Stakeholders Frame Research Articles

Defining “success” in large-scale agricultural investment: a typology based on different stakeholder perspectives

In 2007/2008, a triple crisis of food, fuel and finance sparked a global rush for agricultural land; tens of millions of hectares were acquired, primarily by foreign investors, within countries in the Global South. Amidst those transactions, intergovernmental organizations, national governments, investors, and community members envisioned what “success” of such investments entails. Although not explicitly defined, each stakeholder had different conceptualizations and measures of it, based upon the descriptions used and desired outcomes sought. Despite a large amount of literature analyzing the global rush for land, as far as we are aware no one has analyzed the diverse viewpoints about what success entails. This paper compares conceptualizations among four key stakeholder groups, based on ideal types from dominant narratives, and develops a typology of ideal stakeholder framing of success to allow comparisons of uses and thereby provide a foundation for researchers who are assessing the global land rush. This paper provides clarity about widely used, but inconsistently defined, framing providing an important foundation for clarity of meaning and comparative differences between stakeholders. The typology advances the discourse on the land rush by providing nuance to this widely used framing and makes explicit its diverse meanings.

Developing meaningful water-energy-food-environment (WEFE) nexus indicators with stakeholders: An Upper White Nile case study

The Upper White Nile (UWN) basin plays a critical role in supporting essential ecosystem services and the livelihoods of millions of people in East Africa. The basin has been exposed to tremendous environmental pressures following high population growth, urbanisation, and land use change, all of which are compounded by the threats posed by climate change and insufficient financial and human resources. The water-energy-food-environment (WEFE) nexus provides a framework to assess solution options towards sustainable development by minimising the trade-offs between water, energy, and food resources. However, the majority of existing WEFE nexus indicators and tools tend to be developed without consideration of practitioners at the local level, thus constraining the practical application within real-world contexts. To try to address this gap and operationalise the WEFE nexus, we examined how local stakeholders frame the most pressing WEFE nexus challenges within the UWN basin, how these can be represented as indicators, and how existing WEFE nexus modelling tools could address this. The findings highlight the importance of declining water quality and aquatic ecosystem health as a result of deforestation and increasing agricultural intensity, with stakeholders expressing concerns for the uncertain impacts from climate change. Furthermore, a review of current WEFE nexus modelling tools reveals how they tend to be insufficient in addressing the most pressing environmental challenges within the basin, with a significant gap regarding the inclusion of water quality and aquatic ecosystem indicators. Subsequently, these findings are combined in order to guide the development of WEFE nexus indicators that have the potential to spatially model the trade-offs within the WEFE nexus in the UWN basin under climate change scenarios. This work provides an example of how incorporating local stakeholder's values and concerns can contribute to the development of meaningful indicators, that are fit-for-purpose and respond to the actual local needs.

Framing just transition: The case of sustainable food system transition in Finland

AbstractJustice in sustainability transitions requires states to design transition policies that ‘leave no‐one behind’. Emphasising fairness, however, may entail slowing or scaling down the impetus of sustainability transition. To examine this risk empirically, we analysed how stakeholders frame justice in deliberating policy measures needed to support just transition in agricultural land use and dietary changes, the cornerstones of building healthier and climate friendlier food systems in Finland. The results show that justice frames focus on the potential impacts of transition, largely ignore global scale, and prioritise social justice claims at the cost of environmental ambition. To create just and environmentally effective policies, policymakers need to consider justice at the level of policy‐mixes combining environmental and social policies. Furthermore, they need to acknowledge systemic injustices present in existing systems while striving towards just transition.

