Hans-Georg Gadamer's Dialogical Model Of Understanding

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This paper investigates on how dialogical model of understanding, as explicated in Hans-Georg Gadamer’s philosophical hermeneutics, may provide a mode of policy analysis. Dialogical model of understanding, in the context of doing policy analysis, is an approach of communication and understanding under the stream of interpretive social science. This paper is consisted of four parts. The first part introduces the concept of policy analysis, interpretive policy analysis and hermeneutics. The second part explores the meaning and details of dialogical model of understanding as explicated in Hans-Georg Gadamer’s philosophical hermeneutics. The third part investigates the implications which model of dialogical understanding could bring to policy analysis. The last part discusses about the limitations of dialogical model of understanding when being applied to policy analysis. Part I 1. What is policy analysis? The term policy analysis covers many different …show more content…

It is because democratic regime can, at least to certain extent, ensure a government to pursue openness, respect and possibility of self-transformation. As the government is elected by citizens in a democratic regime, there is a clear line of accountability that the government is supposed to be accountable to citizens; the government must keep itself open to citizens and respect them throughout policy formulation process given that the source of power is coming from them. Also, as citizens get the power of voting out government officials, the government must allow the possibility of self-transformation in order to respond the changing, and even conflicting, public opinions timely. In short, a clear line of accountability drawn between the government and citizens can somehow ensure that the government has a high intention to embrace a dialogical model of understanding while communicating with

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