This Handbook provides the first comprehensive examination of the influence industry and how it operates worldwide across different domains. The rapid evolution of emerging technologies and data-driven persuasive practices has been linked to the spread of misleading content in domestic and foreign influence campaigns. This has prompted worldwide public and policy discussions about disinformation and how to curb its spread. However, less attention has been paid to the increasingly data-driven commercial industry taking advantage of the opportunities these new technologies afford. The handbook uses the term ‘influence’ here to include not only messaging and public relations (PR), which fell within the traditional focus of propaganda studies, but to consider the infrastructure and actors behind an advanced array of capabilities that can be used in a coordinated way to affect an audience’s emotions, ideas and behaviors in order to advance a state or non-state actor’s objectives – increasingly based on data-driven profiling. The volume fills a gap in scholarship exploring the recent technical, political and economic development of this industry, surveying the extent of different technologies and services offered to clients worldwide across multiple domains (commercial, political, national security and government). The chapters are divided into three thematic sections and evaluate Influence Industry practices, aims and effectiveness across audiences; business practices and economics; and democratic structures and human rights. They also offer advice for researchers and consider key ethical issues and new regulatory approaches. This volume will be of much interest to students of political science, propaganda studies, sociology, communication studies and journalism.

Critical theory has a long history, but a relatively recent intersection with public relations. This ground-breaking collection engages with commonalities and differences in the traditions, whilst encouraging plural perspectives in the contemporary public relations field. Compiled by a high-profile and widely respected team of academics and bringing together other key scholars from this field and beyond, this unique international collection marks a major stage in the evolution of critical public relations. It will increasingly influence how critical theory informs public relations and communication. The collection takes stock of the emergence of critical public relations alongside diverse theoretical traditions, critiques and actions, methodologies and future implications. This makes it an essential reference for public relations researchers, educators and students around a world that is becoming more critical in the face of growing inequality and environmental challenges. The volume is also of interest to scholars in advertising, branding, communication, consumer studies, cultural studies, marketing, media studies, political communication and sociology.

The Routledge Handbook of the Extractive Industries and Sustainable Development provides a cutting-edge, comprehensive overview of current trends, challenges and opportunities for metal and mineral production and use, in the context of climate change and the United Nations Sustainable Development Agenda 2030. Minerals and metals are used throughout the world in manufacturing, construction, infrastructure, production of electronics and consumer goods. Alongside this widespread use, extraction and processing of mineral resources take place in almost every nation at varying scales, both in developing countries and major developed nations. The chapters in this interdisciplinary handbook examine the international governance mechanisms regulating social, environmental and economic implications of mineral resource extraction and use. The original contributions, from a range of scholars, examine the relevance of the mining industry to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), reviewing important themes such as local communities Indigenous peoples, gender equality and fair trade, showing how mining can influence global sustainable development. The chapters are organised into three sections: Global Trends in Mineral Resources Consumption and Production; Technology, Minerals and Sustainable Development; and Management of Social, Environmental and Economic Issues in the Mining Industry. This handbook will serve as an important resource for students and researchers of geology, geography, earth science, environmental studies, engineering, international development, sustainable development and business management, among others. It will also be of interest to professionals in governmental, international and non-governmental organisations that are working on issues of resource governance, environmental protection and social justice.

A comprehensive overview of the field of applied politics, encompassing political consulting, campaigns and elections, lobbying and advocacy, grass roots politics, fundraising, media and political communications, the role of the parties, political leadership, and the ethical dimensions of public life.

For those involved in marketing and sales, this book offers essential analysis of how to identify who has influence, how they apply it, and how marketers can turn it to their advantage. This work is one of the first books to give an overview of one of the fastest growing marketing techniques to have emerged in the last ten years.

This handbook provides a comprehensive overview and holistic analysis of the intersection between tourism and popular culture. It examines current debates, questions and controversies of tourism in the wake of popular culture phenomena and explores the relationships between popular culture, globalization, tourism and mobility. In addition, it offers a cross-disciplinary, cutting edge review of the character of popular cultural production and consumption trends, analyzing their consequences for tourism, spatial strategies and destination competitiveness. The scope of the volume encompasses various expressions of popular culture such as cinema, TV shows, music, literature, sports and heritage. Featuring a mix of theoretical and empirical chapters, the handbook problematizes and conceptualizes the ties and clusters of popular cultural actors, thereby positioning tourism within the wider context of creative economies, cultural planning and multimodal technologies. Written by an international team of academics with expertise in a range of disciplines, this timely book will be of interest to researchers from a variety of subjects including tourism, events, geography, cultural studies, fandom research, political economy, business, media studies and technology.

Influencers' impact on marketing and communications has risen rapidly - but there has been no authoritative resource on the theory and practice of influencer marketing. This book organizes and summarizes the current body of research, to educate and inspire decision makers, researchers, students, and influencers themselves.