Matthew Flinders
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- September 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780199271603
- eISBN:
- 9780191709241
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199271603.001.0001
- Subject:
- Political Science, UK Politics, Political Economy
The delegation of functions and responsibilities to quasi-autonomous bodies operating with a significant degree of autonomy arguably empowers governments to address a wide range of social issues ...
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The delegation of functions and responsibilities to quasi-autonomous bodies operating with a significant degree of autonomy arguably empowers governments to address a wide range of social issues simultaneously without having to be involved with the minutiae of day-to-day socio-political interactions. Delegation therefore provides a structural and esoteric capacity beyond the cognitive and physical limits of politicians. There is nothing wrong with delegation as such. The problem relates to the failure to manage delegation in Britain. And yet we actually know very little about how the state beyond the core actually operates, how many bodies exist, what they do, how they are recruited, or why they were created. These gaps in our knowledge are all the more problematic in light of recent pronouncements by politicians at the national and European levels that ‘depoliticization’ is a central strand of their approach to governing. This book seeks to fill these gaps in our knowledge while at the same time cultivating a more balanced or sophisticated approach to the study of delegation. Delegated public bodies as they have been used as a tool of governance in the past should not be confused with how they might be used in the future. This book draws upon research conducted within the very core of the British political system during a Whitehall Fellowship within the Cabinet Office. It argues that the British state is ‘walking without order’ due to a general acceptance of the logic of delegation without any detailed or principled consideration of the administrative of democratic consequences of this process.Less
The delegation of functions and responsibilities to quasi-autonomous bodies operating with a significant degree of autonomy arguably empowers governments to address a wide range of social issues simultaneously without having to be involved with the minutiae of day-to-day socio-political interactions. Delegation therefore provides a structural and esoteric capacity beyond the cognitive and physical limits of politicians. There is nothing wrong with delegation as such. The problem relates to the failure to manage delegation in Britain. And yet we actually know very little about how the state beyond the core actually operates, how many bodies exist, what they do, how they are recruited, or why they were created. These gaps in our knowledge are all the more problematic in light of recent pronouncements by politicians at the national and European levels that ‘depoliticization’ is a central strand of their approach to governing. This book seeks to fill these gaps in our knowledge while at the same time cultivating a more balanced or sophisticated approach to the study of delegation. Delegated public bodies as they have been used as a tool of governance in the past should not be confused with how they might be used in the future. This book draws upon research conducted within the very core of the British political system during a Whitehall Fellowship within the Cabinet Office. It argues that the British state is ‘walking without order’ due to a general acceptance of the logic of delegation without any detailed or principled consideration of the administrative of democratic consequences of this process.
Gerald A. McDermott
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- January 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780199233755
- eISBN:
- 9780191715549
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199233755.003.0005
- Subject:
- Business and Management, International Business
Through a comparative, longitudinal analysis of the wine industry in two Argentine provinces, this chapter examines how different political approaches to reform shapes the ability of societies to ...
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Through a comparative, longitudinal analysis of the wine industry in two Argentine provinces, this chapter examines how different political approaches to reform shapes the ability of societies to build new institutions for economic upgrading. Upgrading in wine and grapes often demands the creation of skills and the coordination of experiments in processes, products, and functions across a wide variety of organizational forms and sub-regions. Inherited structural factors per se can not easily explain the different solutions to this challenge. In particular, although voluntary associationalism improves the needed social learning and collaboration, it is also self-limiting. A better explanation focuses on how governments confront the dual challenge of redefining the boundary between the public and private domains, and of recombining the socio-economic ties among relevant firms and their respective business associations. A ‘depoliticization’ approach emphasizes the imposition of arm's-length incentives by a powerful, insulated government, but appears to contribute little to institutional change and upgrading. A ‘participatory restructuring’ approach promotes the creation of public-private institutions via adherence to two key principles: inclusion of a wide variety of relevant stakeholder groups, and rules of deliberative governance that promote collective problem-solving. The latter approach appears to have the advantage of facilitating collaboration and knowledge creation among previously antagonistic groups, including government.Less
Through a comparative, longitudinal analysis of the wine industry in two Argentine provinces, this chapter examines how different political approaches to reform shapes the ability of societies to build new institutions for economic upgrading. Upgrading in wine and grapes often demands the creation of skills and the coordination of experiments in processes, products, and functions across a wide variety of organizational forms and sub-regions. Inherited structural factors per se can not easily explain the different solutions to this challenge. In particular, although voluntary associationalism improves the needed social learning and collaboration, it is also self-limiting. A better explanation focuses on how governments confront the dual challenge of redefining the boundary between the public and private domains, and of recombining the socio-economic ties among relevant firms and their respective business associations. A ‘depoliticization’ approach emphasizes the imposition of arm's-length incentives by a powerful, insulated government, but appears to contribute little to institutional change and upgrading. A ‘participatory restructuring’ approach promotes the creation of public-private institutions via adherence to two key principles: inclusion of a wide variety of relevant stakeholder groups, and rules of deliberative governance that promote collective problem-solving. The latter approach appears to have the advantage of facilitating collaboration and knowledge creation among previously antagonistic groups, including government.
