{"id":325,"date":"2015-02-03T10:38:45","date_gmt":"2015-02-03T10:38:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/tool-besafe.pensoft.net\/?p=325"},"modified":"2017-02-22T14:04:44","modified_gmt":"2017-02-22T14:04:44","slug":"how-do-we-determine-if-an-argument-is-effective","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/besafetool.euprojects.awt-2.arphahub.com\/index.php\/2015\/02\/03\/how-do-we-determine-if-an-argument-is-effective\/","title":{"rendered":"How do we determine if an argument is effective"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Thematic<\/strong>Intended audience<\/strong>
\nThis brief provides information and ideas for analysts of policy and arguments<\/span>, policy-makers, decision-makers and advocacy.<\/p>\n

Topic: How to study the effectiveness of arguments<\/strong>
\nEffects of arguments are easiest to observe within the context of where they are used, and also considering the interactions between different arguments. The analysis of argumentation can be conducted through observational investigation of case-studies where different arguments are used or by observation of chains of arguments. Argument effectiveness can be addressed also at a more general level, by considering the logic of the argument and making causal inferences. These two approaches may be broadly referred to as observed effectiveness and potential effectiveness, respectively.<\/p>\n

Observed effectiveness<\/strong> can be analysed through empirical work; it requires observations of relations, between e.g. events, decision-making levels or stakeholders<\/span>. Effects take place when the arguments in one event, at one level or by one stakeholder<\/span> produce a change in behaviour or in arguments used in another event, level or by other stakeholders. Analysing policy processes, we observe effectiveness across stages of the policy cycle, across governance<\/span> levels and across actor types.<\/p>\n

Potential effectiveness<\/strong> can be studied empirically or by applying methods of logic, as used by philosophy, semantics and linguistics. Potential effectiveness can be analysed as an exercise of logical inference, which is used, for example, in legal analyses and assessments of new laws or other argumentation referring to standards, such as biodiversity<\/span> policy. Empirically, potential effectiveness can be sought from people\u2019s evaluations of how different arguments might contribute to policy outcomes. The analysis of potential effectiveness relies on recording the sequence of inference by the analyst or informants\u2019 views on effectiveness.<\/p>\n

Arguments at different stages of policy cycle<\/strong>
\nBESAFE took the policy process to consist of five phases: 1) Agenda setting, 2) Policy formulation, 3) Policy adoption, 4) Policy implementation 5) Policy evaluation (Figure 1).<\/p>\n

The BESAFE analyses showed that different types of arguments were used at different stages of the policy cycle. Judging by the frequency of different types of arguments at each stage, it appears that the intrinsic value<\/span><\/span><\/span> of nature type arguments dominate at the early stages of the process, while different types of benefit<\/span> arguments are used in the middle of the process and legal obligation arguments are most frequent at the implementation and evaluation stages.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Potential effectiveness<\/strong>
\nAnalysing potential effectiveness, the BESAFE case studies found that:<\/p>\n