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Consultation as a political process
Community Mental Health Journal
|January 1, 1977
Summary
Consultation is viewed as a political bargaining process where actors gain expertise and reputation. This perspective reframes consultation, highlighting its functions in problem definition, agenda setting, and interagency collaboration.
Area of Science:
- Political Science
- Organizational Behavior
- Public Administration
Background:
- Consultation is often analyzed through traditional frameworks.
- A political-bargaining perspective offers a novel lens for understanding consultation dynamics.
Purpose of the Study:
- To reframe consultation as a political-bargaining process.
- To explore the social meanings and functions of consultation through this political lens.
Main Methods:
- Conceptual analysis of consultation processes.
- Examination of the political-bargaining dynamics inherent in consultation.
Main Results:
- Consultation involves actors maximizing expertise, position, and reputation at minimal cost.
- Key functions include defining problems, prioritizing issues, legitimizing behavior, and fostering interagency links.
Conclusions:
- Viewing consultation as a political process shifts its social meaning.
- This perspective allows for empirical study of both intents and consequences.