LIST OF PANELS

This half day course presents the history and development of the argumentative turn in public policy, including the numerous related developments over the 25 years. As a challenge to the dominant (neo)positivist approach to policy studies, the topics range from Habermas’s critical theory of communication action, Foucault’s discursive politics, Toulmin’s argumentation theory and rhetorical analysis, discourse coalitions, deliberative democracy, participatory governance, participatory research and local knowledge, among others. The discussion then turns to an examination of the reflexive epistemological foundations upon which the approach rests, social constructivism and interpretive social science in particular. Moving from epistemology to methodology, the method of deliberative policy analysis is presented, along with various institutional innovations that have accompanied it. The uses of the perspective for policy studies generally are illustrated through a comparison with the advocacy coalition theory. Finally, the course concludes with one or two specific case studies related to participatory governance, discursive politics and deliberative policy analysis.

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