Media visibility and electoral careers: research comparing members of parliament in Brazil and Germany

Abstract

Objective: This dissertation draws upon field research conducted with Brazilian and German members of parliament. It aims to compare communication strategies and electoral behavior in both countries. The working hypothesis is that the communication strategies of members of parliament vary with the voting pattern, the type of vote and the electoral connections. Methodology: semi-open and closed interviews were conducted to assess the perceptions and practices of parliamentarians of both countries as an initial exercise in exploring the relationship between media visibility and parliamentary careers. The research design draws upon a saturation sample to provide a sufficient number of respondents for analysis. Statistical correlations (cross-tabulation, logit and FA) between the responses to the survey and the independent variables concentration and type of votes, magnitude and competitiveness were established. Results: The research compares a developed country (Germany) with a very good infrastructure, and a developing country (Brazil) with a great deficit in infrastructure. Yet, the study found similar stablished politicians, who uses national and regional media to communicate with voters, works in committees, deliver speeches at the House’s floor, whose activities are not primarily related to district interests. The research also found a type of politician who heavily uses the local broadcasting and print media, whose activities are primarily focused on delivering services and pork to constituencies. As for the online politics, the research found that the Internet is not seen as a "game-changer": it is used in both countries as a complementary alternative to the mass media, and as a strategy adopted mostly by MPs who belong to small parties with few resources. Big-party MPs uses the Internet mostly to gain some independence from the party bureaucracy. In Brazil, the Internet is not seen as a valuable means of communication with voters, but with other political elites. As an instrument of political communication, the research found that the Internet is used by Brazilian and German politicians in different ways and for different purposes. It emerged not as a globalizing force, i.e., with a technological power to produce a pasteurized and ineluctable usage all across the globe. Instead, the Internet is used in local contexts to suit local interests. Conclusion: The field research partially confirmed the hypotheses that suggest an association between the variables concentration of votes, district magnitude and level of competitiveness with different levels of concern on positive coverage in the mass media, and on the construction of a good political reputation. In Germany, the mixed electoral system generates incentives for candidates to adopt different campaign strategies, depending on the type of vote (majority or proportional). These incentives shape the structure of competition at the district level, and the MPs’ communication strategies. The multifaceted aspects of the electoral connection proved to compensate for the absence of adequate coverage in the mass media, and may even crown with success the election of candidates for proportional seats in Brazil and Germany.