Analysis of Government Communication of the Dubai And United Arab Emirates Happiness Ministry in 2017: Content Analysis of Data Collected in the Corpus Latente using WebQDA Software

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.21664/2238-8869.2020v9i3.p423-440

Keywords:

Government Communication, Sustainable Development, Gross National Happiness, Ministry of Happiness

Abstract

The innovative initiative of the Government of Dubai and the United Arab Emirates to create a Ministry of Happiness meets the growing concerns of some rulers and policy makers to guide their strategies and policies for the well-being and happiness of citizens. The purpose of the governments of Dubai and the United Arab Emirates was, among others, to implement a National Happiness and Positivity Plan. At the same time, the leaders wanted to create sustainable development policies (social and environmental) so that well-being and happiness apply to current and future generations. This study is part of a larger study about the Ministry of Happiness and its government communication. In this paper, we analyse news published in the corpus latente in 2017. The purpose of this work is to know the projects, understand the communication strategies, and which tools are used by the Ministry of Happiness to publicise its policies and how they manage to transform a subjective concept into real measures. Overall, this study should help to understand the Ministry of Happiness communication model and whether it can be successfully replicated in other countries. Based on our studies and the content analysis of the news published in that period, it was possible to draw as main conclusion that besides the informative role, the communication of the Ministry of Happiness plays an important role in building a positive image of the government.

Author Biographies

Diamantino José Teixeira Ribeiro, Universidade Lusófona do Porto, ULP, Portugal.

Doutorado em Economia pela Universidade de Évora Escola de Ciências Sociais, Évora, Portugal. Docente na Universidade Lusófona do Porto, Portugal.

António Pedro Costa, Universidade de Aveiro, UA, Portugal.

Doutorado pela Universidade de Aveiro, Portugal. Investigador (CIDTFF), Departamento de Educação e Psicologia da Universidade de Aveiro, Aveiro e Portugal.

Jorge Remondes, Universidade de Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro, UTAD, Portugal.

Doutorado em Comunicação pela Universidade de Vigo, Espanha. CETRAD - Centro de Estudos Transdisciplinares para o Desenvolvimento da UTAD - Universidade de Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro, Portugal.

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Published

2020-12-30

How to Cite

RIBEIRO, Diamantino José Teixeira; COSTA, António Pedro; REMONDES, Jorge. Analysis of Government Communication of the Dubai And United Arab Emirates Happiness Ministry in 2017: Content Analysis of Data Collected in the Corpus Latente using WebQDA Software. Fronteiras - Journal of Social, Technological and Environmental Science, [S. l.], v. 9, n. 3, p. 423–440, 2020. DOI: 10.21664/2238-8869.2020v9i3.p423-440. Disponível em: https://revistas.unievangelica.edu.br/index.php/fronteiras/article/view/4165. Acesso em: 22 dec. 2024.