Policy Rhetoric Research Articles

“We are not your colony”: Policy discourses and resistance in Texas’s takeover of Houston Independent School District

This paper applies principles of critical policy analysis (CPA) to examine the Texas Education Agency’s (TEA) 2023 takeover of the Houston Independent School District (HISD). Engaging in qualitative analyses of four TEA-facilitated community information sessions held during the period immediately preceding the takeover, I examine the policy discourses officials invoked to frame the takeover and the counter-discourses community members used to disrupt the state’s official narrative. Through policy discourses that attempted to narrow the scope, categorize community members, and create a sense of inevitability, state officials positioned the HISD community as passive recipients of the top-down implementation of takeover. In response, community members exercised their agency by strategically disrupting TEA’s official takeover narrative and advancing counter-discourses that highlighted the state’s organized neglect and evasion of answerability. Attending to gaps between the rhetoric and reality of takeover policy, this study demonstrates how the racialized narratives underpinning takeover, and state accountability systems more broadly, reinforce a disciplinary dynamic that neutralizes the democratic engagement of marginalized communities.

Caring states? Bureaucratic care, moral ideals and emotional dilemmas in British asylum and policing

This article explores everyday discourses of care among public protection police officers and asylum-screening officers in Britain. Contemporary policy rhetoric of vulnerability and care commits these bureaucracies to relieve human suffering. Through ethnographic observations and interviews, this article reveals the conflicting and profoundly moral meanings that these officials attach to care, which they claim as a central inspiration and ideal of their labour. Officers invoke ideals of empathy, personalization and moral responsibility to navigate their roles – an attempt to redress what they characterize as a failing system and articulate their own aspirations about the state. Yet the gatekeeping and exclusion characteristic of bureaucracy undermines such ideals, bringing officials to confront the impossibility of their aspirations. Examining the moral tensions that ensue enables a reappraisal of dominant analyses of state power. Casting care as neither a unitary governmental logic nor a vehicle to legitimize punishment, this article redresses criminology's neglect of the ‘benevolent’ side of the state and illustrates the state's fragmented character.

Rhetoric of Dissent and Public Policies: a critical analysis of the controversy surrounding the “Future-se” Program (2019) on social media

This article aims to critically analyze the repercussions on social media surrounding the “Future-se” Program, created by the Ministry of Education (MEC) in 2019, based on Ruth Amossy’s (2017) contributions to the rhetoric of dissent. From the publication of the launch of the Program on MEC’s social media, ten comments were extracted for subsequent critical realist analysis of the discourse (Riley et al, 2007), according to the defining categories of the controversy as an argumentative modality: the dichotomization of arguments, the polarization of groups, and the disqualification of arguments and actors involved. All authors were anonymized, under current ethical precepts, according to their social roles in the controversy – proponent and opponent –, in an attempt to illustrate the positions implied therein. Thus, we hope to contribute to discussions that may have repercussions on different levels of public policies on Brazilian Education, in the present and the future.

Policy rhetoric, realities, and burdens: Using critical policy analysis to center at-promise student success in the McNair program

Educational policies designed to benefit students from first-generation, low-income, and racially minoritized backgrounds do not always consider the realities these students experience during college. Instead, students participating in compensatory education programs can endure further marginalization. Using critical policy analysis’ core tenets as guiding principles to frame our study and guide our analysis, we conducted a three-phase qualitative analytic study. We examined interviews with students and McNair program policy documents to interrogate policymakers’ hidden assumptions and the (de)centering of minoritized student perspectives in the McNair program policy. Students in the program discussed varied and conflicting definitions of success, such as learning they did not want to attend graduate school—a primary goal and measure of success for the federal government. They also highlighted advisors as a source of support. By centering the experiences of students, our findings highlight this critical gap and draw attention to the administrative burdens placed on at-promise students, emphasize the need for holistic socio-emotional support in federal policy, and underscore the powerful role of supportive faculty and staff.

Türkiye-China relations revisited: a neo-Gramscian perspective

ABSTRACT A considerable number of studies have attempted to analyse changes in Turkish foreign policy under the Justice and Development Party administration. These changes triggered the debate about whether Turkish foreign policy shifted its Western orientation. Departing from rising anti-West rhetoric in Turkish foreign policy, this study sets out to explain the recent rapprochement between Türkiye and the People’s Republic of China. From a critical perspective, it proposed a new way of viewing Türkiye’s relations with China as a counter-hegemonic rapprochement reshaped by internal/external dynamics in the post-western world order. Consequently, it shows which ideas, material capabilities, and institutions have played roles in the Erdogan administration’s challenge to Western hegemony by utilizing relations with China.

