This book sheds new light on the political battle to define and construct obesity as a policy issue. Through a rich analysis of the debates in Australia and the UK, it develops a nuanced analysis of the competing narratives that actors rely on to make sense of and argue about this issue, and documents how and to what effect they draw on scientific evidence to support their accounts. The real 'war on obesity', it demonstrates, has always been over the meaning and nature of this public health crisis. This insightful work will interest scholars of interpretive policy studies, critical public health and science and technology studies.

Provides an engaging and jargon-free analysis of the discourses surrounding obesity policy Offers a fresh, lively analysis of this contested policy field without getting mired in strong normative claims Analyses the nature of competing knowledge claims rather than advancing one perspective over another

Autorentext
John Boswell is Lecturer in Politics at the University of Southampton, UK. He conducts research on democratic governance, health policy and interpretive research methodology.

Inhalt
Chapter 1. Introducing the real 'war on obesity'.- Part I. Problem definition.- Chapter 2. Debating individual agency.- Chapter 3. Defining the scope.- Chapter 4. Disputing the problem.- Part II. Policy engagement.- Chapter 5. Representing knowledge.- Chapter 6. Claiming knowledge.- Chapter 7. Contesting knowledge.- Chapter 8. Transmitting knowledge.- Chapter 9. Conclusion.