beleidsdiscours

Beleidsdiscours refers to the language, narratives, and arguments around public policy, through which problems are defined, solutions proposed, and decisions legitimized. It encompasses official documents, speeches, media, and public debate. It is studied to understand how policy ideas are constructed and communicated.

The field draws on political science, public administration, sociology, and discourse analysis. Researchers examine frames such as risk, responsibility, efficiency, and equity that shape perceptions of problems and acceptable interventions. They analyze how policy discourse constructs problem definitions, sets priorities, and justifies actions. Methods include framing analysis, narrative analysis, and rhetoric.

Actors include politicians, bureaucrats, interest groups, think tanks, journalists, and scientists. Power relations determine whose voices dominate and which frames prevail. Discourses influence agendas and implementation by legitimizing or delegitimizing options. The concept treats policy as both technical decision and communicative practice.

Critiques highlight biases and power asymmetries, rhetorical manipulation, and potential gaps between stated narratives and material realities. Descriptive analysis of discourse should be distinguished from prescriptive policy advice, though discourse often shapes outcomes as much as formal rules.

In practice, beleidsdiscours shapes debates on welfare, education, climate, and economic reform. Comparative study reveals how political cultures construct problems and solutions. The term is central in Dutch-language scholarship on governance and public policy.