Political Information Has Bright Colors: Narrative Attention Theory

Peterson, Holly L.

doi:10.1111/psj.12272

Cited by 22 publications

(24 citation statements)

References 28 publications

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“…At this level, the authors propose that one should study the many actors involved in constructing and circulating policy narratives, such as the media, politicians, interest groups, and high profile citizens. The macro level targets "macro political institutions" such as parliaments, governments, and courts (Peterson 2018). It has been argued that the macro level in NPF theory is underdeveloped (Shanahan et al 2018;Peterson 2018), but attempts have been made to combine the NPF meso level approach with another theory, PET (punctuated equilibrium theory).…”

Section: Analyzing a Policy Narrativementioning

confidence: 99%

The Victim as Policy Agent? Exploring a Single Case from Denmark

Asmussen

Adrian

Holmberg

et al. 2020

Eur J Crim Policy Res

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Criminal policy processes often appear abstract and illusive, but sometimes a single criminal incident causes traceable policy impact. This article is about such an incident. A victim of a grave, violent assault published an opinion piece in a national newspaper, which sparked considerable public debate and policy actions. Some policy actions were new, and others had previously been proposed but repeatedly discarded. Based on an empirical study of the victim's opinion piece, the ensuing media debate, and subsequent policy actions, we explore why and how certain victim's stories capture their audience and strike a responsive chord in the public and in politicians. In the article, we analyze how the victim presents the incident as a narrative, and we identify the central features of the media debate and trace its visible impact on victim policies and legislation. We explore how some elements of the story are silenced in the political aftermath and how other elements serve as capital for politicians in pursuing their own agendas. A closer look at the policy changes in the wake of this opinion piece reveals that the story legitimizes certain political decisions and ignores victims' desire for structural changes. Our study adds to research of "political agenda setting" by investigating the narrative power of an individual case on policy-making and by exhibiting the complex interplay between an individual story, media attention, and policy-making.

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Section: Analyzing a Policy Narrativementioning

confidence: 99%

The Victim as Policy Agent? Exploring a Single Case from Denmark

Asmussen

Adrian

Holmberg

et al. 2020

Eur J Crim Policy Res

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…In the only purely theoretical piece in this issue, Peterson (2018) integrates the NPF and PET (Baumgartner, Jones, & Mortensen, 2014). Her argument is that the vast majority of NPF research has taken place at the micro-and meso levels of analyses and that the focus at these levels has been exclusively on how and when narrative persuades.…”

Section: Theoretical Integrationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Advancing the Narrative Policy Framework? The Musings of a Potentially Unreliable Narrator

Jones¹

2018

Policy Studies Journal

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Inspired by postmodernism and the seemingly contradictory charter of science, the Narrative Policy Framework (NPF) was named in a 2010 issue of the Policy Studies Journal for the purposes of understanding the role of narrative in the policy process. Since its inception we have seen a proliferation of research applications. In this issue of the PSJ you will find some of the best representatives of those applications. Studies within show a productive merging of NPF with other theories, refinement of concepts, sophisticated methodologies, and an expanding list of policy areas to which the NPF is being applied. You will also see examples of the NPF being clear enough to be wrong and—at times—being wrong. Among other observations, I argue that findings herein illuminate gaps in our understanding of narrative's role in the policy process, including a need for more refined strategy theory, a better understanding of the intersection between framing theory and the NPF, and a need to directly address the NPF's ongoing struggle to deal with varied contexts. I argue that to develop more generalizable narrative concepts that the division between interpretive and scientific approaches to the study of policy must continue to be overcome.

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“…Narratives can persuade individuals in these ways by strategically arranging narrative components. Narratives are also likely capable of shifting attention and reordering preferences (e.g., Peterson 2018, 2019). The NPF is largely explored through experimental design (e.g., Jones 2010, 2013, 2014), survey data (e.g., Lybecker, McBeth, and Kusko 2013), and content analysis (e.g., Kusko 2013; McBeth et al 2007; Shanahan et al 2013).…”

Section: Policy Process Frameworkmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Similarly, NPF largely finds the role of institutions in context; networks in the NPF are treated similarly to ACF (see Shanahan, Jones, and McBeth 2011) and policy actors individually and in groups are affected by policy narratives and strategically construct them for policy advantage. However, recent work conceives a larger role for institutions within the NPF (Peterson 2018, 2019).…”

Section: Comparing Policy Process Theoriesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…NPF defines an explicit, yet currently, underdeveloped role for context in the form of setting, making this framework a good fit for integration with an extant rural theory like place‐based policy (Castle and Weber 2014). Similarly, like IAD, the NPF has not, yet explicitly, defined a role for events; however, recent publications regarding intersections with ACF (Shanahan, Jones, and McBeth 2011) and Punctuated Equilibrium Theory (Peterson 2018; Peterson and Jones 2016) offer ideas about involving other theory to address similar issues.…”

Section: Comparing Policy Process Theoriesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Policy Process Theory for Rural Studies: Navigating Context and Generalization in Rural Policy

2020

Self Cite

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Rural studies and policy process literature are ripe for integration due to their interdisciplinary approaches, empirical‐foci, and importance of values, norms, and heuristics. Policy process theory often ignores the important context‐rich variation within the rural and urban distinction, yet offers qualities rural scholars may find useful, like generalizability. This integration would improve both literature by facilitating empirical inquiry. Process theory “lenses” offer internal consistency, a shared research agenda, and applicability in many settings. These qualities encourage sharing and comparing of diverse research findings, thereby advancing common understanding and exploration of the policy process. In illustration of these ideas, this article reviews five policy process frameworks, the Institutional Development and Analysis framework, the Advocacy Coalition Framework, the Social Construction Framework, the Narrative Policy Framework, and the Multiple Streams Approach, extant rural policy process studies, and provides examples of how the literature may be integrated to explore specific research areas and questions. Related Articles Crow, Deserai A., Lydia A. Lawhon, John Berggren, Juhi Huda, Elizabeth Koebele, and Adrianne Kroepsch. 2017. “A Narrative Policy Framework Analysis of Wildfire Policy Discussions in two Colorado Communities.” Politics & Policy 45 (4): 626‐656. https://doi.org/10.1111/polp.12207 Shortall, Sally, and Margaret Alston. 2016. “To Rural Proof or not to Rural Proof: A Comparative Analysis.” Politics & Policy 44 (1): 35‐55. https://doi-org.libproxy.usouthal.edu/10.1111/polp.12144 Smith‐Walter, Aaron, Holly L. Peterson, Michael D. Jones, and Ashley Nicole Reynolds Marshall. 2016. “Gun Stories: How Evidence Shapes Firearm Policy in the United States.” Politics & Policy 44 (6): 1053‐1088. https://doi-org.libproxy.usouthal.edu/10.1111/polp.12187

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Political Information Has Bright Colors: Narrative Attention Theory

Cited by 22 publications

References 28 publications

The Victim as Policy Agent? Exploring a Single Case from Denmark

The Victim as Policy Agent? Exploring a Single Case from Denmark

Advancing the Narrative Policy Framework? The Musings of a Potentially Unreliable Narrator

Policy Process Theory for Rural Studies: Navigating Context and Generalization in Rural Policy

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