Christian Fuchs has published a textbook on the foundations of media, economy, and society. It is available in English and German.

Christian Fuchs. 2024. Media, Economy and Society: A Critical Introduction. Abingdon: Routledge.
Christian Fuchs. 2023. Grundlagen der Medienökonomie: Medien, Wirtschaft und Gesellschaft. München: UVK/utb

The book introduces a variety of methods and topics, including the political economy of communication in capitalism, media concentration, advertising, global media and transnational media corporations, class relations and working conditions in the capitalist media and communication industry, the Internet and digital media, the information society and digital capitalism, the public sphere, Public Service Media, the Public Service Internet and the political economy of media management. Each chapter features a highly accessible introduction, recommended readings and lots of practical exercises where you will apply the Political Economy approach to concrete examples and cases.

“With clarity and thoroughness, Christian Fuchs succeeds brilliantly in guiding students through the fields of media economics and the political economy of the media. Covering the widest range of theoretical perspectives and substantive areas, from advertising to media management, from cultural labor to the public sphere, this book is essential reading for anyone who cares about the state of contemporary media”
— VINCENT MOSCO, author of the book “The Political Economy of Communication”

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Introduction  

Part I: Foundations  

2. What is Political Economy? 
3. What is Media Economics? 
4. The Political Economy of Communication and the Media 
5. The Critical Tradition in the Analysis of Media, Communication, Economy & Society  

Part II: Applications  

6. The Political Economy of Media Concentration 
7. The Political Economy of Advertising 
8. The Political Economy of Global Media 
9. Media Work: The Political Economy of Cultural Labour in the Media Industry 
10. The Political Economy of the Internet and Digital Media 
11. The Political Economy of the Information Society and Digital Capitalism 
12. The Political Economy of the Public Sphere  and the Digital Public Sphere
13. The Political Economy of Public Service Media and the Public Service Internet 
14. The Political Economy of Media Management

More information: English book version, German book version