Political Communication and Devolution in Northern Ireland, 2000-2001

The primary aim of this project was to examine the impact of devolution on the process of political communication in Northern Ireland. More specifically, the study examined changes in the role, organisation and output of the media; the government information service in Northern Ireland; the political communication efforts of the political parties and the Northern Ireland Assembly; and the lobbying and media strategies of the voluntary sector.<br> <br> The key theoretical question underpinning the study was whether changes in the formal and informal structures of political communication in Northern Ireland appeared to be facilitating the development of a more inclusive and participatory form of democracy. With regard to the media, the study also examined changes in the way the media organised its political coverage and in the way it reported political, social and economic issues.<br> <br> The other major area of enquiry concerned changes in the organisation and strategies of the political communication efforts of the government information service and the political parties in Northern Ireland. The study examined the process of negotiation between government press officers and the parties with regard to the communication of government policy matters. It also investigated the extent to which each of these organisations was able to influence the media's agenda. Finally, the study also examined the political communication strategy of the Northern Ireland Assembly itself.