Chapter 1. Implementation Discretion in Public Diplomacy: An Introduction
US Public Diplomacy Towards China
Rebalance to the Asia-Pacific
Why Implementation?
Methodological Issues
A Roadmap to the Rest of the Book
Chapter 2. Programs at Departments of State and Defense
Defining Public Diplomacy in Practice
Public Diplomacy Programs at Two Departments
Programs and Their Goals
Conclusion
Chapter 3. Implementation and Public Diplomacy
Implementation's Duo Role
Meanings of Public Diplomacy in Theory
Ideal Public Diplomacy without Discretion
Conclusion
Chapter 4. Mixed Impacts of Organizational Culture
Effects of Organizational Culture
"Defense is from Mars and State is from Venus"
Process-Oriented and Elitist Tendencies in DoS
Result-Oriented and Hierarchical Tendencies in DoD
Conclusion
Chapter 5. Public Diplomacy becomes Measurable Outcomes
Displacing Ambiguous Goals with Measurables
Public Diplomacy's Ambiguous Goals and Evaluation
Preference of Measurable in DoS
Preference of Measurables in DoS
Measurable Goals in DoD
Conclusion
Chapter 6. Public Diplomacy Constrained by Limited Resources
Effect of Inadequate Resources on Implementation
Public-Private Partnerships in DoS
Various Resource Constraints of DoD
Conclusion
Chapter 7. Public Diplomacy in the Eye of the Beholder
Exercising Discretion in Public Diplomacy
Public Diplomacy and Implementation
Some Exceptions and Alternative Explanations
Connecting to the Literature
Looking into the Future
Di Wu is Assistant Professor at Tongji University, China. Her research sits at the intersection of foreign policy and strategic communication, with geographic interests in China and the US. Wu has published on soft power, public diplomacy, and US-China relations.
“The US-China relationship is the critical driving force of contemporary world order, and public diplomacy is a vital tool for creating better understanding and reducing tensions between the two powers. Based on original research, this book is not only an important contribution to the academic literature on public diplomacy, but also an invaluable guide for analysts and policymakers in explaining why US cultural and education programs have had limited success, and how to improve them.”
- Amitav Acharya, Distinguished Professor, American University, USA
This book aims to understand public diplomacy by examining its practice. In particular, it focuses on the implementation of educational and exchange programs by the US Departments of State and Defense toward China. Implementation is the focal point of this study and is utilized both as a practical process and a methodology. It refers to the process of translating a public diplomacy policy goal—the specific order given to a governmental institution in order to achieve a general foreign policy objective—into public diplomacy practices and impact. In addition, it refers to a research method that centers implementation and accepts the prerequisite of discretion from studies of policy implementation. This book maps out where and by whom implementation discretion is exercised in public diplomacy. It argues that public diplomacy is in the eye of the beholder, and that its meanings can vary significantly according to different actors.
Di Wu is Assistant Professor at Tongji University, China. Her research sits at the intersection of foreign policy and strategic communication, with geographic interests in China and the US. Wu has published on soft power, public diplomacy, and US-China relations.