Effectiveness of gastrodiplomacy campaigns in the accumulation and utilization of soft power in middle-power countries

Abstract

Gastrodiplomacy, under the study of public diplomacy, has been used by countries as a vehicle to accumulate or utilize their soft powers. In particular, middle power nations which are unable to coerce others into achieving their policy goals. This study focused on understanding how gastrodiplomacy campaigns aid a nation in propelling soft power to achieve its policy goals. Analysis of a case study on gastrodiplomacy campaigns done on four Asian middle powers, South Korea, Thailand, Taiwan, and Japan, accompanied by a survey on Singapore consumers regarding their perception of gastrodiplomacy campaigns found common themes. The study revealed that campaigns were able to aid in nation branding however, the availability of institutions to drive the scale of campaigns was critical to the success of campaigns. The effectiveness of gastrodiplomacy campaigns in the accumulation and usage of soft power was observed in certain countries.