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Environmental Change Institute
The role of professional intermediaries
in decision-making: Actor-Network
Theory & Social Practice Theory
Gavin Killip, BEHAVE conference
Oxford, 3-4 September 2014
Aims
Provide some insights into the working lives of small builders
Compare and contrast 2 theoretical approaches using the
same set of interview data
Comment on qualitative research methods for studying policyled future change (cf. quantitative models and scenarios)
Gavin Killip, BEHAVE conference
Oxford, 3-4 September 2014
Page 2
Why study small builders?
Most (?all) low-carbon scenarios include ambitious building
renovation programmes
Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) dominate the
existing markets for repair, maintenance and improvement
Therefore, renovation programmes will involve:
EITHER, recruiting the existing SMEs to the task
OR, replacing them with someone else
Either way, it helps to understand the incumbent SMEs
NB the aim was NOT to elicit opinions about climate change
Gavin Killip, BEHAVE conference
Oxford, 3-4 September 2014
Page 3
Methodology: how to study the future?
Low-energy renovation of building stocks is an example of a
target-led transition, which needs to be coordinated and
aggregated (Rotmans 2005) => not a historic case study
Underlying assumption: innovative practices are revealing of
current context and possible future practices
Specific interview questions to explore innovation:
When did you last use a new product for the first time?
If I was a manufacturer trying to persuade you to use my new
product, what would be your thought processes in deciding whether
or not to try it?
The use of hypothetical questions seems to have worked
Gavin Killip, BEHAVE conference
Oxford, 3-4 September 2014
Page 4
Data and data collection
16 semi-structured interviews with SMEs in construction-related
sectors (builders, electricians, plumbers etc)
Carried out in 2008; average interview length ~70 minutes
Published in Energy Policy (Killip 2013)
More recent work too (‘Building Expertise’ EP/H051163/1)
Not a big enough sample to claim any statistical significance
… this is exploratory – not representative
SME construction firms are hard to reach for research
My own experiences of low-energy renovation undoubtedly
influenced my approach and the data I managed to gather
Gavin Killip, BEHAVE conference
Oxford, 3-4 September 2014
Page 5
ANT and SPT in a nutshell
Actor-Network Theory
and non-human actors (‘actants’) all have agency
Observed behaviours are the outcome of negotiations (‘translation’)
between actants
Translation may lead to ‘enrolment’ or ‘dissidence’ of other actants
Human
Social Practice Theory
•Practice theory side-steps the
structure/agency dualism
•Practices have 3 ‘elements’
•People are ‘carriers’ of practice;
practices ‘recruit’ carriers
COMPETENCE
MATERIAL
Gavin Killip, BEHAVE conference
Oxford, 3-4 September 2014
MEANING
Page 6
Selective lists of past studies
ANT studies
SPT studies
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The role of advisors in agricultural
policy
Plans for change in a scallop fishery
Wetland agri-environment policy
Gardening as interaction of plants
and people
Recycling urban waste on farmland
Installers’ views of condensing
boilers
Practices of SME construction firms
A town adopting a district heating
system
Skate-boarding
Hula-hooping
Nordic walking
Showering
Doing laundry
Commuter cycling
Driving
Snowboarding
Repairing photocopiers
Freezing food (having a freezer)
Renovating a home
Gavin Killip, BEHAVE conference
Oxford, 3-4 September 2014
Page 7
Understanding builders 1: ANT approach
Builders are practical, flexible, good at problem-solving …
… like to be autonomous, ‘own boss’
… wary of demanding or difficult clients
… take pride in their work and their place in communities
Conservatism rules but innovations do occur:
good client + time and money to innovate = best conditions
Cost is important but so are: product reliability, availability,
familiarity
Regulations are both minimum and maximum … and
sometimes have to be bent
Attitudes to - and experience of - training are mixed
Gavin Killip, BEHAVE conference
Oxford, 3-4 September 2014
Page 8
Understanding builders 2: SPT approach
Manual skills,
practical problemsolving, managing
time, sussing out
clients, formal /
informal training
Products, buildings,
tools, physical
constraints. Link to
cost, reliability,
compatibility …
It’s a job, pays the
bills. Take pride,
enjoy autonomy.
Have to deal with
customers,
regulators, suppliers,
paperwork …
COMPETENCE
MATERIAL
MEANING
Conflicts between
personal values
and industry
values
Gavin Killip, BEHAVE conference
Oxford, 3-4 September 2014
Page 9
What does the comparison show?
SPT tends to (?over-)emphasise stability
ANT tends to (?over-)emphasise instability
Most SPT studies have been of domestic routines and leisure
pursuits, ie the actors have been unambiguous
Most ANT studies have been of multi-actor interactions
An individual may carry multiple practices (sometimes
conflicting) => multiple identities (eg citizen, consumer, family
member, volunteer, employee, entrepreneur)
Where one-off decisions are being made, and multiple actors
are involved, we need to match PRACTICES and ACTORS
Gavin Killip, BEHAVE conference
Oxford, 3-4 September 2014
Page 10
Thank you.
Comments or questions?
[email protected]
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April 9, 2015
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