This study examines the party-controlled communication of the five most important political parties in the North West Province of South Africa during the 1999 general elections. The main assumption is that political parties in developing democracies have a normative obligation to do more than canvas for votes during an election campaign. Political parties should also be instrumental through their communication in fostering a democratic political culture. Central to this argument is the notion that a typical marketing approach is not suitable for an election campaign in a developing democracy. In accordance with the participatory approach to development, it is thus proposed that the two-way symmetrical model for public relations (as proposed by James Grunig) is a more appropriate approach to election campaigns. Especially relevant for this study is the two-way symmetrical model's emphasis on interaction and the establishment of long tern relationships with target publics. Through an extensive qualitative analysis of all relevant material (party manifests, newspaper advertisements, radio advertisements, pamphlets, posters and web pages), it was found that South African political parties placed much less emphasis on the "image" of the party or its leader compared to their American counterparts. However, that did not imply that the substance of the message was emphasised adequately. On the contrary, the political parties participating in the elections in the North-West province generally failed the normative criteria of informing voters and identifying democratic values adequately. Furthermore it was found that the cognitive and emotional campaign messages were not fully integrated. While the focus was on typical election issues (emotional message), these issues were not explained and contextualised within a developing democracy to the full extend (cognitive message). Therefore the emotional message was not utilised to focus the voter's attention on policy issues and democratic values. In conclusion it is argued that political parties should do much more than merely canvas for votes. They should also empower voters by informing them on their policy issues and highlighting democratic values in society. Only then the new South African democracy will be sustainable. / Thesis (Ph.D. (Communication Studies))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2004.

This study examines the party-controlled communication of the five most important political parties in the North West Province of South Africa during the 1999 general elections. The main assumption is that political parties in developing democracies have a normative obligation to do more than canvas for votes during an election campaign. Political parties should also be instrumental through their communication in fostering a democratic political culture. Central to this argument is the notion that a typical marketing approach is not suitable for an election campaign in a developing democracy. In accordance with the participatory approach to development, it is thus proposed that the two-way symmetrical model for public relations (as proposed by James Grunig) is a more appropriate approach to election campaigns. Especially relevant for this study is the two-way symmetrical model's emphasis on interaction and the establishment of long tern relationships with target publics. Through an extensive qualitative analysis of all relevant material (party manifests, newspaper advertisements, radio advertisements, pamphlets, posters and web pages), it was found that South African political parties placed much less emphasis on the "image" of the party or its leader compared to their American counterparts. However, that did not imply that the substance of the message was emphasised adequately. On the contrary, the political parties participating in the elections in the North-West province generally failed the normative criteria of informing voters and identifying democratic values adequately. Furthermore it was found that the cognitive and emotional campaign messages were not fully integrated. While the focus was on typical election issues (emotional message), these issues were not explained and contextualised within a developing democracy to the full extend (cognitive message). Therefore the emotional message was not utilised to focus the voter's attention on policy issues and democratic values. In conclusion it is argued that political parties should do much more than merely canvas for votes. They should also empower voters by informing them on their policy issues and highlighting democratic values in society. Only then the new South African democracy will be sustainable. / Thesis (Ph.D. (Communication Studies))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2004.

This research uses the 2010-post election survey by Pew Internet and American Life project and traces the direct and indirect paths of online political information use, Facebook political information use, and mobile phones political information use to political participation to online and offline political participation. Indirect paths are traced through the paths of wider view exposure and the credibility to online and offline political participation. The theoretical framework of the O-S-O-R model is used to guide the path analyses for this research. This research finds that both online political information use and Facebook political information use expose respondents to a wider diversity of views, but that it does not lead to political participation. Furthermore, all three mediums are found to be credible sources of information leading to online political participation with different strengths, while Facebook political information use also leads to offline political participation. Thus, credibility is an important factor and even suggests the possible need for an opinion leader. This is especially so for the use of Facebook, which has the best balanced information dissemination structure its friend network of identifiable people, organisations, and institutions. Facebook also provides the best platform for critical debate and engaging potential voters. Mobile phone political use is also supportive of political participation, but is more questioned in terms of whether the participation it brings is able to lead to critical debate. Keywords: Political participation, Facebook, social media, mobile phones, online political information, wider view exposure, credibility.

