Observatory of Policies on Science, Communication and Culture of the Communication and Society Research Centre (CECS) (PolObs)

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PolObs is an Observatory of Policies on Science, Communication and Culture that cuts across the three research groups of the Communication and Society Research Centre (CECS). As the name indicates, it is a project for monitoring the main actions that shape the field of communication in Portugal in its many dimensions: media and journalism, organisations and social dynamics, and cultural studies. Building on the intervention tradition that has always defined this research unit, PolObs aims to track public policies in key areas of communication as a scientific and educational domain. It also aims to foster the implementation in Portugal of internationally framed communication policies that connect the different spheres in which communication is a strategic resource for the country's social, cultural and democratic development.
PolObs has a line of action that revisits the CECS's commitment to linking communication with citizenship and to interventionist research. Its working areas cover the research areas of the three CECS groups: Media and Journalism; Communication, Organisations and Social Dynamics; and Cultural Studies. In this way, PolObs addresses areas such as media regulation, journalism and democracy, strategic communication, communication for development, and cultural and heritage policies. Beyond mapping the field, the researchers associated with the initiative also seek to present proposals for action to official bodies and organisations, thereby promoting closer ties between science and civil society.