The best books for managing the reputation of cities, regions, and countries

This is one of the few books that I read as a student that has stayed with me.

What struck me at the time and still today is Anderson’s elaborate illustration that civic identity and pride are imagined and manipulated. His analysis specifically deals with nationalism as being socially constructed within a community (through the printed narrative of the nation, shared language, museums, and education systems).

The nation is something that is imagined as a comradeship by the people who perceive themselves as part of it, even when they do not know most of the other members.

This is why I write about imaginative communities with the aim to advance the idea of Anderson’s Imagined Communities; to make the local relevant globally as well as locally.

My dear colleague Simon Anholt is the founding father of the idea of the city, region or nation as brand.

He created the Anholt Ipsos Nation Brands Index and the Good Country Index; has written extensively on the subject; and has inspired me throughout my career. In his latest book The Good Country Equation he clearly proves – through the data that he’s collected – that for places to be admired, they have to be admirable.

In other words, places are respected for what they contribute to humanity and the planet, not for their propaganda. This is obviously an important discovery that forces governments and their stakeholders to focus on meaningful strategy, policy and cooperation as opposed to image promotion.

I also enjoyed reading Simon’s book as he shares his personal experiences as a government advisor.

Boorstin’s classic work got me hooked onto the idea of the importance of city, region, and country reputation.

Just imagine Boorstin’s visionary insights when – in 1962! – he argues that “we are ruled by extravagant expectations: of what the world holds... how exotic the nearby can be, how familiar the exotic can become... of the closeness of places and the farness [sic] of places… [and…] of our power to shape the world… to fabricate national purposes when we lack them, to pursue these purposes after we have fabricated them… we have become so accustomed to our illusions that we mistake them for reality... we demand them… and we demand that there be always more of them... They are the world of our making: the world of the image.”

All this, pre-internet already convinced me that image is just as important as reality, if not more so, due to the impact of media. Now, sixty years after Boorstin’s Image – but incorporating its insights – I am overwhelmed by the impact social media, artificial intelligence and the metaverse will have on how we see the world, our neighbours, and communities beyond.

Another classic work that inspired my passion for the domain that I work in.

Saïd thoroughly illustrates how media agenda setting and framing, socio-cultural biases and generalisation impact the way we see the world. It is largely driven by clichés and stereotypes. What is needed is “respect for the concrete detail of human experience, understanding that arises from viewing the Other compassionately, knowledge gained and diffused through moral and intellectual honesty.”

I couldn’t agree more.

Keith Dinnie is another respected colleague who has written about the city, region, and nation as brand since the twentieth century. 

It is clear that his book Nation Branding is the go-to handbook and reference guide for students, practitioners, and academics interested and working in the domain of “place branding” as it is now already in its third edition. Dinnie’s book is usually on my desk in case I need to look up definitions, sources, or specific insights and cases.

Contributors include some of the most well-established professionals in the field.