Arguments For and Against Communication on Policy Intentions

This article identifies, describes and analyzes arguments for and against more transparent government communication about its policy intentions. In our view the advantages from improved government communication are: (a) the Government can counterbalance misleading and/or incorrect information from the opposition; (b) communication about policy intentions can reduce and/or avoid possible public surprises, misunderstandings, resistance, frustrations and speculations, and increase efficiency; and (c) due to such communication, citizens are informed regarding several points of view, which is an important democratic value. We see the disadvantages of greater transparency as: (a) public money may be used to spread propaganda; (b) there is an increased risk of confusion between policy intentions and actual policy decisions; and (c) the Parliament is not the first body to be informed about the Government’s intention

E-democracy: exploring the current stage of e-government

Governments around the world have been pressured to implement e-Government programs in order to improve the government-citizen dialogue. The authors of this article review prior literature on such efforts to find if they lead to increased democratic participation ("e-Democracy") for the affected citizens, with a focus on the key concepts of transparency, openness, and engagement. The authors find that such efforts are a starting point toward e-Democracy, but the journey is far from complete

Newspaper communication on global warming: Different approaches in the US and the EU?

Global warming is one of the major policy challenges for contemporary societies. The construction and implementation of an environmental policy largely depends on public attitudes. Those public attitudes can be influenced by the mass media in several ways. Therefore, exploring the quality of the media coverage on global warming is important. So far content analyses of the communication on climate change have mostly focused on the USA and the UK press. Although the UK coverage has been examined several times, content analyses in other European countries are very sparse. Research of the EU coverage should be broadened, because previous research suggests that there might be differences in the way American and European media report on global climate change. Content analyses in the US press have shown that in many articles the emphasis is on scientific uncertainty. This critical reporting is less prominent in the UK, and in Germany the emphasis is on scientific certainty. On the other hand, the UK press reflects a very alarmist tone when it covers global warming and Germany describes global warming as a ‘climate catastrophe’, while US newspapers tend to use a more neutral tone. Because these results suggest that there might be differences between US and EU reporting, we argue that more research in Europe is needed and suggest a research method for pursuing it. Keywords: global warming, climate change, press communication, USA, EU, cultural differences/influence

Gevraagd: betere informatie van de overheid over dreigende ontwikkelingen in het aanbod van drugs

Om het potentieel gevaarlijk aanbod van oude en nieuwe drugs te kunnen opsporen en daarop snel te reageren, werken de lidstaten van de Europese Unie tegenwoordig met een ‘early warning system’. Zo’n systeem moet goed kunnen communiceren. Wij onderzochten de communicatieve prestaties van het Belgische systeem. Het kan beter, zowel wat algemene persberichten betreft als de interactie met specifieke doelgroepen

Gebrekkige informatieverstrekking bij de implementatie van overheidswege : de lijdensweg van de retroreflecterende nummerplaat in België

School voor Massacommunicatieresearch (OE)status: publishe

Public information provision about policy intentions : the Dutch and Belgian experience

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De prijs van gebrekkige communicatie over premature politiek

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Communicatie over nog niet aanvaard beleid: een uitdaging voor de overheid?

De centrale onderzoeksvraag van het doctoraatsonderzoek (2001-2005) luidt: In welke mate en volgens welke krachtlijnen is het vanuit communicatieweten schappelijk en bestuurskundig oogpunt toegelaten en/of gewenst dat politici (in casu ministers) communiceren over (parlementair) nog niet aanvaard beleid? .& nbsp; Meer specifiek onderzoekt dit doctoraat: de redenen waarom communicatie over nog niet aanvaard beleid (CNB) zo belangrijk is geword en, de argumenten pro en contra CNB, de implicaties van de publieke/politieke c ontext op CNB, de relevante juridische en deontologische bepalingen over CNB in Nederland en België, de rol en houding van Nederlandse en Belgische communicatieprofessionals inzake CNB, de manier waarop politici communic eren in een aantal Belgische beleidscases, de mate waarin het politiek marketing model van Lees-Marshment op dergelijke cases kan worden toegepast en, tot slot , de kennis van burgers over de aangekondigde beleidsmaatregelen. Het e mpirisch onderzoek bestaat onder meer uit face to face interviews afgenomen bij woordvoerders en een aantal publiekssurveys, zoals omtrent het cannabis- en nachtvluchtendebat en de afschaffing van kijk- en luistergeld.status: publishe

Gebrekkige informatieverstrekking rond de cannabiswetgeving

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Publicly squabbling about policy ideas: the Belgian cannabis case

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