Why public policy ideas catch on: empty signifiers and flourishing neighbourhoods

193 33 507 10 724 document 507 Jeffares08PhD_A1a.pdf application/pdf 09b003dc3c7ba58002a995f04a9d3d6b MD5 1432139 2011-07-19 16:13:55 http://etheses.bham.ac.uk//id/eprint/193/1/Jeffares08PhD_A1a.pdf 193 1 1 application/pdf application/pdf en public

Jeffares08PhD_A1a.pdf

http://eprints.org/relation/hasVolatileVersion http://etheses.bham.ac.uk/id/document/23738 http://eprints.org/relation/hasVersion http://etheses.bham.ac.uk/id/document/23738 http://eprints.org/relation/hassmallThumbnailVersion http://etheses.bham.ac.uk/id/document/23738 http://eprints.org/relation/hasVolatileVersion http://etheses.bham.ac.uk/id/document/23739 http://eprints.org/relation/hasVersion http://etheses.bham.ac.uk/id/document/23739 http://eprints.org/relation/haspreviewThumbnailVersion http://etheses.bham.ac.uk/id/document/23739 http://eprints.org/relation/hasVolatileVersion http://etheses.bham.ac.uk/id/document/25269 http://eprints.org/relation/hasVersion http://etheses.bham.ac.uk/id/document/25269 http://eprints.org/relation/hasIndexCodesVersion http://etheses.bham.ac.uk/id/document/25269 23739 2 49915 document 23739 preview.jpg image/jpeg 8063bfa35e58909926822ec54308ee92 MD5 11628 2013-01-29 14:45:42 http://etheses.bham.ac.uk//id/eprint/193/6/preview.jpg 193 6 6 image/jpeg image/jpeg Thumbnail Documents conversion from application/pdf to thumbnail_preview en public

preview.jpg

indexcodes.txt

small.png

indexcodes.txt

http://eprints.org/relation/isVersionOf http://etheses.bham.ac.uk/id/document/507 http://eprints.org/relation/isVolatileVersionOf http://etheses.bham.ac.uk/id/document/507 http://eprints.org/relation/isIndexCodesVersionOf http://etheses.bham.ac.uk/id/document/507 archive 4031 disk0/00/00/01/93 2009-01-06 15:21:32 2019-01-23 09:51:41 2011-07-19 16:13:55 thesis show 0 Jeffares Stephen Ruari s.r.jeffares@bham.ac.uk Smith Mike Griggs Steven 1962- University of Birmingham Why public policy ideas catch on: empty signifiers and flourishing neighbourhoods unpub JN101 JA JS 30sch_ppol Asking the question ‘why do ideas catch on in public policy’ reveals the inadequacy of ideational accounts to compete with the predominance of mainstream models of policy analysis. This thesis reasserts ideational accounts through the application of the political discourse theory of Laclau and Mouffe. The approach posits ideas as demands operating in governing discourses and understands how general equivalent demands then become empty signifiers. This thesis develops current understanding on how general equivalents and empty signifiers function through an application to urban governance. It develops a qualitative account of governing in Birmingham using interviews between 2003-2005, and documents and media archives from the past twenty years. The thesis examines how mainstream ideational, rational, institutional and interpretative accounts understand the emergence of policy ideas and their role in coalitions, policy change and agency of actors. Discourse theory is revealed as a comprehensive approach for understanding these questions of ideas. The thesis develops a framework for the empirical application of discourse theory in Birmingham, exploring the relationship between two taken-for-granted governing discourses: renaissance and size. It shows how actors were motivated to reiterate and protect discourses from dislocation with development of the empty signifier of ‘flourishing neighbourhoods’. The thesis traces the credibility and emergence of flourishing neighbourhoods and contributes to a research agenda around hegemonic policy analysis. 2008-07 graduation 2726338 eng author unchecked This unpublished thesis/dissertation is copyright of the author and/or third parties. The intellectual property rights of the author or third parties in respect of this work are as defined by The Copyright Designs and Patents Act 1988 or as modified by any successor legislation. Any use made of information contained in this thesis/dissertation must be in accordance with that legislation and must be properly acknowledged. Further distribution or reproduction in any format is prohibited without the permission of the copyright holder. public 274 University of Birmingham Public Policy d_ph FALSE european_commission 2008-07 graduation