Relations Research Research Articles

Participatory video: a new outlook for international relations research

ABSTRACT This article considers the implications of incorporating participatory video in International Relations (IR) research. Drawing on existing aesthetic and visual IR research, I critically reflect on a case study incorporating participatory video in research investigating young women’s leadership in Asia and the Pacific. Through participatory video, young women redressed their common invisibility and challenged portrayals situating them as unable to lead and make decisions. In this way, participatory video disrupted and unsettled power relations often resulting in young people’s marginalisation from policymaking. Given its ability to make space for productive reflections on, and challenges to, existing power dynamics amongst and between researchers, research participants, and the state, participatory video can productively push the boundaries of IR research. Limitations and challenges of using participatory video are also evident and require reflection. Overall, I suggest that participatory video can generate new critiques and knowledge to productively shape current and future IR research, including through offering unique insights that could be missed by other methods in IR, including other filmmaking approaches.

Social representation of PR activism: Perceptions of early career public relations professionals in South Africa

A critical, socio-cultural turn in the public relations research agenda has shifted attention away from a predominately organisational focus to include the individual practitioner, and their symbolic power relationships (Curtin & Gaither, 2005). This has resulted in critical interrogation of issues such as dissent, power and activism in professional role enactment with an emergent, activist stance that actively questions and resists existing power structures and normative practices (Holtzhausen, 2012). This turn requires PR as well as in a diverse range of other disciplines to find new forms of addressing some of the wicked problems of our time, such as the social and cultural influences that public relations practitioners are subject to in enacting culturally sensitive public relations roles in their practice. The positioning of the critical-cultural and postmodern paradigms lends itself to the application of social representation theory (SRT) as a framework for analysis and understanding (Bauer & Gaskell, 2008; p. 351). However, to date limited research has been conducted on the social influences public relations practitioners are subject to in enacting culturally sensitive public relations roles in their practice, especially in respect of public relations practitioners who occupy junior to mid-level positions in formal employment contexts. In particular, individual influence and agency of entry level or early career public relations practitioners in South Africa has been under researched. It is against this background that this study aims to determine the perceptions of early-mid career South African PRPs on how they socially represent their activism in a poly-contextual and diverse cultural context. This is especially important in a context where PRPs are required to justify the value their actions have in achieving social change. The findings suggest that South African activist public relations practitioner (PRP) role enactment may not only entail promoting the interests of those who are marginalised and excluded from social contexts, but also requires advocating for the legitimacy of their own activist role in their contexts of practice.

Wargaming for Political Science Research

Political scientists are increasingly integrating wargames into their research. Either by fielding original games or by leveraging archival wargame materials, researchers can study rare events or topics where evidence is difficult to observe. Scholars, however, have little guidance on how to apply this novel methodological approach to international relations research. This article evaluates how political scientists can use wargames as a method of scholarly inquiry and sets out to establish a research agenda for wargaming in international relations. We first differentiate wargames from other methodological approaches and highlight their ecological validity. We then chart out how researchers can build and run their own games or draw from archival wargames for theory development and testing. In doing so, we explain how researchers can navigate issues of recruitment, bias, validity, and generalizability when using wargames for research, and identify ways to evaluate the potential benefits and pitfalls of wargames as a tool of inquiry. We argue that wargames offer unique opportunities for political scientists to study decision-making processes both in and beyond the international relations subfield.

Status Matters in World Politics

AbstractThis article explores the burgeoning literature on status in world politics. Toward that end, it reviews three recently published books. The three books are representative of the different theoretical perspectives that have come to dominate status research in international relations. Renshon's Fighting for Status offers a rationalist–instrumental approach; Larson and Shevchenko's Quest for Status draws on insights from social identity theory; and Murray's The Struggle for Recognition is informed by constructivist theory. The article contrasts and compares the three works. Moreover, it identifies shortcomings and limitations in each book and, based on this discussion, suggests areas for further research. In particular, it is argued that scholars should devote more attention to competitive theory testing through process tracing; incorporate domestic politics more systematically into approaches of status seeking; develop case-specific explanations that fuse insights from the various perspectives; and examine how the interplay of material and ideational factors shapes states’ status aspirations.

