Semiotic Analysis and Public Policy : Connecting Theory and Practice

Semiotic Analysis and Public Policy evaluates several key areas of public policy that are dependent on narrative, naming, sign, and branding to create meaning. Semiotic analysis, drawing on the work of Saussure, Peirce, and others, allows for creation of a case-oriented model of brand versus product, and of medium compared with message.

Using a critical Habermasian lens, Atkinson convincingly exposes approaches focusing too heavily on instrumentality and rhetoric that claims a resolution of complex societal dilemmas. Rooted in the literature on public policy and semiotics, Atkinson creates an opportunity to delve more fully into the creation of narratives and meaning in policy, and the origins and maintenance of public programs. Evaluation of such programs shows various levels of disconnect between popular understanding of public considerations, political outcomes, and what results from the administrative/regulatory process in support of the law.

This book will be of interest for scholars and researchers of public policy, policy analysis, public administration, public management, and policy implementation.

Christopher L. Atkinson is Assistant Professor in the Public Administration program at the University of West Florida in Pensacola, Florida, USA. He serves as contributing faculty in the doctoral program at Walden University and has taught courses in the School of Public Administration at Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, Florida, and at Unity College, Unity, Maine. He received his PhD from Florida Atlantic University, and BA and MPA degrees from George Washington University in Washington, DC. His research interests include public management and policy studies, public budgeting and procurement, regulation, and emergency management.