Content and discourse analysis methods help policy analysts unpack hidden meanings in texts and language. These techniques reveal how words shape perceptions and power dynamics, offering insights into framing, critical approaches, and coding schemes.

Analyzing manifest and latent content allows researchers to dig deeper into policy documents. By examining both surface-level elements and underlying themes, analysts can uncover assumptions and ideologies that influence public policy decisions and outcomes.

Content and Discourse Analysis Methods

Analyzing Content and Language

• Content analysis examines the presence, meanings, and relationships of words, themes, or concepts within qualitative data (text, images, or media)
• Discourse analysis studies how language is used to construct social reality, focusing on the ways language shapes perceptions, identities, and power relations
• Textual analysis involves the systematic examination of texts to uncover their structure, content, and meaning, often considering the social and historical context in which they were produced

Framing and Critical Approaches

• Framing analysis investigates how issues are presented and portrayed in media or political communication, emphasizing certain aspects while downplaying others (highlighting economic benefits over environmental concerns)
• Critical discourse analysis examines how language perpetuates social power abuse, dominance, and inequality, often focusing on issues related to gender, race, or class (analyzing political speeches for discriminatory language)

Coding Approaches

Developing Coding Schemes

• A coding scheme is a systematic way of organizing and categorizing qualitative data based on themes, concepts, or categories
• Inductive coding involves deriving codes and themes directly from the data, allowing patterns and concepts to emerge organically (identifying recurring themes in interview transcripts)
• Deductive coding uses predefined codes or categories based on existing theories, research questions, or hypotheses to analyze the data (applying a theoretical framework to analyze policy documents)

Ensuring Reliability

• Intercoder reliability measures the degree to which different coders agree on the coding of the same qualitative data, ensuring consistency and reproducibility of the analysis
  • Involves multiple coders independently coding a subset of the data and comparing their results
  • Disagreements are resolved through discussion and refinement of the coding scheme

Types of Content

Manifest and Latent Content

• Manifest content refers to the visible, surface-level elements of a text, such as the frequency of specific words or phrases (counting the occurrence of "climate change" in a set of articles)
• Latent content involves the underlying, implicit meanings or themes within a text, requiring a deeper level of interpretation (identifying the underlying assumptions or ideologies in a policy document)
  • Latent content analysis often involves considering the context, connotations, and symbolic meanings of the text
  • Requires a more subjective and interpretive approach compared to manifest content analysis