Assistant professor at Department of Political Science & Research Platform DigiGov (University of Vienna) Phone: +431 4277 22704 Address: University of Vienna Department of Political Science Neues Institutsgebäude, Room D-215 Universitätsstrasse 7 1010 Vienna
Aims: Because media portrayal reflects and shapes public opinion and health policy, investigating... more Aims: Because media portrayal reflects and shapes public opinion and health policy, investigating news coverage of public health issues is highly relevant for public health research and practice. Addressing a topical issue, this study investigated how newspaper coverage framed COVID-19 vaccines in Austria and German-speaking Switzerland and how it developed over time. Methods: A quantitative newspaper content analysis of six newspapers from Austria and German-speaking Switzerland published between January 1 and 31, 2022 was conducted. Frames were identified for each country separately through hierarchical cluster analysis (Ward’s method) based on frame elements. Results: Four frames were identified in both countries: (1) Evaluating new vaccines, (2) Discussing mandates, (3) Promoting vaccination, (4) Mentioning vaccines. In Frames 1 (Switzerland 86.4%, Austria 93.3%) and 3 (Switzerland 92.7%, Austria 98.9%), most articles included vaccine-endorsing statements, with Swiss coverage in...
Drawing upon 152 in-depth qualitative interviews with residents in Austria carried out in the fir... more Drawing upon 152 in-depth qualitative interviews with residents in Austria carried out in the first year of the pandemic, this article discusses how people’s experiences with COVID-19 policies reflect and reshape state–citizen relations. Coinciding with a significant government crisis, the first year of COVID-19 in Austria saw pandemic measures justified with reference to a biological, often medical understanding of health that framed disease prevention in terms of transmission reduction, often with reference to metrics such as hospitalisation rates, etc. Instead of using this biomedical frame, our interviewees, however, drew attention to biopsychosocial dimensions of the crisis and problematised the entanglements between economy and health. We call this the emergence of a biosocial notion of citizenship that is attentive to psychological, social and economic dimensions of health. Insights into the biosocial nature of pandemic citizenship open a window of opportunity for addressing ...
In some countries, far-reaching ‘lockdown’ measures to contain the spread of coronavirus were imp... more In some countries, far-reaching ‘lockdown’ measures to contain the spread of coronavirus were implemented early in 2020. In Austria, these early measures were met with a high degree of compliance among the country’s population. In this paper, we draw upon qualitative interviews, and ask how people made sense of the restrictions imposed during the first lockdown in April 2020 and what shaped their compliance. Empirical research has so far tried to explain compliance by means of people’s disposition and motivations as well as demographic and social characteristics. Instead of focussing on who is compliant, we aim to understand how people practice compliance. We do this by approaching compliance through the concepts of values and practice. First, our findings indicate that people assess whether measures are suitable and legitimate in relation to the values of science, the law, and morality. Second, people assign additional personal value to compliance by stressing its positive implications on their own lives. By adopting a nuanced perspective on compliance as inextricably linked to peoples’ values and practices, our paper critically contributes to the political and scholarly discussion of pandemic public health measures. Understanding compliance through the lens of values shows how people make sense of the measures in the context of their everyday lives, helping us to move away from a binary understanding of (non-)compliance that has become morally charged. [ FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Critical Public Health is the property of Routledge and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full . (Copyright applies to all s.)
Background: Vaccination is considered to be a key public health intervention to end the COVID-19 ... more Background: Vaccination is considered to be a key public health intervention to end the COVID-19 pandemic. Yet, the success of the intervention is contingent on attitudes toward vaccination and the design of vaccination policies.Methods: We conduct cross-sectional analyses of policy-relevant attitudes toward COVID-19 vaccination using survey data of a representative sample of Austrian residents collected by the Austrian Corona Panel Project (ACPP). As outcomes, we examine the individual readiness to get vaccinated, the support for compulsory vaccinations, and the preference for making the vaccine available free of charge. The independent variables include demographics, objective and perceived health risks, and social and political factors.Results: Although there is broad public support for making the vaccine available free of charge, vaccine hesitancy and the opposition to a vaccine mandate are widespread. The protective function of the vaccine for the individual only motivates limi...