Different people, different wild: Comparing and mapping wilderness representation in Wuyishan National Park, China

It is essential to better integrate wilderness representations of different stakeholders into wilderness conservation. The way in which local residents and other stakeholders frame the construction of wilderness of protected areas in developing countries are poorly understood. In these areas, land use policy and decision may lead to conflicts. This study aims to explore existing public wilderness representations using a questionnaire survey (n = 514) administered amongst tourists and other stakeholders in the Wuyishan National Park, in southeast China. The spatial differences in public representations of wilderness across different stakeholder groups were compared against expert knowledge. We found that integrated wilderness representation maps of different stakeholder groups were consistent, namely ‘area where wild animals live’, ‘area with no human influence’, ‘a barren and lonely area’. However, three sub-representations of the individual stakeholders varied significantly. Moreover, expert-based wilderness mapping did not reflect public representations accurately, and an integrated wilderness quality map considering wilderness representations across both stakeholders and experts can better identify detailed wilderness areas. Our study provides new insights and technical support for future exploration of wilderness conservation and mapping in China and other countries with insufficient awareness of wilderness values and investigations in a regional scale.

Achieving stakeholder alignment in digital transformation: A frame transformation perspective

Digital transformation (DT) offers organizations the opportunity for operational and strategic innovation, leading to increased efficiencies and transformative changes. However, successfully implementing DT initiatives requires collaboration among diverse stakeholders with varying perspectives, motivations, and capabilities. This study explores how stakeholders frame the DT process to achieve alignment and implement DT initiatives. Drawing upon the concepts of frames and frame alignment mechanisms, the study examines how stakeholders strategically influence each other’s interpretations through frame alignment mechanisms. A case study of a council-wide DT initiative in an Australian city council was conducted to analyze stakeholders' strategic alignment efforts. The findings reveal differing interpretations of the DT process among stakeholders and the strategic efforts to align the various interpretations through a frame transformation of planning, implementation, and communication frames. Based on the findings, a process model for achieving alignment in DT initiatives is proposed, capturing the dynamic nature of frames and their interactions. This study contributes to the understanding of stakeholder dynamics and strategic framing in the context of DT initiatives.

Collaborating for longleaf pine: A case study

Since the mid 1990′s collaborative landscape management, involving varied land users and interest groups, has increased substantially but the utilization of this practice on private land has been sparsely studied. Alongside this increase in collaborative landscape management, there has been an increase in attention on longleaf pine restoration. Once spanning over 93 million acres in the southeastern United States, these trees were reduced to an estimated 3% of their historic range. In response, in 2009, 22 government agencies and independent organizations formed America’s Longleaf Restoration Initiative. The initiative functions in part through local implementation teams, established throughout the range and focused on private as well as public land. To learn more about collaboration and private land, we studied one of the teams, the Sewee Longleaf Conservation Cooperative, in South Carolina.Drawing on the Advocacy Coalition Framework, a well-established model for analysing policy structures and change, we conducted a series of semi-structured interviews with partner organizations to analyze the group’s functions and the frames through which stakeholders view the coalition, their role, and the mission. We found that it has successfully made itself into the policy subsystem for the area and a venue that encompasses all relevant stakeholders. The stakeholders frame longleaf restoration as a positive, at least a secondary belief, and there is minimal conflict surrounding core beliefs. These stakeholders see the collaboration as positive, laud the group’s ability to facilitate access to resources, and utilize the relationship to establish connections, broaden outreach, and develop policy. But while this is a successful collaboration, its successes may be challenged by future events from outside the policy subsystem

Pulling biodiversity offsetting in different directions – Stakeholder frames in the preparation of the Finnish nature conservation act

Biodiversity offsetting is a highly debated topic in biodiversity governance. On the one hand, offsetting provides a promising new conservation tool that can make the loss of ecological values visible and increasing conservation funding. On the other hand, increased role of market mechanisms and private actors poses a risk of commodifying nature or failing to meet the ecological outcome. Thus, offsetting can also be considered as an ethically problematic shift in nature conservation. Despite such controversies, biodiversity offsetting is an increasingly important biodiversity policy instrument globally. There is considerable variation in the types of offsetting policies adopted in different countries. However, the political debates related to offsetting policymaking have rarely been analyzed. To gain a more nuanced understanding on how these controversies can influence the adoption and formulation of offsetting policies, we analyzed the formal introduction of biodiversity offsetting policy in the Nature Conservation Act in Finland. We applied frame analysis on the statements issued during the public hearing process to understand how stakeholders, public administration and active citizens perceive biodiversity offsetting. We identified four frames promoting varying implementation of the offsetting system. All the frames indicated that biodiversity offsetting was generally a welcomed addition to Finnish biodiversity policy. However, the frames were contradictory regarding the goal of offsetting, the level of regulation and the role of authorities and markets in their implementation, which can result in varying conservation outcomes. The debate resulted in slight emphasis of the pro-business perspective. A voluntary offsetting system was adopted.

