Constructing a legitimate argument — Narrative techniques in the Ghana-EU VPA

Kirsten Carlsen

Forest Policy and Economics, 2014, vol. 48, issue C, 63-71

Abstract: This paper illustrates how an explicit focus on policy practitioner's use of narrative techniques in their policy arguments can be a way to identify when in the policy process risks of ‘good policies’ becoming ‘un-implementable’ emerge. A typology is developed identifying six specific types of narrative techniques used in policy argumentation: Framing, omission, fitting facts, means-to-aims, glorifying, and scapegoating. The typology is used for analysing how stakeholders involved in the Ghana-EU FLEGT VPA use narrative techniques to construct their policy arguments and the implications of this use. The paper shows that a focus on interviewed stakeholder's use of narrative techniques enables the identification of potential areas of tension and contradictions in the narratives upon which the Ghana-VPA is built. It is argued, that the identified use of narrative techniques is to be seen as a result of an implicit urge among stakeholders to ensure consistency in their arguments rather than strategic misappropriations. The implications of research findings for the practical feasibility of the Ghana-EU VPA and the general applicability of the suggested typology are discussed.

Keywords: FLEGT; Ghana; Development policy; Narrative techniques; Policy practice; ‘un-implementable’ (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2014
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:forpol:v:48:y:2014:i:c:p:63-71

DOI: 10.1016/j.forpol.2014.09.017

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