In this study, we explore the recent setup of a digital vaccination record in Austria. Working fr... more In this study, we explore the recent setup of a digital vaccination record in Austria. Working from a social-scientific perspective, we find that the introduction of the electronic vaccination pass was substantially accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Our interviews with key stakeholders (n = 16) indicated that three main factors drove this acceleration. The pandemic (1) sidelined historical conflicts regarding data ownership and invoked a shared sense of the value of data, (2) accentuated the need for enhanced administrative efficiency in an institutionally fragmented system, and (3) helped invoke the national vaccination registry as an indispensable infrastructure for public health governance with the potential to innovate its healthcare system in the long term.
Background Healthcare workers are considered key stakeholders in efforts to address vaccine hesit... more Background Healthcare workers are considered key stakeholders in efforts to address vaccine hesitancy. Midwives’ influence in advising expectant parents on early-childhood vaccinations is unquestioned, yet they remain an understudied group. The literature on midwives’ attitudes towards vaccinations is also inconclusive. We therefore conducted an explorative qualitative study on midwives’ vaccine-hesitant attitudes towards MMR (measles-mumps-rubella) vaccinations in Austria. Methods We conducted 12 in-depth interviews on their knowledge, concerns, and beliefs with midwives who self-identified as hesitant or resistant towards early-childhood MMR vaccinations. We analyzed the data using a grounded theory approach to distill common themes and meanings. Results Healthcare workers’ stewardship to address vaccine hesitancy is commonly framed in terms of the “information deficit model”: disseminate the right information and remedy publics’ information deficits. Our findings suggest that thi...
Background:Vaccination policy has grown increasingly polarised, and concerns about vaccination pr... more Background:Vaccination policy has grown increasingly polarised, and concerns about vaccination practices are often articulated jointly with fears over declining trust in scientific expertise and the demise of evidence-based policy. This has led to a discursive deadlock in which evidence comes to denote something that is crafted and monopolised by a trained élite, with no role to play for the workings of democracy. Our own methodologies tend to accentuate this epistemic hierarchy, for much qualitative research relies on élite interviews with officials and scientific experts. The introduction of the vaccine against Human Papilloma Virus (HPV), on which we report in this paper, is a case in point. Objectives and methods:With this study, we intervene in this discursive and methodological deadlock using unconventional methods: inspired by the participatory spirit of the ‘argumentative turn’ in policy analysis, we experimented with citizen science to produce critical knowledge about HPV p...
The platform Österreich forscht (www.citizen-science.at) was founded in 2014 with the objectives ... more The platform Österreich forscht (www.citizen-science.at) was founded in 2014 with the objectives of (1) connecting citizen science actors in Austria, (2) providing the broadest possible overview of citizen science projects in Austria, and (3) scientifically advancing citizen science as a method.Following the initiative of the platform Österreich forscht, many of the institutions that are active in citizen science joined forces in the Citizen Science Network Austria in 2017, and thus agreed to advance the quality of citizen science in Austria (http://www.citizen-science.at/the-platform/the-network).An important step in this regard was the establishment of transparent criteria for projects wishing to be listed on the platform Österreich forscht. The objective of these criteria is to maintain and further improve the quality of the projects presented on the platform.Between March 2017 and February 2018, a working group of the platform Österreich forscht consisting of representatives fro...
