WP2 Developing the Research Tools of the Diversity Perspective
HS (Bergen Univ.), AB (Central European Univ.) See below
The research tools to be developed in EUROSPHERE comprise (1) data collection tools: (a survey questionnaire, an interview guide, an organizational data frame, and instructions for field researchers), (2) measurement tools for co-otherness, citizens’ involvement, communicative public spaces’ openness, social and political actors’ contribution, and (3) a physical database, where the EUROSPHERE knowledgebase will be stored after the data collection and analysis.
WP2.1-2.3 Developing the Data Collection Tools
HS (Bergen University) AB (Central European Univ.), AA (Norwegian Social Science Data Service), MKB (Czech Academy), YZ (Bulgarian Academy), VD (Université Libre), ML (Tallinn University), AhÖ (Sabanci University), KWJ (Cardiff Univ.), GS (Trento University), WD (FMSH)
The objective in this part is to develop the data collection tools that are specifically needed to achieve EUROSPHERE’s scientific goals. Data collection tools comprise four types: (1) qualitative-comparative frames/guidelines for data collection at the organizational/institutional level, (2) qualitative-comparative questionnaires/interview guides for data collection at the individual level, and (3) interview guides for data collection at the individual level. In addition, the consortium will produce (4) guides for field researchers about each of these tools. The first focuses on elite forums, political parties, social movements, citizens’ initiatives, and media, and treats these entities as social and political actors to be found in sub-European public spaces. These qualitative-comparative data-collection frames will be used to map/measure the features of the social and political actors. The second and third treat the same entities as different components of sub-European communicative public spaces and focuses on the individuals who claim to belong to these spaces. Due to the specific characteristics of different social and political actors, separate data collection toolkits will be devised for different actors. The forms of these tools will be clearer in the “data collection and analysis activities” in the next sub-section.
In this WP, Hakan Sicakkan and Wanda Dressler will prepare the first draft versions of the data collection tools and co-ordinate the work. The participants in this WP will cover the following expertise areas: tools on political parties (Andras Bozoki), on think tanks (Veronique Dimier), on social movements (Ahmet Öncü), on media (Karin Wahl-Jørgensen), on cootherness (Yolanda Zografova). Atle Alvheim will quality-check the data collection tools in relation to the Knowledgebase to be developed later and develop the first prototype of the Knowledgebase. Martina Klicperova-Baker will quality-check the questionnaires in relation to the measurement tools to be developed in the WP2.4. Mikko Lagerspetz and Giuseppe
Sciortino will quality-check the fieldwork interview guides in relation to the measurement tools to be developed in WP 2.4).
WP2.4 Developing the Measurement Tools
HS (Bergen University) AB (Central European Univ.), AA (Norwegian Social Science Data Service), MKB (Czech Academy), YZ (Bulgarian Academy), VD (Université Libre), ML (Tallinn University), AhÖ (Sabanci University), KWJ (Cardiff Univ.), GS (Trento University), WD (FMSH)
EUROSPHERE will introduce indicators to measure the orientations and openness of these actors to seeing European issues as relevant and to acting accordingly. This will be done at (1) individual level, (2) organizational and (3) public space level by focusing on four selected European issue areas. Drawing upon the above-mentioned measures where relevant, our measurement strategy aims to create common indicators for all these social and political actors’ orientations to different public spaces, including also the European spaces. However, the logic of our diversity approach dictates that it is not sufficient merely to measure orientations to the European public spaces, but that these should also be compared with orientations towards other types of public spaces. This is in order to uncover whether and which of these actors really relate to the European public sphere. Furthermore, such a measurement approach also enables the research frame to assess the misalignments between sub-European and European public spaces. In contrast to earlier approaches, the same logic also requires the treatment of these different kinds of social and political actors together in one research and measurement frame, since they are in a non-isolated space of social interaction where different types of actors interact with each other. The selection of issue areas along which orientations are measured is also extremely important. Such issue areas have to be directly related to each other and to the concept of “public sphere” at a theoretical level. We chose four issue areas related to (1) the boundaries of Europe and (2) internal European integration and cohesion (see above).
In order to ensure the continuity and consistency of the work to be done in EUROSPHERE, the persons involved in this workpackage are the same as those in WPs 2.1-2.3. Hakan Sicakkan and Wanda Dressler will prepare the first drafts of the measurement tools and co-ordinate the rest of the work. Yolanda Zografova will develop further the individual level measurement tools pertaining to co-otherness and participation. Andras Bozoki, Veronique Dimier, Ahmet Öncü, and Karin Wahl-Jørgensen will each in their expertise areas (respectively, political parties, think tanks, social movements, and media) develop further the organizational level measurement tools. Mikko Lagerspetz and Giuseppe Sciortino will develop further the public space level measurement tools. Atle Alvheim will quality-check the produced measurement tools in relation to the Knowledgebase which will be under development during the conduct of this workpackage.
WP2.5 Designing the EUROSPHERE KnowledgeBase
AA (Norwegian Social Science Data Service) AB (Central European Univ.), VD (Université Libre), KWJ (Cardiff University) AhÖ / AGA (Sabanci University), BS (Aalborg Univ.), HS (University of Bergen), YZ (Bulgarian Academy)
The Consortium will create the prototype of a physical database, its documentation, webinterface, and user-manuals, and will make these publicly available. The database will be devised in such a way that, if the need is felt, it will be possible to extend it in the future in order to include changes over time as well as new types of social and political actors. A specific workpackage will be devoted to the design work of the database. Atle Alvheim will provide the design of the physical database, facilitating data storage, data sharing, and downloadable webaccess to the data. The members of the task group will identify the content specifications – i.e., variables, categories, measurement levels, sharing and dissemination needs, etc., which the database design is to be based on. Veronique Dimier will identify the specifications related with the elites/think tanks data. Karin Wahl-Jørgensen will identify the specifications related with the media data. Ahmet Öncü will identify the specifications related with the data on social movements/citizens’ initiatives. Andras Bozoki will identify the specifications related with the data on political parties. Birthe Siim and Ayse Gül Altinay will identify the specifications related with the gender aspects. Hakan Sicakkan and Yolanda Zografova will identify the specifications of the cognitive data (e.g., those related with co-otherness).
