Introduction: Communication and civic engagement in comparative perspective

The present era is defined by sweeping changes in economies, social institu tions, political party systems, and communication processes in many nations . These changes go by various names from globalization to poststructuralism . The impact of these tectonic shifts in the political foundations of natio ns is greatly debated. In particular, considerable uncertainty surrounds th e effects of various changes on the importance of politics for individual c itizens and for the kinds of civic activities that people engage in and eve n regard as political. This is an important itme for communication scholars to develop comparative frameworks that bring conceptions of social change together with how people located in various cultural, demographic, and audi ence groups define their relations to government and, more broadly, to civi l society. At stake is our understanding of the role of communication in sh aping these political relations, and in shaping the attitudes of citizens a bout politics, government, and society itself.