Die Plattform Österreich forscht (www.citizen-science.at) wurde 2014 mit den Zielen gegründet, (1... more Die Plattform Österreich forscht (www.citizen-science.at) wurde 2014 mit den Zielen gegründet, (1) Citizen Science Akteurinnen und Akteure in Österreich zu vernetzen, (2) einen möglichst umfassenden Überblick über Citizen Science Projekte in Österreich zu geben und (3) allgemein die Methodik Citizen Science wissenschaftlich weiter zu entwickeln.Viele Institutionen, welche in Citizen Science aktiv sind, haben sich 2017 auf Initiative der Plattform Österreich forscht im Citizen Science Network Austria zusammengeschlossen und sich damit dazu bekannt, die Qualität von Citizen Science in Österreich zu fördern (http://www.citizen-science.at/die-plattform/das-netzwerk).Ein wichtiger Schritt zur Förderung dieser Qualität war es, transparente Kriterien aufzustellen, die jene Projekte erfüllen müssen, welche auf der Plattform Österreich forscht gelistet werden möchten. Das Ziel dieser Kriterien ist, die Qualität der auf der Plattform vorgestellten Projekte weiter hochzuhalten und noch zu stei...
This paper offers a short report on a participatory citizen science project and offers some refle... more This paper offers a short report on a participatory citizen science project and offers some reflections on the lessons learned. In particular, we report on our aims and methods, and the development and use of a web application that we designed to enable a collective analysis of press releases allowing a high number of users. Specifically, we give a brief account of the HTML- and PHP-based platform, which was used to analyze and review press releases on a controversial vaccine.
In the course of one year the working group for quality criteria of the Citizen Science Network A... more In the course of one year the working group for quality criteria of the Citizen Science Network Austria developed a catalogue of criteria for citizen science projectson the platform Österreich forscht. From this catalogue questions were generated, which should help the project leaders of projects in Austria to fulfil the criteria. By answering the questions, important topics are addressed during the implementation of a project and can thus also be considered by the project management. On the other hand, the answers help potential project participants to make an informed decision about participation on the basis of the information presented.Project leaders receive this catalogue of questions and send the answers back to Österreich forscht. The platform coordinators read the answers, consult with the Working Group for Quality Criteria if necessary and contact the project leaders in case of ambiguities for clarification and possible assistance. The aim of this processis not to exclude ...
This article presents two cases of policymaking concerning the vaccine against Human Papilloma Vi... more This article presents two cases of policymaking concerning the vaccine against Human Papilloma Virus (HPV), which is sexually transmitted and carcinogenic. Our analysis focuses on its introduction in Austria and the Netherlands. In both contexts, we find prevention and screening to be at once complementary and competing public health logics and we draw on the concept of 'infrastructure' to understand their roles in shaping the reception of the vaccine. We reveal how the HPV vaccine had to be made 'good enough', much like the Pap smear (Casper and Clarke ), by means of diverse tinkering practices that transformed both the technology and the infrastructures in which they emerged. At the same time, it was important that the vaccine would not come to problematise Pap smear-based screening. The article points to the contextually contingent nature of policymaking around new medical technologies, and the skillful care with which public health infrastructures such as immunis...
Aims: Because media portrayal reflects and shapes public opinion and health policy, investigating... more Aims: Because media portrayal reflects and shapes public opinion and health policy, investigating news coverage of public health issues is highly relevant for public health research and practice. Addressing a topical issue, this study investigated how newspaper coverage framed COVID-19 vaccines in Austria and German-speaking Switzerland and how it developed over time. Methods: A quantitative newspaper content analysis of six newspapers from Austria and German-speaking Switzerland published between January 1 and 31, 2022 was conducted. Frames were identified for each country separately through hierarchical cluster analysis (Ward’s method) based on frame elements. Results: Four frames were identified in both countries: (1) Evaluating new vaccines, (2) Discussing mandates, (3) Promoting vaccination, (4) Mentioning vaccines. In Frames 1 (Switzerland 86.4%, Austria 93.3%) and 3 (Switzerland 92.7%, Austria 98.9%), most articles included vaccine-endorsing statements, with Swiss coverage in...
