Debating unemployment policy : political communication and the labour market in western Europe

In 2008 the world experienced the Great Recession, a financial and economic crisis of enormous proportions and the greatest economic downturn since the 1930s. In its wake, unemployment became a key preoccupation of West European publics and politicians. This comparative study considers the policy debates surrounding unemployment in the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Denmark and Switzerland since 2008. With an over-arching focus on drawing out cross-national commonalities and differences, the authors ask whether patterns of political communication vary across countries. Their analysis draws on interviews with labour market policy-makers in the six selected countries, and paints a revealing picture. Appealing to researchers in comparative politics, political communication and welfare state research, this book will also interest practitioners involved in labour market policy.List of Contributors Part I:The Context Structures and the Policy-specific Debates 1.Introduction: Shaping the Debate on Unemployment and the Labor Market Hanspeter Kriesi, Laurent Bernhard, Flavia Fossati and Regula Hänggli Policy-related Public Debates on Unemployment The Crisis as a Common Context Condition of the Debate Variation in the Public Debates Across the Six Countries Design of the Study An Overview of the Study’s Contents Overall Findings 2.Theoretical Framework: Production of Policy-specific Political Communication Regula Hänggli and Flavia Fossati General Approach Model of Political Communication Production Political Actors’ Strategies: Mobilizing Support and Crafting the Message The Influence of General, Issue-specific, and Debate-specific Contexts Conclusion 3.The Political Contexts of National Policy Debates Hanspeter Kriesi, Flavia Fossati and Laurent Bernhard Introduction Political Communication Systems The Relevant Political Arenas The Labor Market Regimes Conclusion 4.The Variety of National Debates Hanspeter Kriesi, Laurent Bernhard, Flavia Fossati, Regula Hänggli and Christian Elmelund-Præstekær Introduction Denmark: Media Campaign on Activation Switzerland: The Calm After the Storm Germany: Adjusting Hartz IV France: In the Shadow of Protest Politics Italy: Fiat’s Threat of Delocalization UK: Imposing Austerity Conclusion Part II:Political Actors and Their Assets 5.What Affects Power in the Labor Market Domain? Laurent Bernhard Introduction Powerful Actor Types Data and Operationalization Empirical Analysis Conclusion 6.The Labor-Market Policy Space Flavia Fossati Introduction Theoretical Considerations Operationalization and Methods Analyzing the Structure of Labor-Market Policy Space in Western Europe Actor Constellations in the Labor-Market Policy Space Conclusion 7.Beliefs or Interests: What Is the Driving Force Behind Coalition Formation? Laurent Bernhard Introduction Camp and Cross-camp Cooperation Data and Operationalization Empirical Analysis Conclusion 8.Action Repertoires for Shaping the Debates Laurent Bernhard Introduction Outside and Inside Activities Protest Politics New Social Media Conclusion Part III:Communicating in Public 9.Framing Strategies: Important Messages in Public Debates Regula Hänggli Introduction Determinants of Message Importance Operationalization Results Conclusion 10.The Positioning of Actors in Public Debates Hanspeter Kriesi and Regula Hänggli Introduction Theoretical Argument Core Beliefs and Policy-core Beliefs General Arguments in Labor Market Policy Debate-specific Arguments Multivariate Analysis Conclusion 11.Inside the Interaction Context Laurent Bernhard Introduction Identifying Major Events Event Management – Engagement and Positioning Message Convergence Negative Campaigning Conclusion 12.Quality of Public Debates Regula Hänggli and Richard van der Wurff Cornerstone of Democracy Debate Diversity and Debate Style Types of Public Debate Determinants of Debate Diversity and Style Operationalization Results Discussion Conclusion Part IV:Conclusion 13.Conclusion Laurent Bernhard The Missing Reforms The Prevalence of Country Similarities It’s the Mobilization, Stupid! References Inde