The discourse and coordination among advocacy coalitions: the case of Belo Monte

Abstract

Purpose This study aims to analyze the use of discourse to solve issues related to coordination between advocacy coalitions in processes of gradual and transformative institutional change related to public policies. Design/methodology/approach Theoretical background is based on the advocacy coalition framework (ACF), new discursive institutionalism and critical discourse analysis theories. The research examines shorthand notes of public hearings held in the Brazilian Chamber of Deputies and the Federal Senate between 1999 and 2012, carrying out a case study on Belo Monte hydroelectric power plant. The speech extracts were categorized according to the modes of operation of ideology and typical strategies of symbolic construction proposed by Thompson (1995). Findings The results suggest that the discourse can be an instrument of internal coordination and between coalitions that share beliefs about a policy, as in the case of Belo Monte. Potentially existing coalitions define their identities and set positions on controversial issues, aligning interests and expectations. In the case studied, the modes of operation of ideology verified as instruments of the coalitions were dissimulation, reification, fragmentation, unification and legitimation. Research limitations/implications The paper represents a unique analysis of the modes of operation of ideology (Thompson, 1999) in the case of Belo Monte. In addition, the paper aims to contribute to the New Discursive Institutionalism and to the ACF when it uses the critical discourse analysis to articulate a method to analyze the use of the Discourse by the coalitions. In fact, such an approach integrating the ACF, the New Discursive Institutionalism and the critical discourse analysis is something original. Finally, it also addresses a gap in ACF: issues related to advocacy coalition coordination. Practical implications Attentive readers linked to organizations working on infrastructure and environmental policies can benefit from the results by envisaging the deliberate manipulation of typical symbolic construction strategies and general modes of operation of ideology. Social implications The study sheds light on the daily and behind-the-scenes disputes among stakeholders who are interested in a certain public policy. It may draw attention to the access and professional use of the shorthand notes of the hearings held at the National Congress. Originality/value This paper aims to fill a gap pointed out by Jenkins-Smith et al. (2014) regarding problems of coordination of advocacy coalitions. In addition, it innovates by using critical discourse analysis as a methodological reference in ACF empirical studies. In addition, this work continues a trajectory of two other previously published studies dealing with the same phenomenon: a theoretical essay and a case study.

How is the Advocacy Coalition Framework Doing? Some Issues since the 2014 Agenda.

“…Examining the role of discourse as a resource to address problems of coordination in and among coalitions: this question has been under discussion since Schlager's (1995) critique that ACF needs to address the collective action problems faced by coalitions. An innovative way to explore this issue is to examine the role of discourse in solving coordination problems in and among coalitions (VIEIRA, 2019). This can also be a fruitful way to better understand problems of coalition formation and maintenance, addressing the need to refine the theory of coalition structures and coordination, established in the 2014 agenda.…”

Codifying and Commodifying Nature: Narratives on Forest Property Rights and the Implementation of Tenure Regularization Policies in Northwestern Argentina

“…Integrating social network analysis and the advocacy coalition framework [25] enabled us to overcome the limitations of the older approach. Content analysis of policy actors' discourses [27][28][29][30] provided a better understanding of the structure of actors' discourse, and of actors' motivations and behavior [27][28][29]. For the content analysis, we coded sentences from semi-structured interviews with policy actors.…”

Aprendizado e mudança em políticas públicas: explorando possibilidades no Modelo de Coalizões de Defesa

“…Therefore, the political use of knowledge is more likely to occur in this quadrant, precisely because there is room for competing visions and for negotiation, including among non-adversarial coalitions. Vieira (2020), analyzing the case of Belo Monte hydroelectric power plant in Brazil, evidences how the coalitions favorable to the power plant tried to join a common identity, sharing discourses on controversial issues and aligning interests and expectations.…”