Actors, Agendas, Arenas and Institutional Change Processes: A Social Science Approach to Sustainability

Sustainable Development is a challenge not only for natural science but also for the social sciences. In the case of social science, positivism has a role but also hermeneutics and other perspectives that emphasize the subjective aspects of human behaviour. The subjective perceptions and value orientation of different actors play a central role in influencing development patterns and institutional change processes. It is argued that the conceptual framework of economics plays a key role in the ‘mental maps’ of influential actors. But mainstream neoclassical economics was designed for other purposes and does not go well with the present sustainability challenge. An alternative conceptual framework more in line with institutional economics is proposed. Individuals are understood as Political Economic Persons and organizations as Political Economic Organizations. Individuals and organizations are actors with their specific agendas, appearing on arenas to exchange ideas and commodities. Analysis is multidimensional and there is a role for ethics and ideology in economic behaviour and action. Institutional change is understood in terms of the processes of interpreting a phenomenon, naming it, its manifestations and acceptance (legitimacy achievement). A scheme of analysis for actor-institution studies is proposed.