The Glasgow miracle? Storytelling, violence reduction and public policy

Fraser, A. and Gillon, F. (2023) The Glasgow miracle? Storytelling, violence reduction and public policy. Theoretical Criminology, (doi: 10.1177/13624806231208432) (Early Online Publication)

Abstract

The city of Glasgow, once dubbed the ‘murder capital of Europe’, has more recently become famed for its experiments in violence reduction. In this article, based on a large-scale study of violence reduction, we focus on the discursive construction of this so-called ‘Glasgow miracle’. Based on interviews with 40 senior stakeholders working in Scotland during the period 2000–2020, we explore the significance of dramatic personal stories of tragedy, redemption, and rebirth in shifting the public narrative around violence. In so doing, we contribute new empirical and theoretical evidence to narrative criminology, demonstrate the conditions under which progressive policies can come to the fore, and interrogate the role of storytellers in communicating these stories with persuasion and influence.

• Item Type: Articles
• Additional Information: The authors disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship and/or publication of this article: This work was supported by the Economic and Social Research Council, (grant number ES/T005793/1).
• Keywords: Violence, policy mobility, Scotland, Bourdieu, narrative criminology, social transformation.
• Status: Early Online Publication
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Gillon, Dr Fern and Fraser, Professor Alistair
• Authors: Fraser, A., and Gillon, F.
• College/School: College of Social Sciences > School of Social and Political Sciences > Sociology Anthropology and Applied Social Sciences
• Journal Name: Theoretical Criminology
• Publisher: Sage Publications
• ISSN: 1362-4806
• ISSN (Online): 1461-7439
• Published Online: 05 November 2023
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2023 The Author(s)
• First Published: First published in Theoretical Criminology 2023
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced under a Creative Commons license

Project Code	Award No	Project Name	Principal Investigator	Funder's Name	Funder Ref	Lead Dept
307059		What Worked? Policy Mobility and the Public Health Approach to Youth Violence	Alistair Fraser	Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC)	ES/T005793/1	S&PS - Social Centre for Criminal Justice Research