Communication Function of Elections

Authors

Agnieszka Turska-Kawa Institute of Political Sciences and Journalism University of Silesia (Poland) ul. Bankowa 11 40-007 Katowice Poland Author
Waldemar Wojtasik Institute of Political Sciences and Journalism University of Silesia (Poland) ul. Bankowa 11 40-007 Katowice Poland Author

DOI:

Keywords:

communication, elections, functions of election, leadership

Abstract

The aim of the text is to describe one of the basic functions of the elections, executed at both normative and empirical levels – the communication function, in the context of changes in the structure of Western societies, changes in methods and strategies of political communication and evolution of forms of electoral participation. Nowadays, as the communication function is meant as the establishment of such an interaction between the actors of the electoral process, which by means of non-accidental messages and communication channels guide the decisions of voters. The authors also aim to describe the process of character transformation of the communication function of elections, resulting from changes in the political sphere and its axiological layer.

Author Biographies

Agnieszka Turska-Kawa, Institute of Political Sciences and Journalism University of Silesia (Poland) ul. Bankowa 11 40-007 Katowice Poland

Ph. D. lecturer at the Political Science and Journalism Institute of the Silesian University. Her academic interests focus mainly on political psychology, psychological aspects of mass communication, political marketing. She is the President of the Scientific Initiatives Association, board member of the regional branch of the Polish Political Science Association, co-editor of the “Political Preferences” journal. She is also the winner of the competition „Best 2010 Ph.D. thesis” organized by the Polish Communication Association.
Waldemar Wojtasik, Institute of Political Sciences and Journalism University of Silesia (Poland) ul. Bankowa 11 40-007 Katowice Poland

Ph. D. lecturer at the Political Science and Journalism Institute of the Silesian University. His scientific interests touch mainly on the subjects of elections, political parties and party systems. He is the President of the board of the regional branch of the Polish Political Science Association and a co-editor of the “Political Preferences” journal, author and co-author of 5 monographic studies.