eprintid: 10166570 rev_number: 7 eprint_status: archive userid: 699 dir: disk0/10/16/65/70 datestamp: 2023-03-15 08:05:33 lastmod: 2023-03-15 08:05:33 status_changed: 2023-03-15 08:05:33 type: article metadata_visibility: show sword_depositor: 699 creators_name: Radaelli, CM title: Occupy the semantic space! Opening up the language of better regulation ispublished: inpress divisions: UCL divisions: B03 divisions: C03 divisions: F30 keywords: Advocacy coalitions frame work, concepts, ideologies, language, regulation note: © 2023 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. abstract: Policy agendas are often cast in semantic constructions that portray them as universally desirable outcomes. These semantic constructions protect and reinforce the power of dominant coalitions and make it hard to pursue alternatives. The semantic space is entirely occupied by the dominant concepts. At the same time, within the dominant coalition, ideational conflict is muted by decontesting concepts. Drawing on political theory, I show the presence of this double act of reducing the semantic space and decontesting concepts with the case of ‘better regulation’. Then I briefly extend the argument to other terms such as policy coherence, agile governance, smart cities and social value judgements. The critical discussion of the implications of dominant language brings in transparency, allows other coalitions to articulate their vision in a discursive level-playing-field, and offers citizens the possibility to discuss what is really ‘better’ and ‘for whom’. date: 2023-03-01 date_type: published publisher: Informa UK Limited official_url: https://doi.org/10.1080/13501763.2023.2181852 oa_status: green full_text_type: pub language: eng primo: open primo_central: open_green verified: verified_manual elements_id: 2010680 doi: 10.1080/13501763.2023.2181852 lyricists_name: Radaelli, Claudio lyricists_id: CMRAD04 actors_name: Kalinowski, Damian actors_id: DKALI47 actors_role: owner full_text_status: public publication: Journal of European Public Policy issn: 1350-1763 citation: Radaelli, CM; (2023) Occupy the semantic space! Opening up the language of better regulation. Journal of European Public Policy 10.1080/13501763.2023.2181852 <https://doi.org/10.1080/13501763.2023.2181852>. (In press). Green open access document_url: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10166570/1/Radaelli_Occupy%20the%20semantic%20space_AOP.pdf