The Handbook of Public Sector Communication

The Handbook of Public Sector Communication

by Vilma Luoma-aho, María José Canel
Released March 2020
Publisher(s): Wiley-Blackwell
ISBN: 9781119263142

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Book description

A multidisciplinary collection on global public entity strategic communication

Research into public sector communication investigates the interaction between public and governmental entities and citizens within their sphere of influence. Today’s public sector organizations are operating in environments where people receive their information from multiple sources. Although modern research demonstrates the immense impact public entities have on democracy and societal welfare, communication in this context is often overlooked. Public sector organizations need to develop “communicative intelligence” in balancing their institutional agendas and aims of public engagement. The Handbook of Public Sector Communication is the first comprehensive volume to explore the field. This timely, innovative volume examines the societal role, environment, goals, practices, and development of public sector strategic communication.

International in scope, this handbook describes and analyzes the contexts, policies, issues, and questions that shape public sector communication. An interdisciplinary team of leading experts discusses diverse subjects of rising importance to public sector, government, and political communication. Topics include social exchange relationships, crisis communication, citizen expectations, measuring and evaluating media, diversity and inclusion, and more. Providing current research and global perspectives, this important resource:

  • Addresses the questions public sector communicators face today
  • Summarizes the current state of public sector communication worldwide
  • Clarifies contemporary trends and practices including mediatization, citizen engagement, and change and expectation management
  • Addresses global challenges and crises such as corruption and bureaucratic roadblocks
  • Provides a framework for measuring communication effectiveness

Requiring minimal prior knowledge of the field, The Handbook of Public Sector Communication is a valuable tool for academics, students, and practitioners in areas of public administration, public management, political communication, strategic and organizational communication, and related fields such as political science, sociology, marketing, journalism, and globalization studies.