Drawing upon 152 in-depth qualitative interviews with residents in Austria carried out in the fir... more Drawing upon 152 in-depth qualitative interviews with residents in Austria carried out in the first year of the pandemic, this article discusses how people’s experiences with COVID-19 policies reflect and reshape state–citizen relations. Coinciding with a significant government crisis, the first year of COVID-19 in Austria saw pandemic measures justified with reference to a biological, often medical understanding of health that framed disease prevention in terms of transmission reduction, often with reference to metrics such as hospitalisation rates, etc. Instead of using this biomedical frame, our interviewees, however, drew attention to biopsychosocial dimensions of the crisis and problematised the entanglements between economy and health. We call this the emergence of a biosocial notion of citizenship that is attentive to psychological, social and economic dimensions of health. Insights into the biosocial nature of pandemic citizenship open a window of opportunity for addressing ...
In some countries, far-reaching ‘lockdown’ measures to contain the spread of coronavirus were imp... more In some countries, far-reaching ‘lockdown’ measures to contain the spread of coronavirus were implemented early in 2020. In Austria, these early measures were met with a high degree of compliance among the country’s population. In this paper, we draw upon qualitative interviews, and ask how people made sense of the restrictions imposed during the first lockdown in April 2020 and what shaped their compliance. Empirical research has so far tried to explain compliance by means of people’s disposition and motivations as well as demographic and social characteristics. Instead of focussing on who is compliant, we aim to understand how people practice compliance. We do this by approaching compliance through the concepts of values and practice. First, our findings indicate that people assess whether measures are suitable and legitimate in relation to the values of science, the law, and morality. Second, people assign additional personal value to compliance by stressing its positive implications on their own lives. By adopting a nuanced perspective on compliance as inextricably linked to peoples’ values and practices, our paper critically contributes to the political and scholarly discussion of pandemic public health measures. Understanding compliance through the lens of values shows how people make sense of the measures in the context of their everyday lives, helping us to move away from a binary understanding of (non-)compliance that has become morally charged. [ FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Critical Public Health is the property of Routledge and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full . (Copyright applies to all s.)
Background: Vaccination is considered to be a key public health intervention to end the COVID-19 ... more Background: Vaccination is considered to be a key public health intervention to end the COVID-19 pandemic. Yet, the success of the intervention is contingent on attitudes toward vaccination and the design of vaccination policies.Methods: We conduct cross-sectional analyses of policy-relevant attitudes toward COVID-19 vaccination using survey data of a representative sample of Austrian residents collected by the Austrian Corona Panel Project (ACPP). As outcomes, we examine the individual readiness to get vaccinated, the support for compulsory vaccinations, and the preference for making the vaccine available free of charge. The independent variables include demographics, objective and perceived health risks, and social and political factors.Results: Although there is broad public support for making the vaccine available free of charge, vaccine hesitancy and the opposition to a vaccine mandate are widespread. The protective function of the vaccine for the individual only motivates limi...
In this study, we explore the recent setup of a digital vaccination record in Austria. Working fr... more In this study, we explore the recent setup of a digital vaccination record in Austria. Working from a social-scientific perspective, we find that the introduction of the electronic vaccination pass was substantially accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Our interviews with key stakeholders (n = 16) indicated that three main factors drove this acceleration. The pandemic (1) sidelined historical conflicts regarding data ownership and invoked a shared sense of the value of data, (2) accentuated the need for enhanced administrative efficiency in an institutionally fragmented system, and (3) helped invoke the national vaccination registry as an indispensable infrastructure for public health governance with the potential to innovate its healthcare system in the long term.
