This study employed the Qualitative Narrative Policy Framework (Q-NPF) and content analysis as methodological approaches in order to analyze the differences between the province of British Columbia’s New Democratic Party (NDP) and the British Columbia (BC) Liberal Party’s policy strategies towards the issues of poverty reduction and homelessness in BC. The Q-NPF is a theoretically deductive approach used to analyze narratives in public policy, and it's defining purpose is to “empirically understand the role of policy narratives in shaping public policy” (Gray & Jones, 2016, p. 22). Analyzing the policy recommendations and implementations by these political parties revealed how the parties framed poverty and homelessness issues. Three research questions guided this study: (i) Does the characterization of these issues within policy differ between the BC NDP and the BC Liberals, and if so, how? (ii) What narrative strategies did each political party use to promote their policy positions on poverty and homelessness, and how did these differ? (iii) Are there policy-related reasons for the continuation of poverty and homelessness in BC? The results of this study demonstrated that the characterization of poverty and homelessness within policy does indeed differ, which was demonstrated in the narrative strategies of both parties. While the NDP focused on their innovative, ‘landmark’ policies and programs, discredited and criticized past government efforts, and utilized themes of togetherness and community, the Liberal party’s two most dominant narrative strategies consisted of promoting past successes and strengthening economic prosperity. Finally, in regard to the third research question, assumptions were able to be made that pointed towards the notion that there are policy-related reasons for the continuation of poverty and homelessness in BC. However, evidence to sufficiently answer this question was found to be more nuanced and requires further research. / Graduate / 2021-08-17

The presence of disability in the political sphere has increased with the enactment of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) in 2005. In 2008, implementation of the first standard focused on Customer Service began in accordance with the AODA. While this legislation was in its early phase, it was crucial to conduct research to understand the ways the legislation was being expressed in practical terms. Research makes it possible to point to areas of unmet promises between theoretical and practice application of the AODA so that it may attain its full potential. The purpose of this study was to conduct a narrative policy analysis during the implementation phase of the AODA to identify the parallel and divergent stories that arise from policy actors. Using an interpretive stance, this study was conducted with key people who played a role in implementing the AODA in the municipal recreation context. Participants included both persons responsible for implementing the AODA (i.e., city employees) and people with disabilities who have been directly affected by this policy. This narrative policy analysis sought to uncover the stories (stories that are repeatedly told), counter-stories (those that run counter to dominant stories), and non-stories (stories that are not present) (Roe, 1994). Three groups of narratives arose from this study. Narratives about creating and implementing the AODA included stories about clear steps to implementation, enforcement guidelines, and proactive steps to achieve accessibility. Counter-stories described a need for more specific details, explicit enforcement guidelines, and a “deal with things as they come up” course of action. Narratives about disability examined meanings of disability present in the AODA for people with and without disabilities. Additional narratives explored discrimination against people with disabilities, links between accessibility standards and the removal of barriers for people with disabilities. Issues of accessibility were further explored in the context of leisure and recreation. Analysis revealed the diversity in leisure experiences of people with disabilities, and the need to expand the definition of accessibility for better inclusion in municipal recreation. These narratives were then contrasted and combined to form a metanarrative (alternative to consensus) to recast issues surrounding the AODA in a new light. The metanarrative highlighted a gap between the theory of the AODA and its practical applications. In theory, a policy was needed to improve the inclusion of people with disabilities in community; however, in practice, the AODA might not have the desired impact due in part to the interplay of policy and disability issues. This study suggests that the AODA is much more than what is written on paper in that it has the power to transform our society. The full intent of the AODA will be difficult to achieve until more people are aware of the legislation, its impacts, and its importance.

