BICCC sponsors ICA post conference

In times of globalization, countries are increasingly observed by global media and international publics. Countries are rated and compared according to their economic development, political stability, effectiveness and morality of their national and international politics, and the attractiveness of their culture. The fact that perceptions of countries are both the cause and outcome of social and psychological processes that relate to a multitude of economic, cultural and political effects has led to an increased number of studies in the fields of social psychology, business studies, political science, and communication science. In these fields, research using similar concepts to study the formation and effects of country image, reputation, brand, and identity remain largely segregated by disciplines; there is a great need for integrative efforts to advance scholarship and stimulate theory building.

This post-conference aims at integrating various perspectives about the causes and effects of perceptions about countries to advance discourse about theories and methods. We will discuss how to distinguish among concepts, and how to—if possible—integrate them for future public diplomacy and communication research.  The full day post-conference will be a meeting point for scholars and practitioners to discuss current challenges in public diplomacy and country image. We aim to discuss how advancement in theory and research can contribute to the current practice of public diplomacy. We are particularly interested in gathering comparative perspectives from the Americas, Europe, Middle East, and Asia on topics such as migration and refugees in public diplomacy, the public diplomacy of international and transnational organizations, diaspora and public diplomacy, social media and public diplomacy, the role of non-state actors, etc. that impact public diplomacy.