Emotions and policy conflicts

Abstract

For the section “policy conflicts as default” at the ECPR general conference 2022 this panel addresses the roles that emotions play in policy conflicts. Anyone who observes policy conflicts will see that strong emotions may come into play. However, we only have limited knowledge on how emotions and policy conflicts are intertwined. Hence this panel explores a series of questions to further stimulate scholarly debates on emotions and policy conflicts. How do emotions contribute to resistance to change on the part of public officials as well as citizens who feel the impact of policy proposals or implementation? How does a focus on conflict challenge conventions that privilege cold reason and treat emotion as a distraction? What are the implications for studying emotions if we start to see policy conflict as default in policy design and -implementation processes? What avenues can we develop for 'emotional governance' in relation to policy conflict?

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