Political Communication and Democracy

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-xii

   PDF

2. Introduction: Crisis? What Crisis?

   • Gary D. Rawnsley

   Pages 1-21

3. Guarding Against the ‘Deep Slumber of a Decided Opinion’

   • Gary D. Rawnsley

   Pages 22-64

4. Public Opinion

   • Gary D. Rawnsley

   Pages 65-94

5. Instruments of Expression (I): Group Politics

   • Gary D. Rawnsley

   Pages 95-119

6. Instruments of Expression (II): Referendums

   • Gary D. Rawnsley

   Pages 120-139

7. Political Communications and Democratisation: ‘Paladins of Liberty’?

   • Gary D. Rawnsley

   Pages 140-176

8. Towards a New Democratic Political Communication: Information Communication Technologies and Politics

   • Gary D. Rawnsley

   Pages 177-199

9. Back Matter

   Pages 200-239

   PDF

Political Communication and Democracy provides a wide-ranging and inclusive study of political communications that uses current political events and debates to illustrate its arguments. Looking beyond the narrow view that political communication concerns only the media and spin doctors, Gary Rawnsley examines the subject in its myriad forms: political parties and pressure groups as a way by which people join together, referendums, public opinion and how communications contribute to the process of democratization around the world.

• democracy
• democratization
• political communication
• Political Communications
• Referendum

'...Rawnsley offers a study of great breadth, ranging widely over Western and non-Western democracies, and offering discussion of public opinion, polling...party and group politics, and referenda.' - Nick Anstead, Political Studies Review

• University of Nottingham, Ningbo, China (UNNC)

  Gary D. Rawnsley

GARY D. RAWNSLEY is Professor and Head of International Studies at the University of Nottingham, Ningbo, China (UNNC). He has published widely in the areas of political communication with particular reference to China and Taiwan. His most recent book is Political Communications in Greater China, edited by Ming-Yeh Rawnsley.

Policies and ethics