Policy Metaphors Research Articles

'Good Governance': The Rise and Decline of a Policy Metaphor?

This study aims to explore the conditions under which the criterion of 'good governance' first became adopted as a donor policy metaphor and now seems likely to get eclipsed. Why did it emerge at the time it did, and what, since then, has been its track record? Particular attention will be given in this regard to successive shifts in the relevant policy thinking within the World Bank. Moreover, the study discusses whether good governance is likely to keep drawing the same level of attention as it has done hitherto.

The Meaning and Measure of Policy Metaphors

The apparent ability of the American public to form coherent assessments of policy options—while being largely ignorant of political institutions, actors, and ideology—remains a persistent puzzle for political science. We develop a theory of political decision making that helps resolve this puzzle. We postulate that both the public and political elites comprehend complex policies in part through “reasoning by policy metaphor,” which involves comparisons between proposed alternative policies and more readily understood social institutions. Using data from 169 intensive interviews, we test claims about metaphorical reasoning for a particularly complex policy domain: health care reform. We demonstrate that our hypothesized policy metaphors are coherent to both elites and the general public, including the least sophisticated members of the public. We further show that elites and the public share a common understanding of the relevant policy metaphors, that metaphorical reasoning differs from other forms of analogic reasoning, and that metaphorical cognition is distinct from ideological orientation.

Migrating metaphors: the globalization of flexibility in policy

Trends towards greater flexibility are to be found in the reform of post-school education and training around the globe. They are part of a wider profile of changes to workplaces and labour relations within which greater flexibility is pursued. This paper charts our journey, through which we have sought to locate flexibility as a globalizing and globalized policy metaphor. Drawing on recent policy texts, we illustrate the multiple meanings of flexibility. The latter is explored within the growing debates about the globalization of education policies and the metaphors which have been deployed to frame these practices. Finally, we outline the role that metaphors have in policy texts and the readings to which they are subject. We argue for metaphorical readings of the texts of flexibility and globalization as a way of countering attempts to inscribe certain meanings and in order to sustain policy openings.

Resources on the Presidency: An ERIC/ChESS Sample

The Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC) system encompasses the world's largest and most frequendy used educational database. This database con tains over 900,000 records with approxi mately 13,000 new documents added each year. These include journal articles, re search papers, books, conference proceed ings, government documents, and many others. One of the greatest strengths of the database is the interdisciplinary nature of its inclusion. The selected documents below represent a fraction of those related to the presidency in the ERIC system. They in clude coverage from fields as diverse as science, rhetoric, and journalism, as well as the more traditional social studies. The EJ designation at the beginning of the record identifies the source as an educa tional journal. These are easily located in most academic libraries or are available through interlibrary loan. Those items pre ceded by an ED designation are also avail able in many libraries; copies may be ordered from the ERIC Document Reproduction Service (EDRS). For additional informa tion, contact EDRS, 7420 Fullerton Road, Suite 110, Springfield, Virg. 22153-2852; call (800) 443-3742; or e-mail edrs@ineted.gov. The ERIC Clearinghouse on Social Stud ies/Social Science Education (ChESS) wel comes requests for searches regarding any aspect of social studies from lesson plans/ instructional materials to research articles and/or general information. Please contact: Matthew Paris, Information Specialist, ERIC Clearinghouse for Social Studies/ Social Science Education, (800) 266-3815; email: mjparis@indiana.edu EJ 514 627. Competing Foreign Policy Visions: Rhetorical Hybrids after the Cold War, by Mary E. Stuckey. Western Journal of Communication 59 (Sum mer 1995): 214-27. Examines ways in which two very differ ent political actors, George Bush and Bill Clinton, attempted to construct a new for eign policy consensus by blending the rhe torical forms of the Cold War with other foreign policy metaphors. Argues that these hybrids have not proven persuasive as justi fications for American actions in foreign policy.

Competing foreign policy visions: Rhetorical hybrids after the Cold War

The Cold War provided an orientational metaphor that allowed American interests to be easily communicated to and understood by the mass public. In the absence of an orientational metaphor ordering political reality, foreign policy events are now interpreted individually rather than as part of a pattern. This essay examines the ways in which two very different political actors, George Bush and Bill Clinton, attempted to construct a new foreign policy consensus by blending the rhetorical forms of the Cold War with other foreign policy metaphors. These hybrids have not proven persuasive as justifications for American actions in foreign policy.

Decision Rules for the Policy Metaphor

This essay presents a set of decision rules developed mainly from the policy making metaphor, pertaining to jurisdiction, policy selection and argument evaluation. Rules for various metaphors shoul...

New Reflections on Ethics and Foreign Policy: the Problem of Human Rights

Previous articleNext article No AccessArticlesNew Reflections on Ethics and Foreign Policy: the Problem of Human RightsKenneth ThompsonKenneth Thompson Search for more articles by this author PDFPDF PLUS Add to favoritesDownload CitationTrack CitationsPermissionsReprints Share onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail SectionsMoreDetailsFiguresReferencesCited by The Journal of Politics Volume 40, Number 4Nov., 1978 Sponsored by the Southern Political Science Association Article DOIhttps://doi.org/10.2307/2129905 Views: 15Total views on this site Citations: 4Citations are reported from Crossref Copyright 1978 Southern Political Science AssociationPDF download Crossref reports the following articles citing this article:Jan Hancock Woodrow Wilson revisited: Human rights discourse in the foreign policy of the George W. Bush Administration, European Journal of International Relations 16, no.11 (Jan 2010): 57–76.https://doi.org/10.1177/1354066109344007Thomas E. Pasquarello Human Rights and US Bilateral Aid Allocations to Africa, (Jan 1988): 236–254.https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-10122-1_15William L. Benoit, Steve R. Wilson, Vincent F. Follert Decision Rules for the Policy Metaphor, Argumentation and Advocacy 22, no.33 (Jan 2018): 135–146.https://doi.org/10.1080/00028533.1986.11951312Kevin N. Wright, David L. Cingranelli Inhumane, cruel, and degrading treatment of criminal prisoners throughout the world, Justice Quarterly 2, no.33 (Aug 2006): 345–362.https://doi.org/10.1080/07418828500088601