About the Book

Laying down the foundations of a critical sociological approach to the interdisciplinary domain of public policy, this insightful book presents the first systematic reflection on the use of Bourdieu’s theory of social fields to analyse policy processes. Engaging with theoretical dimensions, it provides innovative methodological tools, both quantitative and qualitative in nature, to be used in the wider field of policy studies.

Bringing together expert contributors from across the globe, the book explores a diverse range of case studies on various policy sectors and processes such as international policy circulation and policy implementation. Offering a wealth of critical analysis, chapters highlight the unsatisfactory nature of mainstream policy approaches and advocate for the use of Bourdieu’s sociological theory to account for the social milieus, structures of relationships, and power dynamics in which public policies are made. Encompassing numerous actors and groups, this theory enables a critical sociological understanding of policy orientations by unveiling the structures of relationships in policymaking.

Innovative and perceptive in its approach, this book will prove to be an important resource for scholars and students interested in the fields of critical policy studies, public policy, public administration and management, and sociology.

Table of Contents:
Contents: Introduction to Bringing Bourdieu’s Theory of Fields to Critical Policy Analysis 1 Vincent Dubois PART I POLICY DOMAINS AS SOCIAL FIELDS 1 Constructing the field of educational power: socio-history and structural analysis of two critical moments 18 Pierre Clément 2 The Brazilian National Development Bank’s public policy examined through multiple correspondence analysis and social network analysis 37 Elisa Klüger 3 Colorado River Basin water policy: using Bourdieu’s field theory in the environmental policy arena 56 Brian F. O’Neill, Joan Cortinas Muñoz and Franck Poupeau 4 Security as a field of force: the case of Switzerland in the mid-2010s 74 Stephan Davidshofer, Amal Tawfik and Jonas Hagmann 5 From the theory of the state to the sociology of public policy fields in Latin America: the production of economic policies in Peru 90 Arthur Morenas PART II THE BUREAUCRATIC FIELD IN POLICY-MAKING 6 The bureaucratic field and the sociology of public policy: from the structure of the administration to the production of policies 109 Victor Demenge and Melaine Robert 7 The role of autonomization of the bureaucratic field in the development of public policy: the case of Canadian food safety policy 1874–1969 128 Caroline Dufour 8 Public policy as a product of the professional structure of the bureaucratic field 134 Victor Demenge PART III TWO INTERSTITIAL FIELDS: EXPERTISE AND THINK TANKS 9 Interstitial knowledge: considerations based on the case of expertise on radicalization in France 154 Lili Soussoko 10 On the strength of lesser fields: a reflection on public policy think tanks and the concept of interstitial fields 173 Thomas Medvetz PART IV POLICY AND THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN FIELDS 11 The ‘grip’ of the journalistic field on national public policy: a sociological explanation of a media-oriented governmental decision 188 Jérémie Nollet 12 Relations between the scientific field and the bureaucratic field in ‘authoritarian’ and ‘democratic’ contexts: history policy in Poland 207 Valentin Behr 13 The relationship between the bureaucratic and the entrepreneurial fields: shedding light on the contribution of public policy to delimiting legitimate economic activities 214 Antoine Roger PART V THREE POLICY PROCESSES REVISITED WITH THE SOCIOLOGY OF FIELDS: DECISION-MAKING, IMPLEMENTATION, INTERNATIONAL CIRCULATION 14 Sociology of fields and the decision-making process: the example of presidential cultural projects in France 235 Thomas Hélie 15 Analysing the implementation of European public policy with the sociology of fields: some remarks on the European Union’s regional policy 253 Vincent Lebrou 16 International policy circulation and fields of public policy in the (Latin American) periphery 262 Paul Hathazy PART VI THE EFFECTS OF INTERNATIONAL CONFIGURATIONS ON PUBLIC POLICIES 17 What the field of eurocracy tells us about European policies 282 Didier Georgakakis 18 What the international field does to foreign policies 300 Florent Pouponneau Conclusion to Bringing Bourdieu’s Theory of Fields to Critical Policy Analysis 318 Vincent Dubois