In recent years, the political arena has been transformed into a space of public debate, a phenomenon which is both evident, yet hitherto unparalleled. A new range of digital social communication tools framed within the Web 2.0 era, with the blog often proving the tool of choice, has displaced the traditional dominance of the communication scenario previously enjoyed by the mass media, thanks to a series of more interactive, diverse and credible dynamics which place the user at the very heart of the political discussion process and facilitates processes of social mobilization and collective civic action. This study takes the above situation as its point of departure and guiding principle to propose and define political blogs as a new means of creating information and opinion, and communicating and occasioning effective influence in public agenda-setting. This theoretical work undertakes a detailed critical analysis of the potential of these tools and explains the extent to which they should be considered appropriate platforms for the communication and discussion of public issues. Moreover, it will also consider their engagement in a new, more open form of citizen journalism, free of the bias and pressures exerted by large media corporations, thus creating a digital public sphere with far greater capacity and agency for change.

In recent years, the political arena has been transformed into a space of public debate, a phenomenon which is both evident, yet hitherto unparalleled. A new range of digital social communication tools framed within the Web 2.0 era, with the blog often proving the tool of choice, has displaced the traditional dominance of the communication scenario previously enjoyed by the mass media, thanks to a series of more interactive, diverse and credible dynamics which place the user at the very heart of the political discussion process and facilitates processes of social mobilization and collective civic action. This study takes the above situation as its point of departure and guiding principle to propose and define political blogs as a new means of creating information and opinion, and communicating and occasioning effective influence in public agenda-setting. This theoretical work undertakes a detailed critical analysis of the potential of these tools and explains the extent to which they should be considered appropriate platforms for the communication and discussion of public issues. Moreover, it will also consider their engagement in a new, more open form of citizen journalism, free of the bias and pressures exerted by large media corporations, thus creating a digital public sphere with far greater capacity and agency for change.

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Resumen. En España, el estallido de la crisis sistémica de 2008 y su prolongada duración han supuesto desafíos adicionales para el mantenimiento del Estado del Bienestar y, particularmente, para la educación, el Servicio Público Fundamental que más afectado se ha visto por la aplicación de políticas de contracción presupuestaria durante este período. El presente trabajo explora cómo se ha comportado la inversión educativa en las distintas regiones españolas durante el período 2008-2013 y trata de conocer más acerca del papel que han jugado las distintas administraciones en la asignación de recursos a esta partida. Para ello, esta investigación ha conformado dos bloques de CC.AA. de acuerdo con la incidencia económica de la crisis y ha efectuado un análisis longitudinal y comparativo a partir de diversos indicadores. Los resultados revelan que la voluntad política ha sido fundamental a la hora de determinar las pautas de inversión educativa y que, además, las diferencias entre distintos colores políticos son reducidas. Las implicaciones de estos resultados abren la puerta a una interpretación más amplia acerca de la importancia y necesidad de redefinición de la educación como vector de generación de capital social en España, así como a un debate político más profundo sobre su financiación en el marco del actual Estado del Bienestar. Palabras clave: Educación; inversión educativa; Estado del Bienestar; crisis; política educativa; España; Comunidades Autónomas [en] The educational investment as a paradigm of the politics of the Welfare State retrenchment: an analysis of the Spanish regional context after the 2008 systemic crisis Abstract. In Spain, the 2008 systemic crisis and its prolonged duration have resulted in additional challenges for the maintenance of the Welfare State and, especially, for the education, the most retrenched fundamental public service during these years. This research deepens in the evolution of the educational investment in the different regions of Spain throughout this critical period 2008-2013 and tries to gain insight into the role the public administration has played when budgeting this line, too. To do so, this paper has composed two separate groups of Spanish regions according to the economic impact of the 2008 crisis, and has carried out a longitudinal and comparative analysis basing on several indicators. Results show how political will has become the major element to establish the general guidelines of the educational investment and, additionally, that the disparities observed between different political approaches are minimum. The implications of these results do usher in a wider interpretation on the importance and need to redefine education as the generating vector of social capital in Spain, as well as to a more profound political discussion on financial resourcing in the context of the current Welfare State.