Political Communication in European Parliamentary Elections

Written by a leading team of internationally distinguished political communication scholars, this book offers the most comprehensive account on comparative political communication research in the context of European Parliamentary elections to date. Divided into four sections, experts begin by tracing the historical and political background of European Parliamentary elections, paying close attention to trends in turnout and the changing institutional role of the European Parliament (EP). Focusing mainly on the 2009 elections and using original data throughout, the next two sections are devoted to campaign communication strategies and the overall media coverage of EP elections in both established and newly-accessioned members of the European Union. The concluding section focuses on the macro- and micro-level effects of European parliamentary campaigns in a comparative perspective to illustrate how campaign strategies and media coverage were received by voters in EU member states. This insightful account on the interaction between political actors, the media, and voters allows readers to develop a global understanding of political and media system interdependencies and on comparative political communication research more generally. Essential reading to students and scholars in political science, media studies, European politics, and political communication, as well as policy makers within the European Union.

Part I Perspectives on the European Parliamentary Elections; Chapter 1 Political Communication and Election Campaigns for the European Parliament, Jesper Strömbäck, Michaela Maier, Lynda Lee Kaid; Chapter 2 The Legal and Institutional Framework of the 2009 European Parliament Elections in the Shadow of the Lisbon Treaty, Clifford A. Jones; Part II Part y Campaign Communication Strategies; Chapter 3 Campaign Professionalization and Political Structures, Tom Moring, Juri Mykkänen, Lars Nord, Marie Grusell; Chapter 4 Similarities and Differences in Transformational Democracies, Lilia Raycheva, Jolán Róka; Chapter 5 Campaigning in but not for Europe, Ralph Negrine, Vaclav Stetka, Marta Fialová; Chapter 6 Televised Advertising in the 2009 European Parliamentary Elections, Lynda Lee Kaid, Silke Adam, Michaela Maier, Matthias Balzer, Rosa Berganza, Carlos Jalali, Ralph Negrine, Lilia Raycheva, Jolán Róka, Andreas R.T. Schuck, Vaclav Stetka, Claes de Vreese; Chapter 7 Everyone Ignores Europe? Part y Campaigns and Media Coverage in the 2009 European Parliament Elections, Carlos Jalali, Tiago Silva; Part III Media Coverage of the European Parliamentary Elections; Chapter 8 Mediatizing Europe while Ignoring the European Election, Franca Roncarolo; Chapter 9 The 2009 European Parliamentary Election News Coverage in Poland, Bogus?awa Dobek-Ostrowska, Bart?omiej ?ódzki; Chapter 10 The Mediatization and Framing of European Parliamentary Election Campaigns, Jesper Strömbäck; Chapter 11 Media Visibility and Framing of the European Parliamentary Elections 2009, Andreas R.T. Schuck, Rachid Azrout, Hajo Boomgaarden, Matthijs Elenbaas, Joost van Spanje, Rens Vliegenthart, Claes de Vreese; Part IV Effects of Campaigns on EU Citizens; Chapter 12 The 2009 European Parliamentary Elections in Perspective, Michael Marsh; Chapter 13 Why Europeans (Don’t) Turn Out to Vote, Gilg U.H. Seeber, Markus Steinbrecher; Chapter 14 Between Integration and Demarcation, Michaela Maier;

Michaela Maier is Professor for Applied Communication Psychology at the University of Koblenz-Landau, Germany. Her research focuses on political communication with a specific interest in the reception and effects of campaign communication. Jesper Strömbäck is Professor in Media and Communication and holds the Ludvig Nordström Chair in Journalism at Mid Sweden University, where he is also Research Director at the Centre for Political Communication Research. His research focuses on political communication, political news journalism, public opinion and the mediatization of politics. Lynda Lee Kaid was a Professor of Telecommunication and a Research Foundation Professor at the University of Florida. Her research specializations included political advertising and media coverage of elections and political events.