What's the grand story? A macro‐narrative analytical model and the case of Swiss child and adult protection policy

Abstract

This paper expands on the Narrative Policy Framework (NPF) by adding a theoretical and empirical exploration into macrolevel narratives. Existing NPF research largely neglects macrolevel narratives, which prevents the NPF from developing its full power. The main contributions of this paper are threefold: (1) It provides a definition of macrolevel narratives by conceptualizing them as the “story form” of a policy paradigm. (2) It proposes a model and an empirical approach, which may lay the foundation for a standard macrolevel NPF approach. (3) It contributes to the NPF's aim of connecting the macro and meso level. The paper tests the model in a comparative multi‐method design applied to the Swiss child and adult protection policy. The findings show that macrolevel NPF analysis helps understand where mesolevel policy debates come from, namely from an underlying paradigm and its effects on institutions and culture that enable and constrain macrolevel narratives.

Policy dimension: A new concept to distinguish substance from process in the Narrative Policy Framework

“…As we want to explore a theoretical distinction that should be relevant for the NPF as a whole, the first investigation in a "familiar territory" with subsequent expansions into new areas permits the stepwise enhancement of complexity. Furthermore, the case definition differs from previous studies, with the empirical material featuring no (in the case of Hildbrand et al, 2020) or only partially overlaps with existing research (in the case of Kuenzler, 2021, Stauffer, 2022a, 2022b). We elaborate on potential limits of generalizability and avenues for future expansions in Discussion and Conclusion sections.…”

“…The chosen policy field-child and adult protection policy in Switzerland-has proven to be a rich case for narrative debates that are well amenable to NPF analyses (Hildbrand et al, 2020;Kuenzler, 2021Kuenzler, , 2022Kuenzler et al, 2022;Stauffer, 2022aStauffer, , 2022b. 5 In the following, we first present the case and subsequently provide information on our data sources and methods.…”

“…We choose an exploratory case for this first empirical examination of the policy dimension in the NPF, where a focusing event initiated debates among a multitude of individuals and groups in different venues. The chosen policy field—child and adult protection policy in Switzerland—has proven to be a rich case for narrative debates that are well amenable to NPF analyses (Hildbrand et al, 2020; Kuenzler, 2021, 2022; Kuenzler et al, 2022; Stauffer, 2022a, 2022b). 5…”

How to Manage Organizational Reputation when Under Attack: Learnings from the Child and Adult Protection Authorities

“…These narratives are located in the context of a bigger debate that existed already before the double infanticide and that got amplified during the reputational crisis. As illustrated in Stauffer (2022b), the municipalities were more active in this conflict, reproaching the CAPA of overpriced policy measures. The narratives we see here are the CAPA's answers to their arguments.…”

Editorial Introduction: Contributing to the policy process literatures

“…In the second article of this issue, Stauffer (2023) combines both theoretical and empirical perspectives on NPF macro‐level narratives in a study titled “What's the Grand Story? A Macro‐narrative Analytical Model and the Case of Swiss Child and Adult Protection Policy.” Utilizing a comparative multi‐method design in the Swiss child and adult protection policy, Stauffer's (2023) research reveals that macro‐level NPF analysis can assist individuals in identifying the origin of meso‐level policy debates ‐ an underlying paradigm as well as its effects on culture and institutions which support or hinder narratives at the macro‐level.…”