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Does public consultation affect policy formulation? Negotiation strategies between the administration and citizens.
- Source :
- Journal of Education Policy; May2024, Vol. 39 Issue 3, p455-479, 25p
- Publication Year :
- 2024
-
Abstract
- While public consultation is a signature process of democratic policy formulation, many governments manoeuvre to refract citizen's opinions or conduct it perfunctorily. Using the case of a medium of instruction policy in Hong Kong, this article unveils the strategies that the state and citizens employ to put their opinion through to the final policy text, during a public consultation process. Recent literature has identified the mechanisms through which individual actors or organisations contribute to broad policy agenda-setting or policy programme development. However, yet to be investigated is how they – sometimes with conflicting interests – collectively negotiate a policy with the state via public consultations. This paper investigates this very phenomenon, building on previous work conducted in the public policy field, analysing 51 government-generated documents through both thematic content analysis and critical discourse analysis. The paper uncovers four strategies adopted by administrations (non-commitment, case closure, disengagement for irrelevance, and placation) to evade citizens' equity-oriented demands and stakeholders' three counter strategies (mobilising other stakeholders into a coalition, reopening the case pointing out a new problem, and appealing by affirming relevance). The state's discrete refusals and stakeholders' conjoint reengagement tactics draw our attention to the complexity and subtlety involved in negotiation via public consultations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Subjects :
- DEMOCRACY
CITIZENSHIP
CRITICAL discourse analysis
STAKEHOLDERS
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 02680939
- Volume :
- 39
- Issue :
- 3
- Database :
- Complementary Index
- Journal :
- Journal of Education Policy
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 176532958
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1080/02680939.2023.2269373