Mobilization in the European Public Sphere: The Struggle Over Genetically Modified Organisms

What is it about?

The objective of this study is to investigate the extent to which supporters and opponents at the European Union (EU) level strive to mobilize the public with regard the issue of genetically modified organisms (GMOs). To this end, it addresses two research questions: First, to which concepts do GMO opponents and supporters refer when seeking to mobilize the public? Second, do GMO opponents and supporters differ in the coherence of the concepts they use to attain public mobilization? The empirical findings show that the pro-GMO coalition is composed of biotechnology companies as well as representatives of Argentina, Canada, the United Kingdom, the United States, and the World Trade Organization. The anti-GMO coalition consists of environmental nongovernmental organizations and representatives from most of the EU member states. Altogether, the anti-GMO coalition has been more coherent in the concepts they invoke in the last few years.

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Why is it important?

We believe that this study offers five contributions to an improved understanding of “risky discourses” at the EU level. First, we do not concentrate on one actor group but seek to capture the entirety of actors involved in the public discourse on GMOs. Second, we map out the whole range of statements made by different actor groups, thereby providing a more refined description of the public discourse. Third, our analysis covers a period of twelve years, which should help to indicate whether the dominance of the actor groups has changed over time. Fourth, in theoretical terms we connect the study of GMO governance with one specific aspect of the literature on political agenda setting, namely attempts to public mobilization. Fifth, we show the existence of a European public sphere with regard to GMOs.