Dictatorships and Western Public Relations Firms

Why and when do dictatorships use Western Public Relations (PR) firms? About 80% of post-WWII dictatorships have enlisted US-based PR specialists. While emerging literature explores strategies of authoritarian image management, little systematic is known about the hiring of the dictators’ foreign helpers. We argue that authoritarian regimes can hire Western PR professionals i) to counter criticism, ii) amplify positive publicity, iii) stabilize foreign support, iv) or signal their allegiance. Our macro-quantitative analysis of thousands of contracts between authoritarian regimes and US-based PR firms (1945-2022) offers strong support for two of the logics and partial support for the others. We supplement these findings with evidence from five short case studies including China. Together, the findings are crucial for understanding how authoritarian regimes wield soft power and influence foreign public discourse and decision-making, with important implications for international security and the resilience of the global rules-based order.