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Cherns, Jack Jacob (1986) Government and public information in the political system : a study of formation and systemic relationships, with particular reference to the Israeli political system, and appropriate comparison with the United Kingdom. Doctoral thesis, City of London Polytechnic.
Government information organisation and processes are studied in limited aspects, often as public relations. This thesis attempts to present a comprehensive view of them in contexts of theoretical concept and real-world government.
A distinction is made between government and public information. Hypotheses are formulated to account for systemic differences, in terms of government constraints from a position of information superiority on the extent of countervailing power distributed to the public with information.
Influences on inputs, conversion and outputs demonstrate the extent of mediation which information undergoes within government. Transfers to the public are subject to further mediation in direct and indirect communication channels. Media, in symbiotic relationship with government, dominate transfer of political information. Discussion is mainly in terms of competitive political systems; but the influence of political structure is noted.
Government and public information are examined within the illustrative real-world example of Israel. Influences of history, structure, standards and government and public attitudes are noted. Systemic disarticulations in output and feedback are discussed and case details given of consequent information defects. Comparison with the United Kingdom emphasises disparities in government and public information which can exist between politically competitive systems. No decisive relationship to stability is apparent.
Theoretical concepts of response and steering of the political system are discussed with the aid of a political communications model. The cycle of information input, output and feedback has apparent discontinuities in terms of constraints in reception, diffusion through media, and thus in feedback, at the public extreme, and of response and steering within government, suggesting limitations in the continuous relationship implied in theoretical models. An alternative framework of assessment is suggested as an indicator of stability.
Influences for change are noted, in access and outreach development. Antithetical tension within the government / media symbiosis suggests possible alternative government / public communications.
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