The presence of disability in the political sphere has increased with the enactment of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) in 2005. In 2008, implementation of the first standard focused on Customer Service began in accordance with the AODA. While this legislation was in its early phase, it was crucial to conduct research to understand the ways the legislation was being expressed in practical terms. Research makes it possible to point to areas of unmet promises between theoretical and practice application of the AODA so that it may attain its full potential. The purpose of this study was to conduct a narrative policy analysis during the implementation phase of the AODA to identify the parallel and divergent stories that arise from policy actors. Using an interpretive stance, this study was conducted with key people who played a role in implementing the AODA in the municipal recreation context. Participants included both persons responsible for implementing the AODA (i.e., city employees) and people with disabilities who have been directly affected by this policy. This narrative policy analysis sought to uncover the stories (stories that are repeatedly told), counter-stories (those that run counter to dominant stories), and non-stories (stories that are not present) (Roe, 1994). Three groups of narratives arose from this study. Narratives about creating and implementing the AODA included stories about clear steps to implementation, enforcement guidelines, and proactive steps to achieve accessibility. Counter-stories described a need for more specific details, explicit enforcement guidelines, and a “deal with things as they come up” course of action. Narratives about disability examined meanings of disability present in the AODA for people with and without disabilities. Additional narratives explored discrimination against people with disabilities, links between accessibility standards and the removal of barriers for people with disabilities. Issues of accessibility were further explored in the context of leisure and recreation. Analysis revealed the diversity in leisure experiences of people with disabilities, and the need to expand the definition of accessibility for better inclusion in municipal recreation. These narratives were then contrasted and combined to form a metanarrative (alternative to consensus) to recast issues surrounding the AODA in a new light. The metanarrative highlighted a gap between the theory of the AODA and its practical applications. In theory, a policy was needed to improve the inclusion of people with disabilities in community; however, in practice, the AODA might not have the desired impact due in part to the interplay of policy and disability issues. This study suggests that the AODA is much more than what is written on paper in that it has the power to transform our society. The full intent of the AODA will be difficult to achieve until more people are aware of the legislation, its impacts, and its importance.

In the decade of the 1990’s, people started to foresee a dark future wherein wars over the precious resource water would be a reality. This was to be called the water wars thesis and implied that countries would go to war to safeguard their own access to water. This sparked a debate over the legitimacy of the thesis. Although, even in 2018 the debate lives on and the water wars thesis still prevails as a quite influential thesis in media and on policymakers table. Therefore, an intriguing question arises as to why and how the thesis survives even when met with empirical data pointing to the other direction, cooperation. This research paper is examining this intriguing question by adopting a qualitative content analysis approach together with an analytical framework called narrative policy analysis. This framework seeks to explain complex policy issues such as the water wars thesis by examining the policy narratives behind them. Therefore, this will be used to examine documents and publication with the aim to observe policy narratives within the debate that may assist in explaining the prevalence of the water wars thesis. Thus, this research paper indicates that the prevalence of the water wars thesis may have roots in how the different positions portray the issue of water wars. Hence, this study has also indicated a divergence in what system beliefs the positions take.

In 2016, Gray and Jones adapted the narrative policy framework (NPF) to a qualitative context. In this research, I build from their resulting Qualitative NPF (Q-NPF) method to analyze 300 randomly selected Canadian media articles published between 2007-2017 on the topic of Medical Assistance In Dying (MAID). I begin by explaining how the concrete procedures of MAID are distinct from other end-of-life practices, and introduce the terminology that will be used throughout this research. I then introduce historic and academic literature relevant to the form and content of the contemporary media narratives to be analyzed, especially drawing theoretically from Rose’s (2013) discussion of biomedical personhood discourses and Butler’s theory of unevenly distributed precarity. I then explain the methodology of qualitative narrative policy analysis (Q-NPF), and apply it to Canada’s MAID debate by dividing the policy positions into what I call the Freedom, Protection, and Fence-sitting narrative policy camps. The Freedom camp advocated for MAID legalization; the Protection camp advocated against MAID legalization; and the Fence-sitting camp avoided advocating either for or against baseline legalization of MAID, instead weighing in only on peripheral issues. I discuss the qualitative differences of narrative content specific to these three camps, highlighting the most prominent narrative trends (by frequency of publication) and discussing the ways in which these findings either accord with or contradict the expectations of the literature review. Finally, I update the reader on Canadian legislative developments since 2017 and identify how the data of 2007-2017 anticipated these developments, demonstrating the salience and predictive power of Q-NPF. I conclude by proposing new directions for potential investigation. / Graduate / 2022-12-13

