Public Relations between Occupation and Profession – Attempts at Regulating Public Relations

This paper is concerned with the regulation and the professionalization of occupations in public relations. It analyzes the role of professional, national associations in the professionalization process, providing an overview of these organizations in various countries around the world. The authors identify countries with no regulation (for instance, Italy), countries with some legal regulations (for instance, Brazil) and countries that have adopted self-regulation models (for instance, USA and South Africa). The authors point out the advantages and drawbacks of each regulation model and their impact on the development and professionalization of the occupation. Namely, in countries in which public relations are defined by law, public relations experts have guaranteed positions in society; however, they enjoy a negative public perception. In self-regulatory models, a significant number of experts are not covered by membership in organizations. Consequently, their behavior is not governed by any set of established professional obligations. Furthermore, countries with no clear professional regulation have enabled mass engagement in public relations; however, there are no criteria for professional advancement and affirmation. The issue of regulation in transition countries has shown itself to be a relatively unarticulated concept that can be expected to acquire greater definition with further professionalization of the occupation, a key role that must be played by professional associations.