PUBLIC DIPLOMACY IN SHAPING THE RESOURCE BASE FOR UKRAINE’S POST-WAR RECOVERY IN THE CONTEXT OF ECONOMIC SECURITY
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.32782/2413-9971/2026-60-11Keywords:
public diplomacy, reputational capital, digital diplomacy, post-war recovery, economic security, national economic interests, investmentAbstract
The article examines the role of public diplomacy in shaping the resource base for Ukraine’s post-war recovery under conditions of heightened uncertainty and security challenges. The study is grounded in the assumption that traditional economic policy instruments are insufficient to ensure effective mobilization of external financial, investment, and institutional resources in a wartime and post-conflict environment. In this context, particular attention is paid to intangible factors, primarily trust and reputational capital, which significantly influence the scale and sustainability of international support. The paper argues that public diplomacy has evolved beyond its conventional function of image-building and now performs a strategic role in ensuring economic security. It contributes to the formation of favorable external perceptions, reduces information asymmetry, and enhances the predictability of cooperation with international partners. Special emphasis is placed on the mechanisms through which reputational capital is transformed into tangible economic outcomes, including official development assistance, foreign direct investment, institutional cooperation, and diaspora engagement. The study systematizes the key channels of such transformation and highlights the interdependence between communication strategies and institutional capacity. It is demonstrated that the effectiveness of public diplomacy depends not only on the quality of external communication but also on the consistency of domestic reforms, transparency, and governance standards. A conceptual model is proposed to illustrate the relationship between communication practices, reputational capital, and resource mobilization. The findings suggest that public diplomacy should be integrated into the system of strategic management of post-war recovery as a tool for mitigating external risks and strengthening economic resilience. The results contribute to a deeper understanding of the role of non-material factors in economic recovery processes and provide a basis for further research on measuring the economic effects of reputational capital.
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Lee, S.T. (2023) A battle for foreign perceptions: Ukraine’s country image in the 2022 war with Russia [A battle for foreign perceptions: Ukraine’s country image in the 2022 war with Russia]. Place Branding and Public Diplomacy, vol. 19, no. 3, pp. 345–358. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/s41254-022-00284-0
Cull, N.J. (2023) The war for Ukraine: Reputational security and media disruption [The war for Ukraine: Reputational security and media disruption]. Place Branding and Public Diplomacy, vol. 19, no. 2, pp. 195–199. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/s41254-022-00281-3
Cull, N.J. (2022) From soft power to reputational security: Rethinking public diplomacy and cultural diplomacy for a dangerous age [From soft power to reputational security: Rethinking public diplomacy and cultural diplomacy for a dangerous age]. Place Branding and Public Diplomacy, vol. 18, no. 1, pp. 18–21. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/s41254-021-00236-0
Bjola, C., Fjällhed, A. (2025) Public diplomacy in the crossfire: Decoding Ukraine's ‘Strategic Self’ during wartime [Public diplomacy in the crossfire: Decoding Ukraine's ‘Strategic Self’ during wartime]. International Affairs, vol. 101, no. 6, pp. 2059–2083. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/ia/iiaf179
Ventura, S. (2024) War and its imagery: The visual narrative of the Ukrainian state’s Instagram account Ukraine.ua as a tool of digital public diplomacy [War and its imagery: The visual narrative of the Ukrainian state’s Instagram account Ukraine.ua as a tool of digital public diplomacy]. International Journal of Strategic Communication, vol. 18, no. 1, pp. 1–25. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/1553118X.2024.2395407
Boatwright, B., Pyle, S. (2023) “Don’t mess with Ukrainian farmers”: An examination of Ukraine and Kyiv’s official Twitter accounts as crisis communication, public diplomacy, and nation building during Russian invasion [“Don’t mess with Ukrainian farmers”: An examination of Ukraine and Kyiv’s official Twitter accounts as crisis communication, public diplomacy, and nation building during Russian invasion]. Public Relations Review, vol. 49, no. 4, article 102363. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pubrev.2023.102363
Horbyk, R., Orlova, D. (2023) Transmedia storytelling and memetic warfare: Ukraine’s wartime public diplomacy [Transmedia storytelling and memetic warfare: Ukraine’s wartime public diplomacy]. Place Branding and Public Diplomacy, vol. 19, no. 2, pp. 228–231. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/s41254-022-00283-1
Zachara-Szymańska, M. (2023) The return of the hero-leader? Volodymyr Zelensky’s international image and the global response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine [The return of the hero-leader? Volodymyr Zelensky’s international image and the global response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine]. Leadership, vol. 19, no. 3, pp. 196–209. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/17427150231159824
Richter, M.M. (2023) ‘Call the Bluff’ or ‘Build Back Better’—Anti-corruption reforms in post-war Ukraine [‘Call the Bluff’ or ‘Build Back Better’—Anti-corruption reforms in post-war Ukraine]. Global Policy, vol. 14, no. 4, pp. 611–622. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/1758-5899.13251
Cifuentes-Faura, J. (2024) Government transparency and corruption in a turbulent setting: The case of foreign aid to Ukraine [Government transparency and corruption in a turbulent setting: The case of foreign aid to Ukraine]. Governance, vol. 37, no. 2, pp. 659–670. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/gove.12835
Cifuentes-Faura, J. (2024) Corruption in Ukraine during the Ukrainian–Russian war: A decalogue of policies to combat it [Corruption in Ukraine during the Ukrainian–Russian war: A decalogue of policies to combat it]. Journal of Public Affairs, vol. 24, no. 1, article e2905. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/pa.2905
Zapatrina, I. (2022) Ukraine: Challenges in attracting the private sector to infrastructure recovery [Ukraine: Challenges in attracting the private sector to infrastructure recovery]. European Procurement & Public Private Partnership Law Review, vol. 17, no. 2, pp. 132–139. DOI: https://doi.org/10.21552/epppl/2022/2/10
Birka, I. (2022) Thinking diaspora diplomacy after Russia’s war in Ukraine [Thinking diaspora diplomacy after Russia’s war in Ukraine]. Space and Polity, vol. 26, no. 1, pp. 1–9. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/13562576.2022.2104632
Williams, N. (2018) Mobilising diaspora to promote homeland investment: The progress of policy in post-conflict economies. Environment and Planning C: Politics and Space, vol. 36, no. 7. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/2399654417752684
Koinova, M. (2018) Diaspora mobilisation for conflict and post-conflict reconstruction: Contextual and comparative dimensions [Diaspora mobilisation for conflict and post-conflict reconstruction: Contextual and comparative dimensions]. Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, vol. 44, no. 8, pp. 1251–1269. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/1369183X.2017.1354152
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