Unravelling the dichotomisation of care and reablement: an ethnographic exploration of contradictions between policy rhetoric and practice in Danish and Norwegian eldercare

Reablement has been positioned as a superior care ideal distinct from home care. Drawing on cross-national ethnographic data, this article instead demonstrates how the continuity and interdependency between reablement and conventional home care is more significant than suggested by policy rhetoric. Findings highlight the continuities and overlaps between activating and compensatory care, for example, how compensatory care might take the form of psychosocial reablement, activating and enabling even the frailest clients to age in place. The article concludes by pointing to the dangers of a narrow conception of reablement and argues for the benefits of more focused attention on clients’ psychosocial well-being.

Development of the Academic Policy of Universities in Kazakhstan through the Strategy of Authentic Assessment of Students' Educational Achievements

This chapter explores the strategy of authentic assessment of students' educational achievements and its role in the implementation of the academic policy of universities. The research upon which it is based includes a text analysis of the rhetoric of the academic policy of 4 universities in Kazakhstan and several regulatory documents on assessment. We studied the strategy of authentic assessment at the University of Westminster in the UK. The results of the study point to the need to expand and modernize the conceptual apparatus, improve, and revise the principles and strategies of assessment at the universities of Kazakhstan. It also determines the constraints on the transition to authentic assessment.

From a ‘Peaceful and Prosperous China’ to ‘the China Virus’: Examining the Framing of China Through American Political Rhetoric

Abstract The period comprising the past thirty-two years since the collapse of the Soviet Union has seen a range of approaches taken by the United States in handling its relationship with China. Launched in November 2011, the ‘Pivot to Asia’ policy approach entailed new levels of engagement with ‘a peaceful and prosperous China’, but on the most challenging issues this approach also brought increasing confrontation. The West (in this case the United States) has a history of utilising Orientalist-style, ‘us vs them’ dichotomies to manipulate unequal relations of power with the East (known as the ‘Orient’) throughout history (originally with middle-eastern nations). By using tenets from Edward Said’s Orientalism and critical discourse analysis adapted from Normal Fairclough’s 3-dimensional model, this article seeks to establish whether the foreign policy rhetoric of the United States has shifted to frame China through an Orientalist worldview since the Obama Administration’s “Pivot to Asia” strategy in late 2011. The article analyses 52 speeches from the Obama and Trump Administrations, finding evidence of pro-orientalist themes and language being adopted for both. Whilst utilised to a lower degree, these ‘us vs them’ dichotomies do exist under President Obama’s more accommodating and calmer linguistic-style, being intertwined with language designed to project an image of welcoming cooperation (albeit in a condescending, back-handed way). The use of orientalist themes is more prominently provable under President Trump, with almost all major speeches pertaining to China containing high usage of orientalist tropes in a more openly xenophobic, racist fashion.

The EU New Pact on Migration and Asylum: policies and discourses for a ‘fresh start’

ABSTRACT This provocation paper critically examines the discrepancy between policy rhetoric and implementation in the New Pact on Migration and Asylum, which was approved by the European Commission in April 2024. Despite its portrayal as a ‘fresh start’, the pact displays continuity with past security-focused measures. On the humanitarian side, the New Pact appears to be less effective: while it includes provisions for legal pathways and solidarity mechanisms, it inadequately addresses the rights of migrants awaiting asylum decisions. These shortcomings serve to illustrate the persisting internal conflicts within the EU regarding migration policies and values.

The Post–World War II Rise of AmorePacific: Women’s Labor, South Korea’s Cosmetic-Product Industry, and the Park Chung Hee Regime of 1961–1979

Abstract AmorePacific, the creator of renowned product lines such as the Color Control Cushion Compact, Laneige, and Sulwhasoo, stands prominently among the top ten global cosmetic companies, epitomizing the pinnacle of “K-beauty.” This article delves into how K-beauty, beyond its contemporary global allure, is deeply rooted in the historical and politico-economic landscape of the Park Chung Hee regime (1961–79). Through an examination of AmorePacific’s extensive archives, the article traces the company’s development, highlighting its pivotal role in shaping South Korea’s cosmetics industry since 1945. The evolving history of AmorePacific provides a lens to explore the often-overlooked roles of women in an industry previously characterized by underground trafficking, post exchange (PX) stores, and counterfeit production. As AmorePacific navigated new economic policy and rigorous rhetoric under the Park regime, Korean women began to assume new economic and sociopolitical roles, including in factory work, as door-to-door salespeople, and as models and moral consumers in state-led campaigns. Thus the work of women was vitally involved with AmorePacific, the nation’s growing cosmetic-product industry as a whole, and the Park regime’s stringent regulation of South Korea’s extensive black market, which was critical to its economic formalization.

