Leon M. Hermans

Actor analysis methods and their use for public policy analysts

Public policy analysts use methods rooted in OR and systems analysis to support policy makers in their judgement. In doing so, most policy analysts recognize the value of a certain understanding of the role of actors in policy making processes. Different methods are available to aid such understanding and, although they all focus on actors, there are important differences between them. Insight into the range of available methods and their characteristics will thus help policy analysts to learn more about the potential and limitations involved in analyzing multi-actor processes. This article provides such an overview, based on the main requirements these methods should meet. This overview is used to discuss some of the implications for policy analysts who are interested in analyzing multi-actor processes, focusing specifically on trade-offs between analytic quality and practical usability.

An approach to design long-term monitoring and evaluation frameworks in multi-actor systems--a case in water management.

Learning-by-doing and adaptive management require careful monitoring and evaluation of the outcomes of environmental policies and programs under implementation. Selecting relevant indicators is difficult, especially when monitoring over a longer period of time. Further challenges arise when policies are developed as a collaborative effort among multiple actors. This paper discusses an approach to design frameworks for long-term monitoring and evaluation in multi-actor systems. It uses Dynamic Actor Network Analysis (DANA) as an actor-sensitive method to reconstruct program theories. This is combined with elements of assumption-based planning to identify critical assumptions and associated indicators to incorporate the dynamic aspects related to long-term monitoring. An application of this approach is described for a case of water management in the Netherlands. Here, mapping multiple perspectives and identifying critical assumptions helped to broaden the scope of monitoring in important ways. Identifying associated indicators and expectations on their development in response to policy implementation proved more difficult. From this case, it can be concluded that the approach is feasible, useful, but also demanding. However, with continuing trends of networked governance and adaptive management, additional efforts to reflect these trends in monitoring and evaluation, through this and similar approaches, are needed.

Adaptation of water resources systems to changing society and environment: a statement by the International Association of Hydrological Sciences

ABSTRACT We explore how to address the challenges of adaptation of water resources systems under changing conditions by supporting flexible, resilient and low-regret solutions, coupled with on-going monitoring and evaluation. This will require improved understanding of the linkages between biophysical and social aspects in order to better anticipate the possible future co-evolution of water systems and society. We also present a call to enhance the dialogue and foster the actions of governments, the international scientific community, research funding agencies and additional stakeholders in order to develop effective solutions to support water resources systems adaptation. Finally, we call the scientific community to a renewed and unified effort to deliver an innovative message to stakeholders. Water science is essential to resolve the water crisis, but the effectiveness of solutions depends, inter alia, on the capability of scientists to deliver a new, coherent and technical vision for the future development of water systems. EDITOR D. Koutsoyiannis; ASSOCIATE EDITOR not assigned

The usefulness of game theory as a method for policy evaluation

Most of today’s public policies are formulated and implemented in multi-actor networks. Game theory has long been around as a method that supports a careful analysis of interaction processes among actors. So far, it has not been widely applied in the evaluation field. Hence, questions regarding the usefulness of game theory as an evaluation method remain pertinent. This article addresses these questions, based on a review of literature on evaluations and game theory, and a case where game theory was used in an evaluation of coastal policy implementation in the Netherlands. The results suggest that game theory can help to open up the ‘black-box’ of policy implementation, when implementation depends on the actions of several interdependent actors. This potential lies not so much in ‘hard’ mathematical uses, but in the use of game theory as a formal modeling approach that adds structure and rigour to the study of social processes.

A framework to assess plan implementation maturity with an application to flood management in Vietnam

Implementation failure is a long-known Achilles’ heel of water and flood management plans. Contemporary planning approaches address the implementation challenge by using more participatory planning processes to ensure support for plans, assuming that this support will also benefit plan implementation. A proactive analysis of possible implementation issues during the planning stage is not yet common. This paper introduces a framework based on the motivation and ability of actors, supported by concepts of triggers, threats and opportunities. A case application for flood management in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, demonstrates the use of this motivation-ability framework to assess plan implementation maturity.

Actor Models for Policy Analysis

Systems analysis and systems theory have proven a fruitful basis on which to develop the discipline of policy analysis. However, since the inception of policy analysis in the second half of the twentieth century, the world has changed, new insights have emerged, and thus new challenges have arisen for policy analysts. One of the most prominent changes in this regard is posed by the increasing awareness of the importance of actors, actor networks, and actor systems. This calls not only for different, more actor oriented, styles of policy analysis, but it also calls for models and methods that support the analysis and understanding of multi-actor systems and processes, making them more amenable to the contributions of policy analysts. These models are the subject of this chapter.

An analytical framework for strategic delta planning: negotiating consent for long-term sustainable delta development

Sectoral planning on water, agriculture and urban development has not been able to prevent increased flood risks and environmental degradation in many deltas. Governments conceive strategic delta planning as a promising planning approach and develop strategic delta plans. Such plans are linked to actions and means for implementation in the short-term, in line with long-term strategic choices. This paper introduces an analytical framework that focuses on the role of actors, innovative solutions and participatory planning tools in negotiating consent for the strategic choices in a delta plan and its implementation. Cases of Bangladesh, the Netherlands and Vietnam are discussed as a plausibility probe to explore the frameworks potential. The probe reveals that the framework is promising to explain the process and outcomes of strategic delta planning in urbanizing deltas. The paper ends with an initial research agenda to stimulate research and discussion on this new delta planning approach.

Agenda setting in policy analysis: exploring conflict for a case of water resources management in the Philippines

Exploring policy conflicts and debates is one way in which policy analysts can certify that their research agendas incorporate the questions and problems that their clients, policy makers, are interested in. This paper describes the application of two methods for conflict exploration, namely analysis of options and argumentative analysis, using a case study on water resource management in the Philippines. It shows that both methods offer complementary insights that are helpful in formulating an agenda for policy analysis activities.

Extending community operational research to address institutional aspects of societal problems: Experiences from peri-urban Bangladesh

Abstract Community operational research (COR) helps local stakeholders address complex, messy problems related to public goods. Many of these problems feature an institutional dimension, whereby institutions refer to rules that structure behaviour and interactions in society. If a sound analysis of this institutional dimension is limited in scope, or even completely absent, then the result is an incomplete problem understanding or a narrower solution space. In this paper, we outline a COR approach for participatory institutional analysis of local problems aimed at enhancing problem formulation and solution-finding efforts. The process has four main steps: problem identification, institutional system mapping, strategic analysis, and strategy exploration. This approach is applied to the issue of water supply in a marginalized, peri‑urban village near Khulna city, Bangladesh. Our paper discusses the results achieved thus far, and we argue that our analytical framework and methods prove to be promising for this peri‑urban application. However, their use with local stakeholders requires an intensive process of two-way capacity building between communities and analysts, developing a joint understanding of both local problems and key components/mechanisms in institutional development.