Power Politics & Research: a Discourse Analysis of Health Research Policy
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چکیده
Social research and related policy involve more than the simple generation and use of knowledge and can be thought of as political exercises, laden with power relations and shaped according to the priorities of particular institutions and individuals. This paper explores the means by which one such area ‐ health research policy ‐ is shaped, enabled and constrained by such relations unpicking the historical, social and political origins of research policy in primary care in England, the key discourses that have dominated debate, and the tensions between such discourses. Using discursive data drawn from sixteen interviews with historical and contemporary policymakers, twenty‐nine policy documents and a range of historical literature, the paper reveals how prevailing discourses, ideologies and power relationships work to shape health research policy and, ultimately, the type of research undertaken, by whom and how. For instance, recent policy has been shaped by discourse associated with the knowledge‐based economy that emphasises microscopic ‘discovery’, effective development and exploitation of information and the contribution of highly technological activities to ‘UK plc’. Whilst this carries seemingly innocent messages about scientific research, it has a deeper significance in shaping ideas about what might be perceived as ‘worthwhile knowledge’ and framing health research in terms of, for instance, pharmacological and pharmacogenetic development. Such insights challenge apolitical accounts of health research, generate an alternative view of the relations that shape social research and policy and reveal how health research serves particular interests.
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