IAMCR - International Association for Media and Communication Research

The Political Communication Research Section will be organizing panels at the 2012 IAMCR conference in Durban, South Africa. The section is of course interested in Political Communication papers related to the main theme of the conference.

The section also is also seeking papers on any of the whole range of political communication research: the media and political socialization, political campaigning, public opinion and political participation, interactions between the media and intermediary organizations such as interest groups and political parties, as well as the involvement and uses of the medias in campaigns, election; and also the media and marketing processes in government, from policy making to day to day politics at the local level, including Town Halls and other Local Government Institutions communication, from their day to day governance to the answers given to problematic neighborhoods. The use of Internet, blogs and all king of Internet social networks in modern political communication is also of interest to the section, as well as other new media and e-government processes.

Anyone interested in presenting a paper should send his application, before the deadline indicated on IAMCR website, through IAMCR's Open Conference System (OCS). See the "general" call for paper at:

http://iamcr.org/iamcr2012cfp

and enter your proposals at:

http://iamcr-ocs.org/index.php/2012/2012

Proposals will be peer-reviewed, and in order to improve the on-site discussions, all panels will have a discussant. Colleagues willing to act as discussants may apply as far as they have already taken part to at least two previous meetings of the section and/or are well-known researchers in the field. Paper givers may also volunteer to be discussants in other panels than theirs. Would-be discussants should specify in which field of political communication they are rather willing to work and also send in the same personal data required from paper givers.

Also, in keeping with our section’s tradition of exploring points of intersect with other research groups of IAMCR, this year we wish to convene a joint panel with the Law Section  on the theme: “Electoral Law and Political Communication” (see the Joint Session specific CFP). Those who wish to submit a proposal for this session are encouraged to contact either Philippe J. Maarek (maarek [at] univ-paris12.fr), Head of the Political Communication Research Section, or Sandra Braman (braman [at] uwm.edu), Head of the Law Section, with an abstract proposal in the format of the general call for paper for these sections and within the same deadline.

For any further information, it is possible to contact the section head, Professor Philippe J. Maarek, at maarek [at] univ-paris12.fr.

E-mail should be privileged, but he can also be reached as follows:

Philippe J. Maarek
Professeur à l'Université Paris Est -UPEC
41 rue du Colisee,
75008 Paris,
France
Fax: +331- 43.59.57.03,
Tel: +331- 42.25.85.82

Law Section and Political Communication Research Section Joint Session

Electoral Law and Political Communication

In many countries, the regulation of election campaigns – Electoral Laws – are undergoing change in ways that affect political communication and, therefore, the role of communication during "democratic" election campaigns.  In some countries, the laws are becoming more complex in an effort to try to level the playing field for candidates of all parties and ensure equal access to campaign debates for those from all perspectives. In other countries, the law is changing in such a way that the playing field is becoming LESS even, making it easier for those with the most money to dominate – or take over altogether – the communicative space for elections.

Regulation of campaign financing is a policy tool that has been used in both ways:  in some countries, there are stronger limits on what can be spent, and how, while in others such restraints have been removed.  This panel will provide a comparative look at changes in election campaign laws as they affect political communication across countries.

Both papers analyzing the political and communicative effects of changes in election laws within countries and comparatively across countries are welcome.

Those who wish to submit a proposal for this session are encouraged to contact either Philippe J. Maarek (maarek [at] univ-paris12.fr) Head of the Political Communication Research Section, or Sandra Braman (braman [at] uwm.edu), Head of the Law Section, with an abstract proposal in the format of the general call for paper for these sections and within the same deadline.