LIST OF PANELS

Discourses in environmental policy – lessons learnt and new perspectives Since its inception around 1970, environmental policies have challenged incumbent policies, interests and ideas. Hence the role of ideas has always played an important part in environmental policy analysis, and many key concepts about the role of ideas in public policy – and in particular in policy change – have been developed with a view to environmental policy. Since the early 1990s, various approaches to discourse analysis have made important contributions to the understanding of environmental policy while the analysis of policy discourse more generally has often been stimulated by environmental policy problems. Accelerating over the last few years, the analysis of environmental policy discourse has developed in three directions: refinement of methodologies, differentiation of concepts, and analysis of novel and emerging environmental discourses such as the Bio-Economy or the “Amazonian Soil”. Against this background, the aim of the panel is to reflect on the state of the art in the discursive analysis of environmental policy in terms of concepts, methods and content. We invite papers that (1) provide critical assessments of current attempts to advance our understanding of the role of discursive processes in environmental policy, and (2) contribute to a deeper understanding of developments in environmental policy through novel empirical insights into a broad range of old and new environmental discourses. We welcome empirically and theoretically focussed papers from different conceptual traditions, including critical discourse analysis, narrative policy analysis, post-structuralist discourse research, SKAD, argumentative discourse analysis, performativity and practice studies. We particularly welcome papers that review conceptual developments, assess or compare the contribution of single or different discursive approaches to the understanding of environmental policy, or apply discursive approaches to empirical environmental policy analysis. Finally we look for papers discussing the contribution of discursive approaches to critical environmental policy analysis and to better and more inclusive policy.  

1. Focus (also call for papers) Since its inception around 1970, environmental policies have challenged incumbent policies, interests and ideas. Hence the role of ideas has always played an important part in environmental policy analysis, and many key concepts about the role of ideas in public policy – and in particular in policy change – have been developed with a view to environmental policy. Since the early 1990s, various approaches to discourse analysis have made important contributions to the understanding of environmental policy while the analysis of policy discourse more generally has often been stimulated by environmental policy problems. Accelerating over the last few years, the analysis of environmental policy discourse has developed in three directions: refinement of methodologies, differentiation of concepts, and analysis of novel and emerging environmental discourses such as the Bio-Economy or the “Amazonian Soil”. Against this background, the aim of the panel is to reflect on the state of the art in the discursive analysis of environmental policy in terms of concepts, methods and content. We invite papers that (1) provide critical assessments of current attempts to advance our understanding of the role of discursive processes in environmental policy, and (2) contribute to a deeper understanding of developments in environmental policy through novel empirical insights into a broad range of old and new environmental discourses. We welcome empirically and theoretically focussed papers from different conceptual traditions, including critical discourse analysis, narrative policy analysis, post-structuralist discourse research, SKAD, argumentative discourse analysis, performativity and practice studies. We particularly welcome papers that review conceptual developments, assess or compare the contribution of single or different discursive approaches to the understanding of environmental policy, or apply discursive approaches to empirical environmental policy analysis. Finally we look for papers discussing the contribution of discursive approaches to critical environmental policy analysis and to better and more inclusive policy. 2. Scientific relevance In 2005, the Journal of Environmental Policy and Planning published the special issue “Does discourse matter? Discourse, power and institutions in the sustainability transition”. In the meantime, discourse analysis in the field of environmental policy and planning has evolved rapidly in methodology and theoretical concepts, but also content and empirical findings. However, an updated overview or assessment of these developments and their contribution to environmental policy analysis is currently missing. We are also lacking a systematic reflection on how the contributions to environmental discourse analysis have contributed to the development of the wider field of critical policy studies. While the technical characteristics which are essential to environmental problems appear set this policy field apart from issues frequently discussed in critical policy studies, such as identity-construction and categorisation, discursive analysis has demonstrated how environmental policy is linked to struggles over new categories and ontologies, identities and communities. Furthermore, the panel wants to stimulate reflection on the development of environmental discourses. How significant are new discourses such as bio-economy or de-growth? Are old discourses such as environmental limits experiencing a comeback? And how are environmental discourses travelling across space and time, e.g., the uptake of the ecological modernization in China.