38: Political Communication

Jonathan Ladd, Georgetown University, jml89@georgetown.edu

The world of Political Communication often seems to be in a constant state of rapid change. In additional to the major technological changes that have reshaped media systems in recent decades, the past year’s worldwide economic downturn has altered Political Communication by threatening the survival of some news organizations and perhaps opening up opportunities for different forms of communication to fill the vacuum. In keeping with the overall theme of this year’s APSA meeting, “The Politics of Hard Times,” I will be particularly receptive to work that tries to understand the changing financial landscape and its consequences for the future of Political Communication.

This year, as usual, the Political Communication Division welcomes proposals for papers, as well as entire panels or roundtables. I welcome proposals in all of the traditional research areas of Political Communication. In addition to work related to the “Politics of Hard Times,” I also especially encourage proposals that go beyond description to make strong theoretical contributions to our understanding of systems of Political Communication, including theory development, theory testing, or both. All proposals should be specific about the methods employed and the academic contribution of the work.