Page 40 - Comparing Political Communication Theories, Cases, and Challenge

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Barbara Pfetsch and Frank Esser

actually test their initial hypothesis against an alternative hypothesis but
insteadone-sidedlysearchforevidencefortheirsubstantiation.Forthese
reasons, Stevenson encourages cultural comparisons that follow a social
sciences–based empirical perspective.
In the final chapter of this study the most important problems and
approaches of comparative research are balanced and integrated. We
(Chapter 17, this volume) present a synthesis that systematically links
the crucial questions relating to comparative designs, theory formation,
andmethodsanddiscussthefuturechallengesofthesubdiscipline.Using
the prospect of comparative political communication research suggested
at the beginning, we present a theoretical macroconcept that can con-
stitute a framework spanning disciplines and nations for the questions
presented in this volume. This macroconcept of a political (communi-
cation) system links the structural and cultural components of politi-
cal communication as called for by Michael Gurevitch and Jay Blumler
(Chapter 14, this volume) as well as Barbara Pfetsch (Chapter 15, this
volume). It might be considered as a starting point for future empirical
or theoretical studies. We argue that a mandatory methodology is nec-
essary in order to fully exhaust the specific potential of the comparative
research. As called for by the authors of this volume, high methodolog-
ical standards must be applied to sustainable comparative studies. Our
chapter discusses and expounds the problems of this intellectual exercise
from the exposure of a research question, concept specifications, and
operationalizations to the central decisions with respect to the research
design. Thus, we take up opportunities for the interweaving of theories,
methods, and the national contexts of comparative studies and develop a
framework, within which middle-range theories can be contextualized,
generalized, or constructed.
In conclusion, we discuss the problems of the new challenges of com-
parative research. In the light of globalization in politics and media as
well as against the background of the discussion on the emergence of
world systems, we ask whether comparative research – as discussed in
this volume – is still appropriate at all for understanding these develop-
ments. This problem is not trivial as transnationalization threatens to
undermine the fundamental principle of comparative research, which
assumes independent systems that can be delimited. We suggest that
the challenges are met by complementing existing research designs and
taking new theoretical aspects and variables into consideration. In view
of the processes of globalization and integration it appears necessary
with respect to theory building and hypotheses to integrate aspects of

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