Actor analysis can be seen as an approach to environmental management

Environmental management

Environmental resource management is “a purposeful activity with the goal to maintain and improve the state of an environmental resource affected by human activities” . It is not, as the phrase suggests, the management of the environment as such, but rather the management of the interaction and...

. Environmenal issues are often very complex, because many parties are involved. All parties have their own interests, goals and strategies. Actor analysis provides a structured inventory of the parties and their interests to get an overview.

Instead of parties we speak of actors which comprise both individuals and groups like institutions, administrative authorities or consumer organisations. All these actors can change an existing situation by their priorities or value systems.

There have been many changes of environmental behaviour that can be described via Actor Analysis. For example all cars are now equipped with catalytic converter

Catalytic converter

A catalytic converter is a device used to convert toxic exhaust emissions from an internal combustion engine into non-toxic substances. Inside a catalytic converter, a catalyst stimulates a chemical reaction in which noxious byproducts of combustion are converted to less toxic substances by dint...

s. Environmental organisations, governments, companies, legislators, customers, have all been actors in this process.

External links

• Communication: a meeting ground for sustainable development