A Framing Perspective on Field Emergence: Constructing Institutional Fields as Settlements

Abstract

Research on the formation of institutional fields has under- studied the micro-processes by which actors construct fields and how these processes may vary in different field structures. In this paper, I develop a framing perspective on field emergence, theorizing the relationship between the structure of a field and the frames that field actors use to influence the interpretation of unsettled issues emerging in a field. I extend the insight that fields form around issues by suggesting that fields can form around issues in different ways, depending on how issues are framed and on the extent to which different issue frames are able to attract attention and support in different field structures. The model relates two different types of issue frames (adversarial vs collaborative issue frames) to two field structures (centralized vs fragmented), illustrating several types of field-level changes that can emerge from the interaction of these issue frames and field structures.