The relationship between the professionalization of public relations, societal social capital and democracy: Evidence from a cross-national study

• This is a cross-national study that draws data from 36 countries to measure the relationships between public relations professionalization, social capital and democracy.
• This study composes public relations professionalization index (PRPI) that provides a viable way to measure public relations professionalization across countries.
• Based on empirical findings, this study proposed a normative model that explains the relationship between public relations, social capital and democracy.

What does public relations contribute to society? This research study examined how public relations professionalism is related to social capital and democracy. The relationships between public relations professionalization, social capital and democracy were studied through the public relations professionalization index (PRPI). The PRPI examined a cross-national dataset that pools information from 36 countries and the results of the regression analyses suggest that the PRPI is a reliable measure of public relations professionalization. Overall, the analyses suggest that public relations contributes to societies by building relationships that create social capital and enhance the development of democracy. The findings inform a model that begins to explain the relationship between the professionalization of public relations, social capital and democracy.