How Come We Know? The Media Coverage of Economic Inequality

Given the background of rising economic inequalities, the topic has reentered the field of economic science. Yet the problem of how economic inequality is being mediated to the public is not discussed in economics at all, and hardly mentioned in communication studies. Through an analysis of recent empirical studies on the coverage of inequality in the media, we debate the role mass media play as information providers. Assessing the underlying assumptions and the methodological approaches guiding the respective empirical findings, we can highlight the merits of this body of work and identify open questions for further research. The last part of the article provides a discussion of (currently rather neglected) political economy theories that offer rich theoretical approaches to study media, power, and inequality

Economic Inequalities and Mediated Communication

One of the most significant economic developments over the past decades has been the rise in income and wealth inequality. After decades of benign neglect, the issues of economic and social inequalities have reentered the stage of mainstream political attention in the Western heartland over the past couple of years. This is due, in part, to the high public profile of publications by Thomas Piketty and Tony Atkinson. In line with the growing significance of deepening economic inequalities, this Special Section engages with two broad, if overlapping, questions: (1) How do new forms of economic inequality, power, and privilege relate to relevant theories and conceptualizations of the media and institutions of public communication, whether in the fields of communication studies or political economy? (2) What role do the new forms of economic inequality play today in the typical narratives of mediated communication, and how is such inequality framed and discussed

Maturity and Decline in Press Markets of Small Countries. The Case of Austria

Digitalisation, changes in consumer behaviour and the repercussions of the Great Recession seriously threaten the traditional business models of print media. The paper at hand contributes a small state perspective on these issues by analysing the daily newspaper market in Austria in its maturity and decline. We provide a comprehensive overview of the developments and current state of the newspaper industry for the period 2000-2016, with a special emphasis on the move to digital. Thus we examine trends in circulation, online reach and revenue structures. In addition, ownership structures are explored, followed by an analysis of media concentration. We address how media policy, including subsidy schemes, have contributed to the status quo of the Austrian media landscape and evaluate how proposed policy changes take digital transition into account. Finally, core company strategies employed by newspaper enterprises are identified.Digitalisation, changes in consumer behaviour and the repercussions of the Great Recession seriously threaten the traditional business models of print media. The paper at hand contributes a small state perspective on these issues by analysing the daily newspaper market in Austria in its maturity and decline. We provide a comprehensive overview of the developments and current state of the newspaper industry for the period 2000-2016, with a special emphasis on the move to digital. Thus we examine trends in circulation, online reach and revenue structures. In addition, ownership structures are explored, followed by an analysis of media concentration. We address how media policy, including subsidy schemes, have contributed to the status quo of the Austrian media landscape and evaluate how proposed policy changes take digital transition into account. Finally, core company strategies employed by newspaper enterprises are identified

MusikveranstalterInnen mit türkischem Migrationshintergrund in der Wiener Kreativwirtschaft

Series: Schriftenreihe / Forschungsbereich Wirtschaft und Kultu

“Now, What Exactly is the Problem?“ Media Coverage of Economic Inequalities and Redistribution Policies: The Piketty Case

A clear sign of the heightened interest in economic inequality was the surprising popularity of Thomas Piketty’s book, Capital in the Twenty-First Century, presenting a dense synopsis and major contribution to the economics of inequality. This article investigates discourses on inequality in news media, through the highly controversial debate raised by Piketty’s best-selling book, in selected print media in four European countries.We conceive of the media as having an impact on the perceptions and knowledge of economic processes, thus influencing preferences of the public for economic policy making. This is in line with Veblen, who terms the press an “educational system.” Regarding the topics of inequality, we will show that media coverage leads to a biased picture of both inequality and the role of redistribution policies to possibly curb such a development

Gesellschaft & Arbeit: Untersuchungen zur Arbeitslosigkeit

Die Schriftenreihe "Wirtschaft und Kultur" versammelt Beiträge zu aktuellen Fragen sozioökonomischer Forschung. Im Rahmen von 3 Bänden präsentieren Studierende des Masterstudiums "Sozioökonomie" ihre Abschlussarbeiten der Forschungspraktika zum Thema "Gesellschaft und Arbeit". Die ausgewählten Beiträge aus den Studienjahren 2012 - 2014 sind thematisch wie folgt zusammengefasst: Band 14 zum Thema Pflege, Band 15 zum Thema Arbeitslosigkeit, Band 16 zum Thema Organisationsklima in Non-Profit-Organisationen. Zum Band 15: Die Untersuchungen zur sozialen Repräsentation von Arbeitslosigkeit bzw. zu den Einstellungen gegenüber arbeitslosen Menschen verdeutlichen Gefahren für die gesellschaftliche Integration. Wenn die Normen eines erwerbswirtschaftlich geprägten Leistungsethos dominieren und strukturelle Ursachen für Arbeitslosigkeit ausgeklammert werden, kann es leicht zur Stereotypisierung und Ausgrenzung arbeitsloser Menschen kommen. (series abstract)Series: Schriftenreihe / Forschungsbereich Wirtschaft und Kultu

Gesellschaft & Arbeit: Untersuchungen zu Pflege

Die Schriftenreihe "Wirtschaft und Kultur" versammelt Beiträge zu aktuellen Fragen sozioökonomischer Forschung. Im Rahmen von 3 Bänden präsentieren Studierende des Masterstudiums "Sozioökonomie" ihre Abschlussarbeiten der Forschungspraktika zum Thema "Gesellschaft und Arbeit". Die ausgewählten Beiträge aus den Studienjahren 2012 - 2014 sind thematisch wie folgt zusammengefasst: Band 14 zum Thema Pflege, Band 15 zum Thema Arbeitslosigkeit, Band 16 zum Thema Organisationsklima in Non-Profit-Organisationen. Zum Band 14: Funktional differenzierte Gesellschaften entwickeln eine Vielzahl kultureller Kontexte. Interessant an den empirischen Forschungsarbeiten zum Thema "Arbeit und Gesellschaft" ist der Blick auf kontextübergreifende Deutungen, da hiermit charakteristische Spannungsfelder des Sozialen beleuchtet werden und aktuelle gesellschafts- wie auch konkrete sozialpolitische Fragen aufgeworfen werden - beispielsweise die konkurrierenden Qualitätsstandards von Pflegearbeit, zwischen betriebswirtschaftlichen Effizienzkriterien einerseits und Kriterien von Fürsorgearbeit andererseits. (series abstract)Series: Schriftenreihe / Forschungsbereich Wirtschaft und Kultu