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Challenges to Democracy pp 100–117Cite as

Palgrave Macmillan

A Virtuous Circle? The Impact of Political Communications in Post-Industrial Democracies

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Part of the Political Studies Association Yearbook book series (PSAY)

Abstract

Recent years have seen growing tensions between the ideals and the perceivedperformance of democratic institutions. While there is no ‘crisis of democracy’,many believe that all is not well with the body politic. Concern in theUnited States has focused on widespread cynicism about political institutionsand leaders, fuelling fears about civic disengagement and a half-empty ballotbox (Nye et al., 1997; Putnam, 2000). The common view is that the Americanpublic turns off, knows little, cares less and stays home. Similar worries echoin Europe. Commentators have noted a crisis of legitimacy following thesteady expansion in the power and scope of the European Union despitepublic disengagement from critical policy choices (Hayward, 1995; Andersonand Eliason, 1996, Pharr and Putnam, 2000). The growth of critical citizens isopen to many explanations, explored in a previous study (Norris, 1999).

Keywords

  • Civic Engagement
  • News Medium
  • Political Communication
  • Television News
  • Virtuous Circle

These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.

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Authors
  1. Pippa Norris
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Professor of Political Science, Senior Lecturer in Comparative Economics, Professor of Political Science Director, School of Public Policy, London School of Economics, UK

    Keith Dowding, James Hughes & Helen Margetts,  & 

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© 2001 Political Studies Association

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Norris, P. (2001). A Virtuous Circle? The Impact of Political Communications in Post-Industrial Democracies. In: Dowding, K., Hughes, J., Margetts, H. (eds) Challenges to Democracy. Political Studies Association Yearbook. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230502185_7

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