Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
6.
Analysing dominant policy perspectives -
the role of discourse analysis
David G. Ockwell and Yvonne Rydin
Introduction
The last decade has seen a 'linguistic turn' within policy analysis
(Edelman, 1988; Rydin, 1998, 1999; Hastings, 1999) as it becomes increas-
ingly accepted that language use and appeals to dif erent discourses by
various actors in the policy-making sphere have a direct inl uence on
the nature of any policy. In this chapter we explore how to undertake a
discursive policy analysis. Rather than focus on the theoretical debates
on this approach, we address the practical problems and potential for
undertaking discourse analysis of environmental policy through a case
study of the policy governing anthropogenic i re in Cape York Peninsula,
Queensland, Australia. We begin by exploring the rationale for and ben-
ei ts of using discourse analysis. Then we emphasize the need to i nd an
appropriate 'middle range' theory for application in any specii c context.
To illustrate our point, two alternative frameworks for undertaking such
an analysis are outlined. We then apply these frameworks in detail to our
case study and use them to understand why a particular policy perspective
has dominated i re policy in Cape York. This demonstrates the nature of
the insights that the two approaches facilitate and provides the opportu-
nity for exploring the methodological dii culties and practicalities of such
an analysis.
The arguments for a discursive approach to policy analysis
The term 'discourse' is both complex and contested. It has multiple roots
in the social sciences and humanities (Hastings, 1999, 2000). Dryzek (1997,
p. 8) dei nes a discourse as 'a shared way of apprehending the world.
Embedded in language it enables subscribers to interpret bits of informa-
tion and put them together into coherent stories or accounts. Each dis-
course rests on assumptions, judgements and contentions that provide the
basic terms for analysis, debates, agreements and disagreements'.
The key point of attending to discourse within environmental policy
analysis is to respond to the assumption that policy language is a neutral
medium through which ideas and an objective world can be represented
and discussed (Darcy, 1999). This assumption overlooks the extent to
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