Project properties
Title Visual framing in policy controversies
Group Public Administration and Policy
Project type thesis
Credits t.b.d.
Supervisor(s) Dr Tamara Metze
Examiner(s) Dr Tamara Metze
Contact info Tamara.metze-burghouts@wur.nl
Begin date 2017/09/22
End date 2020/09/22
Description In an ‘ocular’ democracy (Green 2010), visual framing - becomes more influential both locally and globally through the rise of internet and social media. This is true for visual framing of and by politicians in election campaigns; media-framing of policy issues such as climate change, in identity politics for example about a refugee crisis, and for framing of broader images of society and the role of emerging technologies in those ‘imaginaries’ (Kim and Jasanoff 2013). Engaged citizens’, activists, governments, industry, and others successfully visually frame policy issues, and influence the problem definitions and governance of these issues. The visual and imaginative aspect of policy controversies are often overlooked in the framing literature. In this research project, the question is how to better include these visual framings in the governance of policy controversies.

Empirical examples are shale gas, gas quakes in Groningen, ultra deep geothermal energy, nanotechnology in food and packaging, food labelling, on shore and off shore wind mill parks, HPV vaccination and so on.
Used skills Frame analysis, visual analysis, qualitative methods
Requirements We look for one or more highly ambitious student(s), who is/are capable of working autonomously and has/have affinity with controversial governance issues, framing theory and methods, and visualization. Students are expected to further develop the above in a stand-alone research proposal.