Depoliticisation and the ‘extra-political’: An exploration of new forms of citizen engagement / political participation in the output side of politics

Depoliticisation has been the subject of extensive research by political scientists, including its role in the removal of the political character of decision making (Burnham, 2001) and the success of re-politicisation strategies (Kuzemko, 2014). Recent research of the phenomena has focused on methods by which bodies retain and maintain their depoliticised status under conditions of political stress (Wood, 2014). Fawcett and Marsh’s (2014) recent review of the depoliticisation concept and its relationship with political participation highlighted an emphasis on the input side of politics, characterized by Bang (2009:123) as a politics-policy approach. Such an approach prioritizes how “conflicting interests (and identities) acquire free and equal access to, and recognition in, political decision making processes”. Conversely, Fawcett and Marsh (2014) contend that the depoliticisation literature has failed to adequately discuss the output side of politics, regarded as ‘extra-political.’

This paper attempts to address this shortcoming by examining new forms of citizen engagement and political participation, as noted by Bang (2010), which are more output-oriented. The framework for this study will entail an in-depth case study of the 2014 report of the Commission on Public Service Governance and Delivery in Wales, a devolved region of the UK. The report has recommended a major reconfiguration of local authorities in Wales, in ways which have considerable and potentially complex implications for political engagement, both within the local government apparatus and between it and wider civil society. The paper will accordingly analyse the response to the Williams Report by a variety of actors and groups directed towards the output side of politics. By so doing the paper aims to improve our understanding of depoliticisation and the role played by new forms of citizen engagement / political participation in the output side of politics.