Economic Advice and Rhetoric: Why Do Consultants Perform Better Than Academic Advisers?

313 Pages·2010·1.3 MB·English

by  Onno Bouwmeester

Economic Advice and Rhetoric

Economic Advice and
Rhetoric
Why do Consultants Perform Better than
Academic Advisers?
Onno Bouwmeester
Associate Professor in Management Consulting, VU University
Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Edward Elgar
Cheltenham, UK • Northampton, MA, USA
© Onno Bouwmeester 2010
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored
in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic,
mechanical or photocopying, recording, or otherwise without the prior
permission of the publisher.
Published by
Edward Elgar Publishing Limited
The Lypiatts
15 Lansdown Road
Cheltenham
Glos GL50 2JA
UK
Edward Elgar Publishing, Inc.
William Pratt House
9 Dewey Court
Northampton
Massachusetts 01060
USA
A catalogue record for this book
is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Control Number: 2009938398
ISBN 978 1 84844 263 4
Printed and bound by MPG Books Group, UK
2
0
Contents
List of fi gures vi
List of tables vii
List of boxes ix
About the author x
Preface xi
1 Introduction: consultants and academics in competition 1
2 Consultants’ and academics’ views on advice 24
3 Advice analysis and rhetoric 43
4 Espoused theory of advice argumentation 77
5 Advice on further growth of Amsterdam Airport 134
6 Advice on liberalization in the electricity market 176
7 Conclusions and discussion 210
8 Advice on advice 242
Reports discussed in the cases 264
References 266
Index 279
v
Figures
1.1 Academic advisers and consultants on the Dutch market for
economic advice 6
1.2 Line of argument in outline 22
3.1 Pattern of an argument based on Toulmin 51
3.2 Enriched Toulmin analysis 61
4.1 Grounds in an argument from eff ect to cause 94
4.2 Warrants in an argument 104
4.3 Backings in an argument 113
7.1 Number of reports that meet consultant ethos (top) or
academic ethos (bottom) 214
8.1 Three dimensions that characterize advice 244
vi
Tables
1.1 Actors and their diff erent positions in the consulting process 9
3.1 Three rhetorical genres 50
4.1 Warrants that can support normative or positive claims 103
4.2 Emphasis in the argumentation 126
4.3 Methodological outline of reports 127
4.4 Preferred styles of argumentation 132
5.1 Claims, grounds and rebuttals in the Amsterdam Airport
debate 140
5.2 Advice by consultants about Amsterdam Airport 144
5.3 Advice by academics about Amsterdam Airport 145
5.4 Quantifi cation of grounds by consultants 152
5.5 Quantifi cation of grounds by academic advisers 153
5.6 First and second level warrants implied in reports about
growth of Amsterdam Airport 158
5.7 Sources as backing for statements in reports about the
growth of Amsterdam Airport 166
5.8 Diff erences in structure and presentation of Amsterdam
Airport reports 170
6.1 Claims, grounds and rebuttals in the liberalization debate 182
6.2 Consultant advice about liberalization 188
6.3 Academic advice about liberalization 189
6.4 Quantifi cation of eff ects by consultants in liberalization debate 192
6.5 Quantifi cation of eff ects by academics in liberalization debate 193
6.6 First and second level warrants in the debate about
liberalization of the electricity market 196
6.7 Sources as backing for statements in reports about
liberalization 201
6.8 Diff erences in structure and presentation of liberalization
reports 205
7.1 Specialist or generalist argumentation 216
7.2 Treatment of the claim 218
7.3 The use of grounds 220
7.4 Implied warrants on the fi rst and second argumentation level 222
7.5 The use of backings 225
7.6 Styles of presentation 228
vii
viii Economic advice and rhetoric
7.7 Confrontation between ethos and the practice of advice
argumentation 231
7.8 Cases where academic argument varies between debates by
three or more reports 235
Boxes
5.1 Selected reports about the growth of Amsterdam Airport 136
6.1 Selected reports about liberalization of the electricity market 178
ix