The Political Economy of Communication: A Ten-Year Update

Abstract

The paper begins by defining the political economy approach, identifies its fundamental characteristics, and maps major schools of thought. From here, it proceeds to examine how communication scholars have drawn on the theoretical framework to carry out research on the mass media and information technologies. The text highlights differing emphases that distinguish research approaches in North America, Europe, and the Third World. The paper then describes the process of rethinking the political economy of communication by proposing the means to address its philosophical assumptions. Specifically, it calls for an approach to knowing that accepts the reality of both concepts and observations and rejects the view, prominent in some theories, that all explanations can be reduced to one essential cause, such as the economy or culture. Rethinking political economy also emphasizes social change, social processes and social relations over the traditional tendency in political economy to start from social structures and institutions.