Developing the public affairs body of knowledge

<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title><jats:p> <jats:list list-type="bullet"> <jats:list-item><jats:p>This paper examines the need for developing a public affairs <jats:italic>body of knowledge</jats:italic> (BOK). It examines the rationale for having a BOK within a larger context of professionalism in the field, identifies parallel developments in affiliated fields that may provide models for public affairs, and offers alternatives for stakeholders of the field to pursue this objective.</jats:p></jats:list-item> </jats:list> Copyright © 2007 John Wiley &amp; Sons, Ltd.</jats:p>