Ideas into policy
Governance and Governmentality
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 6326337 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Mark Bevir (0000-0001-9666-3113, Department of Political Science, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA), Francesca Gains (0000-0001-9815-3870, University of Manchester) |
| Year | 2011 |
| Volume | 39 |
| Issue | 4 |
| Pages | 451-456 |
| Publication date | 2011-10-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Policy & Politics (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0305-5736 • E-ISSN: 1470-8442 |
| Publisher | Bristol University Press (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1332/030557310x550132 |
| OpenAlex | W2314706019 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 6 |
| References cited | 7 |
This themed issue of Policy & Politics explores the role of social science in informing public policy. 1A focus on the relationship between ideas and policy making is timely.Arguably, we have just lived through a time of extensive and sophisticated dialogue between government and the social sciences.In Britain, New Labour broke dramatically with the negative attitude to the social sciences that had characterised the Thatcher and Major governments.New Labour also introduced different ideas from the social sciences influenced by mid-level theories that focused less exclusively on individuals and markets and more on communities and institutions.Internationally, other states and organisations too have drawn on similar ideas to pursue similar policies.All kinds of policy actors promote: public sector reforms associated with joining up; new styles of policy evaluation; public policies aimed at social cohesion; and economic agendas that draw on neo-Keynesian ideas and institutional economics.So, the following articles address questions such as: What ideas and theories from the social sciences inform public policy?Which social scientists do governments talk to?What ideas are drawn into policy and how are they adapted or modified?Do these ideas vary from policy sector to policy sector?What are the comparative and international dimensions of the link between ideas and policy and what is the relationship between the domestic and international arena for the development and adoption of policy ideas?The influence of social science on policy making is discussed in the literatures on governmentality and governance.The word 'governmentality' (gouvernmentalité) was coined by the French thinker, Michel Foucault (1991).It refers to the conduct of conduct, and especially the mentalities and technologies that govern individuals.It captures the way governments and other social actors draw on knowledge in order to construct policies and practices, especially those that regulate and create subjectivities such as claimant, lone parent and patient.Most of the literature on governmentality concentrates on neoliberal ideas and technologies.'Governance' is a more general term than 'governmentality'.Some of the literature on governance shows little interest in the role of ideas.But interpretive theories of governance increasingly draw attention to such topics (see the summary and citations in Bevir, 2010b).Moreover, when scholars explore the ideas behind the new governance, they often draw attention to more disparate and recent ideas than the neoliberal ones highlighted by the literature on governmentality.So, the following articles explore the rise of a governmentality that is rather different from that of the neoliberal era of the 1980s and 1990s.In the British context, while New Labour has often been described as pragmatic and ambiguous (Smith, 2004), its policies clearly drew on a distinct set of beliefs, many of which derive from social science, including, for example institutionalism, network theory
Corporate governance · Economics · Governmentality · Management · Political science · Politics · Law · Public Administration
| Unique citing works | 6 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0,4 |
| Citation span | 2011 - 2022 (12) |
| Citation velocity | historical |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 6 |