Narrative Policy Analysis: Theory and PracticeNarrative Policy Analysis presents a powerful and original application of contemporary literary theory and policy analysis to many of today’s most urgent public policy issues. Emery Roe demonstrates across a wide array of case studies that structuralist and poststructuralist theories of narrative are exceptionally useful in evaluating difficult policy problems, understanding their implications, and in making effective policy recommendations. Assuming no prior knowledge of literary theory, Roe introduces the theoretical concepts and terminology from literary analysis through an examination of the budget crises of national governments. With a focus on several particularly intractable issues in the areas of the environment, science, and technology, he then develops the methodology of narrative policy analysis by showing how conflicting policy "stories" often tell a more policy-relevant meta-narrative. He shows the advantage of this approach to reading and analyzing stories by examining the ways in which the views of participants unfold and are told in representative case studies involving the California Medfly crisis, toxic irrigation in the San Joaquin Valley, global warming, animal rights, the controversy over the burial remains of Native Americans, and Third World development strategies. Presenting a bold innovation in the interdisciplinary methodology of the policy sciences, Narrative Policy Analysis brings the social sciences and humanities together to better address real-world problems of public policy—particularly those issues characterized by extreme uncertainty, complexity, and polarization—which, if not more effectively managed now, will plague us well into the next century. |
Contents
Deconstructing Budgets Reconstructing Budgeting Contemporary Literary Theory and Public Policy in Action | 21 |
What Are Policy Narratives? Four Examples and Their Policymaking Implications | 34 |
Stories Nonstories and Their Metanarrative in the 19801982 California Medfly Controversy | 52 |
Constructing the Metanarrative in the Animal Rights and Experimentation Controversy | 76 |
A Salt on the Land Finding the Stories Nonstories and Metanarrative in the Controversy over IrrigationRelated Salinity and Toxicity in Californias Sa... | 86 |
Global Warming as Analytic Tip Other Models of Narrative Analysis I | 108 |
Intertextual Evaluation Conflicting Evaluative Criteria and the Controversy over Native American Burial Remains Other Models of Narrative Analysi... | 126 |
In Shackles TideRace The Ethics of Narrative Policy Analysis | 147 |
Methods for Narrative Policy Analysis | 155 |
Short Chronology of Medfly Controversy | 163 |
Prevalence of Stories in the Medfly Controversy | 165 |
Notes | 167 |
197 | |
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Aaron Wildavsky aerial spraying Aerial Story agencies agricultural drainage analytic tip animal alternatives animal research animal rights approach argue argument atmospheric warming Botswana budgetary California Medfly causal chapter circular networks commons conflicting consensus conventional policy analysis crisis scenario critics District Focus drainage problem Economic Emery Roe environmental evaluative criteria example global warming controversy global warming scenario greenhouse ground program groups Ibid idiolect implementation implications intertextual interviews irrigation bureaucracy Kenya land registration literary theory major malathion master drain Medfly Controversy ment metanarrative Michael Riffaterre multiple narra narrative analysis narrative policy analysis national budget Native American nonstory polarization policy issues policy narratives policymaking proposed public policy question repetitive budgeting Resources Riffaterre risk role rural development San Joaquin Valley scientists skeletal remains social sociolect solutions specific tion tive tolerance toxic tragedy uncertain uncertainty and complexity University of California University Press USDA water point Wildavsky
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Page 19 - The fact that the values of one culture may be incompatible with those of another, or that they are in conflict within one culture or group or in a single human being at different times — or, for that matter, at one and the same time — does not entail relativism of values, only the notion of a plurality of values not structured hierarchically...