Fear-based self-legitimation in the institutional climate change discourse: Case study of the European Parliament’s online communication

• Brusenbauch Meislová, Monika ^[1]
  1. [1] Masaryk University

     Masaryk University

     Chequia

     
• Localización: Parliamentary affairs: A journal of representative politics, ISSN 0031-2290, Vol. 79, Nº 2, 2026, págs. 461-485
• Idioma: inglés
• DOI: 10.1093/pa/gsaf039
• Texto completo no disponible (Saber más ...)
• Resumen

  • The article offers fresh insights on the intricate interplay between self-legitimation and fear in the climate change institutional discourse by providing nuanced exploration of the specific ways in which the European Parliament exploited fear-based appeals in its online digital communication on climate change action during its ninth term, between 2019 and 2024. It draws on discursive institutionalism and fear appeals theory and adopts a multi-method research approach, combining qualitative content analysis and critical discourse analysis. The article reveals a substantial reliance on fear in the assembly’s self-legitimation discourse and addresses the inherently paradoxical nature of the nexus between self-legitimation and fear.

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