EXPLORING THE FUNDAMENTALS OF FOREIGN POLICY IN MALAYSIA: DEFINITIONS, PREMIERSHIP AND FOREIGN POLICY DECISIONS

Academic discussion on the fundamentals of foreign policy often draws a debatable argument in International Relations research. Yet, the effort to unravel the core definition of foreign policy is limited and largely unobserved. Regardless of any foreign policy beliefs, understanding the fundamentals is crucial to make informed decisions related to international affairs. Therefore, this paper seeks to explore the fundamentals of foreign policy in twofold namely; (1) Working on outlining the definition of foreign policy and (2) Factors that influence foreign policy decisions. By employing secondary data, the systematic review was conducted based on past literature with respect to foreign policy studies and premiership; extracted from reputable databases. The literature search was limited to English sources, published in Scopus, ScienceDirect, and indexed in Google Scholar from 1960 to 2020. Accordingly, five factors emerged from the review which revealed the significant influence of individual, position, government, society, and system in formulating foreign policy decisions. These factors are considered as drivers in the foreign policy landscape and evidently shaped the Malaysian principles in collaborating with international cooperation. Finally, this paper provides insights into the existing literature with a detailed definition of foreign policy and narrates the way foreign policy decisions have effects on Malaysian political affairs. A set of recommendations were proposed as a brief agenda for future research.

Setting socially mediated engagement parameters: A topic modeling and text analytic approach to examining polarized discourses on Gillette’s campaign

Opinions on social and political issues can be easily polarized in socially mediated contexts. Using an inductive topic modeling and text analytical approach, the study analyzes more than 100,000 original tweets on polarized discussions on Gillette’s controversial campaign addressing toxic masculinity. Results suggest that influencers serve as ideological hyper-prototypes that attract significant attention equally from supporters and detractors, while hashtags and users’ reference of current events span the conversations across multiple contexts. Study results also indicate that horizontal information cascades from external ideologically centered sources that serve users’ identity and ideological signaling are a potential contributor of discourse polarization. Based on the study results, an identity- and representation-based approach to understanding socially mediated discourses is proposed, and four parameters of socially mediated engagement identified to further theorize engagement for public relations research in digital contexts.

Unknown effects of social innovations

AbstractThe omnipresence of radical uncertainty asks for a concept of causality that moves beyond the notion of predicted probabilities. Protean power is a most important contribution to move International Relations research in this direction. Yet, some of the key components need further grounding in existing concepts and debates. First, protean power should include the notion of directionality in order to be power. Second, it should allow for an analysis of the different forms of relation between protean power and different types of uncertainties. And it should focus on features of the power relationship instead of the context in which it takes place to be able to transfer it to contexts other than uncertainty.

Research Handbook on Labour, Business and Human Rights Law, edited by Janice R.Bellace and Beryl terHaar. Edward Elgar Publishing, Cheltenham, UK, 2019, 528 pp., ISBN: 978‐1‐78642‐310‐7, £195.00 (US$290.00)

Research Handbook on Labour, Business and Human Rights Law, edited by Janice R.Bellace and Beryl terHaar. Edward Elgar Publishing, Cheltenham, UK, 2019, 528 pp., ISBN: 978‐1‐78642‐310‐7, £195.00 (US$290.00)

Science public relations: The parallel, interwoven, and contrasting trajectories of public relations and science communication theory and practice

There are parallels, intersections, and contrasts between how theory and practice in the public relations and science communication literatures have evolved. Given the need for systematic evidence-based theory to inform communication practice in both contexts, and the need for critical inquiry into the values and power structures that define and reinforce theory and practice in these domains, this manuscript: (1) highlights three areas—the trend toward engagement and participation, issues management in science, and practitioner roles and training—to demonstrate unique and complementary areas of scholarly interest in public relations and science communication, and (2) argues for focused programmatic inquiry in science public relations. Perspectives are offered for how a science public relations research program might advance, including examples of scholarship from public relations, science communication, political communication, and environmental communication.

