Town-twinning is a way of international cooperation between self-governments at the local level. The town-twinning is based on regular meetings of town representatives and citizens. The other type of international cooperation is the cross-border cooperation that points at common solution of problems in particular border area. The main aim of the town-twinning is information and experience exchange, arrangement of common cultural and sport events, school cooperation and language skills improvement. Thanks to the involvement of citizens in town-twinning activities, the mutual prejudices are eliminated and relations improved. The diploma thesis analyses the town-twinning between Prague and Nuremberg (Nürnberg), Pilsen and Regensburg, Domažlice and Furth im Wald. Thanks to the partnership, the towns and cities can advance their own interests in foreign policy by methods of public diplomacy and paradiplomacy regardless the relations between country governments. The improvement of international relations thanks to the town-twinning can be represented by the relationship between the Czech Republic and the Free State of Bavaria, where the twin towns were constituted without regard to the official policy of the country or the federal state. These contacts at the governmental level were very influenced by...

Gastronomy belongs among the important elements of the French national identity and at the same time it is one of the main tourist attractions. Which place and why does the gastronomy have among the modern trends of public diplomacy and how is the French gastro-diplomacy formed on the online social media? There are certain long-lasting tensions visible in the French gastronomic discourse, for example between the Republican idea of unity and the foreign policy strategy of supporting diversity. However, historical research shows that these aspects are not excluding one another, they are more like two sides of the same coin. Gastro-diplomacy is then understood as a narrow dimension of the foreign policy, namely as a part of public cultural diplomacy. In the framework of contemporary French gastro-diplomacy, it is possible to observe the employment of modern instruments, such as the communication through online social networks. Combined with the bet on the long-standing good image of French cuisine, it is one of the ways in which France prove successful in the international arena. It is also a sign of strategic behaviour against the standardization of food products. Quantitative and qualitative analysis of Facebook, Twitter and Instagram posts showed that during the period 1. 1. 2009 - 30. 6. 2017,...

This diploma thesis is a case study focused on Polish public diplomacy as a tool of foreign policy and its changes between 2005 and 2019. The way how public diplomacy is exercised in the Polish case is significantly influenced by two factors - the size of the country or rather its influence and its geographic location, which is closely connected with particular societal, political and economic features with relation to the country's history. The aim of the thesis is to find out what are the foundations of polish public diplomacy, how it has been changed within the studied period and what it tells us about public diplomacy as a tool of foreign policy and the possibility of domestic actors to influence it. There is a deep cleavage between the two main political parties, which have alternated in government since 2005, and their preferences in domestic and foreign policy. Based on the outputs of Polish public diplomacy in four spheres - nation branding, cultural diplomacy, historical diplomacy and communication channels - and in organizational framework, the thesis analyses the interconnection between public diplomacy and foreign policy and also the strategy of Polish public diplomacy, taking into account the alternation of governing parties.

The dissertation "Czech and Slovak Public Diplomacy after 1993: The Transformation of Czech Centres and Slovak Institutes" seeks to compare Czech and Slovak model of public and cultural diplomacy after the peaceful separation of Czechoslovakia in 1993. It seeks to investigate whether the two countries embarked on similar journeys in their foreign affairs and whether the public and cultural diplomacy is at the forefront of their international policies. The dissertation aims to establish whether to accept or reject the hypothesis that the same historical circumstances and transformational similarities inevitably lead to similarities of Czech and Slovak public and cultural diplomacy. The first chapter of the dissertation focuses on a theoretical interpretation of public and cultural diplomacy. The second chapter of the dissertation deals with both countries' historical experience and describes the model of public and cultural diplomacy in each country from year 1993 to now. This part of the dissertation delineates conceptual documentation and describes the institutional dimension of this issue. The third and fourth chapter of the dissertation then separately deal with Czech Centres and Slovak Institutes as the primary players in the cultural diplomacy abroad. The final and core chapter of the...

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This thesis highlighted how disinformation campaigns on social media platforms and news outlets were used as tools to influence Swedish public diplomacy. To accomplish this, it aimed to answer the following research question “How are disinformation campaigns, through social media platforms and news outlets, impacting Sweden’s public diplomacy?”. The thesis applied two case studies, the first being a domestic context consisting of the Swedish Social Services (SSS) and the Swedish Care of Young Persons (Special Provisions) Act (LVU), and the second an international context being Sweden applying for a NATO membership. The analysis utilized a sociotechnical approach interpreting newspaper article, social media posts, and reports that made up the empirical material. In addition, an analytical framework, divided into three thematic sections, was used for the analysis. The thematic sections consisted of 1) background of the case; 2) the disinformation campaigns that were conducted including the actors involved; 3) the Swedish public diplomatic response based on Joseph Nye’s theory about political power and public diplomacy. The thesis discovered that both the domestic and international context impacted Sweden’s public diplomacy, where the government and governmental agencies took measures that they previously had not. Furthermore, it discovered that news outlets and social platforms could not be viewed as two separate entities when conducting disinformation campaigns, but instead as an additional third entity. Lastly, the thesis found the two cases to be similar, despite their different contexts, as disinformation campaigns often build on previous rumors.

