Lived Policy: Towards the Humanization of Telecommunications

ABSTRACT This paper develops the concept of “lived policy” for the methodological toolkits of critical, qualitative communication policy scholars. Lived policy seeks to understand how public policies are lived by those impacted by them. It is inspired by research in “lived religion” and “lived theology” which connect theological studies with the lived realities of those who practice religion. Lived policy aims to humanize the policymaking process and the critique of public policy by grounding it in the lives of those most impacted by policy decisions. Examples from a larger study on US rural broadband policy are used to illustrate this approach.