Table of contents

  1. Cover
  2. Notes on Contributors
  3. Acknowledgment
  4. Introduction to Public Sector Communication
    1. Why Is Public Sector Communication Special?
    2. Defining Public Sector Communication
    3. What Is Our Current Understanding of Public Sector Communication?
    4. Studying Public Sector Communication in Times of Change
    5. References
  5. Part I: Public Sector Communication and Society
    1. 1 Public Sector Communication and Democracy
      1. Introduction
      2. Defining and Distinguishing the Public Sector
      3. Defining Public Sector Communication
      4. Democracy and Public Sector Communication
      5. Public Sector Communication and the Policy‐Making Process
      6. Citizens' Discursive Engagement in Public Sector Policy‐Making Processes
      7. The Public Sphere Foundations of Public Sector Engagement: The US Case3
      8. Concluding Thoughts: From Democratic Public Sector Communication to a Democratic Public Sector
      9. References
    2. 2 Public Sector Communication and Organizational Legitimacy
      1. Introduction
      2. Organizational Legitimacy
      3. Context
      4. Legitimacy and Public Sector Communication
      5. Critique and Challenges
      6. Conclusions and Directions for Future Research
      7. References
    3. 3 Trust, Fairness, and Signaling: Studying the Interaction Between Officials and Citizens
      1. Introduction
      2. Trust and Information Asymmetries in the Public Encounter
      3. Signaling Theory and Its Applications
      4. Signaling Trustworthiness in Public Sector Encounters
      5. The Consequences of Misinterpretation
      6. The Challenges of Signaling Trustworthiness
      7. Future Research on the Role of Signaling in Public Sector Communication
      8. References
    4. 4 Transparency and Corruption in the Public Sector
      1. What Makes Public Sector Organizations Prone to Corruption?
      2. Levels of Nontransparency
      3. Public Sector Communication or Propaganda?
      4. Fair Process, Less Corruption?
      5. Better Communication, Less Corruption?
      6. Critique for Research on Corruption
      7. Challenges for Improving Transparency
      8. References
    5. 5 Politics and Policy: Relationships and Functions Within Public Sector Communication
      1. Introduction
      2. Contextualizing Public Sector Communication, Politics, and Policy
      3. Mapping the Field of Public Sector Communication, Politics, and Policy
      4. The Broader Literature
      5. Theoretical Perspectives
      6. Key Issues in Politics and Public Sector Communication—the Relationships
      7. Key Issues in Policy and Public Sector Communication—The Functions
      8. Conclusion
      9. References
  6. Part II: Public Sector Communication, Organizations, Stakeholders, and Employees
    1. 6 Public Sector Communication and Publicly Valuable Intangible Assets
      1. Intangible Assets in the Public Sector
      2. Public Value
      3. Merging Intangible Assets Research with Public Value for the Enhancement of Public Sector Communication
      4. An Illustrative Example: Etorkizuna Eraikiz and the Use of Intangible Assets to Produce Public Value
      5. Results and Discussion
      6. Critical Issues and Further Research
      7. References
    2. 7 The Influence of Weber and Taylor on Public Sector Organizations' Communication
      1. Introduction
      2. Weber and Taylor in Public Sector Communication
      3. Conclusion and Suggestions for Further Research
      4. References
    3. 8 Formal and Functional Social Exchange Relationships in the Public Sector
      1. Introduction
      2. Future Research Directions
      3. References
    4. 9 How Does the Idea of Co‐Production Challenge Public Sector Communication?
      1. Defining the Topic
      2. Co‐Production and Public Sector Reform
      3. Different Understandings of the Co‐Production Concept and Their Origins
      4. Case Analysis: How a Co‐Production Experience Challenged the Patterns of Communication of a Finnish Local Government
      5. “Target Groups” for Co‐Production
      6. Scope of Interaction in Terms of Service Delivery Chain
      7. Critique and Challenges
      8. Conclusions and Future Research
      9. References
    5. 10 Change Communication: Developing the Perspective of Sensemaking and the Perspective of Coworkers
      1. Introduction
      2. What Change Is: Definitions and Perspectives
      3. The Research Field of Organizational Change
      4. Exploring Communication
      5. Critique and Challenges
      6. Suggestions for Future Research
      7. References
    6. 11 Public Sector Communication and Mediatization
      1. Introduction
      2. The Significance of the “Media”
      3. Mediatization and the Organizing of Communication
      4. Critique and Challenges
      5. References
  7. Part III: Public Sector Communication and Practices
    1. 12 Public Sector Communication and Performance Management: Drawing Inferences from Public Performance Numbers
      1. Introduction
      2. The Study of Performance Information as a Study of Numbers
      3. State of the Art: Behavioral and Experimental Research
      4. Conclusion and Future Research
      5. References
    2. 13 Change Management and Communication in Public Sector Organizations: The Gordian Knot of Complexity, Accountability, and Legitimacy
      1. Introduction
      2. Context of Public Sector Organizations: Rethinking Services and Structures
      3. Idiosyncratic Characteristics of Change Management in Public Sector Organizations
      4. Change Management and Communication: Basic Understandings and Approaches
      5. Managerial and Communicative Challenges Inherent in Public Sector Change Processes
      6. Is Transparency the Solution to the Gordian Change Knot?
      7. Suggestions for Future Research
      8. References
      9. Further Reading
    3. 14 Public Sector Organizations and Reputation
      1. Introduction
      2. Defining and Theorizing Approaches to Public Sector Organizations’ Reputation