This thesis examines Swedish values from the perspectives of international and Swedish students residing in Sweden, with the collaboration of the Swedish Institute—a public agency focused on enhancing Sweden’s global image and attractiveness to researchers, students, and talents. The research explores the field of nation branding, public diplomacy, and soft power. The study aims to analyze the interpretation and understanding of Swedish values among individuals with international backgrounds and compare it to the perspective of local students. Drawing upon the framework of Joseph Nye’s concepts of public diplomacy and soft power, the paper emphasizes the importance of understanding how international students perceive Swedish values and how these perceptions are influenced by their experiences. The research questions address the values associated with Sweden before and after students’ arrival, the valence attributed to these values, and the opinions and perceptions of international students regarding the values promoted through studyinsweden.se channels, particularly the concept of "The Swedish Way." A qualitative study employing thematic analysis was conducted, including two focus groups and a survey. Five main themes emerged from the analysis: (1) The Democratic way of Sweden, (2) The Image of Swedes, (3) Conflicting values in Swedish society, (4) Differences in values across regions and over time, and (5) The Idealization of Sweden. Notably, values strongly associated with Sweden were connected to democracy, including Equality, Freedom, Socialism, Individualism, and Collectivism. Other values perceived as Swedish encompassed sustainability, Jante Law, Lagom, calmness, diplomacy, conflict-avoidance, friendship, understanding, politeness, tolerance, and open-mindedness. The findings reveal that international students often hold an idealized view of Sweden, leading to a shift in their perspective upon arrival. Swedish students, on the other hand, note changes in Swedish values over time, with increased perceptions of bigotry and racism and decreased emphasis on inclusivity and openness. While participants generally held positive perspectives on Swedish values, there were also indications of negative perceptions, such as bigotry and racism. Participants expressed some agreement with the values promoted by the Swedish Institute but also pointed out instances where the promotion did not align with the reality of Sweden. This research contributes to understanding how international students perceive Swedish values both before and after their arrival, filling a gap in international students’ perceptions of Sweden. The findings highlight the importance of balancing the promotion of Sweden’s attractive aspects with a realistic portrayal, utilizing milder expressions and focusing on factual evidence of sustainability and equality. By actively examining and addressing perceptions, Sweden can enhance its nation branding efforts and attract a diverse pool of talented individuals. / Den här uppsatsen undersöker svenska värderingar ur perspektivet hos internationella och svenska studenter som vistas i Sverige, i samarbete med det Svenska Institutet - en offentlig myndighet inriktad på att förbättra Sveriges globala bild och attraktivitet för forskare, studenter och talanger. Forskningen utforskar området nation branding, offentlig diplomati, och mjuk makt. Studien syftar till att analysera tolkningen och förståelsen av svenska värderingar hos studenter med internationella bakgrunder och jämföra detta med perspektivet hos lokala studenter. Med utgångspunkt i Joseph Nyes ramverk för public diplomacy och soft power betonar avhandlingen vikten av att förstå hur internationella studenter uppfattar svenska värderingar och hur dessa uppfattningar påverkas av deras erfarenheter. Forskningsfrågorna behandlar de värderingar som associeras med Sverige före och efter studenternas ankomst, valensen som tillskrivs dessa värderingar, samt internationella studenters åsikter och uppfattningar om värderingarna som främjas genom studyinsweden.se kanalerna, med fokus på konceptet "The Swedish Way". En kvalitativ studie med tematisk analys genomfördes, inklusive två fokusgrupper och en enkätundersökning. Fem huvudteman framkom genom analysen: (1) Den Svenska Demokratiska Vägen, (2) Bilden av svenskar, (3) Värderingskonflikter i det svenska samhället, (4) Skillnader i värderingar mellan olika regioner och över tid, samt (5) Idealiseringen av Sverige. De värderingar som var starkt förknippade med Sverige var kopplat till demokrati, till exempel, Jämlikhet, Frihet, Socialism, Individualism och Kollektivism. Andra värderingar som uppfattades som svenska var hållbarhet, Jantelagen, Lagom, lugn, diplomati, undvikande av konflikter, vänskap, förståelse, artighet, tolerans och öppenhet. Resultaten visar att många internationella studenter har en idealiserad syn på Sverige, vilket leder till en förändring i deras perspektiv vid ankomsten. Svenska studenter noterar däremot förändringar i svenska värderingar över tid, med ökad uppfattning om fördomar och rasism samt minskad betoning på inkludering och öppenhet. Även om deltagarna generellt hade positiva perspektiv på svenska värderingar fanns det även indikationer på negativa uppfattningar som fördomar och rasism. Deltagarna uttryckte viss samstämmighet med de värderingar som främjas av det Svenska Institutet men påpekade också situationer där främjandet inte överensstämde med verkligheten i Sverige. Denna forskning bidrar till förståelsen av hur internationella studenter uppfattar svenska värderingar både före och efter deras ankomst och fyller en kunskapslucka kring internationella studenters syn på Sverige. Resultaten understryker vikten av att balansera främjandet av Sveriges attraktiva sidor med en realistisk framställning, genom att använda mildare uttryck och fokusera på konkreta bevis för hållbarhet och jämlikhet. Genom att aktivt undersöka uppfattningarna kan Sverige förbättra sina ansträngningar inom nation branding och locka till sig en mångfald av talangfulla individer.

