Policy as Discourse: What does it mean? Where does it get us?

http://bit.ly/CDIS-April by Carol Bacchi Abstract The concept ‘discourse’ has become ubiquitous in contemporary social and political theory. However, it is not always clear what different authors mean when they use the term. Moreover, it seems that at times the term ‘discourse’ carries very different meanings. This paper examines the uses of ‘discourse’ among a group of scholars who have taken to describing policy as discourse, either directly (see, for example, Ball, 1990, 1993; Watts, 1993/1994; Phillips, 1996; Torgerson, 1996; Goodwin, 1996; Bacchi, 1999) or by implication (Beilharz, 1987; Jenson, 1988; Yeatman, 1990; Shapiro, 1992). Michael McCann (1994, p.6) refers to a related body of literature which describes law as discourse. I intend to investigate what these theorists hope to accomplish through the invocation of ‘discourse’ and how their particular purposes affect the meaning of the term. I also intend to draw attention to a few lacunae in the uses of ‘discourse’ by this group, which, to my view, need addressing if the term is to serve the purposes they desire.