Background Healthcare workers are considered key stakeholders in efforts to address vaccine hesit... more Background Healthcare workers are considered key stakeholders in efforts to address vaccine hesitancy. Midwives’ influence in advising expectant parents on early-childhood vaccinations is unquestioned, yet they remain an understudied group. The literature on midwives’ attitudes towards vaccinations is also inconclusive. We therefore conducted an explorative qualitative study on midwives’ vaccine-hesitant attitudes towards MMR (measles-mumps-rubella) vaccinations in Austria. Methods We conducted 12 in-depth interviews on their knowledge, concerns, and beliefs with midwives who self-identified as hesitant or resistant towards early-childhood MMR vaccinations. We analyzed the data using a grounded theory approach to distill common themes and meanings. Results Healthcare workers’ stewardship to address vaccine hesitancy is commonly framed in terms of the “information deficit model”: disseminate the right information and remedy publics’ information deficits. Our findings suggest that thi...
Background:Vaccination policy has grown increasingly polarised, and concerns about vaccination pr... more Background:Vaccination policy has grown increasingly polarised, and concerns about vaccination practices are often articulated jointly with fears over declining trust in scientific expertise and the demise of evidence-based policy. This has led to a discursive deadlock in which evidence comes to denote something that is crafted and monopolised by a trained élite, with no role to play for the workings of democracy. Our own methodologies tend to accentuate this epistemic hierarchy, for much qualitative research relies on élite interviews with officials and scientific experts. The introduction of the vaccine against Human Papilloma Virus (HPV), on which we report in this paper, is a case in point. Objectives and methods:With this study, we intervene in this discursive and methodological deadlock using unconventional methods: inspired by the participatory spirit of the ‘argumentative turn’ in policy analysis, we experimented with citizen science to produce critical knowledge about HPV p...
The platform Österreich forscht (www.citizen-science.at) was founded in 2014 with the objectives ... more The platform Österreich forscht (www.citizen-science.at) was founded in 2014 with the objectives of (1) connecting citizen science actors in Austria, (2) providing the broadest possible overview of citizen science projects in Austria, and (3) scientifically advancing citizen science as a method.Following the initiative of the platform Österreich forscht, many of the institutions that are active in citizen science joined forces in the Citizen Science Network Austria in 2017, and thus agreed to advance the quality of citizen science in Austria (http://www.citizen-science.at/the-platform/the-network).An important step in this regard was the establishment of transparent criteria for projects wishing to be listed on the platform Österreich forscht. The objective of these criteria is to maintain and further improve the quality of the projects presented on the platform.Between March 2017 and February 2018, a working group of the platform Österreich forscht consisting of representatives fro...
Die Plattform Österreich forscht (www.citizen-science.at) wurde 2014 mit den Zielen gegründet, (1... more Die Plattform Österreich forscht (www.citizen-science.at) wurde 2014 mit den Zielen gegründet, (1) Citizen Science Akteurinnen und Akteure in Österreich zu vernetzen, (2) einen möglichst umfassenden Überblick über Citizen Science Projekte in Österreich zu geben und (3) allgemein die Methodik Citizen Science wissenschaftlich weiter zu entwickeln.Viele Institutionen, welche in Citizen Science aktiv sind, haben sich 2017 auf Initiative der Plattform Österreich forscht im Citizen Science Network Austria zusammengeschlossen und sich damit dazu bekannt, die Qualität von Citizen Science in Österreich zu fördern (http://www.citizen-science.at/die-plattform/das-netzwerk).Ein wichtiger Schritt zur Förderung dieser Qualität war es, transparente Kriterien aufzustellen, die jene Projekte erfüllen müssen, welche auf der Plattform Österreich forscht gelistet werden möchten. Das Ziel dieser Kriterien ist, die Qualität der auf der Plattform vorgestellten Projekte weiter hochzuhalten und noch zu stei...
This paper offers a short report on a participatory citizen science project and offers some refle... more This paper offers a short report on a participatory citizen science project and offers some reflections on the lessons learned. In particular, we report on our aims and methods, and the development and use of a web application that we designed to enable a collective analysis of press releases allowing a high number of users. Specifically, we give a brief account of the HTML- and PHP-based platform, which was used to analyze and review press releases on a controversial vaccine.
