Environmental narratives in complex policy contexts

Nature of activities:

‘Environmental policy narratives’ is an emerging area and currently under-explored in terms of fundamental research. ‘Narratives’ are ways of framing language to “promote or prioritise particular ideas or values”. They may be consciously or unconsciously adopted and can be “instrumental in shaping and directing policies that are developed and adopted and actions that are taken as a result” (Washbourne, 2022).

Documenting and extracting meaning from these narratives requires the integration of theory and practice across a range of disciplines (including social sciences, policy studies, environmental studies, sustainability science and literary studies) as well as an understanding of how knowledge and perspectives from a range of stakeholders interact within decision-making contexts.

The project centres around collaborations with institutions with a reputation for excellence in work on the science-policy interface on the environment, engaging with colleagues based in these institutions, and with other local actors working across the science-policy interface, to understand the topics and issues they see emerging.