A Study On The Transmission Channels Of Government Information For Migrant Workers

Government information is one type of important information needed bymigrant workers who live in the city. The government is expected to disseminateinformation effectively, implement social management and provide public services.Meanwhile, obtaining government information fully can help migrant workers livebetter in the city. Communication channel is a key element that connects informationdissemination by government and information access by migrant workers. However,in existing literature, it lacks not only the clear description of dissemination channelsof government information about migrant workers, but also the research aboutrestoring the channel selection process from the perspective of their living situation.Based on literature review, on the one hand, the author interviewed governmentstaff, and classified government information for migrant workers and sorted out thecorresponding dissemination channels. On the other hand, through fieldwork inurban villages of A and B in Beijing, the author studied30to50years old femalemigrant workers who migrate on a family basis. Based on data collection techniqueof participant observation and deep interview, the research starts from their dailylives with an attempt to find out the migrant workers’ classification and accesschannels of government information. The survey result shows that classification ofgovernment information is different between government and migrant workers; thereis misplacement of communication channels between dissemination channels ofgovernment information for migrant workers and migrant workers’ access channels.The main conclusions of the research are as follows:Firstly, based on content and its objective, government information can beclassified into two categories: Management Information and Service Information.Meanwhile, migrant workers classify government information into three types:Must-know Information, Know-will-be-better Information andNeed-not-to-be-informed Information.Secondly, all the information is published through disclosure platforms,including government’s exclusive channels and mass media. Some of theinformation is disclosed to the public according to the law, but its reception effect isignored. Some of the information is required to reach each people by higherauthorities. So the latter kind of information is not only disclosed through disclosure platforms, but also pushed through the government administration system.Thirdly, government mainly utilizes government’s exclusive channels and massmedia to disclose information, and government’s exclusive channels are primary.Interpersonal channel, mass media and non-profit organization are the main channelsfor migrant workers to access government information. Mass media are bothinformation dissemination channel and access channel. However, mass media mainlypublishes general guidance. Practical information is to be found in government’sexclusive channels. Migrant workers understand government information throughdiscussing with friends, fellow-villagers, church members and employers, etc, andbeing told by non-profit organization. Interpersonal channels are error-prone whentransmitting information. The research suggests that to solve “Last Mile” problem,the role of non-profit organizations and new media in communication betweengovernment and migrant workers should be emphasized.Fourthly, the reasons of misplacement of communication channels lie inpolicies and regulations, communication environment, media settings, informationcapabilities of migrant workers, etc.