WHO SETS THE AGENDA? ANALYZING ATTENTION DYNAMICS OF ECONOMIC DIVERSIFICATION AND VIOLENT CRIME ISSUES IN CANADA AND AUSTRALIA OVER THE PERIOD OF 2008-2015

Abstract

The thesis puts the key question – who sets the agenda of two policy issues, economic diversification and violent crime, in Canada and Australia? This question remains critical in current scholarly debates. Among the major actors, media seems to exert predominant influence, though the public has grown in influence with emergence of internet. Finally, academia and think tanks are also found to exert agenda-setting influence for some issues, often socially controversial issues and those with scientific uncertainty. This research analyzes the contexts of Canada and Australia for two policy issues – economic diversification and violent crime – over the period from 2008 to 2015