Inequality

Overview & Synopsis

Inequality is a foundational concept in Western political communication research. Many of the biggest questions in the field have been explicitly or implicitly concerned with relationships between communication and media, and the (un)equal distribution of political resources, influence, and power across democratic societies. This entry first examines inequality as a normative framework for studying political communication, before turning to prominent theoretical accounts that incorporate or explain inequality. Finally, key recent empirical findings in inequality-related political communication research are reviewed and important future directions in this area of research are highlighted.