Frame-critical policy analysis and frame-reflective policy practice

Rein, Martin; Schön, Donald A.

doi:10.1007/bf02832235

Cited by 434 publications

(280 citation statements)

References 3 publications

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“…In the last few decades many scholars have described policy as discursive action [13][14][15], a trend which is related to the so-called "argumentative turn" in the social and political sciences [16]. A central tenet of discourse theory and the current research is the notion that the study of policy is necessarily a study of discourse: because "public policy is made of language" ( [17], p. 1).…”

Section: Research Approach and Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

From laissez-faire to intervention: Analysing policy narratives on interoperability standards for the smart grid in the United States

Muto

2017

Energy Research & Social Science

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A B S T R A C TThe imperative of realizing utopian visions of the smart grid puts unprecedented policy focus on standardization. Because standards are a prerequisite for deployment, the US federal government -in a departure from established hands-off practice -intervened to coordinate and accelerate standardization activities. This research uses narrative analysis to explore how such a policy of intervention was constructed. What emerges has elements of a hero story, describing a situation to be remedied: an aging electricity grid, plagued by blackouts and modernization hampered by an electric utility industry composed by stand-alone "silos". In contrast, the vision of a future "smart grid" with promises of improved energy security, reduced carbon emissions, renewable resources, "green innovation" and jobs. The threat: without standards, the risk that sizable public investments become obsolete prematurely. The villain: unnamed companies engaging in uncompetitive behavior. The unlikely hero: The National Institute of Standards and Technology, able to act as an "honest broker", proving that the government can as "catalyst" in partnership with industry. While succeeding in making a strong argument for government intervention, the story can be criticized for making exaggerated claims about the effects of standards, for downplaying the complexity of the process and for failure to outline policy alternatives beyond a fiveyear plan.

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Section: Research Approach and Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

From laissez-faire to intervention: Analysing policy narratives on interoperability standards for the smart grid in the United States

Muto

2017

Energy Research & Social Science

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“…In frame theory, conflicts are associated with "disputes in which contending parties hold conflicting frames" [30]. The basic idea of frames suggests that "there is a less visible foundation […] that lies beneath the more visible surface of language or behavior, determining its boundaries and giving it coherence" [31]. In other words, frames can be understood as an "interpretative lens" that defines and determines how an issue is understood, what is perceived to be important about it and what would be desired solutions for a conflict [25] thus influencing the outcomes of conflicts [32].…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sustainability Frames in the Context of the Energy Wood Conflict in Germany

Peters

Schraml

2015

Sustainability

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Abstract:Interpretations of the concept of sustainability vary substantially in relation to forests and their management, and they are usually present in conflicts about forest use. In this article, we consider underlying interests relating to conflicts of forest use as a given. Our aim is therefore not to reveal those interests, but rather to explore understandings of sustainability hiding behind them-sustainability frames. To this end, we use frame theory to investigate the following research question: How are different sustainability frames of interest groups reflected in a forest use conflict situation in Germany? The energy wood conflict serves as the example for our research, as it is currently the most prominent forest management conflict in Germany. Using 12 stakeholder interviews within three interest groups as the empirical data basis, it becomes clear that sustainability understandings reflect particular positionings in conflicts, or vice versa. In the energy wood conflict, the classic dichotomy between forestry and conservation groups becomes a trichotomy in which the forestry group splits into an interest group that profits from energy wood production and one that competes with it. We suggest that sustainability understandings do not represent worldviews that guide how actors understand conflicts, but rather that they are shaped according to actors' particular interests in conflicts.

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“…5 Policy entrepreneurs need to be able to frame their own definition of problems and solutions 6 such that they are accepted by other actors and hopefully integrated into their frame. Problem definition as a core interpretive activity is not only found in the work of Van Hulst and Yanow (2014) and Rein and Donald (1996)but also ties into the framing mechanisms described below. Focusing on the advocative moment and scrutinizing, the problem definition behavior of policy entrepreneurs in interaction with other actors also answers Mintrom and Norman (2009) call for more focus on interactions.…”

Section: Interpretive Dimension Of the Policy Entrepreneurmentioning

confidence: 96%