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Javnost - The Public, Vol. 17 - 2010, No. 2
An Institutionalist View of Public Relations and the Evolution of Public Relations in Transition Economies
The paper provides an institutionalist view of public relations as a refi ned mechanism for maintaining corporate power. The institutionalist theory of the fi rm, based on Galbraithian and Marxist tradition, off ers a convenient framework for including public relations into economics. The authors present the role of public relations managers, the creation and management of issues as well as methods of fi nancing the public relations activities. The institutionalist approach bears also relevant aspects for the analysis of the developments of public relations in transition economies, which is shown in a tentative periodisation of the evolution of public relations. During the past twenty years the public relations practices in transition economies have evolved through several stages. After having “successfully” assisted in neutralising the turbulent social consequences of transitional processes in the initial phases of transition, the public relations departments of transitional fi rms now tend to apply the proactive public relations strategies in order to enhance corporate power.