Making and Unmaking “objects”

Through applications of the WPR approach from several policy fields, this chapter explores the proposition that policies produce “objects”. It draws upon theory introduced in Chapter 3, with emphasis upon the notions of discursive practice, genealogy, and governmentality. The following questions guide the analysis: What does it mean to problematize an assumed “object for thought”? How are “objects” constituted through governing practices? What role do expert knowledges play in constituting “objects for thought”? How do concepts become “objects” through measurement? How does rethinking “objects” as the products of practices open up space to cultivate alternative problematizations?