Matthew Flinders
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- September 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780199271603
- eISBN:
- 9780191709241
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199271603.003.0008
- Subject:
- Political Science, UK Politics, Political Economy
This chapter examines the concept of depoliticization in detail. It seeks to show how it has played an increasingly important role since the election of New Labour in 1997, and how it raises ...
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This chapter examines the concept of depoliticization in detail. It seeks to show how it has played an increasingly important role since the election of New Labour in 1997, and how it raises fundamental questions about the nature of ‘the political’, the limits of democracy, and the existence of more positive choices in the face of growing public disenchantment with politics.Less
This chapter examines the concept of depoliticization in detail. It seeks to show how it has played an increasingly important role since the election of New Labour in 1997, and how it raises fundamental questions about the nature of ‘the political’, the limits of democracy, and the existence of more positive choices in the face of growing public disenchantment with politics.
Carlos M. Vilas
- Published in print:
- 1997
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780198781837
- eISBN:
- 9780191598968
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0198781830.003.0001
- Subject:
- Political Science, Democratization
The articles in the book are set in the context of the ongoing debate over the conflict‐ridden and partial democracy that has emerged in the region, a democracy that tolerates military vetoes over ...
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The articles in the book are set in the context of the ongoing debate over the conflict‐ridden and partial democracy that has emerged in the region, a democracy that tolerates military vetoes over policy, authoritarian educational systems, public insecurity, significant violence, and massive and increasing inequality. The chapters show the shift away from action by popular actors in the political realm in favour of the social one, from broad‐based movements to fragmentation, and a wide variety of experiments and adaptations in parties, unions, and other popular groups in the continuing struggle for popular representation.Less
The articles in the book are set in the context of the ongoing debate over the conflict‐ridden and partial democracy that has emerged in the region, a democracy that tolerates military vetoes over policy, authoritarian educational systems, public insecurity, significant violence, and massive and increasing inequality. The chapters show the shift away from action by popular actors in the political realm in favour of the social one, from broad‐based movements to fragmentation, and a wide variety of experiments and adaptations in parties, unions, and other popular groups in the continuing struggle for popular representation.
Richard Bellamy
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- May 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780199559169
- eISBN:
- 9780191720956
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199559169.003.0005
- Subject:
- Law, Philosophy of Law, Constitutional and Administrative Law
The ‘neo-Roman’ school of republican thought views non-domination as the central political value of republicanism. This chapter does not defend this value but rather explores some of its implications ...
