Understanding issue salience, social inequality and the (non) appointment of UK public inquiries: a new research agenda
Thomas, OD; Cooper, S
Date: 9 January 2020
Article
Journal
Public Money and Management
Publisher
Taylor & Francis (Routledge)
Publisher DOI
Abstract
Why are public inquiries appointed and what factors are influential? Research shows that inquiry
appointment is driven by issue salience, but how this occurs is unclear. The authors suggest that
issue salience is driven by: (1) victim relatability, (2) visibility of failings and (3) perceived
blameworthiness. This has three significant ...
Why are public inquiries appointed and what factors are influential? Research shows that inquiry
appointment is driven by issue salience, but how this occurs is unclear. The authors suggest that
issue salience is driven by: (1) victim relatability, (2) visibility of failings and (3) perceived
blameworthiness. This has three significant implications. First, highly salient issues may lead
to the appointment of statutory-type inquiries, which might not be the most appropriate
form to effectively address the causes of inequality. Second, if wrongdoing against minorities
is not sufficiently relatable (as is often the case), there may be insufficient public salience to
drive demands for an inquiry. Finally, inquiries may privilege the investigation of
blameworthy behaviour and thereby overlook complex systemic flaws.
Social and Political Sciences, Philosophy, and Anthropology
Faculty of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences
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