Abstract

LIMA BANDEIRA, Mariana  and  RUBAII, Nadia M. The Value of Discourse Analysis in Comparative Public Policy Studies. The Case of Higher Education Quality Assurance in Colombia and Ecuador. Estud. Polit. [online]. 2016, n.49, pp.13-34. ISSN 0121-5167.  https://doi.org/10.17533/udea.espo.n49a01.

Generally, the evaluation of a public policy is often based on positivist criteria, with a focus on showing quantitative evidence of progress and achievement. To convert this information into truly useful feedback, a policy study could be enriched through the use of qualitative methodologies, in order to deepen the understanding of the policy within its unique context. In this sense, this paper makes the case for and provides evidence of the value of discourse analysis in comparative policy studies. As one method of qualitative analysis, discourse analysis provides the researcher with the capacity to consider the historical, cultural, social and symbolic context in which a policy is developed and implemented. This approach adds additional value to the quantitative data and can reveal flaws and strengths that the more superficial quantitative methods do not reveal. As an illustration, we examine reforms in public policies for quality assurance of higher education institutions and programs in Colombia and Ecuador. We apply the method of discourse analysis to examine whether the policies in the two countries define objectives, problems, challenges, and solutions in similar or dissimilar ways. Discourse analysis helps us appreciate the values represented in the words, better understand the institutions, and assess the stability (or lack thereof) in these public policies. Our research demonstrates that the methods of discourse analysis reveals important differences that the quantitative data and studies obscure.

Keywords : Discourse Analysis; Qualitative Methods; Comparative Public Policy Studies; Higher Education; Colombia; Ecuador.

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