Policy Analysis of Multi-Actor Systems 2nd edition

Authors

Faculty of Technology, Policy and Management Delft University of Technology

Synopsis

Policy of Multi-Actor Systems is an introduction into the art of craft of problem exploration and problem structuring. It positions policy analysis as a scientific discipline focused on systems analysis in a multi-actor context to support better informed decision-making. The approach presented in this book is considered to be the cornerstone of the curricula of the Faculty of Technology, Policy and Management of Delft University of Technology and underlies the research on (the governance of) socio-technical systems. Systems thinking applied in a multi-actor environment and its inherent multi-disciplinary character is what makes this work stand out from traditional hard- and soft systems approaches. The core of the book is dedicated to systems analysis, actor- or stakeholder-analysis and discusses methods for dealing with uncertainty. These analytical activities combined lead to a rich problem description and to plans for further research. Due to the stepwise approach this book serves as a basis for any problem analysis both for our bachelor and master students, our alumni worldwide and any interested practitioners.

Author Biography

Faculty of Technology, Policy and Management Delft University of Technology

The authors of the book Policy Analysis of Multi-Actor Systems have all been involved in the education of policy analysis at the Faculty of Technology, Policy and Management of Delft University of Technology. The book builds on their extensive research in policy analysis as well as 25 years of teaching experience at both the bachelor and master level.

Bert Enserink, the editor of this book, unfortunately passed away on 18 July 2022, only a few weeks after he sent the manuscript to the publisher. Bert was associate professor of policy analysis. He was a specialist in action research, participatory methods, social learning and scenario analysis. His main fields of application were water management and energy transition. He had extensive international experience and taught courses in policy analysis and intercultural communication.

Pieter Bots, Els van Daalen, Leon Hermans, Rens Kortmann, Jan Kwakkel, Tineke Ruijgh-van der Ploeg and Jill Slinger all authored chapters in this book. They are members of the scientific staff of the Policy Analysis section at the Faculty of TPM. Their work focuses on methods for multi-actor systems analysis and design in support of policy making under uncertainty. This is applied to a variety of domains, such as water and environmental management, climate adaptation, energy transition, transport and logistics.

Joop Koppenjan is emeritus professor of Public Administration at the Erasmus University Rotterdam. He worked at TU Delft’s TPM Faculty from 1996 till 2010. His research interests include topics like public policy, network governance, public private partnerships and public service delivery.

Wil Thissen is emeritus professor of policy analysis at Delft University of Technology. He led the development of Policy Analysis at TU Delft since 1992 until his formal retirement. He currently enjoys keeping up with the field as a reviewer/editorial board member for several academic journals.