Political Communication in Times of Crisis

‘Crisis’ is a ubiquitous feature of contemporary politics and has shaped the research agenda of Political Communication. They encompass a broad variety of policy fields: Crises such as the financial crisis, the migration crisis, Brexit, COVID-19, and the climate crisis, but most recently also international conflicts escalating in Ukraine, Iran, Afghanistan, or the Middle East, put the legitimacy of political governance under pressure and have massively increased the spread of mis- and disinformation. How has political communication evolved? How do leaders and governments communicate to the mass public? How have journalists and media outlets come to terms with the rapidly accelerating flux of information? And, how do publics view their elected representatives, and voice their concerns? We invite submissions embedded in concepts such as, e.g., legitimacy, trust, or political support, politicisation, polarisation, or populism; research analysing current international crises; the climate crisis or the pandemic; communication through different channels, e.g., the news media, or social media, governmental or parliamentary communication; communication by actors beyond the political establishment, such as social movements, corporations, or influencers; methodological challenges of analysing political communication. We invite submissions using both, qualitative and/or quantitative methodologies, single case studies or comparative work, and both theoretical contributions and empirical research.