SUFIN · Sustainable Finance and the News Media
Horizon 2020 — Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions
- Duration
- 2019-09-16 → 2021-12-13
- EU contribution
- €212,934
- Participants
- 1
- Scheme
- MSCA-IF
Lines connect the coordinator with its partners.
Results in brief
Sustainable Finance and the News Media
The European Commission has actively recognized that the European economy needs to be put on a sustainable footing. However, despite recent commitments (e.g., European Green Deal), a broader societal change toward a more sustainable economic system has failed to materialize. The aim of the MSCA-IF “SUFIN” was to fill the research gap by studying how SF is represented in the news media, how the reporting comes about and what potential effects the coverage might have on attitudinal and behavioural changes on citizens and investors regarding SF. The MSCA-IF “SUFIN” managed to conduct socially relevant and excellent research in the field of SF (e.g., connection to EU policy), present research to an academic and professional audience (e.g., virtual conferences in communication science, journalism research, board member of the Brussel-based NGO Finance Watch), and publish research in peer-reviewed journals (International Journal of Business Communication, Journalism, Sustainability, Journalism Studies). Second, the research insights were shared with the broader public (e.g., news coverage, podcast: Sustainonomics, Twitter), the project contributed to education in the field of SF (e.g., teaching at University of Oxford, platform Sustainonomics) and to the promotion of women in SF (e.g., network for women). Third, the international network by Prof. Strauß could be enlarged by various activities (e.g., integration and networking at the University of Oxford, Oxford Sustainable Finance Programme), training and education activities (e.g., online courses on sustainability/ communication/SF across the globe) and policy work (e.g., membership/board member of Finance Watch). Fourth, the fellowship contributed to the further education of Prof. Strauß in the field of SF (e.g., Sustainable Finance Foundation Course, University of Oxford), sustainability and additional research methods (e.g., network analysis: SMART Data Sprint). Fifth, and finally, the MSCA-IF re-enforced the professional maturity and independence of Prof. Strauß by her being offered and taking on the position as Assistant Professor in Strategic Communication and Media Management at the Department of Communication and Media Management at the University of Zurich, as of April 2021.
Data: CORDIS, © European Union
Project objective
On January 31, 2018, the High-Level Expert Group on Sustainable Finance (HLEG) of the European Commission published its final report with recommendations. However, despite recent global movements (e.g., UN Sustainable Development Goals), a broader societal change toward a more sustainable economic system has failed to materialize. One reason is that sustainable finance has not yet become an integral part of today’s (financial) narrative. Researchers in communication science have highlighted the pivotal role of the news media in inducing signs, symbols and meanings to spur interest for certain topics for many years (i.e., agenda-setting). Yet, research on the communication of sustainable finance is, up to now, non-existent. This research project will fill the research gap by investigating the role of the news media in raising public awareness and understanding of sustainable finance, and subsequently, European citizens’ motivation to engage and eventually implement sustainable finance in their daily lives. To do so, a Delphi study among financial journalists in Europe will give insights into role perceptions and gatekeeping processes in editorial offices when reporting on sustainable finance. Furthermore, a large-scale semi-automated content analysis of the coverage of sustainable finance in European financial news over the past 10 years will show how the topic has evolved over time (e.g., actors). Moreover, focus group discussions combined with an experimental survey among European citizens will inform the public about news media framing effects on individual’s attitudes and behavioural intentions vis-à-vis sustainable finance. Concluding, the proposed research project will not only educate financial experts, educators and communication experts on how to successfully communicate sustainable finance to the broader public, it also provides policy makers (e.g., HLEG) with highly relevant insights on how to engage European citizens for a greener economic future.
Original text from CORDIS.
Participants
- THE CHANCELLOR, MASTERS AND SCHOLARS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD · OxfordCoordinatorUnited Kingdom
Links
Data: CORDIS, © European Union