Influence

Influence in the In-Power framework refers to the ability of actors to move themselves closer to their objectives. It reflects agency, the capacity for self-determined action, opportunities to engage with and have actual or potential impacts on the behaviour of other individual stakeholders. In order to understanding power dynamics, one must understand agency, especially when it comes to seeking meaningful actions to resolve multi-stakeholder issues, as is the case with sustainability. Power and agency are invariably linked; to exercise power is to have agency, and having agency contributes to power. In the political economy of sustainable living, agency by the individual or household is the power to exercise the sustainability option through consumption and lifestyle choices. Attributes such as selfhood, motivation, will, purposiveness, intentionality, choice, initiative, freedom, and creativity affirm the definition of agency as the capacity to shape the circumstances around an issue (Emirbayer and Mische 1998).

If a product or a service and its features are seen as the final outcome of a negotiation among the various stakeholders in a production-consumption system, then the product can be seen as representing net power in a negotiation around one or several issues, such as profits, employment, sustainability, creativity, etc. The overriding characteristics of the product, or the absence of some qualities, indicates who is the winner, or at very minimum who has the most influence in the value chain. Such an analysis also includes how the actors influence the institutional setting that then moves every other actor concerned with the issue under analysis. For example, the instrument of lobbying by corporations or boycotts by consumers can influence government policy, which then influences the conditions in the production-consumption system and actions by all actors.

Together, institutional arrangements, stakeholder interests, their instruments and influence in the In-Power framework are used in describing power dynamics in a context, with a view to

understanding drivers of consumption, how power is wielded by stakeholders, and potential points of effective intervention (Akenji and Bengtsson 2010) that can enable sustainable living. In summary:

51 x Institutions set the conditions or “rules of the game” for how actors operate in the

production-consumption system, facilitating certain actions and constraining others.

x Interests identify stakes around the (sustainable consumption) issue, clarifying the specific nature of interests of the actors involved, and heterogeneity or homogeneity of those interests.

x Instruments refer to sources of power and tools available to each actor in the value chain, and describe the institutional arrangements behind each actor and how they support its objectives.

x Influence refers to activities actors undertake; it reflects agency, the capacity for self-determined action, opportunities to engage with and have actual or potential impacts on the behaviour of other actors.

To compensate for the broader societal and physical context in which production and consumption take place, the Ins are placed against macro factors such as technology, economy, demography, and culture. A contribution of this framework is that it directs focus to resourceful and influential nodes in the value chain such that corrective responsibility can then be allocated in a manner that corresponds to agency by key stakeholders. Using the In-Power framework to analyse power structures in a value chain would reveal what I describe as the nexus of influence and also highlight the lead actor – the actor group with the most influence and the one which if targeted has potential to use their influence to cause cascading changes across the system.

Figure 3 shows the main components of the In-Power framework, and sample questions to be used for analysing each stakeholder in the value chain. To use the framework, a simplified analytical flow is proposed as follows:

i. Identification of impacts or main issues related to the value chain that need to be analysed.

At this stage the research question is clearly defined and hypothesis stated. Of immediate interest to this thesis is the prevalence of consumerism and persistence of unsustainable consumption.

ii. Understanding the issue context. This would lead to identification of external factors under which the value chain and key issue stakeholders are operating – the global economy, political environment, demography, climate, for example. This information helps to understand the external context beyond the immediate influence of those in the value chain and thus to sharpen the assumptions of the study and set the system boundaries for analysis.

iii. Identification of relevant institutions, including the body of laws, policies, dogmas, principles, administrative processes, norms and mores developed to influence how actors operate.

iv. Identification of relevant actors; if necessary separate into primary and secondary (or critical or non-critical) stakeholders.

v. Mapping of power flows using In-Power framework – refer to Figure 3. This would show significant influences, dominant significant influences, and balanced significant influences actors have over each other.

vi. Identification of power hotspots: the nexus of influence, and the lead actor. The nexus of influence is a high concentration of stakeholders who act interdependently to exercise overall combined influence on the final product and the eco-system around it. The lead actor is a more focused attribute and denotes the actor with decisive influence on the product outcome. See 7.1 below.

vii. Determination of potential interventions for addressing the issues identified or further research needs.

52 Figure 3: Analytical framework for stakeholder power dynamics based on In-Power concept.

‘Ins’ Conceptual

bases

Sample questions for empirical analysis of each actor

x What are the laws and policies affecting provision and use of related goods and services?

x Who is consulted or is involved in the development of these laws and policies?

x Does compliance with the policy or law, or related administrative processes place an unfair burden over some actors?

x Do these reflect contemporary socio-economic context (e.g. are prices of eco products competitive in the current economy) and emerging knowledge on the issues it addresses?

x What other institutional principles and contextual factors (e.g. religious and cultural practices, employment and workplace norms) influence behaviour of actors?

x How do policies and norms facilitate or restrict one or more actors?

x Do they give any actor an advantage over another?

x Who are the main actors involved?

x What are the various stakes – interests?

x What are the needs and expectations?

x How urgent or critical are their needs?

x What are the underlying drivers and patterns?

x How compatible are they with other stakeholders?

x What resources does each actor have?

x What are the sources of power for the actors?

x What instruments or tools are used?

x What institutional arrangements or backing does the actor have?

x What is the position of the actor relative to others?

x How does the actor wield their power – what activities can it or does it engage in?

x What legitimacy do they have?

x What impact does the actor have on others?

x What patterns and trends can be observed in their actions?

Source: Author

The In-Power framework can be used to analyse power dynamics around different types of sustainability issues and at different scales. Examples of aspects that could be analysed using the

53 framework include sustainability of different sectors (e.g. food systems, or housing or transportation), specific products (e.g. cars, or computers), practices (e.g. advertising to children, use of artificial fertilisers), issues (e.g. water pollution in a neighbourhood). The framework is especially useful when there are multiple interests and claims involved, a complexity in the system, and when an understanding of the technical and material aspects of the issue under investigation does not always result in finding effective interventions. To demonstrate its application, in the next chapter the framework is used to analyse the issue of unsustainable plastic packaging in the value chain.

Outcomes of the analysis are supported by describing and identifying two other key features of power flow analysis using the In-Power framework: the nexus of influence and the lead actor.

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