What is the Problem Represented to Be: A Research Methodology forAnalysing Australias Skilled Migration Policy

Hock Thye Chan
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Hock Thye Chan: Faculty of Business and Law, University of Newcastle, Newcastle, Australia

International Journal of Business and Economic Affairs (IJBEA), 2018, vol. 3, issue 1, 21-32

Abstract: Most discourse theories contain no suggestion of a methodology to conduct policy analysis. The view thata prescribed methodology is a restriction on interpretation may account for why speci c methodologies are few in policy(and discourse) analysis. However,Fairclough(2001) Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) demonstrates that a prescribedmethodology in discourse analysis can coexist with abstract discourse analysis. Extending Faircloughs argument forprescribed methodology,Bacchi(2009) What is the problem represented to be? What is the Prob-lem Represented toBe (WPR) uses a series of questions to assist in uncovering problem representation within policy settings. This paperapplies the WPR approach to an analysis of the 2010 reform of the Australian skilled migration policy. This reformwas a watershed in Australian immigration policy in terms of who may immigrate to Australia and on what conditions.The skilled migration program focus shifted from supply to demand driven migration. The WPR approach is appliedto determine the motivation behind the policy shift through a series of six questions that uncover the ine ectiveness ofhuman capital theory assumptions that drive the rationale for supply driven migration as the problem representation butfail to address the real and unrepresented problems. The paper demonstrates the e ectiveness of the WPR approach as aresearch methodology in critical policy analysis.

Keywords: Policy discourse; Discourse analysis; Skilled migration; Human capital; Research methodology (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:aya:ijbeaa:2018:p:21-32

DOI: 10.24088/IJBEA-2018-31003

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