Daniel Drewski

Has there been a European Public Discourse on the Euro Crisis? A Content Analysis of German and Spanish Newspaper Editorials

According to some observers, the Euro crisis could have provoked a broad politicisation of European issues and the emergence of a cross-border European public discourse, paving the way for a democratic deepening of the European Union. This article examines whether there has been such a European public discourse on the Euro crisis. Based on the academic literature and drawing on cleavage theory, I define the following indicators of a European public discourse: first, the same issues have to be discussed at the same time in various EU member states; and second, the interpretations of and opinions on these issues should reflect a transnational ideological cleavage that cuts across national borders instead of an international cleavage between countries. A systematic content analysis of editorials in centre-left and centre-right quality newspapers in Germany (Eurozone core) and Spain (Eurozone periphery) shows that these countries’ public discourses on the Euro crisis have not met these requirements for a European public discourse. I found significant country differences between Germany and Spain, while a cross-cutting transnational cleavage between the centre-left and centre-right did not play a significant role. These results suggest that there has not been a European public discourse on the Euro crisis.

The Globalisation of Labour Markets: A Content Analy sis of the Demand for Transnational Human Capital in Job Advertisements

This article analyses how globalisation has affected the demand for transnational human capital (foreign language skills, cross-cultural competence, knowledge about other countries and international experiences) over time, across levels of qualification, professional fields and countries. A content analysis of job advertisements in German and Dutch newspapers, as well as Eurobarometer survey data, shows that the demand for transnational human capital, especially in the form of foreign language skills, has increased in recent decades, with that demand being most pronounced among high‐skilled jobs in the service sector. Moreover, there are significant national differences in the importance of transnational human capital, determined by a country’s level of globalisation and the global diffusion of its official language. Our study shows, however, that there are methodological limits to the content analysis of job postings for determining labour market demand, especially when specific skills and qualifications, e.g. English language skills, are increasingly taken for granted.