Lessons from a Comparative Longitudinal Analysis of Discourse Network Coalitions: Defining Bed Bug Infestations as a Public Problem in Québec and France (2007-2024)

In 2020, Leifeld developed a research agenda centered on the Discourse Network Analysis framework to advance our understanding of policy processes. In this paper, we build on his proposal to investigate how political systems and national institutions shape the emergence and structuring of discourse coalitions and networks (Leifeld 2020: 181). We also follow his recommendation to develop our theoretical findings based on the comparison of empirical cases situated in different contexts (Ibid.). Indeed, a quick review of articles citing Leifeld's 2020 agenda reveals that nearly all researchers conduct single-case studies (e.g., Schaub 2021; Vogeler et al. 2021), with few exceptions, such as Mijailoff & Burns (2023). In this paper, we examine how discourse coalitions have emerged and become structured in France and the Canadian province of Québec around a particular public problem—bed bug infestations—since the mid-2000s. The case of bed bug infestations is interesting in several respects. First, in both cases studied, different types of political actors frame the problem differently and advocate for distinct policy solutions. Second, the level of media attention and the career of the public problem within the media sphere differ across cases. Finally, the policy outcomes of the Québec and French cases exhibit some notable differences (for instance, the French action plan is more protective of tenants). Our analysis is based on the collection and analysis of 113 articles published in two leading Québec newspapers (Le Devoir and Le Journal de Montréal) and 181 articles published in two leading French newspapers (Le Monde and Le Parisien). Using the DNA software, we identified and coded the claims made by political actors regarding bed bug infestations—789 in the Québec case and 1,016 in the French case. Using the Visone software and R, we described the discourse coalitions in France and Québec, their weight, and their variations over time. To do so, we use indicators and representations associated to Social Network Analysis, including congruence and conflict networks, density and clustering, and centrality measures. In the French case, the analysis is further enriched by interviews conducted with political actors. The comparative analysis allows us to highlight the similarities and differences in the nature, weight, and variations of the coalitions in France and Québec. It also enables us to identify how the two political systems and their institutions shape the emergence and structuring of discourse coalitions and networks. The implications for the DNA framework and theories of the policy process are examined.