Symbolic policy

• Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies
• EGPP: European Governance and Politics Programme

Join Florence Faucher and Laurie Boussaguet to explore how symbols communicate implicit messages in public policy.

Symbols are often overlooked, yet they are widely used in public policy. What are they, and what purpose do they serve? This research argues that public authorities use symbols to communicate cognitive and emotional content to their audience and convey implicit messages that are difficult to articulate explicitly. Public actors draw from repertoires they share with the community, and their choices are shaped by factors such as the nature of the focusing event or issue, the political and electoral context, the leaders’ persona (personality, background, leadership style), the timing (duration, repetition, wear), and distinct national repertoires.

This presentation adopts a comparative approach to demonstrate these dynamics: diachronically, through responses to the 2015 terrorist attacks in Paris, and spatially, through the European response to the 2020 pandemic.