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Discourse analysis and its utility for urban policy research

journal contribution
posted on 2023-05-16, 17:48 authored by Keith JacobsKeith Jacobs
In recent years, discourse analysis has been deployed by academics as a methodology to understand the urban policy implementation process, in particular, the ways in which key actors exercise power. Much of the discourse-based research in urban policy has drawn upon the writings of Norman Fairclough and Michel Foucault and seeks to provide a critical scrutiny of texts and utterances of policy makers and other key actors. The methodological assumption that informs discourse-based approaches is that politics is an arena in which different interest groups seek to establish a particular narrative or version of events as a means to pursue political objectives. This article begins by setting out the theoretical influences that have informed discourse analysis. There then follows a discussion of some of the studies that have deployed discourse-based research within urban policy, an evaluation of its strengths and weaknesses as a method and an assessment for new areas of enquiry. The article’s conclusion is that discourse analysis provides the researcher with a set of tools to interpret urban policy in a theoretically informed and insightful way. However, there are some pitfalls associated with its techniques that require consideration before any analysis should commence.

History

Publication title

Urban Policy and Research

Volume

24

Pagination

39-52

ISSN

0811-1146

Department/School

School of Social Sciences

Publisher

Routledge Journals

Place of publication

Oxfordshire, UK

Rights statement

Copyright 2006 Editorial Board, Urban policy research

Repository Status

  • Restricted

Socio-economic Objectives

Pacific Peoples community services not elsewhere classified

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