Stakeholder perspectives on neglected and vulnerable households in smart grids

ABSTRACT Smart grid development is an area where the discussion about who can be negatively affected by low-carbon energy transitions has progressed. The research on vulnerable households in smart grids often focuses on how potentially vulnerable groups react to smart energy technologies. This paper contributes to the literature by highlighting how a broad range of actors in society think about neglected and vulnerable households in smart grids. The research question concerns how stakeholders frame potential inequalities, differentiations, and vulnerabilities in smart grids in Sweden. The frame analysis is carried out, building on interviews with national and local public authorities dealing with energy issues and consumer advice, actors involved in developing, testing, and using smart energy technologies as well as interest organizations representing diverse social groups. Three narratives are identified that frame potentially neglected households as consumers without economic benefits; as users without technological interests, competences, and access to technologies; and as households with intersecting vulnerabilities. It is argued that, since there could be different interpretations of inequalities in smart grids, the governance of smart grids, and specifically discussions of neglected/vulnerable households in smart grids, can benefit from the involvement of a broad coalition of actors.

Naming the "baby" or the "beast"? The importance of concepts and labels in healthcare safety investigation.

This paper focuses on concepts and labels used in investigation of adverse events in healthcare. The aim is to prompt critical reflection of how different stakeholders frame investigative activity in healthcare and to discuss the implications of the labels we use. We particularly draw attention to issues of investigative content, legal aspects, as well as possible barriers and facilitators to willingly participate, share knowledge, and achieve systemic learning. Our message about investigation concepts and labels is that they matter and influence the quality of investigation, and how these activities may contribute to system learning and change. This message is important for the research community, policy makers, healthcare practitioners, patients, and user representatives.

Understanding debates about Asiatic cheetah conservation through media analysis

AbstractGiven the global popularity and ubiquity of electronic media coverage of wildlife and conservation, media frame analysis is widely used to help conservation decision‐makers understand public opinion, differing goals and priorities, and arguments used in conflict. Nonetheless, media frame analysis has only been used on occasion to elucidate how different conservation stakeholders frame wildlife management plans. We applied media frame analysis to the case of critically endangered Asiatic cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus venaticus), one of the world's rarest felids now confined to Iranian deserts. Between January 2018 and December 2020, 91 interviews from 44 conservation stakeholders were published in Persian‐language electronic media following the development of an Asiatic cheetah management plan. Media framed conservationists as agreeing on the alarming situation of Asiatic cheetahs and high‐level interventions needed for possible recovery yet disagreeing about using integrated (in situ + ex situ) versus single management approaches (in situ only) between academic and NGO interviewees. Interviews presented a balance of thematic (year‐round) and episodic around National and International Cheetah Days. We also found that the current media debate was highly skewed toward non‐local perspectives while views from reserve staffs were rarely (n = 2) reflected in the media. The increasing number of controversial conservation topics in media debates can persuade the public or policymakers by setting agenda. Disagreement in premises, threats and interventions confuse managers and potentially creates procrastination of necessary actions. Higher inclusion of reserve staffs, technical cooperation between stakeholders and pursuing the existing management plan are interventions that may portend great potential to enhance the conservation impact of media debates.

‘Water is politics everywhere’: the use of emphasis frames to communicate multilateral water development project

ABSTRACT Research implies that emphasis frames control preferences. Little is known, however, about how stakeholders frame water. How is water framed in decision-making and -shaping rooms? Therefore, we explore the Red Sea–Dead Sea Water Conveyance framing. We compile two data sets: (1) 18 in-depth interviews, archival data; and (2) 10 documents. For data analysis, we use qualitative and quantitative approaches – coding with Atlas.ti and text analysis with Voyant Tools. In the results, we juxtapose dominant and marginal frames, frequencies, and descriptive examples. Findings reveal which actors activate and spread salient frames, concealing pressing issues and sustaining old power structures.

