Explaining framing mechanisms in election campaigns in Switzerland, Germany, and the Netherlands

«Explaining framing mechanisms in election campaigns in Switzerland, Germany, and the

Netherlands»

The overall aim of my project is to explore framing mechanisms in electoral competition setting and investigate the factors influencing parties’ choice of different framing strategies. The choice of research focus is driven by the lack of research on framing mechanisms within party competition. I elaborate an analytical framework taking into account existing scholarship from the field of political communication and party competition. For empirical test of theoretical assumptions I focus on two recent elections in three countries – Germany, Switzerland and Netherlands, having adopted most similar cases design. I intend to use various data sources in order to get the most encompassing view on frames parties adopt. Methodologically, I plan to apply quantitative content analysis and social network analysis, as well as to conduct case studies for each election. This combination of methods should contribute to development of a comprehensive explanatory framework that investigates framing mechanisms within electoral setting and reveals factors influencing parties’ framing choices.