Common Actors in Gubernatorial Intra- and Inter-State Information Networks

• In Event: State Executives

Abstract

Information networks in state politics and policymaking can be largely self contained within the borders of the state or reach more broadly across states. This paper uses relational Twitter data from gubernatorial twitter accounts to examine the degree to which public representations information flowing to and from these state executives are self-contained within a state or integrated into larger inter-state information networks--formed on the basis of regional, partisan, or policy dimensions.

This paper treats a governor’s engagement with other actors on Twitter (in the form of retweets or mentions) as an indicator of information exchange and a public signal by the governor that the actor they are interacting with is a source of information for their office.

This study creates a map of gubernatorial public discourse within each state by constructing egocentric sociograms of gubernatorial twitter networks. These sociograms are then overlaid to create a network representation of inter-state discourse. Common actors existing across multiple sociograms represent key information sources who are integrated into multiple state networks. After identifying these common actors, they are then grouped into a functional typology according to the role they play within the networks.

Author

• William Harder, American University