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The ‘neo-Roman’ school of republican thought views non-domination as the central political value of republicanism. This chapter does not defend this value but rather explores some of its implications for how political decisions are made. It shows that in different ways, republican theorists all contrast a refined political process orientated towards public reasoning with a pluralist reading of the competitive party electoral system found in most advanced democracies. They argue that the latter can subvert the former in certain circumstances, so that electoral democratic processes must be constrained and depoliticized to some extent if public reason is to prevail. They suggest that such depoliticization produces a shift away from an aggregative view of democracy as reflecting the will of the people, to a more deliberative view of democracy that seeks to formulate policies that reflect shareable public reasons concerning the common good. The chapter challenges this argument — it rests on an overly pessimistic view of actually existing democracy, on the one hand, and an excessively idealized view of public reason and the deliberative processes likely to achieve it, on the other. The chapter calls for a different account of public reasoning and its relation to both non-domination and the common good to the one these republican theorists work with. Such a revised and more realistic view of public reason reveals pluralist, competitive party democracy to be far more congenial to republican goals. This connection is undermined by many of the constraints certain republicans have advocated placing on the democratic process.Less
The ‘neo-Roman’ school of republican thought views non-domination as the central political value of republicanism. This chapter does not defend this value but rather explores some of its implications for how political decisions are made. It shows that in different ways, republican theorists all contrast a refined political process orientated towards public reasoning with a pluralist reading of the competitive party electoral system found in most advanced democracies. They argue that the latter can subvert the former in certain circumstances, so that electoral democratic processes must be constrained and depoliticized to some extent if public reason is to prevail. They suggest that such depoliticization produces a shift away from an aggregative view of democracy as reflecting the will of the people, to a more deliberative view of democracy that seeks to formulate policies that reflect shareable public reasons concerning the common good. The chapter challenges this argument — it rests on an overly pessimistic view of actually existing democracy, on the one hand, and an excessively idealized view of public reason and the deliberative processes likely to achieve it, on the other. The chapter calls for a different account of public reasoning and its relation to both non-domination and the common good to the one these republican theorists work with. Such a revised and more realistic view of public reason reveals pluralist, competitive party democracy to be far more congenial to republican goals. This connection is undermined by many of the constraints certain republicans have advocated placing on the democratic process.
J. E. M. Thirkell, K. Petkov, and S. A. Vickerstaff
- Published in print:
- 1998
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198289791
- eISBN:
- 9780191684760
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198289791.003.0002
- Subject:
- Business and Management, HRM / IR, International Business
The function of this chapter is to situate developments in labour relations in their broader national, political, and economic contexts. The scope for reform of the labour relations model is highly ...
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The function of this chapter is to situate developments in labour relations in their broader national, political, and economic contexts. The scope for reform of the labour relations model is highly contingent upon the prevailing political and economic environment, although the influence is not all in one direction. A basic assumption behind neo-liberal models of ‘transition’ is that the change in regime to a liberal market model will result in the depoliticization of labour relations and the withdrawal of the state from enterprise administration and management. This chapter explores the validity of such assumptions. The first section aims to explain the nature of the Soviet model of labour relations and its dependence on the economic and political structures of the Soviet model of socialism. The second section aims to show how the development of political pluralism and the market economy has been influenced by the imposition of the neo-liberal model of economic transformation. The third section concludes by comparing the patterns of development in the different countries.Less
The function of this chapter is to situate developments in labour relations in their broader national, political, and economic contexts. The scope for reform of the labour relations model is highly contingent upon the prevailing political and economic environment, although the influence is not all in one direction. A basic assumption behind neo-liberal models of ‘transition’ is that the change in regime to a liberal market model will result in the depoliticization of labour relations and the withdrawal of the state from enterprise administration and management. This chapter explores the validity of such assumptions. The first section aims to explain the nature of the Soviet model of labour relations and its dependence on the economic and political structures of the Soviet model of socialism. The second section aims to show how the development of political pluralism and the market economy has been influenced by the imposition of the neo-liberal model of economic transformation. The third section concludes by comparing the patterns of development in the different countries.
Hugh Nicholson
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- September 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780199772865
- eISBN:
- 9780199897315
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199772865.003.0003
- Subject:
- Religion, World Religions
This chapter presents the project of liberating a concept of religion from social antagonism as the defining problematic of modern theology since the Enlightenment. It identifies two basic strategies ...
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This chapter presents the project of liberating a concept of religion from social antagonism as the defining problematic of modern theology since the Enlightenment. It identifies two basic strategies by which Christian theology in the modern period has sought to dissociate religion from the political. The first of these, liberal universalism, has for the most part dominated the avant-garde of modern Christian thought, from the natural theology of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, up through the universalist fulfillment theologies of the nineteenth century, to the experiential pluralism of the twentieth. The second strategy, theological communitarianism, comes to the fore in the postliberal theology of George Lindbeck and his followers. The chapter shows that the various efforts to “depoliticize” theology and religion generally have not succeeded in this aim.Less
This chapter presents the project of liberating a concept of religion from social antagonism as the defining problematic of modern theology since the Enlightenment. It identifies two basic strategies by which Christian theology in the modern period has sought to dissociate religion from the political. The first of these, liberal universalism, has for the most part dominated the avant-garde of modern Christian thought, from the natural theology of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, up through the universalist fulfillment theologies of the nineteenth century, to the experiential pluralism of the twentieth. The second strategy, theological communitarianism, comes to the fore in the postliberal theology of George Lindbeck and his followers. The chapter shows that the various efforts to “depoliticize” theology and religion generally have not succeeded in this aim.