In the course of one year the working group for quality criteria of the Citizen Science Network A... more In the course of one year the working group for quality criteria of the Citizen Science Network Austria developed a catalogue of criteria for citizen science projectson the platform Österreich forscht. From this catalogue questions were generated, which should help the project leaders of projects in Austria to fulfil the criteria. By answering the questions, important topics are addressed during the implementation of a project and can thus also be considered by the project management. On the other hand, the answers help potential project participants to make an informed decision about participation on the basis of the information presented.Project leaders receive this catalogue of questions and send the answers back to Österreich forscht. The platform coordinators read the answers, consult with the Working Group for Quality Criteria if necessary and contact the project leaders in case of ambiguities for clarification and possible assistance. The aim of this processis not to exclude ...
This article presents two cases of policymaking concerning the vaccine against Human Papilloma Vi... more This article presents two cases of policymaking concerning the vaccine against Human Papilloma Virus (HPV), which is sexually transmitted and carcinogenic. Our analysis focuses on its introduction in Austria and the Netherlands. In both contexts, we find prevention and screening to be at once complementary and competing public health logics and we draw on the concept of 'infrastructure' to understand their roles in shaping the reception of the vaccine. We reveal how the HPV vaccine had to be made 'good enough', much like the Pap smear (Casper and Clarke ), by means of diverse tinkering practices that transformed both the technology and the infrastructures in which they emerged. At the same time, it was important that the vaccine would not come to problematise Pap smear-based screening. The article points to the contextually contingent nature of policymaking around new medical technologies, and the skillful care with which public health infrastructures such as immunis...
Die erstmals 2006 zugelassene Impfung gegen sexuell übertragbare Humane Papilloma-Viren (HPV) gin... more Die erstmals 2006 zugelassene Impfung gegen sexuell übertragbare Humane Papilloma-Viren (HPV) ging nicht nur in Österreich, sondern auch in den Niederlanden mit Kontroversen einher, geprägt von oft nicht eindeutiger wissenschaftlicher Evidenz. Dort löste die Zulassung unerwartet breite Diskussion unter ExpertInnen sowie in Medien und, rasch als „Mädchenimpfung“ bekannt, auch in Schulhöfen aus. Die Impfung wurde dennoch nach Empfehlung des Impfgremiums im Gezondheidsraad bereits im Jahr 2008 im Impfprogramm eingeführt. Sie bleibt allerdings Mädchen vorbehalten.
Betere communicatie met naasten van mogelijke orgaandonoren kan het aantal orgaandonaties verhoge... more Betere communicatie met naasten van mogelijke orgaandonoren kan het aantal orgaandonaties verhogen. Daarom is het van belang dat ziekenhuizen ervaren en gemotiveerde mensen inzetten in donatieprocedures. Onderzoekers van Erasmus MC, ...
Top Citizen Science Project (FWF - Austrian Science Fund, 2016 - 2017) - to be launched in Septem... more Top Citizen Science Project (FWF - Austrian Science Fund, 2016 - 2017) - to be launched in September 2016.
The aim of this project is both instrumental and experimental, and likewise, our research question is two-fold: How, and based on what arguments did expert institutions – including public policy actors, scientists, and commercial actors - shape the policy discourse through media using press releases? To what extent and in what ways can citizen science be adopted in studying policy debates? In the proposed project, we will experiment with citizen science methodology by letting three groups of "non-trained experts" – three cohorts of 16-year old secondary school students – study a dataset of nearly 400 press releases issued between 2007, when the HPV vaccine was approved for use in Austria, and 2013, when it was introduced in the national immunization program (NIP). We do so by offering a web-based platform that is user-friendly and offers trained researchers the possibility to validate the students’ findings.
