Effects of Government Dialogic Competency: The MERS Outbreak and Implications for Public Health Crises and Political Legitimacy

During the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) outbreak, South Korean citizens blamed the government for the lack of dialogue between the government and its publics, low credibility of risk information, and prevalent rumors reported in media. The purpose of this study is twofold: (a) to examine the role of government dialogic competency and credibility of risk information in negative government–public relationship outcomes and (b) to examine the effects of negative government–public relationship outcomes. The findings of an online survey support the proposed hypotheses, linking the theories of dialogic communication and relationship management in public relations.