Unpacking food to go: Packaging and food waste of on the go provisioning practices in the UK

In the emergent literature, food ‘on-the-go’ (OTG) tends to be addressed as a consumption trend. However, considering that it entails significant amounts of packaging and food waste and has seen enormous growth in the UK since the 1990s, it is not sufficiently understood how OTG emerged as a sector. Conceptualising OTG as a provisioning practice and adopting a ‘Learning History’ approach, we aggregate journalistic columns and expert interviews into lineages that explain sectoral developments over time, and we ask how stakeholders frame OTG’s emergence and linked waste issues. We first show how OTG derives from an interplay of actors and shifts in socio-spatial organisation within the four areas of domestic economy and convenience, health and environment, urban space and policy, and corporate economy and technology. Subsequently, we outline typical understandings of packaging and food waste and shortcomings therein. Extending debates on consumer responsibilisation, we identify narratives that sideline producers’ focus on growth and their role in shaping OTG provision. Stakeholders often frame (1) OTG as demand-driven by reference to an ostensible ‘convenience culture’, (2) material waste as an issue of the ‘consumer-facing’ end of the supply chain, i.e. concerning food wrappers rather than materials used ‘back-of-store’ for logistics, processing, and hygiene and (3) food waste as a matter of avoiding leftovers while taking for granted resource-intensive, “wasteful” foods as part of businesses’ portfolios. We conclude that addressing waste higher up the supply chain may allow for a more nuanced account of causes of, and solutions to, unsustainable provisioning practices.

What is ‘local’ about Smart Local Energy Systems? Emerging stakeholder geographies of decentralised energy in the United Kingdom

As governments worldwide address the climate crisis, energy systems are becoming both decarbonised and decentralised. In this study, we aim to increase understanding of the spatial dimensions of new forms of decentralised energy systems that integrate electricity, storage, transportation, and heating. Drawing on workshops and secondary data from three, early-stage case studies funded under a UK government programme, we examine how stakeholders responsible for development construct the ‘local’ in Smart Local Energy System (SLES) demonstrators. We employ three analytical concepts to address this aim: emplacement, place-framing, and place/boundary-making. In terms of emplacement, stakeholders use place-based narratives that draw on distinctive infrastructural, social, ecological, and political characteristics to argue that diverse locations (Oxford city, Oxfordshire, and the Orkney Islands) are ‘suitable’ places for decentralised energy. Stakeholders frame projects around non-local goals of creating technological and business models for replication across the UK and worldwide, even if some community-centred benefits are recognized. Lastly, our findings on place-making show pragmatism in flexing ‘local’ boundaries in order to align with project objectives. The three analytical concepts provide a useful framework to uncover ‘local’ complexities of early-stage decentralised energy projects, and emphasise intersections of space, place, and justice that deserve further scrutiny, notably in later stages of project implementation.

Ecocommunicability, citizenship, and discourses on plastic control in India

Anxieties about the ills of plastics are not new; concerns about the material date as far back as the 1920s. These longstanding concerns did not, however, result in a shift in political will toward plastic control interventions until recently, with the onset of single-use plastic bans. Drawing on data from India, we examine contemporary discourses on plastic pollution and plastic control and the ways in which stakeholders frame narratives regarding both the “problem” of plastic pollution and solutions to this problem. We also highlight three models of citizenship—those of the hygienic citizen, the consumer–citizen, and the activist citizen—that inform the appeals of stakeholders involved in this politics of responsibility. One other stream of discourse, lying outside these models, focuses on yet-to-be-implemented scientific and technological innovations that can address plastic pollution. This stream has the potential to create a false impression of progress toward plastic control in the public imaginary and to absolve citizens of responsibility for the plastic problem.

A Framing Analysis of Consultation Submissions on the WHO Global Strategy to Reduce the Harmful Use of Alcohol: Values and Interests.