Five decades of neoliberal developmentalism in “Least Developed Countries”: A decolonial critique

Abstract“Least Developed Countries” (LDCs) were identified by the United Nations (UN) in 1971 to consolidate international support measures to address development challenges related to poverty, health and education. Using neoliberal developmentalism and decolonisation as a theoretical framework, this paper analyses key policy documents produced by the UN from 1971 to 2021 to investigate the support measures taken by the UN and other international organizations for addressing development challenges faced by LDCs. A major finding of the paper is that while some attempts were made for integrating LDCs into global trade and economy, international organisations could not translate their policy rhetoric into reality; therefore, LDCs have fallen behind in several developmental sectors such as economy, education and health. As the COVID‐19 pandemic ravaged the world, the historical problems and challenges faced by LDCs worsened. In the context of post‐2030 discussions on setting the next round of Sustainable Development Goals, the findings are significant for devising more effective social policies for LDCs.

Climate Change, Sustainability, and Education: Conceptions of Teachers of Geography in England

Drawing upon a survey of teachers in England conducted by the UCL Centre for Climate Change and Sustainability Education (CCCSE), this paper reports on teachers of geography’s conceptions of climate change, sustainability, climate change education, and sustainability education. We address how teachers of geography across the primary and secondary phase appear to distinguish the concept (climate change or sustainability) from the concept within education (climate change education or sustainability education) given that research to date has not engaged with both these framings together in empirical research with teachers. Across both climate change education and sustainability education, there was recognition for (i) the importance of these concepts for young people, (ii) the ways in which education can support young people to make informed choices or take action, and (iii) the importance of addressing these concepts across subject curricula. Teachers’ descriptions indicate (i) disconnections between policy rhetoric and teaching, (ii) a lack of attention to social and environmental justice, and (iii) an over-focus on individual action.

From criminality to inclusion? Law and media framing of migrants in 1987–1990 and 2016–2019 Japan

ABSTRACT Immigration law and policies shape public understanding of immigrants by categorizing the population into dichotomies of ‘illegal’ or ‘legal,’ and ‘skilled’ or ‘unskilled.’ Within such processes, scholars emphasize the importance of media which diffuses policy rhetoric, and thus set the tone of public discussion. Yet, research on how immigration laws may shape media framing is scant, leaving questions of how and to what extent legal rhetoric do or do not translate into media. By creating a unique data set of 1929 Japanese newspaper articles during periods of immigration policy activity, in which government officials expanded the definition of ‘skilled’ workers, I investigate how legal discourse influences the media portrayal of foreigners. Taking a mixed methods approach, the quantitative results show that regardless of the ideological leaning of media outlets there is a significant increase in positive media framing concerning foreigners. Nonetheless, the qualitative results show that the distinction between ‘us’ and ‘them’ remains strongly intact through subtle forms of othering that justify the use of social control via policing and surveillance.

Smart Barcelona: the gap between inspiring rhetoric and lackluster implementation in transformative approaches

ABSTRACT Barcelona is championed as the exemplary radical smart city, and yet scholarly understandings are typically limited to its theoretical approach and policy rhetoric. This paper, however, interrogates the extent to which Smart Barcelona has been implemented. It deploys a novel method of thematically analyzing 51 public talks by Barcelona’s first Chief Technology Officer, cross-examined with policy documents – to unpack the smart agenda. This agenda is then contrasted with insights into the ‘actual smart city’ implementation via interviews with 10 key informants. Findings reveal a lackluster progress including limited citizen input, ongoing reliance on ‘Big Tech’, and missing integration capacity.

Personal belief versus universal truth: Religion rhetoric in death penalty policy debates in the United States

ABSTRACT What role do religious themes play when state legislators in the United States debate the death penalty? We analyze floor speeches delivered during debate on death penalty repeal bills in three states to systematically consider who speaks of religion and what they say. We find religion is discussed in about one in seven death penalty speeches, with advocates and opponents of capital punishment referencing religion roughly proportionally. Catholic legislators do speak of religion somewhat more frequently in their death penalty remarks than members with no public religious affiliation. Most notable though is the orientation of the religion remarks. Those who invoke religion in opposition to the death penalty are much more likely to cite religion as a personal source of guidance. Those who invoke religion in support of the death penalty are much more likely to cite religion as a universal, immutable truth applicable to all. We argue that this difference in religious rhetoric has important implications for democratic representation.

Participative rights in Welsh primary schools: Unpicking the policy rhetoric

This paper presents the findings from the initial stage of an Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) funded project which examines the pedagogic practices that embed young children’s participative rights in lower primary classrooms in Wales. An evaluation of relevant legislation and policy in Wales from 2000 to 2022 was undertaken to explicate the positioning of teachers and their responsibilities regarding children’s participative rights. Data analysis detailed here sets out the legislative and statutory context within which teachers work, as well as the curricular and pedagogic framework which steers classroom activity. The Welsh Government has, for two decades, been explicitly sympathetic to embedding children’s rights in policy development, yet there is limited research evidencing the changes in educational curricula and practice. The gap between policy intention and implementation is not unique to Wales and therefore of universal interest. We report that although there is evidence of the increased inclusion of children’s participative rights in more recent legislation and policy, the move to education about, through and for human rights is only significantly pronounced in recent reforms such as the Curriculum and Assessment (Wales) Act 2021. We advocate that the commitment to human rights education made in the Curriculum for Wales is perpetuated and ongoing critical appraisal of legislation and policy is needed, alongside further research to understand how that commitment is being interpreted in Welsh education settings.

