As Kooiman notes, governance
implies “a linguistic coding of problem
definitions and patterns of action” (quoted in
Grote and Gbikpi, 2002, p. 13). This view parallels
recent post-modern theories of political
consensus formation (see Hajer, 2003a),
which implies a reliance on the formation of
discursive constructions (through the mobilisation
of discourse alliances) that produces an
image, if not an ideology, a representation of
a desirable good, while, at the same time,
ignoring or silencing alternatives. These
discursive or representational strategies have
become powerful mechanisms for producing
hegemony and, with it, legitimacy. The latter,
of course, remains extremely fragile as it can
be continuously undermined by means of
counter-hegemonic discourses and the mobilisation
of a deconstructionist apparatus for deciphering
the codings of power that are
imbedded in legitimising discourses.