Research from Belgium shows that partisan, rather than policy goals lead to MPs’ media responsiveness

Media coverage influences the parliamentary agenda. Research in many different European countries has shown that MPs ask parliamentary questions or initiate debate about the news of the day. Julie Sevenans, Stefaan Walgrave and Debby Vos examine why they do so, by investigating whether Belgian politicians’ media responsiveness is influenced by their political goals. They find that media responsiveness is mainly a function of partisan goals. Politicians use the typically negative and conflict-rich media coverage to attack their opponents rather than to nurture substantial policy-making

Position, Competence, and Commitment. Three Dimensions of Issue Voting.

We investigate the impact of three issue-related party perceptions on people’s vote choices. The positional dimension of issue voting holds that voters are more likely to prefer parties whose policy positions on issues come close to their own policy preferences. The competence dimension of issue voting implies that voters are more inclined to cast their ballot for parties that they see as more competent to tackle policy issues. The commitment dimension means that voters are more likely to prefer parties that they perceive as more committed to specific issues. Leveraging data from Belgium’s two largest regions (Flanders and Wallonia), we find that all dimensions exert an effect on electoral choice: position has the strongest effect, followed by competence and commitment

Le Projet Agendas Comparés : objectifs et contenu

Le Projet Agendas Comparés rassemble des chercheurs qui développent des indicateurs systématiques de l’attention portée aux problèmes politiques dans chacun de leur système politique national. L’objectif central du projet est de construire une taxinomie standardisée, afin de comparer à travers le temps et l’espace les activités liées à ces problèmes. La construction et l’application d’un système fiable de classification des thèmes, qui englobe les agendas politiques de nombreux pays, est une tâche complexe ardue, mais elle possède un potentiel considérable pour l’étude de la politique comparée. Dans cet article, nous faisons le point sur les objectifs, les défis et l’avenir de cette nouvelle approche.The Comparative Agendas Project brings together researchers who are developing systematic indicators of the attention given to political problems in their own national political systems. The main objective of the project is to build up a standardized taxonomy in order to compare activities linked to these problems over time and space. The construction and application of a reliable thematic classification, which covers the political agendas of many countries, is an arduous and complex task. However, it has considerable potential for the comparative study of policy. In this paper, we focus on the objectives, the challenges and the future of this new approach

Information and Arena: The Dual Function of the News Media for Political Elites

Abstract: How do individual politicians use the news media to reach their political goals? This study addresses the question by proposing an actor-centered, functional approach. We distinguish 2 essential functions (and subfunctions) the mass media have for political elites. The media are a source of information; politicians depend on it for pure information and they can profit from the momentum generated by media information. The media also are an arena elites need access to in order to promote themselves and their issues. These 2 functions offer certain politicians a structural advantage over others and, hence, are relevant for the power struggle among political elites. A systematic functional account enables comparisons of the role of the media across politicians and political systems