​Does political information lower the incidence of ethnic voting in Africa? Even though a significant amount of research has been dedicated to African ethnic voting behaviour,​not much capacity has been dedicated to studying the function of ethnic cues as informational shortcuts. Considering voters use cognitive shortcuts like party affiliations or ideology when making decisions, it is also plausible that voters in elections characterized by ethnic voting use demographic cues in lieu of more comprehensive information. The aim of this thesis was therefore to contribute to the existing research on how informational context affects ethnicity as a determinant for voting behaviour, testing a theory developed by Conroy-Krutz suggesting more political information reduces the incidence of ethnic voting. Using Afrobarometer survey data from 2016-2018, regression analysis was conducted measuring the effects of access to and consumption of political information on ethnic voting in Kenya. The results are ambiguous and do not lend support to the theory in its current form, but instead suggests that what kind of political information and how it is perceived might affect the relationship with ethnic voting. Another possibility is that the content of the political information, bringing about factors like media coverage and press freedom, should be accounted into the model. More research is needed to dismiss or develop the theory, and so this thesis opens up for more research to be made concerning our understanding on the effects of political information on ethnic voting behavior.

La présente thèse étudie les rapports entre les activités diplomatiques et la publication de livres, périodiques et pamphlets au milieu du XVIIe siècle, dans le contexte des premiers développements de la diplomatie de Restauration portugaise en France. Il s’agit d’examiner en détail les objectifs, le champ d’action et les initiatives des représentants du nouveau monarque intervenant dans la circulation de l’information politique et dans le monde des livres et des imprimeries, avec une attention exclusive portée à la conjoncture de la première mission envoyée à Paris en 1641, et à quelques aspects de l’action des ambassades suivantes, jusqu’au retour à Lisbonne de la délégation du marquis de Niza en 1649.Il sera possible d’abord de discerner une série de circonstances et de publications antérieures à l’arrivée des envoyés portugais, et puis d’observer les fréquentations et contacts qu’ils établissent en France, ainsi que toute sorte d’occupations quotidiennes liées à la diffusion d’informations, à l’écriture et à la circulation de pièces manuscrites et imprimées. Cette échelle temporelle plus fine permettra en outre d’enquêter sur des pratiques littéraires, rhétoriques et informationnelles qui composaient le paysage éditorial qu’ont trouvé en France les agents de Jean IV. Toutes ces recherches contribuent à une lecture minutieuse des éléments discursifs et matériels présents dans les publications que l’ambassade portugaise produit, ou qu’elle espérait fomenter, afin de reconstituer au plus proche les intentions de leurs rédacteurs et éditeurs, voire les réflexions et réactions plus immédiates que ces publications pouvaient susciter chez les lecteurs et dans une partie substantielle de la société française. / This thesis studies the relationships between diplomatic activities and the publication of books, journals, and pamphlets in the mid-17th century in the context of the initial development of Portuguese Restauration diplomacy in France. It is about examining in detail the goals, field of action, and initiatives of the new monarch’s representatives who intervene in the circulation of political information and in the world of books and typography workshops, giving exclusive attention to the circumstance of the first mission sent to Paris in 1641 and to some aspects of actions of the following embassies, until the return to Lisbon of the Marquis of Niza’s delegation in 1649.It will be possible, firstly, to distinguish a series of circumstances and publications prior to the arrival of the Portuguese envoys and then observe visits and contacts that they establish in France, as well as all kind of daily occupations linked to the diffusion of information, writing, and the circulation of hand-written and printed pieces. This narrower time scale will allow, in addition, investigations on the literary, rhetorical, and informational practices that were part of the editorial landscape found in France by John IV’s agents. All these studies contribute to a meticulous reading of discursive and material elements present in the publications that the embassy produced, or had hoped to incentivize, with the goal of reconstituting as much as possible the intentions of its writers and editors, or even the most immediate reflections and reactions that these publications could arouse in readers and in a substantial part of French society.

