Trust schools and the politics of persuasion and the mobilisation of interest

Abstract

This paper sets out the theoretical and methodological approach of a study of the politics of persuasion and the mobilisation of interest in relation to the Trust schools initiative in England. Drawing on the discourse theoretical approach of Laclau and Mouffe the paper argues that the politics of consensus associated with New Labour reconfigures the field of politics, closing down legitimate democratic space. Building on this approach and that of policy sociology the paper outlines how the researchers seeks to address the following questions – if the space for legitimate democratic debate is so severely constrained then how does a social democratic government deal with the kind of opposition that Labour faced in relation to Trust schools? How do governments persuade dissident citizens to support unpopular policies? How are citizens mobilised to support such policies? This also raises questions about how, in such a restricted political space, do those questioning or resisting such policies, engage in the politics of persuasion and the mobilisation of interests? The reconfiguration of the field of politics and what this means for the constitution of legitimate democratic debate is the object of study of the research.

Keywords:

• discourse/analysis
• politics
• policy sociology
• Trust schools
• New Labour
• Laclau and Mouffe

Notes

1. The Department of Children Schools and Families announced the establishment of 28 Pathfinder Trust school projects involving nearly 50 schools in September 2006. The Pathfinder process was advertised by the Specialist Schools and Academies Trust, acting on behalf of the DCSF, as a mechanism for exploring the potential for different kinds of partnership model (DCSF 2006).

2. The research funded by The British Academy and The University of Sheffield did not include work focussing on schools and their communities. Extension of the work into these areas was considered for later activity. However, political events have overtaken the research.