New Public Diplomacy in the 21st Century: A Comparative Study of Policy and Practice

by Pamment; James

• ISBN13: 9780415519717
• ISBN10: 0415519713
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2012-07-23
• Publisher: Routledge

Summary

This book examines the concept of new public diplomacy against empirical data derived from three country case studies, in order to offer a systematic assessment of policy and practice in the early 21st century. The new public diplomacy (PD) is a major paradigm shift in international political communication. Globalisation and a new media landscape challenge traditional foreign ministry 'gatekeeper' structures, and foreign ministries can no longer lay claim to being sole or dominant actors in communicating foreign policy. This demands new ways of communicating foreign policy to a range of nongovernmental international actors, and new ways of evaluating the influence of these communicative efforts. But where do the lines between the old and new public diplomacies actually meet? How much current PD policy and practice conforms to older styles of communication, and how much can truly be considered new? What are the practical constraints upon the adoption of an entirely new PD? This book investigates the methods and strategies used by five foreign ministries and cultural institutes in three countries as they attempt to adapt their PD practices to the demands of the new public diplomacy environment. The question is not simply of how government actors have phased out their archaic practices, but of how the continual need for short-term influence for discernable impact, outcomes, value-for-money complicates the paradigm shift. The case studies are based around an analysis of US, British, and Swedish efforts. Each chapter covers national policy, current activities, evaluatiothe methods and strategies used by five foreign ministries and cultural institutes in three countries as they attempt to adapt their PD practices to the demands of the new public diplomacy environment. n methods, and examples of individual campaigns. Material consists of 25 interviews with practitioners, detailed policy studies, reconstructions of five PD campaigns, and analysis of communication models and evaluation methodologies. This book will be of much interest to students of public diplomacy, foreign policy, political communication, media studies and international relations in general.