The Intricacy of Policy Analysis: A Book Review

Abstract

Much has been written about mining projects and the contestation of these project development in the literature. The different perspectives that are employed to analyze this issue to some extent are enriching the academic debates but at the same time also increases the difficulty of understanding the problem. As a result, navigating the overall academic discussion in the subject matter is not an easy task. Instead of outlining the overall landscape of mining contestation in the literature, choosing a particular approach and being consistent with this choice is a strategic decision that may result in a high-quality academic work. Following this recipe, Ardianto chose the constructivist approach by employing Laclau and Mouffe’s discourse analysis to understand the mining project contestation in Rembang, Central Java, Indonesia. This paper aims to review a book by Ardianto, entitled "Mitos Tambang untuk Kesejahteraan: Pertarungan Wacana Kesejahteraan dalam Kebijakan Pertambangan" (The Myth of Mining for Welfare: The Welfare Discourses Struggle in Mining Policy).