Engaging Citizens in Jordan’s Local Government Needs Assessment Process, OECD Public Governance Reviews. Paris: OECD Editions.

[45] OECD. (2021). OECD Report on Public Communication : The Global Context and the Way Forward Paris. Paris: Éditions OCDE.

[46] Pasquier, M. (2012). Government Communication. Dans L. Côté, & J.-F. Savard, Encyclopedic Dictionary of Public Administration.

[47] Pasquier, M., & Mabillard, V. (2017). La communication des organisations publiques. Dans N. Michaud, Secrets d'État.

[48] Perrineau, P. (2018). État des lieux de la défiance des citoyens envers les institutions et les élus. Comment rétablir le lien de confiance entre les citoyens et les élus? Paris.

[49] Sweileh, W. (2020). Bibliometric analysis of peer-reviewed literature on climate change and human health with an emphasis on infectious diseases. Global Health 16, 44.

[50] United Kingdom Department for International Development. (2006). Eliminating World Poverty: Making Governance Work for the Poor. Norwich: Stationery Office.

[51] United Nations. (2014). United Nations E-Government Survey 2014: E-Government for the Future We Want.

[52] Van Eck, N., & Waltman, L. (2009). Software survey : VOSviewer, a computer program for bibliometric mapping. Scientometrics.

[53] Viana-Lora , A., & Nel-lo-Andreu, M. (2022). Bibliometric analysis of trends in COVID-19 and tourism. Humanit Soc Sci Commun.

[54] Wanjiku Ngunjiri, M. (2023). Citizen Participation in Local Governance in Africa : A Selection of Case Studies. Stockholm : International IDEA.

[55] Wolton D. (2004). Le moment de la communication. Hermès, La Revue, Numéro 2004/1 (n° 38).

[56] Zémor, P. (2003). Pour un meilleur débat publique. Presses de Sciences Po.

[57] Zémor, P. (2008). La communication publique. Presses Universitaires de France.

[58] Zhao, X. (2022). Customer Orientation: A Literature Review Based on Bibliometric Analysis. Sage Open.

[59] Zidouri, F. (2019). La communication publique et gouvernance régionale : quelle corrélation ? La communication publique participative: à l'ère de la régionalisation avancée au Maroc.

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References

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