Reduzir o abismo que separa representante e representado tem sido um dos desafios à democracia. O conceito de electoral accountability, ou responsabilização eleitoral, poderia ser um instrumento que melhoraria a qualidade da representação. Contudo, há claros limites para o seu desenvolvimento, entre eles, a necessidade de eleitores informados politicamente. Além disso, parte da literatura argumenta que o conceito é um valor normativo somente em arranjos institucionais majoritários. Assim, este trabalho objetiva analisar a responsabilização eleitoral no Brasil, através do nível informacional presente no eleitorado. Ao utilizar o Estudo Eleitoral Brasileiro de 2002 (ESEB), examina-se o grau em que as pessoas são politicamente informadas e como isto altera padrões de comportamento político, incluindo a percepção sobre a legitimidade do sistema político. Concluímos que pessoas com maior capacidade de responsabilização eleitoral possuem um comportamento político diferenciado e têm maior probabilidade de perceberem a democracia como sendo legítima. Argumentamos, ainda, que o conceito de responsabilização eleitoral deve ser valorizado em todas as democracias, independente do arranjo institucional. / Reduce the gulf between representative and voter has been one of challenges to democracy. The concept of electoral accountability could be a tool to improve the quality of representation. However, there are clear limits to its development, including the need to politically informed voters. Furthermore, the literature argues that the concept is a normative value only in institutional arrangements majority. Therefore, this work aims to analyze the electoral accountability in Brazil, through the informational level in electorate. Using the Brazilian Electoral Study of 2002, we examined the degree to which people are politically informed and how this alters patterns of political behavior, including the perception about the legitimacy of political system. We conclude that people with bigger capacity of electoral accountability have a different political behavior and are more likely to perceive democracy as legitimate. We argue that concept of electoral accountability should be enhanced in all democracies, regardless of institutional arrangement.

Reduzir o abismo que separa representante e representado tem sido um dos desafios à democracia. O conceito de electoral accountability, ou responsabilização eleitoral, poderia ser um instrumento que melhoraria a qualidade da representação. Contudo, há claros limites para o seu desenvolvimento, entre eles, a necessidade de eleitores informados politicamente. Além disso, parte da literatura argumenta que o conceito é um valor normativo somente em arranjos institucionais majoritários. Assim, este trabalho objetiva analisar a responsabilização eleitoral no Brasil, através do nível informacional presente no eleitorado. Ao utilizar o Estudo Eleitoral Brasileiro de 2002 (ESEB), examina-se o grau em que as pessoas são politicamente informadas e como isto altera padrões de comportamento político, incluindo a percepção sobre a legitimidade do sistema político. Concluímos que pessoas com maior capacidade de responsabilização eleitoral possuem um comportamento político diferenciado e têm maior probabilidade de perceberem a democracia como sendo legítima. Argumentamos, ainda, que o conceito de responsabilização eleitoral deve ser valorizado em todas as democracias, independente do arranjo institucional. / Reduce the gulf between representative and voter has been one of challenges to democracy. The concept of electoral accountability could be a tool to improve the quality of representation. However, there are clear limits to its development, including the need to politically informed voters. Furthermore, the literature argues that the concept is a normative value only in institutional arrangements majority. Therefore, this work aims to analyze the electoral accountability in Brazil, through the informational level in electorate. Using the Brazilian Electoral Study of 2002, we examined the degree to which people are politically informed and how this alters patterns of political behavior, including the perception about the legitimacy of political system. We conclude that people with bigger capacity of electoral accountability have a different political behavior and are more likely to perceive democracy as legitimate. We argue that concept of electoral accountability should be enhanced in all democracies, regardless of institutional arrangement.

Reduzir o abismo que separa representante e representado tem sido um dos desafios à democracia. O conceito de electoral accountability, ou responsabilização eleitoral, poderia ser um instrumento que melhoraria a qualidade da representação. Contudo, há claros limites para o seu desenvolvimento, entre eles, a necessidade de eleitores informados politicamente. Além disso, parte da literatura argumenta que o conceito é um valor normativo somente em arranjos institucionais majoritários. Assim, este trabalho objetiva analisar a responsabilização eleitoral no Brasil, através do nível informacional presente no eleitorado. Ao utilizar o Estudo Eleitoral Brasileiro de 2002 (ESEB), examina-se o grau em que as pessoas são politicamente informadas e como isto altera padrões de comportamento político, incluindo a percepção sobre a legitimidade do sistema político. Concluímos que pessoas com maior capacidade de responsabilização eleitoral possuem um comportamento político diferenciado e têm maior probabilidade de perceberem a democracia como sendo legítima. Argumentamos, ainda, que o conceito de responsabilização eleitoral deve ser valorizado em todas as democracias, independente do arranjo institucional. / Reduce the gulf between representative and voter has been one of challenges to democracy. The concept of electoral accountability could be a tool to improve the quality of representation. However, there are clear limits to its development, including the need to politically informed voters. Furthermore, the literature argues that the concept is a normative value only in institutional arrangements majority. Therefore, this work aims to analyze the electoral accountability in Brazil, through the informational level in electorate. Using the Brazilian Electoral Study of 2002, we examined the degree to which people are politically informed and how this alters patterns of political behavior, including the perception about the legitimacy of political system. We conclude that people with bigger capacity of electoral accountability have a different political behavior and are more likely to perceive democracy as legitimate. We argue that concept of electoral accountability should be enhanced in all democracies, regardless of institutional arrangement.