In response to the magnitude of harms caused by alcohol, the World Health Organization (WHO) Global Strategy to Reduce the Harmful Use of Alcohol (GAS) was endorsed in 2010. We analysed submissions to the 2019 WHO consultation on the implementation of the GAS to identify how different stakeholders frame alcohol use and control; and to assess how stakeholders engage with the consultation process, with possibly harmful consequences for public health policy. All submissions from WHO Member States, international organisations, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), academic institutions and private sector entities were identified and used as data for an inductive framing analysis. This involved close reading and data familiarisation, thematic coding and identifying emergent framings. Through the analysis of texts, framing analysis can give insights into the values and interests of stakeholders. Because framing influences how issues are conceptualised and addressed, framing analysis is a useful tool to study policy-making processes. We identified 161 unique submissions and seven attachments. Emerging frames were grouped according to their function: defining the problem, assigning causation, proposing solutions, or justifying and persuading. Submissions varied in terms of the framing they deployed and how this was presented, eg, how the problem was defined. Proposed policy solutions also varied. Targeted solutions emphasising individual responsibility tended to be supported by industry and some Member States. Calls for universal regulation and global mobilisation often came from NGOs and academia. Stakeholders drew on evidence and specific value systems to support the adoption of certain problem and solution ideas and to oppose competing framing. Alcohol control is a contested policy field in which different stakeholders use framing to set the agenda and influence what policy solutions are considered legitimate. WHO should consider which interests are served by these different framings and how to weigh different stakeholders in the consultation process.

The Role of Stakeholder Framing in Nutrition Agenda-Setting to Address the Double Burden of Malnutrition in Tamil Nadu, India

ObjectivesAddressing the double burden of malnutrition in many low- and middle-income countries through double duty strategies requires understanding of how stakeholder framing influences nutrition agenda-setting at the subnational level where policies are translated to address local context. We aimed to identify differences in frames of undernutrition and nutrition-related non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in Tamil Nadu, India and to show how the frames reflect stakeholder intention and action regarding nutrition actions. MethodsTamil Nadu is experiencing chronic undernutrition and increasing NCDs and has a history of commitment to addressing undernutrition. We conducted in-depth interviews with stakeholders from nutrition-sensitive disciplines using semi-structured questionnaires (n = 28). Stakeholder responses and established policy process frameworks guided interview coding and thematic analysis. ResultsThe frames of undernutrition and NCDs comprised five domains: problem identification, risk factors, target populations, roles for stakeholders, and policy and program response. To address undernutrition, stakeholders consistently identified problems, risk factors, and target populations. Roles and responsibilities for stakeholders were defined, resulting in multisectoral strategies. For NCDs, stakeholders inconsistently identified the same domains, resulting in lack of convergence and bottlenecks to implementing double duty actions. ConclusionsNutrition-related NCDs have not reached a critical level of priority and coherence among state-level stakeholders regarding problem identification, risk factors, target populations, responsibility, and solutions, preventing political commitment to addressing them through inclusion in the policy agenda, dedicated resources, and convergence of multisectoral efforts. Development and implementation of multisectoral double duty strategies likely to be effective at the subnational level will require stakeholders to address three challenges in agenda-setting: adequate priority given to the problem, coherence of the policy community, and convergence of actions by multisectoral stakeholders. Funding SourcesThe Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation through POSHAN, led by the International Food Policy Research Institute.

