Understanding construction sector policy through narrative analysis: a critical perspective

Construction management researchers are too often subservient to the accepted orthodoxy of construction sector policy. They thereby abrogate their academic responsibility to challenge taken-for-granted assumptions. Policy is seen to be formulated and enacted through the medium of narrative. The constituent storylines are further shaped and conditioned by the meta narratives which characterise the political economies within which they are embedded. Published policy reports hence comprise rich empirical data sources which lend themselves to critical deconstruction through narrative analysis. Insights can be gained not only from the content of such reports, but also from the way in which they are scripted. Research of this nature holds policy makers to account for their actions. It is contended that the supposed ‘dysfunctional’ nature of the construction sector can often be ascribed to the unintended consequences of previous policy initiatives. Particular attention is given to the topical narrative of modern methods of construction (MMC).