Project Description
Goals and Objectives
The research project purports to:
- generate data and expose the images of the EU presented and endorsed through the national print and TV news media in four countries listed
- identify and investigate a wide-range of perceptions and attitudes towards the EU and individual European countries at both elite (political, economic and cultural) and broad public levels
- propose public policy recommendations for refining and enhancing of the EU perceptions and attitudes within four Asia Pacific societies and for informing policy-makers
- disseminate the findings through publications, seminars, debates, conferences, workshops for both academics and policy makers, as well as to ensure multimedia exposure.
Methodology
The scope of the research encompasses perspectives on the priority topic the EU and dialogue between peoples and cultures (trading relations, the euro prospects, agricultural policies, cultural affinities, political and security interests) and also considering the construction of the image of the EU in the Asia Pacific region.
The nature of the project is multidisciplinary -- it consolidates trans-national experts and expertise in political science, European Studies, social studies, media studies, journalism, cognitive linguistics and discourse analysis. Consequently, multiple methodologies (from content analysis to survey and in-depth interviewing techniques) are employed.
This cross-national comparative design study prides a systemic data collection and processing. The methodology is deductive in its nature -- the determinants for analysis have been formulated and tested in advance during the course of NZ pilot study.
One of the advantages of the study is the opportunity to compare not only "dissimilar" (Pacific perceptions and images vs. Asian), but "similar to similar" (comparisons between Australia and NZ, and between Thailand and Korea).
Sponsorship
The scope of the research addresses perspectives of the EU and dialogue between peoples and cultures funding priority of the Directorate-General for Education and Culture, Jean Monnet Programme. The project is supported by grant agreement with the EU Commission of 142,000 for the period 2004/05.
The project is co-sponsored by four EU studies associations in the region - EUSANZ, EUSA-Thai, CESAA, and EUSA-Korea - all of whom are members of the world ECSA body.
Powerful multiplier effect of the projects outcomes is ensured through the unprecedented mobilization and consolidated expertise and cross-border academic cooperation of four academic institutions:
- National Centre for Research on Europe, University of Canterbury, New Zealand, Jean Monnet Chair(leading organization);
- European Studies Programme, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand;
- Contemporary Europe Research Centre, University of Melbourne, Australia, Jean Monnet Chair;
- Graduate School of International Studies, South Korea, Jean Monnet Chair
The regional impact of the project is defined in terms of an enhanced academic expertise in the field of EU integration studies in Asia Pacific region -- the academic institutions involved are recognized focal points for academic excellence in the EU scholarship that pursue their activities on local, regional, and international levels.
Project Design
Based on a wide-range of multidisciplinary research and monitoring methods, this two year project is designed around three major objectives:
- Monitoring the EU images in the most popular national newspapers and prime time TV news bulletins (daily coverage of the EU in 2004) (read more)
- Surveying public opinion on the EU (December 2004) (read more)
- Detecting national political, business, and media elite's opinion (May - July 2005) (read more)
All activities outlined will be replicated in each respective country. They will reach a great number of students and researchers, and will occur within the same time frame. The intention is to involve both young researchers and teams of professors and other noted academics from different disciplines to work in close cooperation and synergy across borders.
The scientific quality of the proposed project is ensured by the successes of the pilot research project "Rediscovering Europe: New Zealand public, media and elite perception of the EU", currently run at the National Centre for Research on Europe (NCRE), NZ. The research team led by Dr. Natalia Chaban is monitoring 19 NZ national newspapers, 23 radio programs and 14 TV programs in their coverage of the EU related news using modern multimedia search engines. NCRE in cooperation with a professional social research group "NFO" administered national survey for 1000 respondents on the subject of perceptions and attitudes towards the EU, first of this nature in the country. 32 members of national political, business and media elite were surveyed on their opinions attitudes towards the EU in the course of the project.
Another pilot study contributing to the scientific quality of the proposed project is conducted by Dr. Philomena Murray, Contemporary Europe Research Centre (CERC), University of Melbourne, Australia. This research developed methodology for the study of the national elite perceptions on the EU.
The results of the pilot study have been presented at international conferences and in scientific publications. NCRE bi-weekly updates EU Delegation to Australia and New Zealand about the project findings. The Centre also puts together teaching activities incorporating the findings of the project, and ensures their visibility for the public through NZ media.
Expected Outcomes
The dialogue between researchers from different disciplines and countries, as well as the combination of conceptual and empirical approaches will bring innovative results.
