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Codes of the present - Reports on labour market statistics in the media: an international comparison
Project already completed.
project team, project video, project publications, project report
Monthly labour market data on un/employment are the subject of wide
media coverage. The ups and downs in unemployment rates are commented
on and taken as political success stories or are ascribed to the
political opponents as a sign of failure. As it is nearly impossible to
describe a meaningful picture of the status of the labour market and
the problems of the unemployed, simple relations between statistical
snapshots thereby become the main topic of the coverage: the ups and
downs, the changing rates of increase or decrease.
Indicators concerning labour market policies not only serve to inform
the broad public, they also serve to define common political targets
and to secure accountability. In the context of the European labour
market policies descriptive indicators thereby acquire a normative
meaning.
Public and thus political interest in labour market indicators as well
as the use of indicators in the context of European reporting systems
are not without effect on the production of the data itself. Any room
for manoeuvre in the production of data production within the formal
regulations is used systematically under the pressure of existing
interests. The reality of continuous change in the meaning of
statistical data on the one hand remains without coverage, while on the
other hand there are public accusations of manipulation of statistical
data.
The object of the project is a critical discourse analysis of the
coverage concerning labour market statistics in the period from 1996 to
2003 in the three countries investigated. The aim of the analysis is
the development of a model showing the interdependence of national as
well as European political institutions, the institutions in charge of
the production of labour market statistics, and the media coverage of
the labour market.
project team, project video, project publications, project report
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