Telling the Truth in Public Policy: An Analysis of New Zealand Sport Policy Discourse

Abstract

In this article we use Foucault’s conception of games of truth to investigate how truth in public policy is rhetorically constructed through the notion of “transparency.” Data was collected from various public sources regarding a medal target policy promoted by Sport and Recreation New Zealand (Sparc) for the national team at the 2006 Commonwealth Games. By analyzing the multifarious rhetoric surrounding the medal target policy, we show that the notion of transparency, although ostensibly appealing and helpful as a mechanism to justify goals, exposes inherent contradictions that were counter to Sparc’s goals. The discussion encourages scholars and practitioners to conceive of policy as ongoing contests over truth. We suggest that practitioners might benefit from considering the problematic implications of promoting “transparent” public policy.

The Public Management of Sport

“…cycling, rowing, etc.) for both Olympic and Commonwealth Games, resulting in both media scrutiny and public criticism (Piggin, Jackson and Lewis 2009). SPARC has further employed many of the disciplining techniques of performance management including 'naming and shaming' of NSOs, withholding funds, even threatening direct interventions (such as requesting a presence at the board level of these organizations).…”

Analysing sport policy and politics: the promises and challenges of synthesising methodological approaches

“…Fairclough's arguments concerning the importance of scrutinising the ideological context of discourse through the use of a CDA approach have been applied to a number of issues within the field of sport. For example, applications of CDA have been seen in past analyses of such issues as sports media discourse and representations (Kelly 2010, Liao and Markula 2009, Wolter 2015, physical education and youth sport (Mean andKassing 2008, Rich andGiles 2014), sports advertising and marketing (Lee 2015), and sport policy discourse (Jedlicka 2014, Piggin, Jackson and Lewis 2009, Piggin, 2014. The wide variety of topics and methodological approaches embraced within this corpus of CDA-oriented research in sport suggests the continuing relevance of exploring the predominant discursive patterns which emanate from the sporting world.…”

“…Therefore, the majority of the studies which they cite derive from the fields of psychology and social psychology in sport, rather than sociological or, as in this case, political analysis related to the domain of sport. Indeed, it can also be argued that a similar lack of macro-level and mesolevel critical analysis is evident with regards to past studies of sport policy discourse due to the 'taken-for-granted' assumptions which often emerge within sport policy (Piggin, Jackson and Lewis 2009). To this end, the synthesis of NA with discourse analysis frameworks such as that of Fairclough and Fairclough (2012) which have greater emphasis on macro-level political discourse thus facilitates an opportunity to examine emergent narrative tropes at this higher level of policy analysis.…”

Proyecto POLCOR. Análisis de las políticas deportivas en los programas electorales

“…Las políticas deportivas instauradas trasladan un mensaje lleno de contradicciones y paradojas por la multiplicidad de factores -deporte espectáculo-profesional, integración, igualdad, salud y educación-que se engloban en una retórica común de «eficiencia», «competitividad» y «liderazgo» (Piggin, Jackson y Malcolm 2009;Green 2006;Sam 2003). En el aná-lisis de las políticas deportivas cabría esperar que estas oscilasen entre una orientación al deporte de élite, la competición y la práctica comercial y el control privado -en el caso de partidos con una supuesta asunción de valores individualistas, elitistas y comerciales-y una orientación al deporte menos competitivo, más dirigido al «deporte para todos», menos comercial y con mayor intervención estatal -en el caso de partidos con una supuesta asunción de valores más comunitarios, igualitarios y no comerciales-.…”