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Understanding actor roles in sustainability initiatives: an exploratory study in five European countries
- Source :
- UFZ Discussion Papers
- Publication Year :
- 2020
- Publisher :
- DEU, 2020.
-
Abstract
- Several strands of literature have developed around the ambition to influence or bring about transitions toward greater sustainability. In this context researchers have come to be interested in the types of actors involved in sustainability transitions and the roles these actors play. However, there is a lack of clear definitions of actors, and their roles. Our research takes an exploratory approach and is designed to describe and analyse the actors concerned and to identify their roles in sustainability initiatives. Our aim in doing so is to contribute to the body of scientific knowledge on transitions and to provide sustainability initiatives themselves with helpful information. Data were collected using the Net-Map tool, a well-established method in actor and stakeholder analysis. In our results we identify and define six actor roles: catalysts, opponents, intermediaries, frontrunners, drivers and visionaries. In the literature, particular roles are connected to common actor categories (civil society, governmental actors, private sector, etc.). Our results imply that sustainability initiatives are neither necessarily hindered by the absence of certain actors, nor are they hindered per se by the presence of an actor - rather, a broad mix seems to be helpful.
- Subjects :
- social networks
soziales Netzwerk
Italien
Federal Republic of Germany
Ecology, Environment
intermediäre Organisation
Ökologie und Umwelt
intermediaries
Stakeholder
ddc:330
Ökologie
transdisciplinary
ddc:577
Österreich
Niederlande
social actor
Spanien
Netherlands
stakeholder analysis
Ecology
Nachhaltigkeit
transdisciplinarity
Transdisziplinarität
sustainability
Bundesrepublik Deutschland
intermediary organization
local experiments
Italy
Spain
Austria
social network
Akteur
Subjects
Details
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- UFZ Discussion Papers
- Accession number :
- edsair.dedup.wf.001..072e70b099ae1ae9d7e6e1b7bd9dcfcf