Argumentative Strategies in the Policy Change Process

Abstract

Argumentation has always been fundamental to the policy process, policy change in particular. Over recent decades, however, the topic has moved to a central position on the agenda of policy scholarship. This can be attributed in significant part of Majone's book on evidence and argumentation, followed by Sabatier’s work on advocacy coalitions. Sabatier set out a rigorous empirical programme that very substantial influence on policy studies. The discussion was also put into a sharper focus with Hajer’s concept of discourse coalitions, which cast the issue in a postpositivist light. In addition, the work by Fischer and Gottweis assess these themes in “The Argumentative Turn Revisited: Public Policy as a Communicative Practice.” This panel seeks to look at a range of theories and research programmes related to argumentation and policy change, with an eye toward both assessing the current state of the research, both empirical, theoretical and methodological, and offering new ways forward.

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