FASS3999 Chap.4 Problem Representation and the WPR Approach
Problem Representation and the WPR Approach
The second Week 3 tool comes from Carol Bacchi's What's the Problem Represented to be? approach, set as a short required reading. Where most analysis accepts a problem and judges the proposed solution, this approach starts from the solution and works backwards to the account of the problem it implies.
Six questions then examine that account: what the problem is represented to be, what assumptions underpin it, how the representation came about, what it leaves unproblematic, what effects it produces, and where it has been produced, defended and might be contested. Bacchi designed the questions for policy, but the unit applies them to partner organisations, whose programs carry problem representations of their own.
The chapter works an invented example step by step, shows how silences differ from accusations, and explains when to lead with WPR and when to lead with theory of change.
What this chapter covers
- 01
Problem questioning as an alternative to problem solving
- 02
Reading backwards from a proposed solution
- 03
The six questions and the order in which they work
- 04
Genealogy of a framing and why history matters
- 05
Silences, alternatives and effects on people
- 06
Combining WPR with theory of change in one analysis
- 07
Preparing partner questions before the panel
Worked example · free
Applying WPR to a fictional anti-littering campaign
- +1Representation: litter is represented as a problem of careless individual behaviour.
- +1Assumption: visitors know what to do and simply choose not to, and bins are adequate.
- +1Origin: the framing draws on long-running personal-responsibility campaigns that are cheap to run.
- +1Silences: packaging design, bin capacity on peak days and the absence of collection in nearby streets.
- +1Effects: blame falls on visitors while infrastructure and producers escape scrutiny.
- +1Alternative: represent the problem as insufficient infrastructure and packaging waste, directing action to collection schedules and producer responsibility.
Key terms
- WPR Approach
- Carol Bacchi's method for analysing how policies and proposals represent problems, organised around six critical questions.
- Problem Questioning
- An analytical stance that examines how a problem has been framed instead of taking the framing as given.
- Presupposition
- A background belief that a problem representation depends on but does not state.
- Genealogy
- The history of how a particular way of framing a problem emerged and came to seem natural.
- Silence
- An aspect of an issue that a problem representation leaves unexamined or treats as unproblematic.
Problem Representation and the WPR Approach FAQ
What does WPR stand for?
It stands for What's the Problem Represented to be?, an approach developed by Carol Bacchi. It treats every proposed solution as containing an implicit account of the problem and asks critical questions about that account.
Why read backwards from the solution?
Organisations usually present a solution first. The solution reveals what they believe the problem is, which lets you identify assumptions and omissions that a direct description of the problem would hide.
Is pointing out a silence the same as criticising the organisation?
No. Every framing leaves something out, including your own. Identifying a silence shows the limits of a representation and suggests where your discipline or project might add something.
Do I have to answer all six questions in my essay?
Use them all in your notes, but write about the ones that reveal the most. Silences and effects often produce the strongest analysis, while the earlier questions establish a fair description.
Assessment move
Read the short Bacchi chapter in full before your Week 3 tutorial, then practise on everyday material: a government advertisement, a charity appeal or a news headline. For each, write one sentence per question, starting with 'The problem is represented as'. Keep these practice sheets; they train you to see representations quickly.
Before the partner panel, visit each partner's website and write question 1 for every organisation from its own description of its work. During the panel, listen for evidence that confirms or complicates your first reading. Afterwards, spend most of your effort on questions 4 and 5, silences and effects, since these are where analysis moves beyond description.
For question 3, ask a history or media student in your group to trace where a framing came from; a single dated source such as an inquiry or report is often enough. Finally, combine tools. Write one theory-of-change sentence and one WPR sentence for each partner, and decide which tool reveals the more interesting difference between them. Lead your essay with that tool, and use the other to support it.
