The sociology of policy-making in the modern state
Intent and human action
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 2398946 |
|---|---|
| Authors | J Bessant (0000-0001-7385-5358, RMIT University, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2008 |
| Volume | 44 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Pages | 283-300 |
| Publication date | 2008-09-01 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal of Sociology (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1440-7833 • E-ISSN: 1741-2978 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publications Inc (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1177/1440783308092885 |
| OpenAlex | W1997500013 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 6 |
| References cited | 21 |
The article asks how we can best understand policy-making processes, and how a sociology of policy-making might proceed. Specific consideration is given to policy intent and how that can be known given the collective nature of policy-making and the assumption that intent is what individuals rather than groups possess. I inquire into various sociologies of social systems and social action as well as liberal humanist ideas about the individual and rational action, asking what they offer for understanding policy intent. The contributions of the post-foundationalists and network theories are also examined in this light. Attention is given to the work of Norbert Elias, and it is argued that his 'personal pronouns as figurational model' in conjunction with discourse analysis provides a basis for developing a sociology of policy-making that acknowledges human agency and the collective and social nature of policy-making
Action (physics · Agency (philosophy · Economics · Epistemology · Humanism · Political science · Positive economics · Social policy · Social science · Sociology · State (computer science · Law · Mental Health and Psychiatry · Neurology and Historical Studies · Sociology and Norbert Elias
A figurational analysis of the role of the church in handling issues of widowhood amid Covid-19 in northern KwaZuluNatal, South Africa
Strategic Thinking, Shared Meaning‐Making and the Interpretive Turn in Policy ‐ A Case Study
Legitimising Social Work Disability Policy Practice
Shaping attitudes to disability employment with a national disability insurance scheme
A Semiotic Examination of Conceptions of School Safety Data
What (Else) Matters? Policy Contexts, Emotional Geographies
The intentionality of human action
Emotion, Social Theory, and Social Structure
Brain development during childhood and adolescence
On Multiple Realities
II. On the Logic of Intentional Action
Liberalism and the Limits of Justice
Agent, Action, and Reason
Liberalism and the Limits of Justice
Psychology and Sociology
David Hume
Economic Rationalism in Canberra
Economy and Society
The Rules of Sociological Method
Model or Metaphor? A Critical Review of the Policy Network Approach
Talking policy
Agent, Action, and Reason
Actions, Reasons, and Causes
Toward a General Theory of Action
The Two Sociologies
| Citations per year | 0.35 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2009 - 2026 (18) |
| Highly cited | No |