Page 143 - Comparing Political Communication Theories, Cases, and Challenge

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Global Political Communication

Given these considerations, this study follows the well-known con-
ceptualization of Prezeworski and Teune in adopting the “most different
systems” research design, seeking to maximize contrasts among societies
worldwide to distinguish systematic clusters of characteristics associated
with different dimensions of the mass media (Przeworski and Teune
1970). The comparison includes some of the most affluent countries in
the world such as Sweden, Germany, and the United States; those charac-
terizedbymiddle-levelhumandevelopment;andtransitionaleconomies
typified by nations such as Taiwan, Brazil, and South Africa, as well
as poorer rural societies, such as India and China. Some states under
comparison are governed by authoritarian regimes while others have
experienced a rapid consolidation of democracy within the last decade.
Today the Czech Republic, Latvia, and Argentina are ranked as equally
“free” as West European nations with a long tradition of democracy,
such as Belgium, France, and the Netherlands (Freedom House 2000).
Clearly there are some important trade-offs involved in this approach,
notably the loss of the richness and depth that can come from case-study
comparison of a few similar countries within relatively homogeneous
regions. A broader canvass increases the complexity of comparing so-
cieties that vary widely in terms of cultural legacies, political systems,
and democratic traditions. There are major limitations in understand-
ing the processes at work behind any patterns we establish at one point in
time. Ideally, temporal as well as cross-national comparisons should be
integrated.Aggregatedatacollectedforotherpurposes,suchasthecircu-
lation of newspapers or the distribution of television sets, provides only
approximate proxy indicators for the matters we wish to investigate, such
as actual readership or viewership patterns. The series of Eurobarome-
tersurveys provide thirty years of trends in media use within Europaen
Union (EU) member states, but we are only starting to get equivalent
measures in reliable cross-national surveys elsewhere, and media items
are still not standard even in the International Social Survey Programme
and national election studies. In short, our hands are tied. Despite these
well-known limitations, the strategy of attempting a global comparison,
where data is available, has multiple advantages for sharpening our con-
ceptual frameworks, broadening our understanding, and establishing
reliable cross-national generalizations.
Liberal theories have long stressed the importance of an independent
journalism as a check on the abuse of power. The study theorizes that this
is necessary but not sufficient, in particular media systems strengthen
good governance and promote positive development outcomes most

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