Dignity Promotion and the Revenge of Honour

This article argues that the West’s neoliberal ‘dignity promotion’ in other parts of the world is counter-productive and leads to the resurgence of a primordial culture of honour, a concept too often an ignored in international relations research. The author shows how the West has hijacked and neoliberalized the concept of dignity to include abstract notions of individual freedom and, above all, property rights and free trade. The concept of dignity is thus deprived of any social content. The strategy of dignity promotion, i.e. the effort to spread the idea of every individual’s inherent, inalienable worth, is based on the conviction that this will lead to a more secure world. However, sociological and anthropological research on moral cultures and honour has shown that security shapes moral cultures, not the other way round. The rise of dignity culture in the modern West was possible only when security, including social security, was provided. Conversely, honour dominates in insecure environments and resurfaces quickly when security disappears. The case study is Russia, where radical neoliberal restructuring in the early 1990s led to an anarchic brutalization of society, giving rise to a widespread culture of honour in Russian politics. On another level, Western dignity promotion in the former Soviet Union, epitomized by its support for ‘colour revolutions’, is perceived as an affront threatening Russian security by damaging its reputation for resolve. Within the culture of honour, the only moral answer to this is aggressive counter-attack.

The construction of “post-hegemonic multipolarity” in Eurasia: A comparative perspective

The 2000s witnessed tectonic changes in the pattern of international relations. Central to these changes is the crisis of global governance and the multipolarization of world politics. Against this backdrop, Eurasian regionalism led by China and Russia is rising as a major force in geopolitical multipolarization. Recent research in international relations attests to growing interest in Eurasian regionalism, with case studies focusing on individual regional mechanisms. Almost entirely absent, however, is comparative research as to how alternative initiatives may promote Eurasian cooperation in a post-hegemonic direction. My research seeks to advance both our empirical and theoretical knowledge of this emerging area. How do geopolitical and economic realignments shape Eurasian cooperation and conflicts in a post-hegemonic direction? What are the historical and institutional settings that are helping Eurasian countries to implement a post-hegemonic agenda of regional cooperation? Using incorporated comparison, this article focuses on the cases of the SCO, the CSTO, the EAEU, and the AIIB; these are regarded as the most coherent and inclusive alternative governance initiatives in the Eurasian region. I argue that post-hegemonic multipolarity in Eurasia finds its strongest expression in regional governance focused on security and economic cooperation at the expense of US global hegemony. These governance mechanisms arise from several competing but complementary initiatives led by China and Russia. A striking characteristic of these mechanisms is that their institutional design reflects a nontraditional security approach, combining conventional security governance with efforts at market and financial and academic integration, business community building, and youth mobilization. The post-hegemonic character of Eurasian regionalism mainly lies in how it provides competing, but coalescing and coexisting schemes for regional governance, which redress Sino-Russian competition into a peaceful framework and do not call for a frontal attack on the US. Their prospects are threatened by Russia and China’s current economic challenges.

“Race” and “racism” in contemporary Africa-China relations research: approaches, controversies and reflections

ABSTRACT Over the last five years, as Africa-China relations have moved beyond the honeymoon period and into a more complex stage, a number of incidents have exploded into global controversies about “race,” “racism” and racial hierarchies. Given this context, research on “race” and “racism” in Africa-China relations has been scarce and fraught with methodological issues and challenges. In this article, I first provide a critical analysis of the ways in which the existing body of Africa-China relations knowledge engages with the analytical categories of “race” and “racism.” After that, following Monson and Lan, who have both argued for the need of a “triangulation” to better understand “racialisation processes” in the relationship, I introduce the notion of “multiple triangulations” to both analyse these processes and to distance the discussion from Euro-American binaries and dichotomies around “race” and “racism.” This is followed by a brief discussion on one of the most recent controversies relating to “race” and “racism” in Afro-Chinese mediascapes. Towards the end of the article, I reflect on the most common methodological issues and challenges in the research on Afro-Chinese encounters. Finally, I discuss the need to develop a global (post-imperial) vocabulary of “race” and “racism,” and indicate what may be the early steps towards doing so.