The project InsSciDE-Inventing a Shared Science Diplomacy for Europe-, of which UNIVIE is a partn... more The project InsSciDE-Inventing a Shared Science Diplomacy for Europe-, of which UNIVIE is a partner, has just been approved under the H2020 program, with the maximum score of 15 points and a budget for three years of 2.5 million euros. UNIVIE is one of the partners and will carry out the coordination of Work
Abstract: The European Commission has called for the development of effective science diplomacy for Europe. InsSciDE – Inventing a Shared Science Diplomacy for Europe – responds to this call with a hypothesis: the Member States have a great capital of experience on which they can draw. Domestic and transnational initiatives have long used science in global diplomatic engagements, in a diversity of ways and contexts. But this practice is fragmented, unrecognized, or lacking an overall model that could bring it into view and let it be shared –leveraged and consolidated for Europe. Our project reveals, formalizes and communicates this intangible capital, develops its conceptual bases and elaborates tools to help European science diplomacy emerge and blossom. From first questions to final tools and training, we lead this process from inside science diplomacy – hand-in-hand with its practitioners, potential practitioners and other stakeholders. Those who deploy, direct and benefit from science diplomacy are co-inventors, end-users and ambassadors for the project, accompanied by a consortium associating academic excellence and high competence in stakeholder engagement. An ambitious communication program presents InsSciDE to a broad international audience for feedback, widely disseminates findings and intellectual products, and ensures a legacy.
Top Citizen Science Project (FWF - Austrian Science Fund, 2016 - 2017) - to be launched in Septem... more Top Citizen Science Project (FWF - Austrian Science Fund, 2016 - 2017) - to be launched in September 2016. The aim of this project is both instrumental and experimental, and likewise, our research question is two-fold: How, and based on what arguments did expert institutions – including public policy actors, scientists, and commercial actors - shape the policy discourse through media using press releases? To what extent and in what ways can citizen science be adopted in studying policy debates? In the proposed project, we will experiment with citizen science methodology by letting three groups of "non-trained experts" – three cohorts of 16-year old secondary school students – study a dataset of nearly 400 press releases issued between 2007, when the HPV vaccine was approved for use in Austria, and 2013, when it was introduced in the national immunization program (NIP). We do so by offering a web-based platform that is user-friendly and offers trained researchers the possibility to validate the students’ findings.
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Papers by Katharina T. Paul
The aim of this project is both instrumental and experimental, and likewise, our research question is two-fold: How, and based on what arguments did expert institutions – including public policy actors, scientists, and commercial actors - shape the policy discourse through media using press releases? To what extent and in what ways can citizen science be adopted in studying policy debates? In the proposed project, we will experiment with citizen science methodology by letting three groups of "non-trained experts" – three cohorts of 16-year old secondary school students – study a dataset of nearly 400 press releases issued between 2007, when the HPV vaccine was approved for use in Austria, and 2013, when it was introduced in the national immunization program (NIP). We do so by offering a web-based platform that is user-friendly and offers trained researchers the possibility to validate the students’ findings.
Abstract: The European Commission has called for the development of effective science diplomacy for Europe. InsSciDE – Inventing a Shared Science Diplomacy for Europe – responds to this call with a hypothesis: the Member States have a great capital of experience on which they can draw. Domestic and transnational initiatives have long used science in global diplomatic engagements, in a diversity of ways and contexts. But this practice is fragmented, unrecognized, or lacking an overall model that could bring it into view and let it be shared –leveraged and consolidated for Europe. Our project reveals, formalizes and communicates this intangible capital, develops its conceptual bases and elaborates tools to help European science diplomacy emerge and blossom. From first questions to final tools and training, we lead this process from inside science diplomacy – hand-in-hand with its practitioners, potential practitioners and other stakeholders. Those who deploy, direct and benefit from science diplomacy are co-inventors, end-users and ambassadors for the project, accompanied by a consortium associating academic excellence and high competence in stakeholder engagement. An ambitious communication program presents InsSciDE to a broad international audience for feedback, widely disseminates findings and intellectual products, and ensures a legacy.