Matt Wood (ed.)
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- May 2016
- ISBN:
- 9781447326601
- eISBN:
- 9781447326625
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Policy Press
- DOI:
- 10.1332/policypress/9781447326601.001.0001
- Subject:
- Political Science, Public Policy
The concept of depoliticisation has become one of the key analytical tools in studies of governance and public policy. Governments increasingly shift responsibility for policy making to unelected ...
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The concept of depoliticisation has become one of the key analytical tools in studies of governance and public policy. Governments increasingly shift responsibility for policy making to unelected experts, as well as denying there are any alternatives to policies like privatisation, making them appear non-political. Depoliticisation has hence been seen as a central process through which politics has become hidden in a range of policy areas – like monetary or drug policy - in contemporary liberal democratic states. However, existing conceptual frameworks and empirical case studies of depoliticisation are relatively narrow and underdeveloped. Tracing The Political therefore brings together a diverse and eclectic range of established and emerging scholars in political science to develop the concepts of politicisation and depoliticisation. Drawing on international and cross-disciplinary perspectives, contributors provide fresh, innovative and widely applicable conceptual frameworks, as well as original empirical case studies in diverse policy areas such as energy security and water management.Less
The concept of depoliticisation has become one of the key analytical tools in studies of governance and public policy. Governments increasingly shift responsibility for policy making to unelected experts, as well as denying there are any alternatives to policies like privatisation, making them appear non-political. Depoliticisation has hence been seen as a central process through which politics has become hidden in a range of policy areas – like monetary or drug policy - in contemporary liberal democratic states. However, existing conceptual frameworks and empirical case studies of depoliticisation are relatively narrow and underdeveloped. Tracing The Political therefore brings together a diverse and eclectic range of established and emerging scholars in political science to develop the concepts of politicisation and depoliticisation. Drawing on international and cross-disciplinary perspectives, contributors provide fresh, innovative and widely applicable conceptual frameworks, as well as original empirical case studies in diverse policy areas such as energy security and water management.
Helen M. Gunter
- Published in print:
- 2018
- Published Online:
- May 2019
- ISBN:
- 9781447339588
- eISBN:
- 9781447339625
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Policy Press
- DOI:
- 10.1332/policypress/9781447339588.003.0005
- Subject:
- Education, Educational Policy and Politics
This chapter discusses the deployment of the Education Policy Knowledgeable Polity, which shows how the state has adopted a form of depoliticisation by contract as a form of ...
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This chapter discusses the deployment of the Education Policy Knowledgeable Polity, which shows how the state has adopted a form of depoliticisation by contract as a form of risk-management-promising, where the trend is towards proactive private as distinct from public contractualism based on the binary risk of failure–success designed to secure and extend segregation. Underpinned by globally networked corporate ideas regarding education as a site for investment, the identification of success and the eradication of failure has become policy in school reform. Importantly, the pursuit of child and school failure as public policy is integral to this process, where schools and children do and, indeed, have to fail in order for segregation to be effective.Less
This chapter discusses the deployment of the Education Policy Knowledgeable Polity, which shows how the state has adopted a form of depoliticisation by contract as a form of risk-management-promising, where the trend is towards proactive private as distinct from public contractualism based on the binary risk of failure–success designed to secure and extend segregation. Underpinned by globally networked corporate ideas regarding education as a site for investment, the identification of success and the eradication of failure has become policy in school reform. Importantly, the pursuit of child and school failure as public policy is integral to this process, where schools and children do and, indeed, have to fail in order for segregation to be effective.
Helen M. Gunter
- Published in print:
- 2018
- Published Online:
- May 2019
- ISBN:
- 9781447339588
- eISBN:
- 9781447339625
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Policy Press
- DOI:
- 10.1332/policypress/9781447339588.003.0006
- Subject:
- Education, Educational Policy and Politics
In the high stakes context of biopolitical distinctiveness, what matters appears to be selecting data and using it to make performance claims by smoothing a narrative. This chapter examines how this ...