Ayant pour ambition de « rendre la parole » aux populations déshéritées de la ville de Pikine, banlieue de la capitale sénégalaise, Débat local est l’émission politique interactive de la radio communautaire Air’Jeunes fondée à la fin des années quatre-vingt-dix à l’initiative des associations de jeunes de la région dakaroise avec le soutien d’une grande ONG canadienne. Cette thèse étudie les usages de cette émission par les citoyens locaux dans les trois domaines principaux où les militants et promoteurs de la démocratie participative s’attachent à développer des dispositifs d’action citoyenne visant à corriger les défauts et insuffisances du gouvernement représentatif au regard de l’idéal démocratique : la place des citoyens dans le système de production des biens publics locaux, les relations symboliques entre les élus et les électeurs et l’espace public de débat sur les politiques publiques et l’action des représentants. À partir d’une étude de terrain à caractère ethnographique menée en trois séquences de 2006 à 2011 dans les studios de la radio et sur les lieux d’écoute de l’émission, il apparaît que si l’émission a permis à des formes de contestation du pouvoir local de s’exprimer publiquement sans médiation, la réalisation du projet originel de l’émission s’est heurtée à un contexte local défavorable marqué par l’absence de moyens donnés aux élus locaux pour exercer leurs compétences récemment décentralisées et par un journalisme politique local polarisé autour de deux formes dominantes laissant peu de place au débat argumenté : le journalisme antagonique des grands groupes privés et de la petite presse du secteur informel et le journalisme légitimiste du groupe public. En dépit de leur attachement militant au projet, les responsables de la radio et les animateurs de l’émission dont les origines sociales et les formations scolaires les tenaient très éloignés des formes de consommation des biens informationnels des Pikinois ainsi que des activités des associations informelles de quartier très vivantes dans la banlieue dakaroise ont progressivement cédé aux forces d’attraction qu’exerçaient les radios privées ordinaires sur leur vision de leur avenir professionnel personnel et, corrélativement, sur leur pratique journalistique. / Aspiring to “give a voice” to the poor people of Pikine, a suburb of the Senegalese capital, “Local Debate” is an interactive political programme of the community radio Air’Jeunes, created in the late nineties at the initiative of youth associations in the Dakar region with support from a major Canadian NGO. This thesis explores the use of this programme by local citizens in three main areas where activists and proponents of participatory democracy are committed to developing citizen action mechanisms, aiming to correct the defects and shortcomings under the democratic ideal of representative government: the role of citizens in the production system of local public goods, symbolic relationships between elected leaders and electors, and the public space for debate on public policies and the actions of representatives. Based on an ethnographic field study conducted in three phases between 2006 and 2011 in the radio production studio and the show’s listening sites, it appears that, even if the programme has enabled forms of contestation of local authority to be voiced publicly without mediation, the realisation of the original project faced an unfavourable local context marked by the lack of resources given to local officials to exercise their newly decentralised powers and a local political journalism polarised around two dominant forms, leaving little room for debate: the antagonistic journalism of big private groups and small informal press, and the legitimising journalism of the public service group. Despite their militant commitment to the project, radio staff and hosts whose social origins and educational backgrounds distance them from the forms of consumption of information goods and activities of Pikine’s inhabitants, as well as the dynamic activities of informal neighbourhood associations in the suburbs of Dakar, have gradually yielded to forces of attraction exercised by mainstream private radios, influencing their vision of their professional future and, in turn, their journalistic practice .

The central issue in this study is political socialisation and its implications within a rural setting in South Africa with a particular focus on Calais village in Limpopo Province. The aim of the study is to determine how adult residents of Calais village, are politically socialised; and furthermore to assess the impact of the socialisation process on the residents’ political behaviour within a democratic South Africa. In order to achieve the research purpose, face-to-face interviews were conducted with forty (40) adult residents in Calais village. The study revealed that the respondents were politically socialised by the media, immediate family, peers, extended family, political parties, local municipality, school, traditional leadership, ward committee and religious institutions. The media were the most important agent, while the religious institutions were the least. Furthermore, NGOs and trade unions were not socialisation agents in Calais village. The socialisation process had an impact on the respondents’ political behaviour in terms of political interest, party identification, political beliefs, efficacy, knowledge, awareness and participation. / Political Sciences / M.A. (Politics)