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The promises and pitfalls of polysemic ideas: ‘One Health’ and antimicrobial resistance policy in Australia and the UK

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  • Adam Hannah

    (The University of Western Australia)

  • Erik Baekkeskov

    (The University of Melbourne)

Abstract

Recent scholarship posits that ambiguous (‘polysemic’) ideas are effective for coalition building between diverse stakeholders: their capacity to be interpreted differently attracts different interests. Hence, in search of political solutions to ‘wicked’ and similarly complex problems, deploying polysemic ideas would be critical to effective policy-making. This paper scopes the policy-making potential of polysemic ideas by examining the impact of an ambiguous concept known as ‘One Health’ on responses to antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in Australia and the UK. It offers two primary arguments. Firstly, polysemic ideas can help mobilise broad attention to complex problems: since One Health became associated with AMR, political and administrative attention has grown more intense and coordinated than previously. Secondly, however, a polysemic idea alone may be insufficient to generate effective action: the contrast between Australian and UK AMR policies illustrates that polysemic ideas do not suspend interests, institutions, or ideas that can be readily deployed.

Suggested Citation

  • Adam Hannah & Erik Baekkeskov, 2020. "The promises and pitfalls of polysemic ideas: ‘One Health’ and antimicrobial resistance policy in Australia and the UK," Policy Sciences, Springer;Society of Policy Sciences, vol. 53(3), pages 437-452, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:policy:v:53:y:2020:i:3:d:10.1007_s11077-020-09390-3
    DOI: 10.1007/s11077-020-09390-3
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Grace Skogstad & Matt Wilder, 2019. "Strangers at the gate: the role of multidimensional ideas, policy anomalies and institutional gatekeepers in biofuel policy developments in the USA and European Union," Policy Sciences, Springer;Society of Policy Sciences, vol. 52(3), pages 343-366, September.
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    6. Kelly Levin & Benjamin Cashore & Steven Bernstein & Graeme Auld, 2012. "Overcoming the tragedy of super wicked problems: constraining our future selves to ameliorate global climate change," Policy Sciences, Springer;Society of Policy Sciences, vol. 45(2), pages 123-152, June.
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    Cited by:

    1. Muscat, A. & de Olde, E.M. & Candel, J.J.L. & de Boer, I.J.M. & Ripoll-Bosch, R., 2022. "The Promised Land: Contrasting frames of marginal land in the European Union," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 112(C).
    2. Olivia Hawkins & Anna Mae Scott & Amy Montgomery & Bevan Nicholas & Judy Mullan & Antoine van Oijen & Chris Degeling, 2022. "Comparing public attitudes, knowledge, beliefs and behaviours towards antibiotics and antimicrobial resistance in Australia, United Kingdom, and Sweden (2010-2021): A systematic review, meta-analysis,," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 17(1), pages 1-26, January.

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