Democracy and Scandal: A Research Agenda

Abstract

In a recent edition of this journal, Scott Brenton (2012) announced a refreshing perspective on the relationship between political scandal and liberal democratic institutions: though scandals are often thought anathema to democratic politics, a cause of public distraction or a sign of institutional degradation, their effect may actually be to reinforce and rejuvenate the polity. We consolidate and then challenge this perspective. We begin by reconstructing Brenton's observations on scandal as a process model which we term the "scandal reform cycle". We then suggest a raft of challenges to the model to reveal the complexity of scandals and their uncertain institutional effects. Our larger ambition is to articulate the relationship between scandal and democracy not as a simple question but rather as an ambitious and timely research agenda. KeywordsScandal, democracy, institutions Beyond FunctionalismIn his recent article about the relationship between political scandal and liberal democratic institutions, Scott Brenton (2012) announces a refreshing perspective: though scandals are often thought anathema to democratic politics, a cause of public distraction or a sign of institutional degradation, their effect may actually be to reinforce and rejuvenate the polity. As he correctly points out, scandals are too often discounted as trivial, irrational or otherwise secondary political processes. For Brenton, scandals are a " KoninkliJIa-ilrill NV, Leiden, 21113 1)01:

How Scandals Act as Catalysts of Fringe Stakeholders’ Contentious Actions Against Multinational Corporations

“…At the other end of the spectrum, some works aim to understand the consequences of scandals in terms of organizational performance (Davidson, Worrell, & Lee, 1994), stigmas (Hudson, 2008), or punishments (Coffee, 1981). However, very few conceptualize scandals as forming part of broader social dynamics that influence and are influenced by social actors in a recursive manner (Clemente et al, 2017); this is in contrast to the situation in other disciplines, such as sociology (Sass & Crosbie, 2013) and political science (Thompson, 2000).…”

Integrating Moral Outrage in Situational Crisis Communication Theory: A Triadic Appraisal Model for Crises

“…A defining characteristic of both a scandal and a scansis is moral outrage. Sass and Crosbie (2013) posit that a scandal is constituted in public outrage triggered by some deviation from accepted practices. Moreover, scandals create the felt need for punishment (Grebe, 2012).…”

A study of performance indicators and Ofsted ratings in English child protection services

“…The most obvious example is the effect of public scandals about deaths from child abuse, which have immediate but also longer-term repercussions for child welfare services across the country (Hood et al, 2016;Cafcass, 2012). Indeed, what Sass and Crosbie (2013) call a 'scandal-reform cycle' has shaped these services for decades, not just in England but also in other countries (Lonne, Parton, Thomson & Harries, 2008). During the period covered in this study, a crisis erupted in late 2008 following media coverage of the death of Peter Connelly.…”