Philippe Zittoun, Research Professor of Political Science, LAET-ENTPE, University of Lyon and Sébastien Chailleux, Associate Professor, Centre Emile Durkheim, Sciences Po Bordeaux, France

• Contents: Introduction to The Politics of Meaning Struggles 1. The containment of the first policy statement about granting licenses 2. The lightning-fast publicization of a tragic problem 3. The impossibility of problem-solving: manufacturing, circulating, and abandoning government proposals 4. The meteoric victory of the fracking ban 5. Locking in the ban, the failure of attempts to challenge the law Conclusion to The Politics of Meaning Struggles Bibliography Index

‘Drawing inspiration from the politics of meaning creation, this fresh perspective of pragmatist constructivism proposes an explanation of public policy not as a coherent whole but as an investigation of interrelated micro-phenomena of semantic confrontation and power struggles in diverse discourse forums. Analytically rich and methodologically sophisticated, it helps us understand how facts and coalitions are built through political conflict and contestation in different settings to shape public policies that discuss, support, change or abandon established courses of action.’

Philippe Zittoun, Research Professor of Political Science, LAET-ENTPE, University of Lyon and Sébastien Chailleux, Associate Professor, Centre Emile Durkheim, Sciences Po Bordeaux, France

• Contents: Introduction to The Politics of Meaning Struggles 1. The containment of the first policy statement about granting licenses 2. The lightning-fast publicization of a tragic problem 3. The impossibility of problem-solving: manufacturing, circulating, and abandoning government proposals 4. The meteoric victory of the fracking ban 5. Locking in the ban, the failure of attempts to challenge the law Conclusion to The Politics of Meaning Struggles Bibliography Index

‘Drawing inspiration from the politics of meaning creation, this fresh perspective of pragmatist constructivism proposes an explanation of public policy not as a coherent whole but as an investigation of interrelated micro-phenomena of semantic confrontation and power struggles in diverse discourse forums. Analytically rich and methodologically sophisticated, it helps us understand how facts and coalitions are built through political conflict and contestation in different settings to shape public policies that discuss, support, change or abandon established courses of action.’

Philippe Zittoun, Research Professor of Political Science, LAET-ENTPE, University of Lyon and Sébastien Chailleux, Associate Professor, Centre Emile Durkheim, Sciences Po Bordeaux, France

• Contents: Introduction to The Politics of Meaning Struggles 1. The containment of the first policy statement about granting licenses 2. The lightning-fast publicization of a tragic problem 3. The impossibility of problem-solving: manufacturing, circulating, and abandoning government proposals 4. The meteoric victory of the fracking ban 5. Locking in the ban, the failure of attempts to challenge the law Conclusion to The Politics of Meaning Struggles Bibliography Index

‘Drawing inspiration from the politics of meaning creation, this fresh perspective of pragmatist constructivism proposes an explanation of public policy not as a coherent whole but as an investigation of interrelated micro-phenomena of semantic confrontation and power struggles in diverse discourse forums. Analytically rich and methodologically sophisticated, it helps us understand how facts and coalitions are built through political conflict and contestation in different settings to shape public policies that discuss, support, change or abandon established courses of action.’