Abstract
In national policymaking speakers commonly refer to models and policies adopted elsewhere as a means to justify a bill. However, empirical analysis of parliamentary talk in eight national parliaments (Argentina, Canada, Chile, Finland, Mexico, Russia, Spain and the USA) reported in this article showed an interesting relationship between two types of justifications: of the eight countries compared, the ones that rank lowest in references to the international community as means to justify or criticize domestic legislation rank highest in the frequency with which national self-image is evoked. Yet these two types of justification exist in the same debates, because the occurrence of both of these discourses correlates with debate length. The variation is due to differences between political cultures: in countries like Argentina and the USA, where national self-image is employed most frequently, speakers have at their disposal stories that bolster beliefs about the country’s uniqueness. In contrast, in the parliaments of Canada and Finland, where references to national self-image are most infrequent, references to the country’s history are rare, and talk about national self-image is entwined with international references.
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© 2019 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston
Articles in the same Issue
- Frontmatter
- Articles
- National Self-Image as a Justification in Policy Debates: An International Comparison
- Pioneers in International Administration: A Prosopography of the Directors of the League of Nations Secretariat
- Commentary
- Stop Drifting, Start Rowing
- Review Essay
- Kathleen Burk: The Lion and the Eagle. The Interaction of the British and American Empires, 1783–1972; Derek Leebaert: Grand Improvisation. America Confronts the British Superpower, 1945–1957; Kori Schake: Safe Passage. The Transition from British to American Hegemony
- Reportage
- Total Control: Recoding Humanity?
- Book Reviews
- James R. Akerman, ed. Decolonizing the Map: Cartography from Colony to Nation
- Susan Whitfield: Silk, Slaves, and Stupas: Material Culture of the Silk Road
- A. G. Hopkins: American Empire: A Global History
Articles in the same Issue
- Frontmatter
- Articles
- National Self-Image as a Justification in Policy Debates: An International Comparison
- Pioneers in International Administration: A Prosopography of the Directors of the League of Nations Secretariat
- Commentary
- Stop Drifting, Start Rowing
- Review Essay
- Kathleen Burk: The Lion and the Eagle. The Interaction of the British and American Empires, 1783–1972; Derek Leebaert: Grand Improvisation. America Confronts the British Superpower, 1945–1957; Kori Schake: Safe Passage. The Transition from British to American Hegemony
- Reportage
- Total Control: Recoding Humanity?
- Book Reviews
- James R. Akerman, ed. Decolonizing the Map: Cartography from Colony to Nation
- Susan Whitfield: Silk, Slaves, and Stupas: Material Culture of the Silk Road
- A. G. Hopkins: American Empire: A Global History