Identity cards and political commitment: a study in the formation, operationalisation and measurement of a concept

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Denny, R., 2012. Identity cards and political commitment: a study in the formation, operationalisation and measurement of a concept. PhD, Nottingham Trent University.

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Abstract

This thesis presents a new definition of the concept of political commitment. It shows how the concept can be operationalised for empirical research in parliamentary and executive settings, and reports findings from a study to measure the commitment of the Labour Government to its identity card policy. Drawing on literature from across the social sciences, the thesis derives an eight-limbed synthesis definition of the concept. This new definition is operationalised for empirical examination in a single case study of British identity cards policy between 2001 and 2006. The Labour government‘s stance towards compulsory identity cards remained robust in the face of strong parliamentary, media and pressure group opposition, and is offered as an ―extreme‖ case study of commitment. The thesis uses these findings to evaluate the concept formation and operationalisation process, and compares results in operationalising for the parliamentary and executive arenas. Data are drawn from elite interviews, parliamentary archives, biographies, and policy documents. The thesis concludes that this new approach to political commitment allows for a nuanced understanding of the concept, which offers a more accurate description of the relationship between governments and ―object‖ of their commitment than the existing theory permits. It also provides a solid foundation for the development of explanatory models of political commitment, in the future.

Item Type:	Thesis
Creators:	Denny, R.
Date:	2012
Rights:	This work is the intellectual property of the author. You may copy up to 5% of this work for private study, or personal, non-commercial research. Any re-use of the information contained within this document should be fully referenced, quoting the author, title, university, degree level and pagination. Queries or requests for any other use, or if a more substantial copy is required, should be directed to the owner of the Intellectual Property Rights.
Divisions:	Schools > School of Social Sciences
Record created by:	EPrints Services
Date Added:	09 Oct 2015 09:35
Last Modified:	09 Oct 2015 09:35
URI:	https://irep.ntu.ac.uk/id/eprint/214