Beyond policy science and the emergence of critical policy studies in Asia

Lead Researcher(s): Noe John Joseph E. Sacramento
Status: Published

Abstract/summary: This chapter rethinks the core emergence of the so-called Asian Century in relation to the evolution and growth of the policy studies discipline. Despite Asia’s growing participation in global governance, economics, and socio-political systems, the chapter argues that the phenomenon of the Asian Century largely reflects the persistent dominance of Anglo-American techno-empiricist epistemological paradigms in policy practice—mainly centered in policy science. It critically questions whether Asia’s participation in the Asian Century represents an emancipatory shift for policy scholars, given the historical dominance of Western approaches in the discipline. To investigate this, the global participation of Asian policy scholars in critical policy discourse is analyzed. This exploration reveals an emancipating presence of Asian critical scholars, underscoring that much remains to be done. Furthermore, with the rise of illiberal democracies, autocracies, and authoritarian forces in the Global East, it highlights a pressing need to redirect policy scholarship toward more critical, interpretivist, and emancipatory frameworks.

Keywords:

• Asian century
• Critical
• Emancipatory
• Epistemology
• Policy studies
• Asia