Actors & Categorizations
A great number of diverse actors are somehow involved with questions about shale gas and hydraulic fracturing. These actors address a different set of questions and concepts and position themselves in relation to one another within the controversy. We are going to take a closer look at how these different actors position themselves. We will explore, not just how they position themselves, but also how they relate to each other by visualizing the connections between all the actors. The vast amount of actors might seem a bit confusing which is why we have made some categorizations in which the actors fit. In this categorizations process we are aware that some of our actors may slip through, that is, not fit in to the category. Now we will briefly present our categorizations below:
Science: The Science category covers all the scientific research institutions including expert advisory and counseling institutions.
Government: The Government category covers all the political and regulatory authorities.
Companies: The Companies category covers all the involved private exploration and production oil and gas companies. Also within this category we have the different investment firms, communications bureaus and other private companies.
Activists/NGO's: The Activists/NGO's category covers all the public/private organizations either concerned with particular aspects of the controversy or have direct attention towards the controversy. Also this category covers active anti-fracking organizations, mainly engaged in anti-frack actions.
Below you will find which actors, who are involved in our controversy and how they are organized: the color of the actors refers to the different categorizations mentioned above. Please note that throughout this study we primarily work with actor groups in the form of categorizations, instead of the specific actors, which allows us to grasp a broader perspective. By working with these categorizations it puts some of nuances and complexities of the controversy in jeopardy, also, we are aware that many of our specific actors fluctuate and overlap between our categories. Our categorizations are setup as "interest alliances", i.e. activists mainly oppose hydraulic fracturing, companies seek obtain alternative energy sources and manage risks, governments tries to gain an overview and manage risks, and
scientists are caught in the middle of the questions.
Besides the obvious prejudgements and faults of these categorizations we have chosen to use this strategy as a mean for creating a user friendly navigation tool to this specific controversy. That is in part the reason for keeping many tools on the page interactive, so the visitor can herself perform an analysis of the controversy and its actors.
You can maximize the picture by clicking the "Download File" beneath it (Notice: when you click "Download File" it will open a new window which gives you a more detailed overview of the map. Additionally in this section you can also find a brief description of the network picture.
Science: The Science category covers all the scientific research institutions including expert advisory and counseling institutions.
Government: The Government category covers all the political and regulatory authorities.
Companies: The Companies category covers all the involved private exploration and production oil and gas companies. Also within this category we have the different investment firms, communications bureaus and other private companies.
Activists/NGO's: The Activists/NGO's category covers all the public/private organizations either concerned with particular aspects of the controversy or have direct attention towards the controversy. Also this category covers active anti-fracking organizations, mainly engaged in anti-frack actions.
Below you will find which actors, who are involved in our controversy and how they are organized: the color of the actors refers to the different categorizations mentioned above. Please note that throughout this study we primarily work with actor groups in the form of categorizations, instead of the specific actors, which allows us to grasp a broader perspective. By working with these categorizations it puts some of nuances and complexities of the controversy in jeopardy, also, we are aware that many of our specific actors fluctuate and overlap between our categories. Our categorizations are setup as "interest alliances", i.e. activists mainly oppose hydraulic fracturing, companies seek obtain alternative energy sources and manage risks, governments tries to gain an overview and manage risks, and
scientists are caught in the middle of the questions.
Besides the obvious prejudgements and faults of these categorizations we have chosen to use this strategy as a mean for creating a user friendly navigation tool to this specific controversy. That is in part the reason for keeping many tools on the page interactive, so the visitor can herself perform an analysis of the controversy and its actors.
You can maximize the picture by clicking the "Download File" beneath it (Notice: when you click "Download File" it will open a new window which gives you a more detailed overview of the map. Additionally in this section you can also find a brief description of the network picture.
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A Loose Network of Actors
As we can see on the map above there is a tendency between the actors to create and establish relatively isolated communities apart from each other. They tend to form community clusters in our "controversy-in-the-making" from where they have not yet found they accurate position. For example; the "activist cluster" forms a vague relation to each other and tend to be more locally embedded i.e. they are operating mostly within their own countries and opposing their own governments. In other words the different activists have not established a collective community, in which they could form an alliance to combat and take action against "fracking" as a general practice. On the other hand the private oil and gas companies have established a solid and well-connected network between themselves and scientific communities and . The oil and gas companies, it seems, link to international conferences which they attend in partnership with scientific and governmental institutions. These conferences are intended to provide new business strategies for the companies to succeed on "unconventional gas extraction" (shale gas extraction by hydraulic fracturing). In addition to this, the conferences seek to overcome potential problems emerging from the practice of hydraulic fracturing, for example, correct general public "misconceptions" concerning hydraulic fracturing and knowledge on shale gas etc.
To get a more detailed overview of the specific actors involved feel free to explore overhead taps: "Science", "Government", "Companies" and "Activists/NGO's". Hover over the "actors" tap in order to select one of the different actor-groups. Otherwise, click the buttons below to become a becoming actor!
To get a more detailed overview of the specific actors involved feel free to explore overhead taps: "Science", "Government", "Companies" and "Activists/NGO's". Hover over the "actors" tap in order to select one of the different actor-groups. Otherwise, click the buttons below to become a becoming actor!
TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE CATEGORIZATIONS USED IN THE MAP AND THE UNDERLINING PROJECT AGENDA OF THIS WEBPAGE, GO TO "ABOUT THIS WEBPAGE".