      3. Critique, Challenges, and Future Research
      4. References
    4. 15 Public Sector Communication: Risk and Crisis Communication
      1. Introduction
      2. Risk and Crisis in the Public Sector
      3. Defining Risk and Crisis Communication
      4. General Perspectives
      5. An Informational Perspective on Public Risk and Crisis Communication
      6. A Political Perspective on Public Risk and Crisis Communication
      7. An Institutional Perspective on Public Risk and Crisis Communication
      8. Conclusion and Future Practice
      9. References
    5. 16 Public Sector Communication and Strategic Communication Campaigns
      1. Introduction
      2. Public Sector Communication as Strategic Communication
      3. Strategic Communication Campaigns
      4. Theoretical Perspectives for Strategic Communication Campaigns
      5. Challenges for Public Sector Communication Campaigns
      6. Future Directions in Public Sector Communication Campaigns
      7. References
      8. Further Reading
    6. 17 Public Sector Communication and NGOs: From Formal Integration to Mediated Confrontation?
      1. Introduction: NGO Communication and the Public Sector
      2. Defining NGO Communication
      3. Two Approaches to NGO Communication
      4. NGO Communication: Insider and Outsider Strategies
      5. Implications for Public Sector Communication
      6. Five Avenues for Future Research
      7. References
  8. Part IV: Public Sector Communication and Citizens
    1. 18 Citizen Engagement and Public Sector Communication
      1. Introduction
      2. Defining Citizen Engagement
      3. Citizen Engagement in Practice: Coproduction and Service Design of Public Services
      4. Engagement, Coproduction, and Public Sector Communication
      5. Critiquing the Concept of Citizen Engagement
      6. Future Research
      7. References
    2. 19 Understanding the Role of Dialogue in Public Sector Communication
      1. Introduction
      2. Defining Dialogue
      3. Models, Methods, and Findings for Understanding Dialogue
      4. Dialogue in the Public Sector
      5. Research and Practical Challenges for the Future
      6. References
    3. 20 Public Sector Communication and Citizen Expectations and Satisfaction
      1. Introduction
      2. Defining Citizen Expectations
      3. Citizen Expectations and Public Sector Communication
      4. Critiques, Challenges, Unanswered Questions, and Future Research Lines
      5. References
    4. 21 Public Sector Communication and Social Media: Opportunities and Limits of Current Policies, Activities, and Practices
      1. Introduction
      2. PSOs in an Era of Social Media
      3. PSOs' Social Media Use
      4. How Social Media Shapes Public Sector Communication
      5. Critiques and Challenges
      6. Conclusions and Future Research
      7. References
    5. 22 Citizen Communication in the Public Sector: Learning from High‐Reliability Organizations
      1. Introduction
      2. Defining High‐Reliability Organization Principles
      3. Research in High‐Reliability Organizations
      4. HRO Principles and Public Sector Communication
      5. Challenges for Research and Practice
      6. References
    6. 23 Public Sector Communicators as Global Citizens: Toward Diversity and Inclusion
      1. Introduction
      2. Advocating for Global Citizenship
      3. Enabling Global Citizenship: Inclusive and Participatory Communication
      4. Balancing Ideals with Realities
      5. References
  9. Part V: Public Sector Communication Measurement and Evaluation
    1. 24 The Fundamentals of Measurement and Evaluation of Communication
      1. Introduction
      2. The Communication Planning Cycle
      3. Setting SMART Objectives
      4. Evaluation Models
      5. Effectiveness
      6. Methodologies for Evaluation
      7. Conclusion
      8. References
    2. 25 Measuring and Evaluating Media: Traditional and Social
      1. Introduction
      2. Media Landscape at a Glance
      3. Evaluating Media Relations
      4. Evaluating Traditional Media Publicity
      5. Evaluating Online and Social Media
      6. Measuring Online and Social Media Publicity
      7. Outcomes and Impacts of Media Relations
      8. Conclusions
      9. References
    3. 26 Measuring and Evaluating Audience Awareness, Attitudes, and Response
      1. Introduction
      2. Theoretical Issues
      3. Communication Outcomes and Evaluation Methods
      4. Timing of Evaluation
      5. Types and Criticism of Evaluation Methods
      6. Analysis
      7. Reporting
      8. Conclusion
      9. References
    4. 27 Aligning and Linking Communication with Organizational Goals
      1. Introduction
      2. Communication Management and Communication Controlling
      3. Evaluating and Measuring Communication Effects
      4. Aligning Communication and Organizational Goals
      5. Empirical Insights into Communication Evaluation
      6. Challenges and Misunderstandings
      7. Directions for Future Research
      8. References
    5. 28 New Developments in Best Practice Evaluation: Approaches, Frameworks, Models, and Methods
      1. Introduction
      2. The Status Quo of Evaluation
      3. Recent Developments and Advances
      4. New Evaluation Frameworks and Models
      5. A Taxonomy of Evaluation
      6. The Quo Vadis of Evaluation
      7. Conclusions
      8. References
  10. Part VI: Conclusion
    1. 29 Conclusion: A Vision of the Future ofPublic Sector Communication
      1. Introduction
      2. The Pervasiveness of Communication in the Public Sector
      3. Disciplines, Topics, and Research Methods
      4. Recurring Issues
      5. Challenges, Further Research, and Still‐Unanswered Questions
      6. Suggestions for a Future Vision
      7. References
  11. Index
  12. End User License Agreement

Product information

  • Title: The Handbook of Public Sector Communication
  • Author(s): Vilma Luoma-aho, María José Canel
  • Release date: March 2020
  • Publisher(s): Wiley-Blackwell
  • ISBN: 9781119263142