Recasting technocracy theory and analysis: Avenues for a critical-qualitative research framework

Abstract

Technocracy strongly marks contemporary transformations of political and institutional regimes. Such increasing relevance triggered an exponential growth of dedicated research. Yet, this research often features a quantitative approach based on a reified conception of technocracy, resulting in a rationalist and functionalist perspective neglecting the political dimension. Technocracy is thus implicitly conceived as a depoliticised phenomenon deterministically set to ever-expand in democratic regimes. In contrast, this article proposes a recast of technocracy theory and analysis. First, we rethink the phenomenon of technocracy by exploring the agency of technocratic politics. Second, in epistemological and methodological terms, we lay the foundations for a systematic and robust qualitative research framework capable of tackling this form of politics by other – technocratic – means. To this end, we propose Critical Discourse Analysis as a main candidate to fulfil our theoretical-epistemic purposes, offering a detailed roadmap of a critical-qualitative approach to technocrats’ agency and discourse.