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In recent years, discourse analysis has been deployed by academics as a methodology to understand the urban policy implementation process, in particular, the ways in which key actors exercise power. Much of the discourse-based research in urban policy has drawn upon the writings of Norman Fairclough and Michel Foucault and seeks to provide a critical scrutiny of texts and utterances of policy makers and other key actors. The methodological assumption that informs discourse-based approaches is that politics is an arena in which different interest groups seek to establish a particular narrative or version of events as a means to pursue political objectives. This article begins by setting out the theoretical influences that have informed discourse analysis. There then follows a discussion of some of the studies that have deployed discourse-based research within urban policy, an evaluation of its strengths and weaknesses as a method and an assessment for new areas of enquiry. The article’s conclusion is that discourse analysis provides the researcher with a set of tools to interpret urban policy in a theoretically informed and insightful way. However, there are some pitfalls associated with its techniques that require consideration before any analysis should commence.

Item Type:	Refereed Article
Keywords:	discourse analysis, urban, policy, Foucault, Fairclough
Research Division:	Studies in Human Society
Research Group:	Sociology
Research Field:	Urban Sociology and Community Studies
Objective Division:	Law, Politics and Community Services
Objective Group:	Community Service (excl. Work)
Objective Field:	Community Service (excl. Work) not elsewhere classified
Author:	Jacobs, KA (Professor Keith Jacobs)
ID Code:	39392
Year Published:	2006
Deposited By:	Sociology and Social Work
Deposited On:	2006-08-01
Last Modified:	2013-03-15
Downloads:	15 View Download Statistics