FUNDAMENTALS OF ACTOR ANALYSIS

Fundamentals of Actor Analysis is of the Series, Lecture Notes on Actor Analysis Methodology. Essentially, the basic concepts, tools, and methods of actor analysis are identified and explained. How to apply actor analysis in different fields of practice is also discussed. The book has ten Lecture Notes that are organized into two main sections: Part One - definitions, concepts, and contexts and Part two actor analysis in the problem-solving context.
Lecture one focuses on the definition of actor analysis. Relevant actors are those that have an interest in a decision to be made, can hinder or enrich decision making, and are often involved in moral arguments. Actors include stakeholders and who have interest in the outcomes of decisions but may lack the power to influence decisions. Mapping actor relations can be an end product on its own, and at the same time a part of the process of influencing decisions. Other key topics of Lecture one are steps to actor analysis, methods of actor analysis, benefits and limitations of actor analysis, and selected applications of actor analysis
Lecture two discusses script analysis and dramaturgy. Like film/movie actors who need to diligently examine their scripts, policy analysts need to study policy documents to nurture character motivations and perform as expected. Parallels are drawn between dramaturgy and policymaking.
Chapter three discusses information needed for actor analysis. Lecture four explains actor mapping and how actor mapping sessions can be facilitated. Lecture five is concerned with actor analysis for public policy analysis. Lecture six explains how to gather data for actor analysis. Lecture discusses the methodological approaches for multi-actor actor analysis.
The remaining three chapters – eight, nine, and ten - (Part 2) focus on explaining the six steps of actor analysis in the problem-solving context. These are: (1) Formulate the problem; (2) identify the inventory of actors involved; (3) exhibit the analysis in charts; (4) determine the interests, objectives, and problem perceptions of actors; (5) map out the interdependencies between actors; and (6) determine the consequences of the findings with regard to the problem formulation.