5: The Role of Public Affairs in Asia Pacific

Public affairs and public relations (PR) intersect. They both shape public opinions and influence behavior. Even though they are related disciplines that work toward similar results, there are nuanced differences (Davidson, 2015). Broadly, public affairs (PA) focuses on influencing policy, whereas PR looks after a company’s reputation (Harris & Fleisher, 2005; McGrath et al., 2010).

Public affairs work combines government relations, media communications, issues management, corporate and social responsibility, information dissemination, and strategic communications advice (Public Affairs Networking, 2025; Smith, 2020). Practitioners aim to influence public policy, build and maintain a strong reputation, and find common ground with stakeholders (Fleisher & Blair, 1999; Heath & Vasquez, 2001; Johnston & Glenny, 2020).