Comparing Political Communication across Time and Space: Conceptual and Methodological Challenges in a Globalized World — An Introduction

Abstract

As political communication in advanced democracies has reached its ‘third age’ (Blumler and Kavanagh, 1999), or is even about to enter a ‘fourth age’ (Strömbäck, 2008), the relationship between citizens and those who govern is undergoing fundamental changes. Developments such as the commer- cialization of media systems, the changing norms and practices of jour- nalism, the rise of professional communication advisors and political public relations and — last, but not least — the unpredictable nature of the Internet are fundamentally altering the way in which political matters are commu- nicated in the public sphere. For many observers, ‘media frenzies’ (Sabato, 1991) and the ‘mediatization’ of politics (Mazzoleni and Schulz, 1999) are challenging the quality of democracy and are even one of the root causes of the current ‘crisis of democracy’ (Keane, 2009; Patterson, 1993). However, new forms of communication also open up spaces for a more participa- tory, inclusive and responsive political process (Bennett and Entman, 2001; Brants and Voltmer, 2011; Cain et al., 2003).