Social representations of voting advice applications: a comparative analysis

Η βιβλιοθήκη διαθέτει αντίτυπο του βιβλίου με ταξινομικό: JF1005 .M38 201

The Impact of Media Representations of the EU and its Policies on European Identity

The primary goal of this paper is to review the literature on the impact of media representations of the EU and its policies on processes of European identity building. More specifically, the central scope of the review is to discuss previous studies using methodological frameworks similar to the COHESIFY project with the aim to examine their usefulness as well as their weaknesses in order to assess how media representations of the EU policies impact on citizens’ identification with the EU. Based on the existing typologies for the analysis of media effects, the last section proposes an analytical framework for a more systematic study of media representations of the EU Cohesion policy and their effect on citizen’s identification with the EU

Creating public value in regional policy. Bringing citizens back in

We develop a novel citizen-centred multi-dimensional approach to public value creation in regional policy. Drawing on 47 citizen focus groups in 16 European regions, public values are analysed through an interpretative comparative approach. Goal attainment is a positive and widely held value. However, evaluations of institutional performance and democratic values are more negative. The findings have significant implications for public value management. We propose a five C’s public value creation framework emphasizing coherence across public values and the communication and co-creation of public value sustained through capacity building and continuous feedback. Implications for public value theory, European regional policy and future research are discussed

What do Citizens Think of Cohesion Policy and Does it Matter for European identity? : A Comparative Focus Group Analysis

This research paper investigates citizens’ perceptions and attitudes to EU Cohesion policy, its impact and the relationship with European identity. Discussions with 240 participants in 47 focus groups organised in 16 regions showed that the citizens of the EU have an implicit and cursory knowledge of Cohesion policy. Citizens recognise the importance of Cohesion policy for addressing regional disparities and improving the quality of life, but feel they are inadequately informed. Citizens want to have more say on how funds are allocated or governed in their area and expect the responsible authorities to improve their communication on Cohesion policy. Although many positive views were expressed about the impact of Cohesion policy on the region or city’s development, only a small number of participants considered that Cohesion policy has had a direct impact on their feeling of European identity. Furthermore, Cohesion policy can also have negative effects on European attitudes and identity if it is not perceived to be addressing local needs

EU Cohesion Policy in the Media : A Computational Text Analysis of Online News, User Comments and Social Media

This research paper investigates Cohesion Policy in the mass media by applying computational text analysis to a novel media dataset. Specifically, structural topic modelling and sentiment analysis is applied to online news, user comments and social media at multiple territorial levels. The dataset includes 4,000 news stories, 33,000 user comments, 3,700 posts and 19,500 tweets from Facebook and Twitter respectively, as well as comments and reactions. We discover a two-level hierarchy of descending sentiment on Cohesion policy news stories, whereby international media use more negative sentiment than EU web-native media at one level, and the national media in turn use more negative sentiment than regional level sources at the domestic level. The sentiment of user comments on news articles varies across our country cases, being mainly neutral or positive in Spain and overwhelmingly negative in the United Kingdom even in pro-European news sources. Finally, social media content on Facebook and Twitter is largely neutral, and dominated by official policy channels and stakeholders. We conclude that a territorially-targeted media strategy is needed to improve public appreciation of Cohesion policy, along with more emotive and topical social media activity in order engage and connect with citizens

The Visibility and Communication of Cohesion Policy in Online Media

This study evaluates the visibility and communication of cohesion policy in online media. It employs a mixed methods approach to investigate media coverage, representation and user perceptions of cohesion policy in online media. The research draws on an original dataset of over 60,000 news articles and 100,000 user-generated comments. It also analyses social media – over 11,000 Facebook posts and over five million tweets on Twitter – and 13,000 EU press releases. The key conclusion is that cohesion policy visibility is relatively low in online media. Policy recommendations are provided to improve cohesion policy visibility particularly through citizen engagement

Referendums on EU matters

This study was commissioned by the European Parliament’s Policy Department for Citizens’ Rights and Constitutional Affairs at the request of the Committee on Constitutional Affairs of the European Parliament. It analyses the political and legal dynamics behind referendums on EU-related matters. It argues that we have entered a period of increasing political uncertainty with regard to the European project and that this new political configuration will both affect and be affected by the politics of EU-related referendums. Such referendums have long been a risky endeavour and this has been accentuated in the wake of the Great Recession with its negative ramifications for public opinion in the European Union. It is clear that referendums on EU matters are here to stay and will continue to be central to the EU’s future as they are deployed to determine the number of Member States within the EU, its geographical reach, its constitutional evolution and adherence to EU policies. Only now they have become an even riskier endeavour

Research for CULT Committee – The European Union's Approach to Multilingualism in its Own Communication Policy

This study assesses the EU’s approach to multilingualism in its communications policy. An innovative mixed methods approach is used to investigate compliance with multilingualism obligations and the language regimes and practices of EU institutions, bodies and agencies, especially on EU websites. The fit with the linguistic skills of EU27 residents is also investigated. Policy recommendations are provided to enhance the transparency and accessibility of EU communication policy taking account of feasibility constraints

Electoral Dioramas: On the Problem of Representation in Voting Advice Applications

Voting Advice Applications (VAAs) are online tools designed to help citizens decide how to vote. They typically offer their users a representation of what is at stake in an election by matching user preferences on issues with those of parties or candidates. While the use of VAAs has boomed in recent years in both established and new democracies, this new phenomenon in the electoral landscape has received little attention from political theorists. The current academic debate is focused on epistemic aspects of the question how a VAA can adequately represent electoral politics. We argue that conceptual and normative presuppositions at play in the background of the tool are at least as important. Even a well-developed VAA does not simply reflect what is at stake in the election by neutrally passing along information. Rather, it structures political information in a way that is informed by the developers’ presuppositions. Yet, these presuppositions remain hidden if we interpret the tool as a mirror that offers the user a reflection of him/herself situated within the political landscape. VAAs should therefore be understood as electoral dioramas, staged according to a contestable picture of politics