Document Type : Original Article
Authors
1 Associate Professor, Department of Public Administration Faculty of Management and Accounting, Allameh Tabatabaei University ; Tehran, Iran
2 PhD student in public administration. Public policy making. Faculty of Management and Accounting. Allameh Tabatabaei University.
Abstract
The present study aims to explain and systematize policy discourse, a field that has become one of the main streams of policy analysis after the argumentative turn and the expansion of interpretive approaches. Despite the extensive capacities of discourse approaches such as critical discourse analysis, narrative-centric policy, and discursive institutionalism, the existing literature still faces conceptual fragmentation and the lack of a comprehensive picture of the components of policy discourse. Therefore, the study, using the scoping review method and examining scientific sources, has extracted the fundamental components of policy discourse and explained its main mechanisms, and has conducted an analytical critique of each of the identified dimensions. The findings show that policy discourse is not merely a linguistic layer, but rather a mechanism for meaning-making, problem representation, narrative construction, organization of semantic alliances, exercise of power, and institutionalization in the policy-making process. Discourse operates within social and institutional contexts and shapes policymakers’ perceptions and interpretations through tools such as framing, argumentation, and discursive action. The research concludes that policy discourse analysis is a powerful tool for understanding the relationship between meaning, power, and action, and can play a role in improving the decision-making process and developing more equitable policies.
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