Dealing with Wicked Problems in Networks: Analyzing an Environmental Debate from a Network Perspective

Policy makers in today's network society are increasingly confronted with complex and wicked policy problems that require collective action. This article analyzes such a collective action problem from a policy network perspective. By explaining impasses and breakthroughs in decisionmaking processes from a cognitive, a social, and an institutional point of view, the network perspective offers explanations for the presence and absence of collective action.