Interpretive Policy Analysis

Edited by Frank Fischer, Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Politics and Global Affairs, Rutgers University, USA and currently a Research Associate at Humboldt University, Germany, Sybille Münch, Professor of Political Science and Director, Center for Diversity, Democracy and Inclusion in Education, Hildesheim University, Germany and Douglas Torgerson, Professor Emeritus of Politics and Cultural Studies, Trent University, Canada

‘The truth is not always out there. This volume offers academics and policy makers essential tools for understanding policy processes beyond the pursuit of objective certainty. Policies carry different meanings for different actors, and recognizing these differences has important implications not only for policy effectiveness but also for social justice. The book addresses both the philosophical foundations and the practical methods analysts can use to investigate policy processes independently or engage stakeholders through action research.’

• Contents1 Introducing Interpretive Policy Analysis 1Frank Fischer, Sybille Münch and Douglas TorgersonPART I ORIGIN AND FOUNDATIONS2 Interpretive Policy Analysis: Origins and Current Challenges 25Dvora Yanow3 Social Constructivism and Interpretive Policy Analysis:Meaning in Social and Political Action 53Frank FischerPART II ANALYTIC APPROACHES4 Frames and Framing Analysis: Toward a Critical Approach 76Jennifer Dodge5 Narrative Inquiry in Interpretive Policy Research 96Hugh T. Miller6 Emotionability and Policy Interpretation: Tracing PolicyChanges in Welfare Institutions 114Pia H. Bülow and Monika Allgurin7 Problematization: The Role of Argumentation and Rhetoric inInterpretive Policy Analysis 133Sybille MünchPART III DELIBERATION AND DISCOURSE8 Participatory Policy Deliberation in Khon Kaen: InterpretingCultural Policy Through Symbols 155Piyapong Boossabong, Pobsook Chamchong and Frank Fischer9 Discursive Policy Inquiry: A Critical Interpretive Approach 170David Howarth and Steven Griggs10 Performance, Performativity and Policy Discourse 187Amanda MachinPART IV METHODS AND PRACTICES11 Policy Ethnography as Interpretive Practice: Concepts and Cases 201Jerry Mitchell12 Participatory Action Research: Collaborative Practices inInterpretive Inquiry 221Frank Fischer and Rosana de Freitas Boullosa13 Interpretive Policy Analysis: Methods and Practices 239Severine van BommelPART V METHODOLOGICAL NOTE14 Positivism and the Politics of Validity 259Douglas Torgerson