"This volume addresses the challenges that political communication is facing today from a comparative perspective, using principles and methods of comparison both across space (cross-national) and across time (longitudinal), thereby advancing the understanding of global trends and cultural differences. It covers a wide range of countries and cultures from advanced Western democracies and beyond. The research tools employed include quantitative and qualitative content analyses, comparative case studies, document analysis, opinion surveys, elite interviews and a combination of various methods. Employing different research strategies and theoretical approaches, this book sheds new light on key concepts in the literature on comparative political communication research, such as professionalization, personalization and globalization. It also investigates processes of change and transformation, such as negativization of campaigns, internationalization of campaign coverage, professionalization of government communication, democratization, commercialization of the media and transnationalization of national public spheres".