Purposive Interaction in Multi-Actor Decision Making

189 Pages·2004·2.7 MB·English

Purposive Interaction
in Multi-Actor Decision Making

Purposive Interaction
in Multi-Actor Decision Making

Operationalizing
Coleman’s Linear System of Action
for Policy Decision Support

Proefschrift

Ter verkrijging van de graad van doctor
aan de Technische Universiteit Delft,
op gezag van de Rector Magnificus prof.dr.ir. J.T. Fokkema,
voorzitter van het College voor Promoties,
in het openbaar te verdedigen op dinsdag 6 april 2004 om 10.30 uur

door
Johannes Sigfridus TIMMERMANS

landbouwkundig ingenieur
geboren te Amsterdam.
Dit proefschrift is goedgekeurd door de promotor:
Prof.dr.ir. W.A.H. Thissen

Samenstelling Promotiecommissie:
Rector Magnificus, voorzitter
Prof.dr.ir. W.A.H. Thissen, Technische Universiteit Delft, promotor
Prof.dr.ing. G.R. Teisman, Erasmus Universiteit Rotterdam
Prof.dr. F.N. Stokman, Rijksuniversiteit Groningen
Prof.mr.dr. E.F. ten Heuvelhof, Technische Universiteit Delft
Prof.dr. K.W. Hipel, University of Waterloo, Canada
Prof.dr. J.P.Kahan, RAND Graduate School, USA
Dr.dipl.ing. G.E.G. Beroggi, Spring Analytica, Switzerland

Published and distributed by:
Eburon Publishers
P.O. Box 2867
2601 CW Delft
The Netherlands
[email protected] / www.eburon.nl

ISBN 90 5972 022 9

Keywords: Policy analysis, multi-actor policy settings, decision support, actor analysis,
rational choice theory.

This research was supported financially by the Directorate-General for Public Work of the
Ministry of Transport and Water management (Rijkswaterstaat) and the Cornelis Lely
Foundation.

Cover design: Anima Grafische Vormgeving.

© 2004 J.S. Timmermans. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be repro-
duced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, elec-
tronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission
in writing from the proprietors.
Preface
This research started out with a ball and a web, a policy domain moved by a
network of actors. I was interested in maintaining the pace of the ball. I
wanted to find the actors that could make the difference and support them in
moving the decision-making process forward. Only after stumbling into
Coleman’s Social Theory, this work took the shape of the scientific work re-
ported on in this book.
I took up this research after ten years of consultancy work in water man-
agement. The general focus, and my focus, on content in developing water
management policies shifted to the process of decision making during that
period. I was provided with the opportunity to strengthen this change in fo-
cus by accepting a research position at the faculty of Technology, Policy and
Management of Delft University of Technology. There I could acquire the
theoretical background in decision making and policy analysis that was vir-
tually absent in the water management sector. I hope this book proves that I
succeeded.
The Directorate-General for Public Work of the Ministry of Transport and
Water management (Rijkswaterstaat) and the Cornelis Lely Foundation
sponsored this research as part of a long-term research project on the inte-
grated management of the river Scheldt basin. I like to thank both sponsors
for including, along with the financial means, the freedom to work on balls
and webs.
The ball and web came up in discussions with Giampiero Beroggi, just
after my arrival at Delft University. Giampiero guided me through the world
of science and stimulated and supported me in publishing our results. I like
to thank him for that. My promoter, Wil Thissen, known for his critical re-
marks when it comes to ‘close reading’ of dissertations, strengthened his
reputation: again his remarks were right and to the point. My friend Jan
Philipsen, I like to thank for the extensive deliberations on our scientific en-
deavors. Anouk and Lara kept me away from this dissertation for over a year.
Their continuing attempts however did not succeed. Sorry about that.
As planned, I returned to the world of water management after leaving
the university. I am now thinking and analyzing from a changed perspective.
Practice, however, remained as complicated as before.

Jos Timmermans
The Hague, February 2004
'Just as the forests and fields of the
physical environment are being re-
placed by streets and sky scrapers, the
primordial institutions around which
societies have developed are being re-
placed by purposively constructed so-
cial organizations.'

James S. Coleman
Contents
Contents vii
Summary xi
1 Introduction 1
1.1 A challenge for policy analysis 1
1.2 Consequences of the pluricentric perspective 4
1.3 Research approach 5
1.4 Research questions 7
1.5 Structure of this book 9
2 A Transactional Approach to Policy Decision Making 11
2.1 Introduction and research questions 11
2.2 Explanation in the social sciences 12
2.2.1 General 12
2.2.2 A systems approach to social explanation 12
2.2.3 Individual level theory of action 14
2.2.4 Macro-to-micro and back 18
2.3 Coleman’s Social Theory 21
2.3.1 Social systems and social exchange 22
2.3.2 Structures of action 23
2.4 The Linear System of Action 26
2.5 A Concrete System of Action 31
2.6 A Transactional Approach to decision making 32
2.7 Applications of the Transactional Approach 37
3 Operationalizing the Transactional Approach 39
3.1 Introduction and research questions 39
3.2 Defining the model structure 40
3.2.1 Actors, DELPHI and the LSA 41
3.2.2 Issues, Value-Focused Thinking and the LSA 44
3.3 Deriving model parameters 50
3.3.1 Utility Theory and the LSA 51
3.3.2 Measuring interest and initial control 53
3.4 Operational implementations 54
3.5 Research conclusions and discussion 56
vii
4 Experimental Assessment of LSA Support for Policy Negotiations 59
4.1 Introduction and research questions 59
4.2 LSA support for policy negotiations 60
4.3 Research hypotheses 62
4.4 Design of experiment 65
4.5 Results 71
4.6 Research conclusions and discussion 80
5 Individual Application; Multi-Actor Information System for Integrated
Coastal Zone Management 83
5.1 Introduction and research questions 83
5.2 Multi-Actor Decision Making in the Bay of Banten 84
5.3 An LSA for the Bay of Banten coastal development policy arena 86
5.3.1 Design of the case study 86
5.3.2 Identification of issues and actors 87
5.3.3 Quantifying interest and control 89
5.3.4 Results of the analysis 92
5.3.5 Recommendations for decision making 95
5.4 Research conclusions and discussion 96
6 Interactive Application; Recreation and Tourism Development in the
Utrechtse Heuvelrug National Park 101
6.1 Introduction and research questions 101
6.2 The Rhenen and Grebbeberg recreation and tourism policy arena 102
6.3 Motivation and design of the workshop 104
6.4 Workshop activities and results 107
6.4.1 Selection of participants 107
6.4.2 Structuring the issues 108
6.4.3 Modeling dependencies 111
6.4.4 Quantifying interest and control 115
6.4.5 Discussing dependencies 116
6.4.6 Evaluation of the workshop 117
6.5 Workshop interactions and contributions to the policy process 120
6.5.1 The role of the municipality of Rhenen 120
6.5.2 The need for the businesses in Rhenen to cooperate more 121
6.5.3 The role of the nature and landscape association 123
6.5.4 Rhenen town center and the Grebbeberg R&T cluster 124
6.6 Further analysis and recommendations for the policy process 126
6.6.1 Distribution of interest and control 126
6.6.2 Potential for further transactions 126
6.6.3 Interdependence of actors 126
6.6.4 Promising negotiating clusters 128
6.6.5 Recommendations for the policy process 130
6.7 Research conclusions and discussion 131
viii
7 Conclusions, Recommendations and Further Research 135
7.1 Research questions and approach 135
7.2 A Transactional Approach to decision making 135
7.3 Operationalizing the Transactional Approach 138
7.4 Experimental and real-world application 141
7.5 Further development and research 145
7.6 Contribution to policy decision making 148
References 151
Appendices 157
Appendix 1 The LSA and the calculation of equilibrium control 159
Appendix 2 Data of the Utrechtse Heuvelrug case study 161
Samenvatting (summary in Dutch) 167
Curriculum vitae 173

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