This study will provide national and EU policy and decision makers as well as communication practitioners with reliable, structured, actionable information on the EU external images and perceptions. The findings could be used as a tool for refining and enhancing the regional public policy towards the EU within four Asia Pacific societies, as well as mechanisms of the European Commission Delegations to the respective countries.
Meeting the need to overcome the EU "communication deficit", the NCRE aims and disseminate the project findings through publications of academic and public nature (in multiple languages), as well as seminars, debates, conferences, workshops for academics, policy makers, and media gate-keepers.
Outcomes will include:
- Creation of common database of local and trans-national resources in each of the involved research centres. These documentation facilities will be available for students, researchers, academics and practitioners from different fields interested in the area of media images, and public perceptions and attitudes towards the EU
- Presentations of findings to national policy makers, involved government bodies (e.g., Ministries of Foreign Affairs), and business elites
- Presentations of findings for the EU Commission Delegations to Australia, New Zealand, South Korea, and Thailand
- Seminars for local media in every country participating in the project. The questions of the role of the media presenting news on the EU in each country will be a major focus
- Multimedia exposure in the region via presenting findings on national TV and radio networks, and in national newspapers to raise the awareness of the EU and its image in the world outside the university, as well as created for the project website
- Final international conference "EU and the dialogue between the people and cultures" within the ECSA framework
Project Events
| Timetable: Stage of Project Activities | Length of stage | Status |
| Selection of the research fellows in the listed countries [link] | January-February 2003 | complete |
| Orientation program "Project Research Methodology", NCRE, NZ | March 2004 | complete |
| Content analysis of national print and broadcast media (Jan- July 2004) | March 2004- September 2004 | complete |
| Joint research group work in NZ on comparing media findings | September 2004 | complete |
| Joint seminar presentation on project outline, NCRE, NZ | March 2004 | complete |
| Presentation of the project findings to the member of Foreign Affairs Committee of NZ Parliament | August 2004 | complete |
| Panel presentation on media findings at International conference "Outside Looking In" organized by EUSA-NZ, EUSA - Asia-Pacific, and NCRE, 9-11 September, Christchurch, NZ [link] | September 2004 | complete |
| Continuation of the content analysis of national print and broadcast media | September 2004 - January 2005 | complete |
| National Survey design. Translation of the Questionnaire | November 2004 | complete |
| Presentation of the project findings to the delegation of Italian MPs visiting the NCRE | November 2004 | complete |
| Survey implementation at four countries (with the help of professional social research groups | December 2004 | complete |
| Joint research group work in Thailand on comparing media findings, and preparation to the elite interviews stage | February 2005 | complete |
| Panel presentation “Media Images f the EU in Asia-Pacific Region in 2004” at Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand, to the members of academic and political communities location and to the EU Delegation in Thailand | February 2005 | complete |
| Presentation of the project findings at the NCRE seminar “EU Images in the Asia-Pacific print and television media: comparative analysis”, Christchurch, NZ | February 2005 | complete |
| Presentation of the project findings to the NCRE Businesses Advisory Group and the EU Delegation to NZ, Wellington, NZ | March 2005 | complete |
| Analysis of survey results | January-June 2005 | complete |
| Joint research group work in Melbourne, Australia bringing together the results of media analysis and survey findings. Preparation for elite interviews. | May 2005 | complete |
| Elite interviews | June-December 2005 | complete |
| Analysis of elite opinions findings (locally, regionally, internationally) | October-November 2005 | complete |
| Writing and publishing brochure The EU Through the Eyes of the Asia-Pacific: public perceptions and media representations (Edited by Natalia Chaban and Martin Holland) presenting data on media and public survey analysis for a broader international public | November 2005 | complete |
| Series of seminars, publications and conference presentations on the public and elite opinions findings (locally, regionally, internationally) [link] | 2005 | in progress |
| Writing and publishing brochure Asia-Pacific Elites’ Perceptions of the EU | December 2005 | in progress |
| Production of Asia-Pacific Perceptions Project CD | December 2005 | in progress |
| Local media presentations of the project findings | August-October 2005 | in progress |
| Final Workshop of the Project EU and the dialogue between the people and cultures within the ECSA framework Location: Te Papa, Wellington, New Zealand [link] |
24-25 November 2005 | complete |
| Publishing a book on the project findings: Book proposal submitted to publishers Writing the book |
November 2005 End of 2006 |
complete in progress |
| Asia-Pacific Perceptions Project website updates | in progress |