Strategic Communication and Public Policy: A Major Gap and Opportunity for Research, Practice, and Democracy

Abstract

Governments and public institutions invest substantially in strategic communication. For example, the UK Government Communication Service employs more than 7,000 communication staff and spending on communication in the UK in 2023–2024 totaled almost £750 million (US$900 million). However, a study of strategic communication in relation to the development of public policy, commonly referred to as the policy process or the policy cycle, reveals a predominant focus on one-way communication at the end of the process to announce and promote policies. When two-way communication occurs, it is commonly limited to input from experts. This is an important topic for study, particularly in democracies, because public policy affects every citizen and democracy purportedly gives citizens the right to provide input to policy. This critical analysis based on a review of literature informing public policy development in a democracy and interviews with senior public policy and public sector communication practitioners reveals a need to recalibrate strategic communication in relation to public policy development. It argues that addressing this gap in communication provides an opportunity to redress declining public trust and “democratic backsliding” and can benefit policymakers, stakeholders, and society.