Imageumbrüche und politischer Wandel in der deutschen Atompolitik

This work is based on a theoretical consideration by the two American social scientists Frank R. Baumgartner and Bryan D. Jones. They argue that policy changes are determined by policy images, which means that the transformation of a policy area can be explained through the policy image. As a practical example, the field of nuclear policy is examined, as the history of this sector in Germany has been characterized by both high and low phases like no other. Against the backdrop of the nuclear campaign for the 2009 federal election, the discourse surrounding the continuation of the commercial use of nuclear energy gained new dynamics, which are also addressed in this work. Therefore, factors that have significantly influenced the policy image are also important here. On one hand, an evaluation of the media, specifically newspapers, is conducted in terms of their reporting.