Monika Brusenbauch Meislová Publishes in Parliamentary Affairs on Fear Appeals in EU Climate Communication
Monika Brusenbauch Meislová has published a new open access article in Parliamentary Affairs (Oxford University Press), titled "Fear-based self-legitimation in the institutional climate change discourse: Case study of the European Parliament’s online communication".
This study provides fresh insights into how the European Parliament employed fear-based appeals as a strategy of self-legitimation in its digital communication on climate action during its ninth term (2019–2024). Focusing on the EP’s online communication - a key tool of its digital diplomacy - the article draws on discursive institutionalism and fear appeals theory and adopts a multi-method approach, combining qualitative content analysis with critical discourse analysis. The findings reveal a substantial reliance on fear in the European Parliament’s institutional messaging and addresses the inherently paradoxical nature of the nexus between self-legitimation and fear.
The article is part of Jean Monnet Chair in EU digital diplomacy and can be accessed here .
