Public-elite gap on European integration: the missing link between discourses among citizens and elites in Serbia

Kortenska, Elitsa, Steunenberg, Bernard and Sircar, Indraneel ORCID: 0000-0002-7415-2862 (2020) Public-elite gap on European integration: the missing link between discourses among citizens and elites in Serbia. Journal of European Integration, 42 (6). 873 - 888. ISSN 0703-6337

Text (Public-elite gap on European integration) - Published Version Available under License Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial No Derivatives. Download (1MB)

• Author

Abstract

This article explores the relationship between elite and citizen discourses on European integration. We argue that imperfections in cue-making and cue-taking lead to a gap between elite and citizen discourses, especially in societies experiencing major changes. To investigate this, we use newly collected data from Serbia shortly after the delayed start of accession negotiations in 2014. Using vignettes for different citizen discourses, we coded statements collected from major Serbian newspapers. The analysis shows that citizen discourses found in previous research are all represented in the media. We also find that approximately one fourth of media content does not fit any of the citizen discourses in Serbia. This gap confirms our hypothesis and demonstrates that elite ‘communicative’ discourses are not well linked to citizen discourses, leading to politically important imperfections.

Item Type:	Article
Official URL:	https://www.tandfonline.com/toc/geui20/current
Additional Information:	© 2019 The Authors
Divisions:	Methodology
Subjects:	J Political Science > JC Political theory H Social Sciences > HT Communities. Classes. Races H Social Sciences > HN Social history and conditions. Social problems. Social reform
Date Deposited:	21 Oct 2019 13:15
Last Modified:	12 Dec 2024 01:56
URI:	http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/id/eprint/102165

Actions (login required)

View Item