Organizational Communication and Public Relations in Strengthening Public Institutional Governance: A Literature Review from the Perspective of Development Administration

Abstract

Organizational communication and public relations play important roles in strengthening the governance of public institutions. However, both functions are frequently perceived as administrative activities and information dissemination mechanisms rather than strategic institutional capacities that contribute to internal coordination, transparency, accountability, and public trust. This article aims to examine the relationship between organizational communication and public relations in strengthening public institutional governance from a development administration perspective. The study employs a critical literature review by examining scholarly works on organizational communication, government public relations, public governance, institutional capacity, and public service. The literature is analyzed thematically and conceptually to identify relationships among key concepts and develop an integrative synthesis. The findings indicate that organizational communication facilitates coordination, work integration, and shared understanding within institutions, while public relations strengthens institutional relationships with society through transparency, dialogue, information management, and trust-building. The integration of these functions generates institutional communication capacity that supports organizational effectiveness, responsiveness, transparency, and accountability. This article proposes the concept of Integrated Institutional Communication Capacity as a framework for understanding communication not merely as a supporting activity, but as a strategic component of institutional governance in development administration.