RESEARCH INTERESTS

AGENDA SETTING

Policy makers are required to address a multitude of problems in society but most of the time they do not have the resources, time or willingness to address them. As a result, a key question in the field of agenda setting is to understand how attention is allocated to different policy issues. Why do some issues capture disproportionate attention while others find serious limitations to enter the political agenda? To what extent do the media influence the political agenda and the preferences of the public? Do the consolidation of multilevel governance systems influence
agenda-setting dynamics?

As part of the Comparative Agendas Project I have collaborated in a number of join publications on these topics, I have co-authored the book Agenda Dynamics in Spain (with Laura Chaqués- Bonafont and Frank Baumgartner), and lead many publications mainly on two areas: the analysis of media coverage of corruption and the Europeanization of the political agenda.

/ DATABASES

You can find all the databases developed in the context of this project in the Q-Dem webpage

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INFOGRAPHICS / AGENDA SETTINGS

01

Percentage of corruption stories mentioning the causes and consequences
of corruption and proposing solutions (Europa Press 2017)

69% of corruption related stories published in the media are about corruption cases. Only 1% mention the causes of corruption, and 6% refer to their consequences or propose possible solutions to the problem.

Palau and Palomo, 2021

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INFOGRAPHICS / AGENDA SETTINGS

02

The importance of civil society actors in generating
public pressure against corrupt practices

The main actors in corruption related stories are the judiciary and political actors, mainly executive elites and political parties involved in corruption scandals. Even though existing research demonstrates the importance of civil society actors to generate public pressures against corrupt practices, the results show that these actors go almost unnoticed in public debates on the topic.

Palau and Palomo, 2021

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INFOGRAPHICS / AGENDA SETTINGS

03

Influencing public perception of corruption
as a public problem

The media influence citizens’ perception of corruption as a public problem. When the number of news stories published on political corruption increases, the percentage of citizens that consider corruption as one of the most important problems in Spain also increases. Media impact on public opinion is high and occurs in the short- to mid-term.

Palau and Davesa, 2012

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INFOGRAPHICS / AGENDA SETTINGS

04

Europeanization of the legislative and scrutiny function:
Spanish Parliament

As average 41% of legislation passed in the Spanish parliament is totally or partially decided in Brussels. During the economic crisis this percentage reached 70% of the total. However, parliamentary scrutiny on EU affairs has not increased to a similar extent: only 7% of the total oral questions introduced in plenary control sessions mention the EU.

Palau and Palomo, 2021

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INFOGRAPHICS / AGENDA SETTINGS

05

Yearly salience of EU affairs in six newspapers
(1990–2015)

Europeanization of media coverage is not explained by the presence of Euroscepticism in the party system. It is a complex process that can be better understood with respect to the interaction of European –EU events- and domestic factors. Political parties influence EU salience in the domestic media, including those addressing EU issues as a consensual topic.

Palau and Palomo, 2021

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INFOGRAPHICS / AGENDA SETTINGS

06

Main frame mentioned in abortion stories
in El País and El Mundo

“On abortion debates in the media the morality frame predominates, especially in El Mundo. El País emphasizes more fairness aspects of the debate, like left parties do in the Parliament”

Palau and Palomo, 2021

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/ PUBLICATIONS ON AGENDA SETTING

AUTHOR

TITLE

YEAR

LINK

Palau, A. M. and Palomo, J.

“The role of the media in fighting corruption: a case study in Spain, Journalism Studies, 22:7, 839-859.

2021

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Palau, A.M. and Ansemil, M.

“Political actors’ access to the media agenda: A case study of the impact of the euro crisis in Spain”, Agenda Setting Journal 4(1), 121–147.

2020

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Palau, A. M.

Attention to EU affairs in the Spanish Parliament: the role of credit-claiming and issue saliency strategies, Parliamentary Affairs 74 (1), 180–205.

2019

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Gava, R., Sciarini, P, Varone, F, Brouard, S., Palau, A.M.

“Europeanization of parliamentary questions: Attention in and out of the European Union”, in F. Baumgartner, C.Breuning and E. Grossman (eds.) Comparative Policy Agendas: Theory, Tools and Data, London: Oxford University Press, pp- 317-334.

2019

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Palau, A.M.

Cataluña en Europa: límites y oportunidades del proceso de integración, Barcelona: IEA-Recerca, Generalitat de Catalunya.

2018

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Guinaudeau, I. and Palau, A.M.

“A matter of conflict: how EU events and parties shape the news coverage of EU affairs”, European Union Politics 17(4): 593-615.

2016

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Guinaudeau, I. and Palau, A.M.

F.Agenda Dynamics in Spain, Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.

2015

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Palau, A.M. y Davesa, F.

“The impact of media coverage of corruption on Spanish Public Opinion (1996-2009)”, Revista Española de Investigaciones Sociológicas, 144: 97-125.

2013

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Palau, A.M. and Chaqués, L.

“The Europeanization of law-making activity in Spain” in S. Brouard, O. Costa, and T. Köning (eds.) The Europeanization of Domestic Legislatures: The Empirical Implications of the Delors’ Myth in Nine Countries, New York: Springer, pp. 173-196.

2012

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Palau, A.M. and Chaqués, L.

“Comparing law-making activities in a quasi-federal system of government: The case of Spain”, Comparative Political Studies, 44 (8): 1089-1119.

2011

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Palau, A.M. and Chaqués, L.

“Assessing the Responsiveness of Spanish Policymakers to the Priorities of their Citizens”, West European Politics, 34 (4): 706-730.

2011

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Palau, A.M., Chaqués, L., Muñoz, L., Medir, L., Davesa, F. y Julio, M.

“Priorización de problemas en las agendas legislativas autonómicas: instituciones y preferencias políticas”, Gestión y Análisis de Políticas Públicas, 6 (julio-diciembre): 105-30.

2011

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Mortensen, P.B., Green-Pedersen, C., Breeman, G., Chaques, L., Jennings, W., John,P., Palau, A.M. and Timmermans, A.

“Comparing Government Agendas: Executive Speeches in the Netherlands, United Kingdom and Denmark”. Comparative Political Studies 44 (8): 1001-1030

2011

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Jennings, W., Bevan, S., Timmermans, A., Breeman, G., Brouard, S., Chaqués, L., Green-Pedersen, C., John, P., Mortensen, P.B. and Palau, A.M.

“Effects of the Core Functions of Government on the Diversity of Executive Agendas”, Comparative Political Studies, 44(8): 973-1000. Impact Factor: JCR (1.604, Q1), SJR (2.362, Q1), ICDS (9.977).

2011

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Palau, A.M.

“Continuidad y cambio en la política de seguridad alimentaria española (1981- 2001)”, Revista Española de Ciencia Política, 21: 36-69. Impact Factor: ICDS (6.000).

2009

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Chaques, L. and Palau, A. M.

“The dynamics of policy change: a comparative analysis of the food safety and pharmaceutical policy in Spain”, Journal of Public Policy 29(1): 103-126. Impact Factor: SJR (0.951, Q1), ICDS (9.947).

2009

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You can consult my other main line of research