Exploring a Positive Form of Power : Public Relations and Institutional Agency in an Authoritarian Context

Despite being in the DNA of public relations (PR), power receives little prominence in the literature. While critical PR studies have focused on the negative power of PR (e.g., hegemony, manipulation), limited attempts seek to explore whether the power of PR can be positive and how. To address this gap, this study applies a theoretical lens of “institutional agency” – actors’ initiative and capacity to exert influence on institutional environments – to examine how PR enacts institutional agency in authoritarian China and with what, if any, positive outcomes. Based on 46 in-depth interviews and participant observation, results suggest that Chinese PR serves as changing agents to aid organizations overcome various institutional constraints and create a favorable environment in which they operate. This study contributes to enriching extant PR scholarship on power by presenting a refreshing view of constructive institutional agency