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In the high stakes context of biopolitical distinctiveness, what matters appears to be selecting data and using it to make performance claims by smoothing a narrative. This chapter examines how this is integral to segregating the system using Hannah Arendt's (2003) thinking about responsibility and judgement, where she identifies what happens when people are rendered thoughtless, particularly in how a situation is framed and understood through fabricated myth-making. The deployment of the Education Policy Knowledgeable Polity to the creation of ‘data-rich’ schools in England enables an examination of a form of depoliticisation by calculation where the interplay between standards, numbers, and school leadership is deployed to change identities and practices. The state has been able to make contractual alliances with elite individuals, companies, and networked knowledge producers who have used particular ideologies in order to present a seductive, trainable, and measurable model for the modern professional.Less
In the high stakes context of biopolitical distinctiveness, what matters appears to be selecting data and using it to make performance claims by smoothing a narrative. This chapter examines how this is integral to segregating the system using Hannah Arendt's (2003) thinking about responsibility and judgement, where she identifies what happens when people are rendered thoughtless, particularly in how a situation is framed and understood through fabricated myth-making. The deployment of the Education Policy Knowledgeable Polity to the creation of ‘data-rich’ schools in England enables an examination of a form of depoliticisation by calculation where the interplay between standards, numbers, and school leadership is deployed to change identities and practices. The state has been able to make contractual alliances with elite individuals, companies, and networked knowledge producers who have used particular ideologies in order to present a seductive, trainable, and measurable model for the modern professional.
Matthew Flinders and Matt Wood
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- May 2016
- ISBN:
- 9781447326601
- eISBN:
- 9781447326625
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Policy Press
- DOI:
- 10.1332/policypress/9781447326601.003.0001
- Subject:
- Political Science, Public Policy
Depoliticisation refers to the narrowing of the boundaries of democratic politics. It is therefore intertwined with concerns about ‘the end of politics’ and the emergence of technocratic ...
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Depoliticisation refers to the narrowing of the boundaries of democratic politics. It is therefore intertwined with concerns about ‘the end of politics’ and the emergence of technocratic post-democratic forms of governance. This chapter provides a broad theoretical and conceptual canvas upon which the various contributions to this special edition can be located and their interrelationships exposed. It achieves this by exploring the relevance of Carl Schmitt's concept of 'the political', and particularly his analysis of 'the age of neutralisations and depoliticisations', to contemporary debates concerning depoliticisation, (re)politicisation and even hyper-depoliticisation.Less
Depoliticisation refers to the narrowing of the boundaries of democratic politics. It is therefore intertwined with concerns about ‘the end of politics’ and the emergence of technocratic post-democratic forms of governance. This chapter provides a broad theoretical and conceptual canvas upon which the various contributions to this special edition can be located and their interrelationships exposed. It achieves this by exploring the relevance of Carl Schmitt's concept of 'the political', and particularly his analysis of 'the age of neutralisations and depoliticisations', to contemporary debates concerning depoliticisation, (re)politicisation and even hyper-depoliticisation.
Matt Wood and Matthew Flinders
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- May 2016
- ISBN:
- 9781447326601
- eISBN:
- 9781447326625
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Policy Press
- DOI:
- 10.1332/policypress/9781447326601.003.0002
- Subject:
- Political Science, Public Policy
Stagnating political participation, the growth of delegated agencies and the prevalence of rationalistic-technocratic discourse all represent interlinking aspects of what can been termed 'the ...
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Stagnating political participation, the growth of delegated agencies and the prevalence of rationalistic-technocratic discourse all represent interlinking aspects of what can been termed 'the depoliticised polity'. Existing research has overwhelmingly focused on institutional or governmental depoliticisation strategies and fails to acknowledge repoliticisation as a critical counter-trend. This chapter argues that these weaknesses can be addressed through 'a three faces' approach that embraces societal and discursive depoliticisation strategies as complementary statecraft dynamics that often underpin more tangible governmental strategies. By revealing the existence of multiple forms of depoliticisation this approach also offers new insights in terms of politicisation and socio-political change.Less
Stagnating political participation, the growth of delegated agencies and the prevalence of rationalistic-technocratic discourse all represent interlinking aspects of what can been termed 'the depoliticised polity'. Existing research has overwhelmingly focused on institutional or governmental depoliticisation strategies and fails to acknowledge repoliticisation as a critical counter-trend. This chapter argues that these weaknesses can be addressed through 'a three faces' approach that embraces societal and discursive depoliticisation strategies as complementary statecraft dynamics that often underpin more tangible governmental strategies. By revealing the existence of multiple forms of depoliticisation this approach also offers new insights in terms of politicisation and socio-political change.
