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Politics and Argumentation in Financial Literacy Education Policy

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International Handbook of Financial Literacy

Abstract

This chapter applies argumentation theory to reveal conclusion-premise-inference structures for Canadian financial education arguments in the public sphere. Consistent with prior research on policy argumentation, pathos and ethos are utilized over logos to advocate the inclusion and development of financial education. The chapter traces how Canadian financial education policy was shaped not by evidence, but by the values of political actors. By calling attention to the structure and substantive nature of political arguments, this chapter raises issues of importance to those producing and enacting policy. Only through awareness of the nuances of policy arguments can policy be challenged, and calls for evidence-based policy can be addressed.

This is a significantly re-worked version of a paper presented at the Ontario Society for Studies in Argumentation (OSSA) conference, May 2013, titled “When Politics Trump Argumentation: Financial Literacy Education Policy”.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    This paper employs Gottweis’s (2007) conception of political rhetoric as an “integral moment of policy making” that attempts to “convince, persuade, and communicate efficiently in the context of shaping and implementing public policies” (p. 240). In his view, rhetoric in policy production uses multiple channels (logos, ethos, pathos) to persuade with the goal of influencing policy.

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Acknowledgements

The author thanks Tone Kvernbekk and Robert C. Pinto for their helpful feedback and suggestions at various points in the development of this work.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Ontario Institute of Technology (UOIT), Faculty of Education, 11 Simcoe Street North, P.O. Box 385, Oshawa, ON, L1H 7L7, Canada

    Laura Elizabeth Pinto

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  1. Laura Elizabeth Pinto
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Correspondence to Laura Elizabeth Pinto .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Friedrich Schiller University Jena , Jena, Germany

    Carmela Aprea

  2. Goethe Universität Frankfurt, Frankfurt, Germany

    Eveline Wuttke

  3. Johannes Gutenberg Unversity Mainz, Mainz, Germany

    Klaus Breuer

  4. National Institute of Education Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore

    Noi Keng Koh

  5. University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom

    Peter Davies

  6. Vienna University of Economics and Business, Vienna, Wien, Austria

    Bettina Greimel-Fuhrmann

  7. California State University, East Bay, Long Beach, California, USA

    Jane S. Lopus

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Pinto, L.E. (2016). Politics and Argumentation in Financial Literacy Education Policy. In: Aprea, C., et al. International Handbook of Financial Literacy. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-0360-8_10

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-0360-8_10

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  • Online ISBN: 978-981-10-0360-8

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