Getting service at the constituency office: Analyzing citizens' encounters with their Member of Parliament
Emily Hofstetter
Elizabeth Stokoe
2134/34772
https://repository.lboro.ac.uk/articles/journal_contribution/Getting_service_at_the_constituency_office_Analyzing_citizens_encounters_with_their_Member_of_Parliament/9476909
In this paper, we present an analysis of how constituents procure services at the constituency office of a Member of Parliament (MP) in the United Kingdom. This paper will investigate how several previously documented interactional
practices (e.g. entitlement) combine at the constituency office in a way that secures service. From a corpus of 12.5 hours of interaction, and using conversation
analysis, we examine constituents’ telephone calls and meetings with constituency
office staff and the MP, identifying practices constituents use. First, constituents opened encounters with bids to tell narratives. Second, constituents
presented lengthy and detailed descriptions of their difficulties. These descriptions
gave space to manage issues of legitimacy and entitlement, while simultaneously
recruiting assistance. Third, we examine ways in which constituents display uncertainty about how the institution of the constituency office functions, and what services are available. The paper offers original insights into how constituency services are provided, and how constituency offices give access and support to ordinary citizens, while expanding the conversation analytic literature on institutional service provision.
2018-09-10 09:05:22
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Service encounter
Conversation analysis
Member of parliament
Constituency office
Institutional talk
Language, Communication and Culture not elsewhere classified
Studies in Human Society not elsewhere classified