Paul Fawcett and David Marsh
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- May 2016
- ISBN:
- 9781447326601
- eISBN:
- 9781447326625
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Policy Press
- DOI:
- 10.1332/policypress/9781447326601.003.0003
- Subject:
- Political Science, Public Policy
This paper critically examines the linkages between the literatures on depoliticisation, governance and political participation. To do so, it is divided into three substantive sections. The first ...
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This paper critically examines the linkages between the literatures on depoliticisation, governance and political participation. To do so, it is divided into three substantive sections. The first section critiques Flinders and Wood's article which introduces this edited volume. Subsequently, the second section examines the links between forms of depoliticisation and modes of governance, arguing that a metagovernance approach allows the best understanding of the 'evidence' for depoliticisation. The final section then considers the changing nature of political participation, arguing that society is witnessing both depoliticisation and repoliticisation, and that it is crucial to recognise and respond to each of these processes.Less
This paper critically examines the linkages between the literatures on depoliticisation, governance and political participation. To do so, it is divided into three substantive sections. The first section critiques Flinders and Wood's article which introduces this edited volume. Subsequently, the second section examines the links between forms of depoliticisation and modes of governance, arguing that a metagovernance approach allows the best understanding of the 'evidence' for depoliticisation. The final section then considers the changing nature of political participation, arguing that society is witnessing both depoliticisation and repoliticisation, and that it is crucial to recognise and respond to each of these processes.
Peter Burnham
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- May 2016
- ISBN:
- 9781447326601
- eISBN:
- 9781447326625
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Policy Press
- DOI:
- 10.1332/policypress/9781447326601.003.0004
- Subject:
- Political Science, Public Policy
This article places the study of depoliticisation within a framework that highlights the crisis-ridden character of capitalist development. It suggests that by linking depoliticisation to the ...
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This article places the study of depoliticisation within a framework that highlights the crisis-ridden character of capitalist development. It suggests that by linking depoliticisation to the activities of state managers engaged in crisis management, the concept scores highly in terms of clarity and precision over more expansive uses that lack a cutting edge and result in the assertion that 'depoliticisation is everywhere'. In a context characterised by the continued crisis of global capital it is argued that the politicisation of social relations threatens the basis not only of individual governments but of the liberal capitalist form of the state itself.Less
This article places the study of depoliticisation within a framework that highlights the crisis-ridden character of capitalist development. It suggests that by linking depoliticisation to the activities of state managers engaged in crisis management, the concept scores highly in terms of clarity and precision over more expansive uses that lack a cutting edge and result in the assertion that 'depoliticisation is everywhere'. In a context characterised by the continued crisis of global capital it is argued that the politicisation of social relations threatens the basis not only of individual governments but of the liberal capitalist form of the state itself.
Bob Jessop
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- May 2016
- ISBN:
- 9781447326601
- eISBN:
- 9781447326625
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Policy Press
- DOI:
- 10.1332/policypress/9781447326601.003.0005
- Subject:
- Political Science, Public Policy
Politicisation, depoliticisation, and repoliticisation are basic and interrelated concepts in political analysis. They may also describe specific political strategies in relatively stable, turbulent ...
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Politicisation, depoliticisation, and repoliticisation are basic and interrelated concepts in political analysis. They may also describe specific political strategies in relatively stable, turbulent or crisis-prone periods or concrete conjunctures. This article aims to clarify the chameleon-like concept of depoliticisation by distinguishing its different levels and forms. It also applies these distinctions to two cases of 'depoliticisation' in the fiscal politics of the North Atlantic Financial Crisis (NAFC). The magnitude, duration, and depth of this crisis have prompted an intriguing mix of de- and repoliticisation strategies. These are evident in the manufactured hysteria about the 'fiscal cliff' in the USA and the attempts to impose technocratic government and a new economic constitution in the Eurozone. The conclusion offers some general reflections.Less
Politicisation, depoliticisation, and repoliticisation are basic and interrelated concepts in political analysis. They may also describe specific political strategies in relatively stable, turbulent or crisis-prone periods or concrete conjunctures. This article aims to clarify the chameleon-like concept of depoliticisation by distinguishing its different levels and forms. It also applies these distinctions to two cases of 'depoliticisation' in the fiscal politics of the North Atlantic Financial Crisis (NAFC). The magnitude, duration, and depth of this crisis have prompted an intriguing mix of de- and repoliticisation strategies. These are evident in the manufactured hysteria about the 'fiscal cliff' in the USA and the attempts to impose technocratic government and a new economic constitution in the Eurozone. The conclusion offers some general reflections.
