POPULIST POLITICAL COMMUNICATION

The study of populist political communication has never been more important, not only against the background of the current social, political, and economic tumult, but also in light of recent populist backlashes against governments and the changing media environment.

Populist Actors as Communicators

• Is there a specific and unique style of communication that can be defined as populist?
• Are there unique communication strategies and tactics that distinguish populist parties from mainstream parties?
• Are there systematic differences in the style of language used by mainstream parties and by right-wing and left-wing populist parties?
• Do populist and non-populist parties use different styles, strategies and language when approaching different media?
• Do leaders of parties identified as populist differ in terms of charisma and their communication skills from leaders of other parties? 
• How can populist communication strategies, tactics, styles and rhetoric be investigated in an internationally comparative way?
   

The Media and Populism

• How do populist actors and their communicative strategies resonate with the news media?
• What are typical content features in media discourse on populism?
• How do individual media outlets deal with populist discourse?
• Do they tend to passively convey it, actively engage in it or try to critically deconstruct it?
• How can we explain differences between countries, types of media organizations and individual outlets?
• How do populist actors and communications resonate in non-journalistic online-media like blogs and social networks?
• What are the reasons for differences in the resonance of populist communications in citizen online-discourse?
•  Do we find a decoupling of online- vs. offline media, and versus journalistic vs. citizen discourse as indicated by the varying presence of populist actors and communications?
   

Citizens and Populism

• What are the key elements of populist communication that can trigger effects processes?
•  What theoretical concepts can be used to conceptualize those effects?
• What kinds of individual predispositions can help to explain the differential processing and effects of such messages on citizens?
• How can these effects be investigated in a European comparative way?