Digitally Networked Social Services: Mapping the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) online network in Queensland, Australia

Within growing marketisation of publicly funded services, the internet has provided new opportunities for marketing, delivery, and coordination of those services. Using web scraping and hyperlink network analysis techniques, this paper examines the ways in which organisations operating in Australia’...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of social policy 2024-07, Vol.53 (3), p.829-853
Main Authors: HENMAN, PAUL W. FAY, DAI, DAN, BORG, SAMANTHA J., HUMMELL, ELOISE, FOSTER, MICHELE, FISHER, KAREN R.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Access to information
Advocacy
Brokerage
Collaboration
Consumers
Coordination
Design
Digital technology
Disability
Disability insurance
Electronic government
Empowerment
Funding
Government agencies
Information sharing
Insurance
Internet
Mapping
Marketing
Mass media effects
Network analysis
Networks
Organizations
Public services
Social media
Social networks
Social policy
Social services
Social services delivery
Websites
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Summary:Within growing marketisation of publicly funded services, the internet has provided new opportunities for marketing, delivery, and coordination of those services. Using web scraping and hyperlink network analysis techniques, this paper examines the ways in which organisations operating in Australia’s evolving National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) system inter-connect online. Social media plays the most important role in the online network. Government agencies also play a central role, with many disability service organisations linking their web users to them. Government agency websites do not hyperlink to disability service providers, suggesting that governments do not see their role as assisting access to such services. Advocacy and peak disability organisations are important in online connections between the websites of government and service organisations. Innovative uses of the internet for online brokerage of disability services are evident. The implications of these findings for service delivery are discussed.
ISSN:0047-2794
1469-7823
DOI:10.1017/S0047279422000691