Frames in Production, 1995-2020

This data collection comprises two Discourse Network Analysis (DNA) databases designed to study how political “frames” emerge and spread in real-world policy debates. Political actors rarely present issues neutrally: they highlight some aspects of a situation and downplay others, shaping how audiences interpret problems and what solutions seem appropriate. While a large body of scholarship explains which frames are persuasive, far less is known about the upstream question of where frames come from, who introduces them, under what conditions, and how they diffuse across actors and institutions over time.

The two databases provide structured, longitudinal evidence on framing dynamics by linking who says what to which framed interpretations and policy-relevant positions. Each database is built from text data and codes actor statements that contain at least one framing element as defined in classic work on framing: problem definition, causal interpretation, moral evaluation, and/or treatment recommendation. The coding makes it possible to reconstruct evolving discourse coalitions, track agreement and conflict among actors, and map diffusion pathways as frames move between parties, organizations, and other participants in the debate.

Because DNA integrates qualitative content analysis with quantitative social network analysis, the databases support both (1) exploratory descriptions of coalitions and influential actors (e.g., brokers, bridges, and central opinion leaders) and (2) statistical analyses of how actors’ statements connect to specific frames and policy choices across time. Substantively, the collection is suited for comparative work on framing across issue domains such as immigration, trade, environmental politics, global health, and transparency reforms, enabling researchers to investigate how framing strategies vary by topic and institutional setting.