STAKEHOLDER FRAMING AND POLICY LEGITIMACY: BREASTFEEDING POLICY IN ACEH PROVINCE

World Health Organization merupakan Badan Kesehatan Dunia yang mempunyai target pencapaian ASI Eksklusif pada tahun 2025 yakni 50%. Pencapaian ASI Di Indonesia masih terkategori rendah dan berfluktuatif. Tahun 2018 pola pemberian ASI di Indonesia sebanyak 37,3%. Sedangkan Tahun 2018 terjadi peningkatan capaian ASI eksklusif Provinsi Aceh sebesar 66,5%. Menariknya Provinsi Aceh tentang bagaimana mengumpulkan komitmen politik untuk memperkuat kebijakan dan menargetkan program menyusui berskala besar. Tujuan dari penelitian ini adalah untuk meneliti interaksi antara elit pemerintah dan pemangku kepentingan masyarakat di Provinsi Aceh dengan fokus pada kebijakan menyusui di Peraturan Gubernur (No.49 Tahun 2016). Analisis kualitatif media dan dokumen parlementer menggunakan metode hermeneutic,dengan menganalisis konteks dimana Kebijakan menyusui disebutkan oleh pemangku kepentingan di media dan parlemen. Dasar teoritis penelitian ini menggunakan pendekatan yang orientasinya pada pemangku kepentingan terhadap legitimasi,serta menggabungkan analisis kerangka kebijakan dengan konsep struktur kebijakan tiga tingkatan. Temuan empiris menekankan pentingnya komunikasi dua arah antara pemerintah dan pemangku kepentingan masyarakat, pembuktiannya melalui analisis kerangka kebijakan. Pada akhirnya, hasil menunjukkan bahwa legitimasi kebijakan lebih mungkin dijamin jika tidak ada maksud yang tersembunyi dari sebuah kebijakan atau sebelumnya dapat dideteksi melalui analisis kerangka pemangku kepentingan.

Stakeholder framing, communicative interaction, and policy legitimacy: anti-smoking policy in South Korea.

Since the emergence of the argumentative turn in critical policy studies, increasing attention has been paid to the crucial role played by language, context, and communicative practices in the policy process. This study aims to investigate communicative interaction between state elites and societal stakeholders in South Korea with a focus on the anti-smoking policies of two different administrations: the Roh administration (2003–2008) and the Park administration (2013–2017). As a theoretical base, this paper proposes a stakeholder-oriented approach to legitimacy, which incorporates a policy frame analysis with the concept of a three-tier policy structure (i.e., policy goals, policy tools, and tool settings). In assessing policy legitimacy, the stakeholder-oriented approach examines whether there is congruence between the three-tier policy structure and the corresponding stakeholder framing. In the Roh administration, the policy frames among the three tiers of policy structure were centered on public health promotion, whereas in the Park administration, they expanded to the domain of tax policy. The empirical findings underscore the importance of two-way communication between the government and societal stakeholders, which can be evidenced using policy frame analysis. Ultimately, the results show that policy legitimacy is more likely to be guaranteed if there is no hidden or predetermined policy intention that can be detected by stakeholder framing analysis.

'You're basically calling doctors torturers': stakeholder framing issues around naming intersex rights claims as human rights abuses.

In this article we address activist, patient advocate and medic perspectives on framing intersex, variations of sex characteristics and disorders/differences in sex development medical treatment as human rights abuses. Problematic aspects of intersex medical treatment have increasingly been highlighted in national debates and international human rights bodies. Some intersex activists have framed aspects of intersex medical treatment as human rights abuses since the 1990s. Other stakeholders in shaping medical treatment, such as patient advocates and medical professionals, are not always content with human rights framing, or even the term intersex. In order to address the different perspectives in this arena we provide background on the primary rights claims that have arisen followed by key human rights framing of these claims. We provide a short discussion of activism styles, looking at pan-intersex social movements and variation-specific patient associations as different styles of health social movements. The analysis of stakeholder perspectives on the use of human rights strategy in health areas provides a useful case study for medical sociology and policy in general.

Connecting social media data and crisis communication theory: a case study on the chicken and the egg

In a crisis situation, communication is an important asset for safeguarding the reputation of an organization. The communication strategy that is used in a crisis influences the way people perceive the crisis. While extensive research is conducted and clear communication guidelines about crisis communication are provided, current research tends to focus on a single actor in a crisis within a homogeneous stakeholder group. In this article, we analyze whether and how different groups of stakeholders frame a crisis and the extent to which they attribute responsibility for the crisis to actors. The case concerns the use of an illegal lice detergent (fipronil) in eggs in the Netherlands in the summer of 2017. Based on the analysis of Twitter data related to the case using multiple methods (network analysis, a longitudinal analysis and the annotation of a sample of tweets), this study shows that a seemingly simple case in a single sub-arena has different subgroups that use different frames and attribute different responsibilities to different stakeholders. This result implies that a reconsideration of communication strategies during and after a crisis is needed.