Over the past four years the European sovereign debt crisis has significantly affected the fortunes of many European citizens, but to what extent do they share an understanding of Europe, the crisis and its solutions?
An interdisciplinary group of researchers from the LSE, led by Max Hänska of the Media and Communications Department, has launched a comparative research project to study how the French, German, Greek, Italian, Portuguese and Spanish press reported the crisis since 2008. The project aims to examine the bearing national reporting has on European monetary policy, the project of European integration, and the balance between national and European identities.
A good example drawn from preliminary research suggests that while the Greek press has focused on the social consequences of the crisis, often tending to mystify it, the German press has tended to dissect the crisis focusing more on structural causes and solutions than its social consequences.
While the European project appears to feature as a necessity in Greek reporting, it features as an ideal to be accomplished in the German press. While this divergence might not be as stark as some feared, it does suggest that the European project has different meanings in different national contexts. Understanding these differences, and how they have changed through the crisis, is the goal of this research.
The team of researchers comprises Henry Radice (Development Studies and International Relations), Jose Javier Olivas (Government), Maria Kyriakidou (Media and Communications), Roberto Orsi (International Relations) and Vassilis Paipais (International Relations).
For more information on the project contact
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