[FoME] New MeCoDEM Policy Brief | Integrating media and communication in development cooperation

[Ines Drefs]

MECODEM POLICY BRIEF:  
COMMUNICATION AND CONFLICT IN TRANSITIONAL SOCIETIES – INTEGRATING MEDIA AND COMMUNICATION IN DEVELOPMENT COOPERATION (Ines Drefs and Barbara Thomass)

This document is now available for download at:  http://www.mecodem.eu/publications/working-papers 

Dear reader,
For three years, a consortium of researchers from eight international universities analysed, within the EU-funded project Media, Conflict and Democratisation (MeCoDEM), a broad range of questions concerning media and communication in the context of conflict and democratic transition, as well questions of media development cooperation. One of the outcomes of our research is this policy brief which we hope will be useful to your organisation. 

It concludes with the following central recommendations: 

•	Our research shows that media development should be broadened to communication development. Partnering with civil society groups, beyond their instrumental value to journalists, and bringing in state actors are part of this approach. What democracy needs is a healthy public debate in which the media play a central, but not the only, role. 

•	In addition to this, we suggest a further step for discussion and consideration: The goal for policy makers should be to develop a media-and-communication mainstreaming strategy. Similar to the concept of “gender mainstreaming”, which considers the implications of gender for policy actions in all areas and levels, “media-and-communication mainstreaming” should consider communication-related actions for development activities in all areas and levels. Development communication should be given leverage: It should become an instrument for building global development partnerships alongside governance democratization efforts. Media organisations and media outlets should be seen and promoted as enablers of social dialogue that matters to all aspects of development and development cooperation.  

We are happy to receive any comments and feedback.

ABOUT MECODEM: 
MeCoDEM is a three-year research project that ran from 1 February 2014 until 31 January 2017. The project investigates the interplay of communication and democratisation conflicts in four countries, Egypt, Kenya, Serbia and South Africa, each of them representing unique aspects of transitional / post-transitional divisions. Based on a comparative case study design, the research covers constitutional conflicts, civic conflicts and conflicts surrounding accountability and good governance. These conflicts constitute arenas of dispute where the media interact with the communicative strategies of governments on the one hand, and political activists and political movements struggling for recognition on the other. MeCoDEM is funded by the European Union within the EU’s Seventh Framework Programme. With a budget of 2.2 million Euros, the project consortium includes eight partner institutions from six countries: University of Leeds (coordinating institution), University of Belgrade, University of Hamburg, University of Cape Town, University of Oxford, Stockholm University, Ruhr University Bochum and American University in Cairo. 

MECODEM CONTACT: 
Prof Barbara Thomass | Barbara.Thomass at rub.de 
Website: www.mecodem.eu | Twitter:@MeCoDEM