Emma Ann Foster, Peter Kerr, and Christopher Byrne
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- May 2016
- ISBN:
- 9781447326601
- eISBN:
- 9781447326625
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Policy Press
- DOI:
- 10.1332/policypress/9781447326601.003.0006
- Subject:
- Political Science, Public Policy
Premised on the assumption that depoliticisation is a crucial aspect of neo-liberal governmentality, this paper attempts to synergise these two, previously disparate, concepts. Borrowing from ...
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Premised on the assumption that depoliticisation is a crucial aspect of neo-liberal governmentality, this paper attempts to synergise these two, previously disparate, concepts. Borrowing from Foucault's theorisation of governmentality and drawing from inclusive definitions of politics/the political, this paper argues for a reformulation of our understanding of depoliticisation and politicisation. The paper contends that depoliticisation is best understood as a technique of governing which works to legitimise neo-liberalism as the dominant political rationality. As such, the chapter argues that depoliticisation acts as a tool for masking the 'rolling forward' of the state and the proliferation of new forms of neo-liberal governmentality.Less
Premised on the assumption that depoliticisation is a crucial aspect of neo-liberal governmentality, this paper attempts to synergise these two, previously disparate, concepts. Borrowing from Foucault's theorisation of governmentality and drawing from inclusive definitions of politics/the political, this paper argues for a reformulation of our understanding of depoliticisation and politicisation. The paper contends that depoliticisation is best understood as a technique of governing which works to legitimise neo-liberalism as the dominant political rationality. As such, the chapter argues that depoliticisation acts as a tool for masking the 'rolling forward' of the state and the proliferation of new forms of neo-liberal governmentality.
Stephen Bates, Laura Jenkins, and Fran Amery
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- May 2016
- ISBN:
- 9781447326601
- eISBN:
- 9781447326625
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Policy Press
- DOI:
- 10.1332/policypress/9781447326601.003.0007
- Subject:
- Political Science, Public Policy
Studies making use of (de)politicisation have flourished as governments have embraced technocratic and delegated forms of governance. Yet this increase in use is not always matched by conceptual or ...
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Studies making use of (de)politicisation have flourished as governments have embraced technocratic and delegated forms of governance. Yet this increase in use is not always matched by conceptual or analytical refinement. Nor has scholarship generally travelled into empirical terrain beyond economic and monetary policy, nor assessed whether politicising and depoliticising processes could occur simultaneously. It is within this intellectual context that the chapter makes a novel contribution by focusing on the (de)politicising discourses, processes and outcomes within policy surrounding assisted reproductive technologies. The chapter reveals a pattern of partial repoliticisation that raises questions about the relationship between governance, technology, society and state.Less
Studies making use of (de)politicisation have flourished as governments have embraced technocratic and delegated forms of governance. Yet this increase in use is not always matched by conceptual or analytical refinement. Nor has scholarship generally travelled into empirical terrain beyond economic and monetary policy, nor assessed whether politicising and depoliticising processes could occur simultaneously. It is within this intellectual context that the chapter makes a novel contribution by focusing on the (de)politicising discourses, processes and outcomes within policy surrounding assisted reproductive technologies. The chapter reveals a pattern of partial repoliticisation that raises questions about the relationship between governance, technology, society and state.
Caroline Kuzemko
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- May 2016
- ISBN:
- 9781447326601
- eISBN:
- 9781447326625
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Policy Press
- DOI:
- 10.1332/policypress/9781447326601.003.0008
- Subject:
- Political Science, Public Policy
This article explores one set of conditions under which a policy area, energy, became politicised. It also explores the relationship between concepts of 'speaking security', which claim that the ...
