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Issue Hierarchization in Agenda‐Setting: The Case of the European Council Agenda

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  • Eliska Ullrichova

Abstract

Agenda‐setting scholars tend to search for a problem that receives the most policy attention, a so‐called primary issue. Since the concept of the primary issue is vague, this article aims to define and implement it in a framework of issue hierarchization leaning on the issue's place, space and framing on the agenda. The position and the hierarchy of issues are considered crucial elements of agenda‐setting but omitted in the literature. The article thus examines the hierarchy of issues in EU agenda‐setting, specifically on the case of the European Council agenda in the period December 2014–December 2020 using a holistic grading method. The findings show that the agenda can consist of more primary and several secondary issues at once. Interestingly, if more primary issues require policy attention, policy‐makers tend to mobilize additional resources to tackle them instead of dropping secondary issues off the agenda.

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  • Eliska Ullrichova, 2023. "Issue Hierarchization in Agenda‐Setting: The Case of the European Council Agenda," Journal of Common Market Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 61(1), pages 108-123, January.
  • Handle: RePEc:bla:jcmkts:v:61:y:2023:i:1:p:108-123
    DOI: 10.1111/jcms.13361
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    3. Simon, Herbert A., 1985. "Human Nature in Politics: The Dialogue of Psychology with Political Science," American Political Science Review, Cambridge University Press, vol. 79(2), pages 293-304, June.
    4. Wood, B. Dan & Peake, Jeffrey S., 1998. "The Dynamics of Foreign Policy Agenda Setting," American Political Science Review, Cambridge University Press, vol. 92(1), pages 173-184, March.
    5. Marcello Carammia & Sebastiaan Princen & Arco Timmermans, 2016. "From Summitry to EU Government: An Agenda Formation Perspective on the European Council," Journal of Common Market Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 54(4), pages 809-825, July.
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