CEU Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2023
| Author | Hochel, Martin |
|---|---|
| Title | Perspectives of the Nation Branding Experiment in Slovakia |
| Summary | Nation branding consists of the controlled activity of states that compete against each other, by means of soft power and market-like principles, for important resources. It has been studied as both a theoretical concept of national image and a set of practices that relate to the presence of globalisation, neoliberalism, and marketisation. The thesis is about the making of the Slovak nation brand and its implementation within the wider regional discourse of nation branding in Central and European Europe. It proceeds with process-tracing and content analysis, of legislation and relevant branding material, to track the making of the Slovak brand and its specific challenges that place it in a peculiar position within the framework of nation branding in this region. The latest data on the ranking of the Slovak brand within index scales, which is a frequent measurement of assessing the brand in the last two decades, provides results that run contrary to the claimed improvement of standing as a result of European Union accession. The thesis provides evidence why this might be one of the consequences stemming from the difficulties in coming up with and agreeing on the important indicators which are communicated to a targeted foreign audience and need to be identified with by a significant part of the domestic population. Another argument this thesis elaborates on is the alleged positive and significant correlation between nation branding and democracy. By reproducing the quantitative correlation analysis, the thesis argues that this claim cannot be extended to Central and Eastern Europe, nor to Slovakia. The findings call for a particularistic approach to nation branding in Slovakia and Central Europe. |
| Supervisor | Pap, Laszlo; Džankić, Jelena |
| Department | Nationalism Studies MA |
| Full text | https://www.etd.ceu.edu/2023/hochel_martin.pdf |
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