Summer Institute participants explore the use of public-private partnerships in public diplomacy

LOS ANGELES – Morgan Stanley Japan provides $140,000 to fund an opening night gala for an exhibit on New York Landmarks. Tokyo Metropolitan Government offers the observation deck of Tokyo’s City Hall. Renowned Tokyo Museum of Photography helps organize a Kids’ Photo Contest to be displayed in the exhibit. Despite varying interests, these organizations work together with one goal in mind: to promote mutual understanding between the U.S. and Japan.

Some might call these public relations stunts and others might argue that they are public diplomacy. In a classroom tucked away at the University of Southern California, the 30 participants of the USC Center on Public Diplomacy’s fifth annual Summer Institute debated these issues and more.

Kathy Fitzpatrick, a CPD Research Fellow and professor and director of graduate studies in public relations in the School of Communications at Quinnipiac University in Hamden, Conn., taught the class “Non-State Actors and Public Diplomacy” on July 26. The primary goal, said Fitzpatrick, was to examine the role of non-state actors and the strategic options associated with public-private partnerships.

Fitzpatrick drew parallels between public diplomacy and public relations, emphasizing the similar techniques used by both fields to produce goodwill and influence the public. She also explored the potential benefits of public-private partnerships and the problems they might run into.

She drew on American examples, such as the Global Partnership Initiative, a U.S. Department of State program, which runs campaigns such as partnering with Intel Corporation and Relief International Schools Online to bring the Internet to rural parts of Azerbaijan and works with the Avon Foundation to organize a Global Congress for breast cancer research and awareness.

As a class, the Summer Institute participants discussed the effectiveness of several State Department public diplomacy projects. “The Landmarks of New York in Tokyo,” was a cultural diplomacy campaign under the Global Partnership Initiative, which partnered organizations in Japan and the U.S. in a five-week traveling exhibit on New York City landmarks. The exhibit included interactive kiosks comparing New York sites with Tokyo equivalents and displayed winning photos of a children’s contest on the “Landmarks of Tokyo.”

“I thought [the “Landmarks of New York in Tokyo” campaign] was missing the point,” said Matthew Parks, public relations manager at the Western Cape Provincial Parliament in South Africa. “I don’t really see how you can address the relations between U.S. and Japan in one month. After a while, people will start to forget.”

However, Parks, who has worked in the South African government since 1998, thought the exercise was an especially helpful tool, allowing him to learn from the past mistakes of others.

“It’s useful for people to give you practical examples based on their experience,” said Parks.

Afterward, participants told their own stories about non-state actors in relation to public diplomacy.

“I think [sharing experiences is] good, because people come from different backgrounds and you can really compare practice to theory,” said Parks.

“The Summer Institute provides a tremendous opportunity for those interested in public diplomacy to learn more about this exciting and expanding field of study and practice,” said Fitzpatrick. “It's a fantastic opportunity for those interested in public diplomacy to come together, share experiences in the field and consider future directions for public diplomacy.”

The 30 public diplomacy practitioners have been attending the USC Center on Public Diplomacy's annual Summer Institute, an intensive two-week course taught by some of the world's most distinguished public diplomacy experts. This year's Summer Institute participants include representatives from foreign ministries, international organizations, U.S. defense agencies and non-governmental organizations.