The Political Process of Policymaking

Philippe Zittoun is Research Professor of Political Science at LET-ENTPE, University of Lyon, France. He is Vice-Chair of the IPSA 'Public Policy' Research Committee and coordinator of the International Conference on Public Policy. He is also a member of the editorial board of several international journals such as Critical Policy Studies, Journal of Comparative Policy Analysis, Policy and Society. His research focuses on understanding the policymaking process and, in particular, on the importance of discursive struggles, argumentative strategies, political aspects and the role of actors.

Introduction: The Political Processof Policymaking PART I: CREATING SOCIAL DISORDER CONSTRUCTING, PROPAGATING AND POLICITISING SOCIAL PROBLEMS 1. A Pragmatic Approach to Public Problems 2. Definitional Struggles Around Unacceptable Problems PART II: DEFINING SOLUTION, A COMPLEX BRICOLAGE TO SOLVE PUBLIC PROBLEMS 1. Between Stratagem and Cognitive Bricolage: The Contribution of Simon and Lindblom 2. From Cognitive Bricolage to Language Games 3. The Five Couplings in Defining Solutions 4. From Coupling to Restoring Political Order PART III: PROPAGATING SOLUTION, ARGUMENTATIVE STRATEGIES TO CEMENT COALITIONS 1. Arguing to Persuade 2. Discussion as a Test of Persuasion Strategies 3. From Persuasion to Diffusion, Building Discursive Coalitions PART IV: POLICY STATEMENTS TO LEGITIMISE 'DECISION-MAKERS' 1. The Paradoxes of Taking Positions into Account 2. The Definitional Issues of a Topography of Positions 3. The 'Decision' to Fix Topographies Within Statements 4. An Empirical Example of Decision: Political Decision-making of the Paris Tramway Conclusion: How Public Policy Shapes Politics