Author ORCID Identifier

Thomas Jamieson

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2020

Publication Title

International Journal of Communication

Volume

14

First Page

1214

Last Page

1231

Abstract

Research design involves a set of decisions regarding what or who will be studied and the procedures in acquiring and analyzing information. In this article, we apply lessons from research design to public diplomacy, a field focused on engaging with foreign publics. Much prior scholarship sheds light on what PD is and its programs, but less attention has been given to the role of listening to understand what foreign publics think and believe. We propose three interrelated recommendations to improve the quality of implementing PD programs. First, before any program is implemented, we need to correctly identify a perceived issue that requires a program. Once we confirm if the issue exists, we also need to understand why it exists. Second, designing PD programs with clear goals increases the effectiveness of the program and the ability to confirm its success. This requires designing programs unique to each case. Third, public opinion data should be collected at several points—taking advantage of time—to confirm the effectiveness of programs. Our recommendations are particularly valuable for policy makers.

Comments

Copyright © 2020 Juve J. Cortés and Thomas Jamieson. Available at https://ijoc.org/index.php/ijoc/article/view/12779/2985

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.

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