Purpose: The government has included social media technology applications in the public sector as part of the fifth wave of information and communications technology adoption. Academic interest in social media in the government sector has been increasing. But there has been little empirical research on the assimilation of social media in the local government. To fill this gap, based on technology–organization–environment (TOE) framework, this study aims to investigate the key technological, organizational and environmental factors that affect the assimilation of social media in local government agencies. Design/methodology/approach: To empirically test the model, a survey study was conducted. Data were collected from 150 government employees in the government department of X municipal government in China. The collected data were analysed quantitatively to answer five hypotheses using structural equation model. Findings: The findings suggest that technology competence, top management support, perceived benefits and citizen readiness significantly influence assimilation of social media in local government agencies. Top management support is the strongest predictor of social media assimilation in a government agency. Originality/value: This study is one of the first attempts that adopted the TOE framework to understand assimilation of social media in the local government. In addition, the effect of the four factors that include one technological factor, two organizational factors and one environmental factor, namely, technology competence, top management support, perceived benefits and citizen readiness, on intention to assimilate social media was investigated.

Sustainability has emerged as a critical issue in development. Digital transformation functions as both an enabler and an effective tool for promoting sustainability. Strategy plays a pivotal role in the process of digital transformation. However, there is a paucity of existing research focused on strategic renewal in digital transformation within the context of China. This study employs organizational learning theory to examine the antecedents and consequences of strategic renewal in digital transformation. Data were collected from 389 government employees through a questionnaire survey and a quantitative analysis was performed to evaluate four hypotheses using structural equation modeling (SEM). The results indicate that knowledge acquisition and organizational memory significantly influence strategic renewal, which in turn affects government performance. The findings of this study could serve as a guide and provide concrete practical approaches for successful digital transformation among governments, thereby laying a foundation for sustainable development.

Land trusteeship is an innovative agricultural management model that connects smallholder farmers with modern agriculture. It promotes large-scale agricultural operations, but still faces the impacts of conventional natural disasters. Although agricultural disaster insurance serves as a critical mechanism for farmers to mitigate these natural risks, its risk-mitigation potential remains underutilized due to the persistent challenge of low insurance participation rates. This study develops a decision-making model for farmers’ purchase of agricultural disaster insurance under land trusteeship, drawing on protection motivation theory, market failure theory, and quasi-public goods theory. Using structural equation modeling, we empirically analyze survey data from 319 land-trusteed farmers to uncover the mechanisms and pathways influencing their insurance purchase decisions. The results indicate that: (1) Vulnerability and severity are positively associated with protection motivation through perceived response efficacy and self-efficacy, and protection motivation is directly associated with purchase decisions; (2) Government support has both direct and indirect effects on purchase behavior; and (3) Individual and household characteristics are significantly associated with purchase decisions, with pure farmers, Type I part-time farmers, and farmers with larger landholdings tending to purchase agricultural disaster insurance more often.