Conceptual Grammar for Analysing Policy Movement

Work Group 2:Miguel Lim, Chris Muellerleile, Jana Bajevic, Tatyana Bajenova, Sina Westa, Janja Komljenovic

WG 2 - Asssigned Texts

• Dryzek, J. (2006). Policy Analysis as Critique.• Hajer, M. and D. Laws. (2006). Ordering

Through Discourse.– In Moran, M., Rein, M. and R. Goodin (eds). 2006.

The Oxford Handbook of Public Policy.

Asssigned Texts

• Dryzek, J. (2006). Policy Analysis as Critique– “Critical theory is directed at an audience of

sufferers in order to make plain to them the causes of their suffering” (p.192)

– Attention to the linguistic turn and review of techniques to deal with ‘text’

– There are ‘tasks’ for the critical policy analyst

Asssigned Texts

• Hajer, M. and D. Laws. (2006). Ordering Through Discourse– The central role of the concept of ambivalence– ”Governing is in large a part a matter of defining

the situation” (p.252)– Analysis’ goal: to ‘illuminate the mechanisms that

are used to manage ambivalence’ (p.263)– Analysts’ ordering devices: beliefs, frames and

discourses

Speaking to Peck et al.

• Mobility (Peck 2011) vs. Coining of policy in situ (Dryzek 2008, Hajer and Laws 2008)

• Both chapters not directly connected to policy travel– evolution of policy analysis as a field and tend to

lean on constructivist side– Commonalities include:• attention to both structure and agency• Attention to ‘social’ reality around policy transfer

Speaking to Peck et al.

• Rational-instrumental towards embedded-relational

• A. Dryzek (2008): Technocratic > accommodative > critical analysis > linguistic turn

• B. Hajer and Laws (2008): Advocacy coalition framework > framing > narrative and discourse

• C. Peck (2011): focus on the mobility of policy: distinguishing between diffusion models, theories of transition, and neo-diffusionist approaches.

Speaking to Peck et al.

• Big picture issues:• Critical policy analysis and/vs orthodox

approaches to policy transfer• Commitments of critical analysis (to

‘democracy’, other institutions)• Emerging network society and networked

problem solving

Speaking to Peck et al.

• Big picture issues:• Peck and Peck and Theodore: rethink the

notion of policy altogether in the context of policies, politics, and policy based "knowledge" that are highly mobile.

• Need for new methodologies to examine

hybrid "policies"

Further questions

• What should we care about? Sufferers? Is critical policy analysis of policy transfer always about identifying a sufferer? If so, then: who what when where why…?

Further questions

• A consideration on the ontologies of policy and epistemologies/methodologies for understanding policy. – Do we need a new ontology of policy? – Does the conventional definition of policy help or

hinder our research?