Measurement of peer and friend relational and physical victimization among early adolescents

IntroductionPeer victimization has been widely examined among children and adolescents; however, the majority of studies in the area of research have been conducted in Western cultures. The goal of the present study was to evaluate the utility of measures that assess different forms of victimization (physical and relational victimization; a two-factor model) against a global form of victimization (combined victimization; a one-factor model) in the peer groups and friendships among Japanese adolescents. It was hypothesized that peer and friend relational victimization would be conceptually distinct from peer and friend physical victimization in Japan. MethodsThe participants were fourth and fifth graders (n = 222, 50% females, age 9–11) and their classroom teachers in Japanese elementary schools. The data were drawn from a short-term longitudinal study. ResultsResults showed, as hypothesized, that peer and friend relational victimization was conceptually and empirically different from peer and friend physical victimization. ConclusionsThese findings suggest that children and teachers view peer and friend relational victimization and peer and friend physical victimization differently. Examining forms of victimization separately is promising for future peer relations research in Japan.

Introduction

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Internal communicators’ understanding of the definition and importance of employee advocacy

In recent years, employee advocacy has evolved as a hot topic that has generated a lot of buzz in todayös public relations, marketing, and business circles. In spite of the growing relevance of employee advocacy, there is limited empirical and theoretical research on this topic and a universal definition and clear understanding of its exact meaning is lacking. Hence, the purpose of this study was to fill a gap in public relations research on employee advocacy by examining how internal communicators understand this behavior and their perceptions of its value. Through interviews with 25 public relations and communications practitioners, the studyös results indicated that participants perceived that advocacy could be expressed verbally or nonverbally. Given these findings, the study proposed a new definition of employee advocacy. Overall, participants agreed that employee advocacy plays a critical role in an organizationös future performance and can impact its success in several ways.

Fake news y relaciones públicas en América Latina

El fenómeno de las fake news ha sido uno de los temas principales en la edición 2018-2019 del Latin American Communication Monitor, el mayor estudio sobre la profesión de relaciones públicas y comunicación estratégica que lleva adelante la European Public Relations Education and Research Asociation (EUPRERA). A través de un estudio comparativo realizado en los distintos países de la región, se exponen los resultados que caracterizan el desarrollo de la actividad, las estructurasy las principales tendencias desde la visión de los profesionales. Aquí presentamos, con 1.165 respuestas consideradas válidas y dentro de un perfil de públicoobjetivo, los principales resultados vinculados a las fake news en la actividad de relaciones públicas en América Latina. Aunque los profesionales están acompañando las discusiones sobre este fenómeno (más del 60%), apenas el 26% de las organizaciones ha implementado pautas y rutinas formales para enfrentarse con noticias falsas y solamente el 7,2% ha instalado tecnologías y sistemas específicos para identificarlas. Las organizaciones gubernamentales (que dicen ser las más afectadas: 37,2%) y aquellas que ya fueron afectadas por este tipo de prácticas (49,7%) son las que más confían en las competencias individuales de su estructura de comunicación para resolver el problema.

