Up and down the pecking order,1 what matters and when in issue definition
The case of rbST in the EU
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 6289422 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Claire A Dunlop (0000-0003-2122-1075, University of Exeter, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2007 |
| Volume | 14 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 39-58 |
| Publication date | 2007-01-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal of European Public Policy (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1350-1763 • E-ISSN: 1466-4429 |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/13501760601071612 |
| OpenAlex | W2004810745 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 7 |
| References cited | 13 |
This article examines the nature and degree of control which powerful actors have over the process of issue definition. In particular, it explores the ways in which knowledge and time can mediate, condition and direct decision-makers’ attention from one definition to another. The characterization of the ‘pecking order’ is introduced to capture the process of redefinition around the biotech product bovine somatotrophin (rbST) in the European Union (EU). The movement of different interpretive dimensions of rbST up and down the pecking order is analysed through a synthesis of Haas’ work on epistemic communities and Pierson’s on issue feedback and conjunctures. This yields six propositions explaining the manner in which interpretations were prioritized and reshuffled across the issue’s life span. It is concluded that knowledge and time mediate choice by presenting decision-makers with opportunities to further their strategic aims and also, on occasion, by exerting independent force – particularly where knowledge is under development or an issue is caught up in a complex web of linkages
Control (management · Economics · Epistemology · European union · International trade · Management · Order (exchange · Pecking order · Political science · Process (computing · Product (mathematics · Sociology · Work (physics · Computer Science · Engineering · Mathematics · Philosophy · Policy Transfer and Learning · Political Influence and Corporate Strategies · Sustainability and Climate Change Governance
Setting the Agenda
Coping with intractable controversies
Reframing Public Policy
Frame Reflection
Not Just What, but When
Frontiers of social policy in Europe and America
Science and trans-science
The Politics of Attention
Managing Asymmetrical Crisis
Introduction
Conclusion
Ideas, Norms, and Culture in Political Analysis
Causal Stories and the Formation of Policy Agendas
| Unique citing works | 7 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0,37 |
| Citation span | 2007 - 2023 (17) |
| Citation velocity | historical |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 7 |