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Principal Investigator:
Robert Banks
Contributing Researcher:
Melanie Ciolek |
Measuring success in Public Diplomacy is a challenge. The U.S. National Strategy for Public Diplomacy (PD) and Strategic Communication released by the State Department in 2007 quotes Edward R. Murrow as once observing that no cash register ever rings when a mind is changed. In addition, the impact of many public diplomacy programs can often take decades to become manifest. In short, investing in public diplomacy rarely results in dramatic, demonstrable change or produces instant gratification. That said, no organization in today’s “culture of measurement,” whether it be in the private or public sector, can afford to ignore the need to demonstrate results.
This project will examine extant research on the topic of PD evaluation. It will include resources on evaluation as practiced by the private sector, especially in the field of PR, and by foreign governments (the UK in particular), as well as research on the major elements of public diplomacy: media outreach, cultural programming, exchanges, social networks, and international broadcasting. Special attention will be devoted to how the U.S. Government has historically approached the goal of measuring performance in PD and where that process is today. The result of this research will be an annotated bibliography on key resources in the study of PD evaluation. We hope that this effort provides stimulus to additional research on how public diplomacy can impact public opinion and contribute to achieving policy objectives.
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