Beyond Sartori. A Philosophical Engagement with Critical Policy Discourse Analysis

The growing popularity of Critical Policy Discourse Analysis has paved the way for lively discussions concerning methodological variety (Montesano Montessori et al. 2019; Montesano Montessori 2023). However, the vacuum of philosophical reflection on ontological and epistemological issues runs the risk of ushering into an “overemphasis” and even “fetishisation” of methodology (Bevir and Kedar 2008): if we are not aware of our standpoint on the essence of our object of study (ontology), we can hardly be aware of how we can get to know it (epistemology) and with which instruments (methodology). The proposed contribution takes up the challenge of overtly opening Critical Policy Discourse Analysis to philosophical engagement, emphasising the need to explicitly reintegrate – and thus raise researchers’ awareness for – the actual chaining of ontology, epistemology and – only in a final step – methodology into political and policy analysis more specifically. To this end, the article proceeds in three steps. First, beginning with a critique of Giovanni Sartori’s opposition to quantitative reductionism, the paper underscores the importance of conceptual clarity to avoid distortion and oversimplification. However, it also moves beyond Sartori by addressing the limitations of his approach, rooted in an implicit naturalism that neglects key features of social life: its meaningfulness, contingency, and the situatedness of the researcher. Second, drawing on critical realism, the article seeks to transcend the dichotomy between naturalism and anti-naturalism. Critical realism provides a framework for understanding social reality as stratified, differentiated, and dynamic, offering a dialectical approach that highlights the intrinsic links between ontology, epistemology, and methodology. This perspective allows for a deeper engagement with contradictions and conflicts, equipping policy analysis with the analytical tools needed to grasp change processes. Third, the discussion further explores the applicability of critical realism to political science through a critique of political economy. By employing a strategic-relational approach to structure and agency, the paper demonstrates how critical realism enables a spatially and temporally sensitive, relational analysis. Taken together, the three steps interrogate the epistemological and methodological foundations of Critical Policy Discourse Analysis, fostering an inter- and transdisciplinary dialogue on its potential to unlock a more nuanced understanding of social and political phenomena. Bevir, M., Kedar, A. (2008) Concept Formation in Political Science: An Anti-Naturalist Critique of Qualitative Methodology. Perspectives on Politics, 6(3), pp. 503–517. Montesano Montessori, N. (2023) Critical Policy Discourse Analysis. In: M. Handford & J.P. Gee (eds). Handbook of Discourse Studies. pp. 610-624. Routledge. Montesano Montessori, N., Farrelly, M., Mulderrig, J. (Eds) (2019) Critical Policy Discourse Analysis. Edward Elgar.