Stuttgart/Berlin, 17 March 2022 – In times of international tensions, what is propaganda and fake news for some is truthful and justified information for others. What they both have in common is that they want to create understanding and positive sentiments of one’s position among key audiences and target groups. Attempts to influence one’s perception and understanding abroad has been a steady repertoire of external cultural policy for a long time. To better understand the strategies and trends in other countries, ifa – Institut für Auslandsbeziehungen developed the External Cultural Policy or ECP Monitor in cooperation with the Hertie School.
The ECP Monitor provides an overview of external cultural policy objectives, measures and activities individual countries undertake. It includes the major policy fields such as culture and arts, language, education, science, research, and media. Country profiles offer quantitative data and contextual information in a structured way that allows cross-country comparisons.
In the context of growing geopolitical tension, more and more countries have developed explicit external cultural policy strategies to complement or substitute actions in fields such as economic, diplomatic or security policy.
ifa’s Secretary General Gitte Zschoch says: “The current dramatic developments demonstrate, in the most cynical way, the impact of advanced media strategies devised by some governments for international target groups. For politicians and media professionals it is instrumental to understand how these mechanisms work. Hence the need for comprehensive research as provided with the ECP Monitor, one significant component of ifa’s work in policy advice.”
“From a realist point of view, you have to admit that culture in form of soft power is closely intertwined with other aspects of foreign policy, and is indeed a growing element in how countries position themselves in an increasingly competitive and changing geopolitical system. It is high time to realise this”, states Prof. Anheier, Senior Professor of Sociology at the Hertie School.
Consequently, media strategies of countries such as Russia, as a means to influence foreign publics, are analysed in detail in the ECP Monitor. It shows that in 2019, the Russian Federation invested € 305.1 million in RT, reaching a weekly TV audience of 100 million, 4.5 million YouTube subscribers and 3 million Twitter followers. This compares to a budget of € 413 million of Deutsche Welle, reaching a similar number of a weekly TV audience of 99 million in 2019, nearly 3 million YouTube subscribers, but only 527,000 Twitter followers.
The ECP Monitor is a joint project of ifa and the Hertie School. It was developed by Prof. Helmut K. Anheier of the Hertie School in Berlin and the Luskin School for Public Affairs at the University of California Los Angeles.
A first set of 30 country reports and seven comparative reports is now online and can be down-loaded here: www.ifa.de/en/research/ecp-monitor/
Updates and more countries will be added to the ECP Monitor in the upcoming months.
Further information on Russian communication strategy provides:
Meister, Stefan (ed.) 2018. Understanding Russian Communication Strategy: Case Studies of Serbia and Estonia. ifa Edition Culture and Foreign Policy, Stuttgart.
www.ssoar.info/ssoar/handle/document/59979
Press contacts
Miriam Kahrmann, +49 (0)7112225 105, presse(at)ifa.de
Guido Jansen-Recken, +49 (0)30 284491 19, presse(at)ifa.de
Alina Zurmühlen, +49 (0)160 911 66 983, pressoffice(at)hertie-school.org
About ifa
ifa – Institut für Auslandsbeziehungen promotes a peaceful and enriching coexistence between people and cultures worldwide. ifa supports artistic and cultural exchange in exhibition, dialogue and conference programmes, and it acts as a centre of excellence for international cultural rela¬tions. It is part of a global network and relies on sustainable, long-term partnerships.
ifa is supported by the Federal Foreign Office of the Federal Republic of Germany, the state of Baden-Württemberg and its capital Stuttgart. www.ifa.de/en
About the Hertie School
The Hertie School in Berlin prepares exceptional students for leadership positions in govern-ment, business, and civil society. The school offers master’s programmes, executive education and doctoral programmes, distinguished by interdisciplinary and practice-oriented teaching, as well as outstanding research. Its extensive international network positions it as an ambassador of good governance, characterised by public debate and engagement. The school was founded in 2004 by the Hertie Foundation, which remains its major funder. The Hertie School is accredited by the state and the German Science Council. www.hertie-school.org