Advancing the New Public Diplomacy: A Public Relations Perspective
TL;DR: In this article, the authors demonstrate the potential for the public relations theory of relationship management to advance contemporary thought and practice in public diplomacy and find that by defining public diplomacy's central purpose as relationship management, unifying the functions under one overarching concept, adopting a management (rather than communication) mindset, and recognizing the importance of diplomatic deeds that support communication practices, practitioners will be better equipped to conduct public diplomacy effectively.
Abstract: As public diplomacy assumes a more prominent role in the diplomatic affairs of nations, scholars and practitioners are challenged to define the 'new' public diplomacy's purpose and goals, to develop the theoretical foundations of the discipline, and to articulate principles of practice for effectively and ethically achieving a nation's foreign affairs' objectives. This article demonstrates the potential for the public relations theory of relationship management to advance contemporary thought and practice in public diplomacy. The study finds that by defining public diplomacy's central purpose as relationship management, unifying the functions under one overarching concept, adopting a management (rather than communication) mindset, and recognizing the importance of diplomatic deeds that support communication practices, practitioners will be better equipped to conduct public diplomacy effectively.
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05 Jun 2012TL;DR: The authors argue that the lessons of diplomacy are that we should be reluctant to judge, ready to appease, and alert to the partial grounds on which most universal claims about human beings are made.
Abstract: Diplomacy does not take place simply between states but wherever people live in different groups. Paul Sharp argues that the demand for diplomacy, and the need for the insights of diplomatic theory, are on the rise. In contrast to conventional texts which use international relations theories to make sense of what diplomacy and diplomats do, this book explores what diplomacy and diplomats can contribute to the big theoretical and practical debates in international relations today. Sharp identifies a diplomatic tradition of international thought premised on the way people live in groups, the differences between intra- and inter-group relations, and the perspectives which those who handle inter-group relations develop about the sorts of international disputes which occur. He argues that the lessons of diplomacy are that we should be reluctant to judge, ready to appease, and alert to the partial grounds on which most universal claims about human beings are made.
160 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors build on earlier conceptual analyses that have contrasted public relations with diplomacy and public diplomacy at conceptual and applied levels, to consider further the theoretical and global issues of public relations' diplomatic work for states and organizations in the context of globalization.
Abstract: This article builds on earlier conceptual analyses that have contrasted public relations with diplomacy and public diplomacy at conceptual and applied levels, to consider further the theoretical and global issues of public relations’ diplomatic work for states and organizations in the context of globalization. A key feature of such work is its intercultural nature, at the organizational, ethnic, and state levels. The discussion draws inspiration from a range of disciplines including public relations, international relations, strategic studies, media studies, peace studies, management studies, cultural studies, and anthropology. Linking public diplomacy to public relations usefully reconnects public relations to power, which has largely been ignored by dominant organizational-management approaches to the subject.
116 citations
Cites background from "Advancing the New Public Diplomacy:..."
...Commentators suggest that knowledge of PR concepts would be useful to public diplomacy theorists and practitioners (Fitzpatrick, 2007; Signitzer, 2008; Wang, 2006b), although I believe that PR practitioners can learn from theories of diplomacy and public diplomacy (L’Etang, 2006)....
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...Increasing convergence between the fields is apparent through the focus on relationship management (Fitzpatrick, 2007)....
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...Instrumentalism is apparent in some contributions (Fitzpatrick, 2007; Seong-Hun, 2006)....
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TL;DR: This paper applied a social network conceptual framework to identify and characterize social mediators that connect the US State Department with its international public and found that both formal and informal mediators vary in terms of their formality and interdependence.
Abstract: This study proposes theoretical and practical frameworks to systematically examine mediated public relations in social media spaces. We applied a social network conceptual framework to identify and characterize social mediators that connect the US State Department with its international public. The results showed that social mediators vary in terms of their formality and interdependence. Formal social mediators were primarily US government agencies while informal social mediators were nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and individuals. Notably, relationships with populations in the Middle East and North Africa were mediated primarily by informal actors, and formal mediators played a key role in connecting the public with everywhere else in the world. Government-related formal mediators and informal social mediators showed similar levels of bilateral relationships. In contrast, news media, the most traditional public relations mediators, were rarely found as social mediators and demonstrated the most uni...
93 citations
Cites background from "Advancing the New Public Diplomacy:..."
...…of public diplomacy and public relations share a mutual focus on relationship cultivation through two-way communication or dialogic communication (Fitzpatrick, 2007; L’Etang, 1996; Signitzer & Coombs, 1992; Signitzer & Wasmer, 2006; Wang, 2006; Yun, 2006, 2008), national governments’ social…...
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TL;DR: This article proposed a new integrative model of the country image by drawing on advances from the fields of business studies, social psychology, political science, and communication science, which can be seen as an extension of our work.
Abstract: This conceptual article proposes a new integrative model of the country image by drawing on advances from the fields of business studies, social psychology, political science, and communication sci...
90 citations
Cites background from "Advancing the New Public Diplomacy:..."
...One of the most pressing gaps is the conceptual and empirical development of instruments applicable for measurement and evaluation in public diplomacy practice (Banks, 2011; Fitzpatrick, 2007; Pahlavi, 2007), in order to make assessable the desired impact on awareness, attitude, and behavior (Banks, 2011, p....
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...…pressing gaps is the conceptual and empirical development of instruments applicable for measurement and evaluation in public diplomacy practice (Banks, 2011; Fitzpatrick, 2007; Pahlavi, 2007), in order to make assessable the desired impact on awareness, attitude, and behavior (Banks, 2011, p. 29)....
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TL;DR: In this paper, the relationship between diplomacy and international sport has been relatively under-theorized, and the authors propose an analytical taxonomy of the multipartite relationship between international sport and diplomacy.
Abstract: To date, the relationship between diplomacy and international sport has been relatively under-theorized. This paper seeks to redress the deficiency by proposing an analytical taxonomy of the multip...
86 citations