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This article explores one set of conditions under which a policy area, energy, became politicised. It also explores the relationship between concepts of 'speaking security', which claim that the language of security is politically potent, and notions of (de-) politicisation. It argues that the framing of energy supply as a security issue influenced an opening up of UK energy, which had been subject to processes of depoliticisation since the late 1980s, to greater political interest and deliberation. Speaking security about energy had a high degree of cognitive authority and was instrumental in revealing a lack of policy-making capacity in energy.Less
This article explores one set of conditions under which a policy area, energy, became politicised. It also explores the relationship between concepts of 'speaking security', which claim that the language of security is politically potent, and notions of (de-) politicisation. It argues that the framing of energy supply as a security issue influenced an opening up of UK energy, which had been subject to processes of depoliticisation since the late 1980s, to greater political interest and deliberation. Speaking security about energy had a high degree of cognitive authority and was instrumental in revealing a lack of policy-making capacity in energy.
Ross Beveridge and Matthias Naumann
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- May 2016
- ISBN:
- 9781447326601
- eISBN:
- 9781447326625
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Policy Press
- DOI:
- 10.1332/policypress/9781447326601.003.0009
- Subject:
- Political Science, Public Policy
This article makes an important contribution to the depoliticisation literature by switching the focus on to how strategies and forms of depoliticised governance are repoliticised. At present, there ...
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This article makes an important contribution to the depoliticisation literature by switching the focus on to how strategies and forms of depoliticised governance are repoliticised. At present, there is an absence of empirical research on how issues move from depoliticised to politicised arenas and the role of non-state actors in these processes. This article addresses these gaps through an exploration of the partial remunicipalisation of the Berlin Water Company in 2012. The case study reveals the potential for dynamic interplay between processes of depoliticisation and politicisation and the continuing possibility for political agency despite the constraints in urban politics.Less
This article makes an important contribution to the depoliticisation literature by switching the focus on to how strategies and forms of depoliticised governance are repoliticised. At present, there is an absence of empirical research on how issues move from depoliticised to politicised arenas and the role of non-state actors in these processes. This article addresses these gaps through an exploration of the partial remunicipalisation of the Berlin Water Company in 2012. The case study reveals the potential for dynamic interplay between processes of depoliticisation and politicisation and the continuing possibility for political agency despite the constraints in urban politics.
Colin Hay
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- May 2016
- ISBN:
- 9781447326601
- eISBN:
- 9781447326625
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Policy Press
- DOI:
- 10.1332/policypress/9781447326601.003.0010
- Subject:
- Political Science, Public Policy
To what extent does society need a 'second-wave' of writing on depoliticisation to correct the biases of the first and thereby to improve our capacity to gain analytical traction on the dynamic ...
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To what extent does society need a 'second-wave' of writing on depoliticisation to correct the biases of the first and thereby to improve our capacity to gain analytical traction on the dynamic interplay between politicising and depoliticising tendencies in contemporary liberal democracies? This chapter welcomes the debate this special issue has opened, but defend the first wave against its critics. More specifically, it argues that the first wave literature provides ample analytical and theoretical resources to capture the dynamic interplay between depoliticising tendencies and politicising or repoliticising counter-tendencies which its critics rightly place at centre stage. Indeed, it goes further, suggesting that the more empirical contributions of the special issue, while bringing a series of new and important insights to the analysis of politicisation–depoliticisation dynamics, in fact do so by drawing extensively on first wave depoliticisation theory. Such work is very necessary and advances significantly our understanding of depoliticising, but it extends rather than challenges first wave perspectives and is ultimately better characterised as 'second generation' rather than 'second wave'.Less
To what extent does society need a 'second-wave' of writing on depoliticisation to correct the biases of the first and thereby to improve our capacity to gain analytical traction on the dynamic interplay between politicising and depoliticising tendencies in contemporary liberal democracies? This chapter welcomes the debate this special issue has opened, but defend the first wave against its critics. More specifically, it argues that the first wave literature provides ample analytical and theoretical resources to capture the dynamic interplay between depoliticising tendencies and politicising or repoliticising counter-tendencies which its critics rightly place at centre stage. Indeed, it goes further, suggesting that the more empirical contributions of the special issue, while bringing a series of new and important insights to the analysis of politicisation–depoliticisation dynamics, in fact do so by drawing extensively on first wave depoliticisation theory. Such work is very necessary and advances significantly our understanding of depoliticising, but it extends rather than challenges first wave perspectives and is ultimately better characterised as 'second generation' rather than 'second wave'.