Today, tourists seek authentic experiences from places they visit. For countries where the historic environment is a key component of tourism, the concept of maintaining authenticity is vital to encourage potential visitors. Historic buildings, such as castles, were built in a time when accessibility for people with disabilities was not a major concern. Today, the number of people living with a disability is increasing and is expected to continue to grow as a result of the aging population and longer life expectancy. While all people may have a desire to participate in tourism, and a similar growing interest in an authentic experience, a historic site is enjoyed by all interested visitors only when it is accessible to all. How does a service provider enhance accessibility while continuing to preserve authenticity of the historic site? A service provider of a historic site is faced with the extra challenge of juggling both disability and heritage policy requirements. Satisfying the needs of both can be difficult and may, at times, feel like accessibility at a historic site is an impossible goal. Researching the interaction between these two types of policy and the influence they have on accessibility and disability at historic sites assists in the discovery of policy areas that interfere with a service provider’s ability to enhance accessibility. This may increase knowledge of how to increase accessibility, and how policy currently influences the perpetuation of accessibility and disability at these tourist sites. The purpose of this case study is to explore Glamis Castle in Scotland to illuminate accessibility at the confluence of three power contexts: the economics of tourism, the preservation of historic buildings, and the inclusion of people with disabilities. Stories uncovering the confluence of the three power contexts and its influence on Glamis Castle were created. Using narrative case study methodology and Roe’s (1994) approach to narrative policy analysis, stories about accessibility and disability at Glamis Castle were created through visual and textual data, and a review of policy and other related documentation. The stories reveal the current state of disability and heritage policy and its effect on Glamis Castle, the current perpetuation of disability and accessibility at the site, and current challenges that service providers may face at historic sites. The stories reveal the need for service providers, staff, and the public to be provided with more educational opportunities to help enhance accessibility at historic sites and encourage inclusion; specifically, they provide insight into the influence choice has on enhancing accessibility at the macro, organizational and individual levels.

Today, tourists seek authentic experiences from places they visit. For countries where the historic environment is a key component of tourism, the concept of maintaining authenticity is vital to encourage potential visitors. Historic buildings, such as castles, were built in a time when accessibility for people with disabilities was not a major concern. Today, the number of people living with a disability is increasing and is expected to continue to grow as a result of the aging population and longer life expectancy. While all people may have a desire to participate in tourism, and a similar growing interest in an authentic experience, a historic site is enjoyed by all interested visitors only when it is accessible to all. How does a service provider enhance accessibility while continuing to preserve authenticity of the historic site? A service provider of a historic site is faced with the extra challenge of juggling both disability and heritage policy requirements. Satisfying the needs of both can be difficult and may, at times, feel like accessibility at a historic site is an impossible goal. Researching the interaction between these two types of policy and the influence they have on accessibility and disability at historic sites assists in the discovery of policy areas that interfere with a service provider’s ability to enhance accessibility. This may increase knowledge of how to increase accessibility, and how policy currently influences the perpetuation of accessibility and disability at these tourist sites. The purpose of this case study is to explore Glamis Castle in Scotland to illuminate accessibility at the confluence of three power contexts: the economics of tourism, the preservation of historic buildings, and the inclusion of people with disabilities. Stories uncovering the confluence of the three power contexts and its influence on Glamis Castle were created. Using narrative case study methodology and Roe’s (1994) approach to narrative policy analysis, stories about accessibility and disability at Glamis Castle were created through visual and textual data, and a review of policy and other related documentation. The stories reveal the current state of disability and heritage policy and its effect on Glamis Castle, the current perpetuation of disability and accessibility at the site, and current challenges that service providers may face at historic sites. The stories reveal the need for service providers, staff, and the public to be provided with more educational opportunities to help enhance accessibility at historic sites and encourage inclusion; specifically, they provide insight into the influence choice has on enhancing accessibility at the macro, organizational and individual levels.

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