Aims and Scope

Global Business Diplomacy aims to deepen understanding of how economic interests and diplomatic strategies interact and co-evolve in an era of global interdependence. Business diplomacy—encompassing corporate diplomacy, commercial diplomacy, and economic diplomacy—is treated not just as an emerging practice but as a vital framework for navigating geopolitical risks, influencing international norms, and fostering sustainable economic development. The journal positions itself as a leading forum for ideas, offering high-level insights into the tools, institutions, and actors that define the new architecture of global business governance. This includes both state actors, such as foreign ministries and trade promotion agencies, and non-state actors, such as MNCs, international organizations, and civil society. It promotes interdisciplinary dialogue across international business, international relations, political economy, and public policy, offering research and analysis that address both theoretical innovation and applied practice in business diplomacy.

Global Business Diplomacy welcomes research from a range of thematic areas that reflect the complexity of the field. The journal covers a broad range of themes under seven interrelated pillars, but not limited to:

First, Economic Diplomacy and Statecraft explores how governments pursue economic interests through tools such as trade negotiations, investment treaties, and national branding strategies. It also examines the diplomatic dimensions of attracting foreign direct investment (FDI) and projecting soft power in global markets.

Second, Corporate Diplomacy focuses on how MNCs engage with foreign governments, manage stakeholder expectations, and use strategic communication and corporate social responsibility (CSR) to secure legitimacy and influence policy in host countries.

Third, Commercial Diplomacy Infrastructure investigates the institutional frameworks that enable business diplomacy, including the role of embassies, consulates, trade promotion organizations, and inter-agency coordination mechanisms.

Fourth, Strategic Public–Private Partnerships (PPPs) considers collaborative state–business efforts in promoting global investment, infrastructure development, technological innovation, and sustainable economic transitions. Topics under this pillar include innovation diplomacy, climate-related investment strategies, and transnational cooperation in high-tech sectors.

Fifth, Conflict Resolution and Risk Management addresses how diplomatic tools are employed to manage political risk, resolve commercial disputes, and support business continuity in volatile or sanctioned regions. This includes studies on international arbitration, mediation via diplomatic channels, and compliance with global regulatory regimes. Sixth, Multilateral and Regional Economic Governance and Regulatory Alignment focuses on how global standards are shaped and implemented through business–state interactions in forums such as the WTO, OECD, ASEAN, BRICS, G20, APEC and other arrangements, including emerging areas such as digital trade, artificial intelligence governance, migrant workers, and environmental-social-governance (ESG) diplomacy.

Finally, Role of Technology and Innovation in global business diplomacy plays a vital role in facilitating cross-border partnerships, negotiating regulatory compliance, and navigating political sensitivities related to data governance, data privacy, digital infrastructure, cybersecurity, digital trade, intellectual property rights, and emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, quantum computing, and 5G infrastructure. Technology and innovation are central to the practice of global business diplomacy, serving as both drivers of economic competitiveness and instruments of geopolitical influence across industries and governments. In this context, diplomatic engagement facilitates international collaboration on research and development (R&D), technology-driven public–private partnerships, the negotiation of cross-border technology transfer agreements, and the establishment of global standards for emerging technologies. These dimensions reflect how global business diplomacy actively shapes the diffusion of innovation while safeguarding national and commercial interests in an increasingly competitive and technologically driven world.