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本研究透過分析比較台灣與美國重要報紙媒體上的北京奧運相關報導，檢視中國主辦2008年北京奧運會，所投射出來的媒體國家形象(projected national image)，進而探討舉辦全球性媒體活動(global media events)做為國家形象管理策略一環的應用性。本研究挑選台灣的《聯合報》、《自由時報》，與美國的《紐約時報》、《華盛頓郵報》為兩地重要媒體的代表，並經過搜尋篩選程序之後，共得到375則新聞報導。再以內容分析法與框架清單(the list of the frame)分析法，對構成媒體國家形象的各個變項進行相關統計分析。 本研究主要得到三點發現。首先，就台灣與美國報紙整體而言，中國國家形象偏向負面，且報導方向與新聞框架、報導型式之間皆存有顯著關係，而該負面形象的來源，未必是直接與奧運會相關的新聞主題。其次，若將美國報紙與台灣報紙進行比較，則發現兩地的中國國家形象均呈現負面，而台灣報紙的整體報導量以及負面新聞主題較多。另外，本研究發現，同一個國家內的不同媒體之間，也有顯著的差異，《華盛頓郵報》與《自由時報》的負面報導多過中立報導，而《紐約時報》及《聯合報》則仍然以中立報導最多，且《自由時報》的新聞框架運用偏重在政治的角度，而《聯合報》則較多元。 最後，本研究認為北京奧運成功帶來了許多相關的正面主題與正面框架報導，與奧運活動本身較不相關的負面主題，則顯示良好的國家形象需要長期多方面的努力建構。 / To host global media events is one of the important kinds of strategies for the national image management. This study focuses on news coverage of 2008 Beijing-Olympic from the New York Times, Washington Post in the US, and the United Daily, Liberty Times in Taiwan to examine China's projected national image. The content analysis, and the list of the frame analysis were carried out to analyze several variables forming the projected national image in the 375 news items. Through statistic analysis, this study found three main points. First, for four newspapers, China's projected national image was negative. The valence was related to news frames and news style evidently, and also a few indirect news topics were the source of the negative image as well. Secondly, in comparison of newspapers in the US and in Taiwan, both images of china were negative. The total number of stories and negative news topics in Taiwan's newspapers were more than in the US counterpart. Thirdly, in terms of valence, Washington Post and Liberty Times had more negative news than neutral ones, but the neutral news were still the most in the New York Times and United Daily. The Liberty Times reporting had much more political frames, but the United Daily reporting emphasized on several kinds of news frames. Finally, this study found 2008 Beijing-Olympic event brought mass positive news topics and news frames in the news items. The negative news topics showed that building good national image takes much more time and efforts to achieve.

The aim of this thesis is to analyze the establishment and development of lectureships in the Swedish language in German universities during the first half of the 20th century. Building on earlier research about the role of language teaching abroad for public diplomacy, the study sees the lecturer as a part of both the the academic and political fields in Germany and Sweden. The establishment of and changes in the system of lectureships in Swedish 1906–1945 are explained through an analysis of the actors involved and of the assets allowing the actors to control both the establishment of lectureships and the appointment of lecturers in Germany. During the Weimar Republic a number of actors were involved in the establishment of the lectureships. They included academics with a scholarly interest in Scandinavian languages and old Norse,, the German state, which worked to promote the study of foreign countries and interna­tional academic mobility as a way of breaking German isolation after World War I, and the Swedish organization for the preservation of Swedishness abroad for which the teaching of Swed­ish abroad was a way of increasing the academic status of the language. After the National Social­ist takeover in 1933 the NSDAP and the Swedish foreign ministry also took an interest in the Swedish lectureships in Germany for propaganda purposes. The dissertation shows how a system for the appointment of Swedish lecturers to Germany was established through interaction between the actors. Central in this process were the control over economic assets, a social network which made recommendations of lecturers possible, and the control over communication between both the lecturers and universites and between the German and Swedish states. The study also shows that the uneven distribution of assets between German and Swedish actors resulted in an inferior position for the German state and organizations in relationship to their Swedish counterparts.