‘What they say peters down’: How non-profit leaders assess the trustworthiness of government – Elite discourse and distrust in post-conflict Northern Ireland

This article uses Northern Ireland as a research context to explore how elite discourse (from political and media actors/institutions) influences how Non-Profit Leaders (NPLs) assess the trustworthiness of government. We provide emergent themes which should aid theory development and practice in the area of political public relations by showing: (1) the value NPLs place on ‘soft’ trust qualities in trust assessments of government, namely benevolence; (2) the importance NPLs place on communicative acts which model trust (e.g. dialogue, compromise, mediation); and (3) the destructive role of divisive political elite discourse within a defective political system, amplified via the media, in NPLs’ distrust of government. The study thereby emphasises the crucial and constitutive role trust perceptions play in (in)effective political public relations, arguing that ‘trust’ must be defined by the perceiver and critically unpacked if public relations research is to fully appreciate its function. We propose that the nature of Northern Ireland’s post-conflict divided society, and political discourse in specific, makes certain trust antecedents most desirable to cross-community stakeholders. The findings contribute to further refining the concept of trust in public relations and they may also be instructive for other contexts.

Overt Yet Covert: The Paradox of the Positive Flaw in Public Relations Practice

Research continues to look for advances and flaws in the theory and practice of public relations. One such flaw, coined “the paradox of the positive” (Heath & Waymer, 2009), challenges theory and practice to avoid making glowingly positive statements for and about self-interested organizations, including their products, services, and programs. The critical concern is that discourse distorts the framing of issues, and assessments of organizations themselves, by expressing bias that is overly positive (or negative). Critical public relations research presumes that discourse is most fully functional when it supports objective, enlightened decision-making. This conceptual essay explores how theory and research support discussion of the dysfunctional power of the paradox of the positive to distort valuable cultural topoi that otherwise can guide management decision making and rhetorical discourse to solve problems and make sound decisions in the public interest. By understanding the paradox and grappling with its distortive impact, scholars and practitioners can navigate the dangers, benefits, ironies, and responsibilities required to expose and wrestle with a pervasive, taken-for-granted strategic practice of professional enterprise. Moreover, the paradox of the positive can harm the interests of marginalized publics and stakeholders. As a matter of discourse strategy, the challenge is to address issues and images with as little positive (or negative) distortion as possible if the practice is to broker the public interest.

Status of internal communication research in public relations: An analysis of published articles in nine scholarly journals from 1970 to 2019

This study aims to examine the trends of internal communication research through a quantitative content analysis of published articles in public relations and other communication journals. Research topics, theoretical frameworks, methodology, and authorship information were analyzed using 223 articles. Results indicate that internal communication research in public relations scholarships has exponentially increased since 2011. Research topics on internal communication have diversified since 2000, from descriptive studies illustrating internal communication practices to a variety of relevant phenomena on employee and organizational outcomes. Public relations theories, such as organization–public relationship and symmetrical communication, have been frequently applied in internal communication research. In terms of methodology and sample, quantitative and qualitative methods have been equally utilized, and employees from multiple organizations were frequently used as a type of sample in a large portion of research works. The most productive researchers and institutions of internal communication research in public relations were also identified. Implications for ongoing internal communication research in public relations disciplines are discussed. To address the limitations of the current study, future studies should incorporate an interdisciplinary and a global perspective.

An Alternative Approach to Cognitive and Achievement Relations Research: An Introduction to Quantile Regression

A large body of prior work shows that cognitive abilities and basic academic skills explain individual differences in performance on reading, writing, and math achievement measures. However, this research focuses exclusively on the average relations between cognitive and achievement scores without consideration of whether effects vary at different thresholds of academic performance. To address this limitation, we employed unconditional quantile regression to explore the effects of cognitive abilities and basic and intermediate academic skills on advanced achievement outcomes as a function of reading, writing, or math skill level in a large nationally representative sample of youth and adolescent children (N = 3891). Quantile regression is a methodological technique that allows for a more nuanced examination of whether differential effects along the distribution of an outcome skill exist, which often goes undetected when employing more conventional regression methods that focus on mean effects. Findings from this exploratory study generally showed that cognitive abilities and basic and intermediate academic skills had a pattern of differential effects depending on achievement level, with stronger effects often observed when performance on the academic outcome measure was lower. This exploratory study provides an illustrative example of unconditional quantile regression and how it can be interpreted and applied within an area of relevance to pediatric neuropsychology.