The Handbook of Public Sector Communication

29Conclusion: A Vision of the Future ofPublic Sector Communication

María‐José Canel and Vilma Luoma‐aho

Introduction

Research on public sector communication takes an interest in interactions between public sector entities and citizens, as communication is at the core of democracy. Public sector organizations balance the communication aims of engaging citizens with organizational and institutional contingencies and goals. Public sector organizations are being challenged to incorporate a “communicative intelligence” in their management within a new public sphere in which people need and take information from multiple sources. Across the world, there is frustration with public sector performance and a lack of understanding of the need for strategic communication, and the logic behind citizen involvement and engagement is changing.

Previous research has highlighted the impact of public sector organizations on democracy and welfare within societies, yet communication is often taken for granted in this context. The aim of this handbook is to provide a comprehensive look at public sector organizations' strategic communication by covering its societal role, environment, aims, practices, and development. Through an international and interdisciplinary approach, this handbook has described and analyzed the contexts, policies, aims, issues, questions, and practices that shape public sector communication today.

At first, we were tempted to conceptualize this handbook in a traditional manner, ...