Authoritative Governance

Policy Making in the Age of Mediatization

Nonfiction, Social & Cultural Studies, Political Science, Government, Public Policy, Social Science
Cover of the book Authoritative Governance by Maarten A. Hajer, OUP Oxford
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Maarten A. Hajer ISBN: 9780191615719
Publisher: OUP Oxford Publication: March 3, 2011
Imprint: OUP Oxford Language: English
Author: Maarten A. Hajer
ISBN: 9780191615719
Publisher: OUP Oxford
Publication: March 3, 2011
Imprint: OUP Oxford
Language: English

The role of the media has become a central part of politics and policy in the twenty-first century. That dominance has led many to suggest a trend of 'dumbing down': the privileging of style over content. In this provocative new book, Maarten Hajer takes issue with the 'dumbing down' thesis both on theoretical and empirical grounds. He aims to show how authoritative governance remains possible in crisis driven circumstances and a highly 'mediatized' world. The book elaborates a communicative understanding of authority, which, the author argues, can create a new basis for authoritative governance in a world marked by political and institutional fragmentation. Extending his discourse-analytical framework, Hajer uses both discursive and dramaturgical methods to study policymakers in their struggle for authority. Three detailed case studies-the plans to rebuild Ground Zero, the aftermath of the assassination of Theo Van Gogh, and the recent role of the British Food Standards Agency -provide a wealth of detail of the dynamics of authority in today's mediatized polity and bring out the peculiar role that crises now play. The argument of the book is that in the age of mediatization governance needs to be 'performed'. Hajer describes a genuinely new authoritative governance that breaks with existing interpretations. He demonstrates ways in which the traditional government of standing institutions and notions of network governance can be combined in actively creating relations with a variety of publics.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

The role of the media has become a central part of politics and policy in the twenty-first century. That dominance has led many to suggest a trend of 'dumbing down': the privileging of style over content. In this provocative new book, Maarten Hajer takes issue with the 'dumbing down' thesis both on theoretical and empirical grounds. He aims to show how authoritative governance remains possible in crisis driven circumstances and a highly 'mediatized' world. The book elaborates a communicative understanding of authority, which, the author argues, can create a new basis for authoritative governance in a world marked by political and institutional fragmentation. Extending his discourse-analytical framework, Hajer uses both discursive and dramaturgical methods to study policymakers in their struggle for authority. Three detailed case studies-the plans to rebuild Ground Zero, the aftermath of the assassination of Theo Van Gogh, and the recent role of the British Food Standards Agency -provide a wealth of detail of the dynamics of authority in today's mediatized polity and bring out the peculiar role that crises now play. The argument of the book is that in the age of mediatization governance needs to be 'performed'. Hajer describes a genuinely new authoritative governance that breaks with existing interpretations. He demonstrates ways in which the traditional government of standing institutions and notions of network governance can be combined in actively creating relations with a variety of publics.

More books from OUP Oxford

Cover of the book Madame de Staël by Maarten A. Hajer
Cover of the book Machiavelli: A Very Short Introduction by Maarten A. Hajer
Cover of the book The Predicament of Belief by Maarten A. Hajer
Cover of the book Epilepsy in Women by Maarten A. Hajer
Cover of the book In Place of Inter-State Retaliation by Maarten A. Hajer
Cover of the book Nutrition and Lifestyle for Pregnancy and Breastfeeding by Maarten A. Hajer
Cover of the book New Languages and Landscapes of Higher Education by Maarten A. Hajer
Cover of the book A Zeptospace Odyssey: A Journey into the Physics of the LHC by Maarten A. Hajer
Cover of the book Waterloo by Maarten A. Hajer
Cover of the book History: A Very Short Introduction by Maarten A. Hajer
Cover of the book Reasons to Doubt by Maarten A. Hajer
Cover of the book The Due Process of Law by Maarten A. Hajer
Cover of the book Judge and Jurist by Maarten A. Hajer
Cover of the book Turing by Maarten A. Hajer
Cover of the book Intuition, Theory, and Anti-Theory in Ethics by Maarten A. Hajer
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy