Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Templates included pre-defined typologies of problems, spatial scales, policy
options (economic, regulatory, voluntary instruments), scenarios (economic and
environmental) and impact indicators (domain, scale).
Based on 11 regional test cases involving 17 policy experts and nine integrative
modellers (from six different research institutes) the following learning experiences
can be reported.
General Feedback on the Pre-modelling Process
Most of the policy experts appreciated the work steps in the pre-modelling phase
and expressed that they helped them to clarify and make their problems explicit.
The templates were perceived as good tools to support problem framing and to
identify suitable policy options to be tested. The policy experts appreciated that
they were asked about their opinion about possible impacts of a policy. This gave
them an opportunity to express their experience and knowledge, and gave the
modellers a possibility to merge this information with scientific knowledge to
specify impact indicators. This process of joint work can circumvent that results
will be rejected later on.
The modellers experienced the pre-modelling procedures to be an effective way
to learn about social values of policy experts and include new knowledge. The test
enabled them to better understand the policy experts' opinions and thereby find
ways to support them in formulating their aims and interests and to translate these
into a problem possible to assess.
If the above reported experiences are generally valid it means that the
SEAMLESS-IF pre-modelling procedure can serve as a learning interface for
policy experts. Although the general feed-back was promising, some stages of the
pre-modelling process came out as critical. Those key situations will be discussed
below together with suggestions for improvements that can facilitate the process.
The Framing Process
Problem framing is the process during which involved actors state in more
exact terms what they want to do. Problem framing requires an interpretation of the
main aspects of the issue, and how they are connected. The factors and causal
relationships will suggest possible policy options and external driving forces.
The causal links will sort out which biophysical and agro-management contextual
elements that have to be considered, and also demonstrate which alternatives that
do not have to be considered (Bardach
2000)
. The combination of policy options,
outlooks and contexts, which may be seen as an 'experimentation plan', stems from
the problem framing (Janssen et al.
2009)
. If the problem deemphasises or neglects
important dimensions, this can 'limit understanding and narrow analysts' vision'
creating 'blind spots in which people will not see potentially valuable alternatives'
(Stern
1986
: 200).
