Governing Narratives: Symbolic Politics and Policy Change

In: Public Admin: Criticism and Creativity

In: Public Admin: Criticism and Creativity Ser

Abstract

By highlighting the degree to which meaning making in public policy is more a cultural struggle than a rational and analytical project, Governing Narratives brings public administration back into a political context. In Governing Narratives, Hugh T. Miller takes a narrative approach in conceptualizing the politics of public policy. In this approach, signs and ideographs-that is, constellations of images, feelings, values, and conceptualization-are woven into policy narratives through the use of story lines. For example, the ideograph "acid rain" is