Early childhood teachers engaging with leadership narratives in policy

Educational leadership resists a unifying definition, assumption, or theory. This complexity encourages us to learn about leadership to understand its core components, underlying assumptions, and relevance for context. In Aotearoa New Zealand, policy rhetoric promotes leadership as being enacted by teachers and positional leaders. This consideration for teachers is positive but problematic, as it requires them to consider leadership in ways beyond what they feel equipped or supported to achieve. Augmenting this concern is the limited professional learning support for leadership development, especially in early childhood, and the increasing responsibility for teachers to achieve policy aspirations. To understand the rhetoric used to emphasise this responsibility, we utilise qualitative document analysis to examine the leadership narratives promoted in the Teaching Council’s Leadership Strategy and Capability Framework, from the perspectives of provisionally certificated teachers, teacher leaders, and positional leaders. Our argument suggests the leadership narratives promulgated by these texts are ambitious and raise issues of: coherence, contextualisation, and complexity. We discuss these issues in relation to support for teachers to critically engage with policy texts as important leadership learning.

Commonwealth, empire, and critique in South Asia

This contribution explores the changing valences of the terms “Commonwealth” and “empire” through the lens of South Asian studies. I first investigate how the idea of the Commonwealth as a political genre for association and comparison was described by Sri Lankan, Pakistani, and Indian leaders. Taking foreign policy rhetoric as literary texts, I show how such political speech reveals competing and ambivalent meanings for the term in the region. I then draw on my experience as a co-editor of the journal South Asia: Journal of South Asian Studies to assess how the keywords “Commonwealth” and “empire” have been used in the pages of this journal. Through a mixture of large data patterns and close textual readings, I track when, where, how, and why these terms have mattered. I suggest that the turn captured by the renamed Literature, Critique, and Empire Today resonates with the organic ways that South Asian studies conceptualizes broader paradigms of transnational power and inequality that have shaped, and continue to inform, the region.

Using IUCN Best Practice Principles to Evaluate National Park Management: A Zambia Case Study

Over the last three decades, a series of best practice principles have been advanced by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) to guide national park management policy and practice. This study investigates how these best practice principles have informed the management of Zambia’s national parks. We performed qualitative and quantitative thematic content analysis on 23 park management documents and found that, for the most part, the reported performance of Zambia’s national parks is not well aligned with IUCN best practice principles. We argue that improved alignment with IUCN principles can provide a realistic and positive foundation to increase opportunities for national parks to meet their local and international conservation goals. Improved data collection, along with meaningful public access to information will enhance decision making and public participation in national park management. Strengthened public participation will ensure consideration of multiple perspectives and adoption of processes that enable national park authorities to address conservation challenges that span socio-ecological boundaries. Improved capacity building will provide the necessary technical skills and knowledge to ensure effective coordination and implementation. The results show that park management plans are duly submitted with little expectation of implementing them. More often than not, performance reality does not match policy rhetoric. The study highlights the urgent need for national park management to articulate clear goals and action steps with mechanisms to implement them.

Sustainable decision making based on systems integration and decision support system promoting endorheic basin sustainability

Sustainability has become a target in official policy rhetoric. However, the gap between scientific investigation and practical decision-making poses a significant challenge in achieving sustainability, particularly in endorheic regions. Addressing this challenge requires the translation of scientific outcomes into available decision-making information. In this study, we propose a sustainable decision-making methodology, namely, decision rehearsal, that has four stages: the scientification of decision-making problems, the politicization of scientific knowledge, the translation of scientific findings into decision-making information, and the translation of decision-making information into policy action. Based on this theoretical framework, an ensemble artifact, referred to as the River Basin Sustainable Development Decision Support System (RSDSS), was designed, built and evaluated from a design science research perspective to address a class of sustainability problems in endorheic basins. This system integrates a watershed-integrated model, disaggregated sustainable development goals (SDGs), localized shared socioeconomic pathways (SSPs), and a sustainability assessment model, which can assist decision- and policy-makers in more deeply understand the impacts of different policy assumptions on the interactions between human and natural systems and watershed sustainability. Some related RSDSS cases are discussed to demonstrate the ability of the RSDSS to resolve complex watershed problems, which implies that the RSDSS can promote sustainable river basin management.