The conceptualization of country attractiveness: a review of research
| Published date | 01 December 2016 |
| Date | 01 December 2016 |
| DOI | 10.1177/0020852314566002 |
| Subject Matter | Symposium on The Gordian knot of public sector accounting and the role of IPSASArticles |
International Review of
Administrative Sciences
2016, Vol. 82(4) 807–826
!The Author(s) 2015
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DOI: 10.1177/0020852314566002
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International
Review of
Administrative
Sciences
Article
The conceptualization of country
attractiveness: a review of
research
Kwang-Hoon Lee
Korea Institute of Public Administration, Seoul, South Korea
Abstract
Despite the growth of literature on country attractiveness covering a wide range of
research areas, minimal effort has been expended on its conceptualization in public
administration. This article seeks to add to previous scholarly works by clarifying the
concept and operationalizing its multi-dimensions to explain the effects of the attract-
iveness of nations based on theoretical grounding. More specifically, by examining prior
studies in international business, tourism and migration research, the article attempts to
reorganize the constituent elements of the concept into a multi-dimensional framework
from a sustainable development perspective. This can be broken down conceptually into
three spheres: economic, social and environmental attractiveness. The theoretical back-
ground for each dimensional effect is taken from signaling and soft power theories. The
article presents a synthesis of the concept intended to cover all aspects of the empirical
findings.
Points for practitioners
As globalization results in more and more competition, it is imperative that every
country employ marketing and promotion strategies/policies to raise global public
awareness of its image to stakeholders including companies, customers, citizens, tour-
ists and highly-skilled migrants. Therefore, public administration researchers and policy
makers must take into account the concept of country attractiveness, the core element
of a country’s soft power, as it can play a key role in enhancing the success of the
strategies and policies of countries in the various fields of international competition.
Keywords
country attractiveness, country marketing, international business, international migra-
tion, international public administration, international tourism, national competitive-
ness, soft power, sustainable development
Corresponding author:
Kwang-Hoon Lee, 235, Jinheung-ro, Eunpyeong-gu, Seoul, Korea.
Email: swiss@snu.ac.kr
Introduction
The attractiveness of an individual such as his physical or facial attractiveness
matters in interpersonal relations. Likewise, organizational attractiveness, as
resources for sustainable competitive advantage (Barney, 1991), plays a pivotal
role in enhancing organizational performance in inter-organizational relations.
However, compared to the increase in management research on organizational
attractiveness of firms in the private sector, minimal academic studies have been
conducted on the attractiveness of a country. If the attractiveness of a firm can
improve its financial performance in a competitive market, does higher country
attractiveness influence the success of its strategy in international competition in
promoting international investment, tourism or migration? What elements consti-
tute the attractiveness of a nation? Such scholarly inquiries remain to be explored
by public administration and policy researchers.
Therefore, this article attempts to review the landscape of previous literature
covering the concept of country attractiveness, which has been widely discussed
and popularized in areas of international business, tourism and migration. Based
on three different strands of country attractiveness research, its definition, dimen-
sions and elements are extensively explored. Most prior studies still appear under-
examined in terms of conceptual clarity, lack a definitional consensus and are
largely descriptive in their empirical works. The article thus seeks to contribute
to the previous scholarship by clarifying the notion of country attractiveness,
operationalizing its many dimensions from a sustainable development perspective
(World Commission on Environment and Development, 1987), to provide theor-
etical building blocks for explaining the effects of the concept.
Review of country attractiveness research
Importance of country attractiveness in global competition
Countries compete to survive, develop and prosper (Morgenthau, 1978; Porter,
1990; Vietor, 2007; Waltz, 1979). In the world’s survival game of realpolitik, coun-
tries with the stronger military force, i.e. ‘empires’, have established colonies via
warfare. In the present unipolar system, the United States is widely regarded as the
superpower or hegemon in the ‘arms race’, followed by rising China and other
potential threatening powers (Walt, 2006). However, in order to grow and raise
their standards of living in the world economy, countries with economic power, i.e.
‘invisible hands’, contend for market share by fighting for foreign investment and
export sales through their businesses (Vietor, 2007). The global markets’ winners,
who are generally evaluated by the ‘wealth of nations’ or ‘national competitive-
ness’, may comprise developed and developing countries such as members of the
G7, OECD and G20. In light of this, how do countries defeat each other in the era
of globalization?
According to Nye’s (2004) ‘three-dimensional chessboard’ model, world politics
is divided into three closely interdependent levels/spheres of influence: a country’s
808 International Review of Administrative Sciences 82(4)
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