WHY SHOULD LOCAL GOVERNMENTS HAVE A DEVELOPED COMMUNICATION STRATEGY? AN ANALYSIS OF MUNICIPAL COMMUNICATION IN THE CZECH REPUBLIC

Abstract

The creation of a communication strategy is an indicator of the subject's approach to communication with the public. The article, based on a sample of 160 municipalities of the Czech Republic, empirically demonstrates that an elaborated communication strategy enhances the public value of intangible assets particularly in the following areas: various segments of citizens are better targeted through a greater number of frequented communication channels, municipal employees are more frequently trained in communication issues, crisis communication plans are likely to be prepared. On the other hand, we confirmed that all these factors are limited to some extent by the size of the municipality and the financial resources allocated for communication.