Institutional Perspectives
Summary
1. Wicked problem Governance..........................................................................................2
Wicked problem..............................................................................................................2
Effective integrative approach........................................................................................5
Institutions......................................................................................................................5
Governance......................................................................................................................6
2. Civil society.....................................................................................................................8
Third way.........................................................................................................................8
Historical context............................................................................................................8
Modern perspectives.......................................................................................................9
The Civil Society Puzzle..................................................................................................9
Alternative political models..........................................................................................10
3. State................................................................................................................................11
Public interest (PI).........................................................................................................11
Governmentality............................................................................................................13
Governance....................................................................................................................14
4. Market............................................................................................................................15
Neoclassical market structuring...................................................................................15
Historical institution.....................................................................................................17
Social institution............................................................................................................18
5. Interrelation..................................................................................................................19
Spheres...........................................................................................................................19
Integration challenges...................................................................................................19
Corporation...................................................................................................................20
Policy integration...........................................................................................................21
Policy entrepreneurs.....................................................................................................22
6. Collaborative governance.............................................................................................24
Cloud problems.............................................................................................................24
Collaborative governance.............................................................................................24
Examples of collaborative governance.........................................................................25
,1. Wicked problem Governance
Challenges in spatial planning and environmental governance
Challenges in spatial planning and environmental governance include issues like climate
change, biodiversity loss, urbanization, water management, and resource scarcity.
Clim ate chan ge : intersect with multiple domains, making it difficult to find
solutions that satisfy all stakeholders.
Ur ban ization : rapid urban growth creates challenges in housing, infrastructure,
and sustainability.
B iodiver sity loss: impacts ecosystems and human livelihoods, but requires
balancing environmental protection with economic activities like agriculture.
These problems are labelled ‘wicked problems’ when they are complex, intractable, open-
ended, unpracticable and seem to be proliferating. Other examples of wicked problems:
Global warming;
Drug abuse;
Child protection;
Safety of nanotechnology.
Wicked problem
Characteristics of Wicked problems
Spatial and environmental challenges are often described as w icked pr oblem s.
Diffi cult to defi ne : there’s no clear agreement on what constitutes the problem.
In ter dependen cies: solutions are interrelated; solving one aspect can worsen
another.
- E.g., addressing transportation congestion might increase pollution if the
focus is on expanding road capacity.
Multi-causal: issues like economic, environmental, and social factors interact.
- E.g., climate change affects the environment, but it also influences health,
migration, and economic activities.
No clear solution s: there’s no ‘’right’’ solution, addressing one aspect may
exacerbate others.
Socially com plexity: involve multiple stakeholders, often disagree on what the
problem is and how to tackle it.
In volve chan gin g behaviour
Or gan ization al boun dar ies an d r espon sibilities
Ch r on ic policy failur e : the complexity of these problems often leads to
persistent policy failures, as seen in global challenges like the ongoing housing
crisis, refugee crisis, and public health emergencies like COVID-19.
2
, Progress of wicked problem
Wicked problems are not necessarily solved but managed over time. The goal is often not
a final solution but progress toward more effective governance. The literature
demonstrates the failure of conventional approaches in addressing problems that involve
complexity, uncertainty, and stakeholder conflicts.
Typologies of complex problems
Tam e pr oblem s: these have clear definitions and known solutions.
- e.g., water management in the Netherlands.
Politically com plex pr oblem s : disagreements on problem recognition but
clear on actions.
- e.g., nitrogen management.
Cogn itively com plex pr oblem s : little is known about the problem or its
implications.
- e.g., artificial intelligence.
Ver y w icked pr oblem : difficult or impossible to solve because of incomplete,
contradictory, and changing requirements that are often difficult to recognize, and
there is no single solution to the problem.
- E.g., Covid-19, eventually we found a way out.
Conditions of wicked problems
A problem is more likely to be wicked if several conditions are present:
Str uctur al com plexity: intractability of the technical aspects of the problem
(non-stakeholder related).
K n ow ability: the nature of the problem or solution is unknowable – relevant
information may be hidden, disguised or intangible.
K n ow ledge fr agm en tation : available knowledge is fragmented among
multiple stakeholders.
3
Summary
1. Wicked problem Governance..........................................................................................2
Wicked problem..............................................................................................................2
Effective integrative approach........................................................................................5
Institutions......................................................................................................................5
Governance......................................................................................................................6
2. Civil society.....................................................................................................................8
Third way.........................................................................................................................8
Historical context............................................................................................................8
Modern perspectives.......................................................................................................9
The Civil Society Puzzle..................................................................................................9
Alternative political models..........................................................................................10
3. State................................................................................................................................11
Public interest (PI).........................................................................................................11
Governmentality............................................................................................................13
Governance....................................................................................................................14
4. Market............................................................................................................................15
Neoclassical market structuring...................................................................................15
Historical institution.....................................................................................................17
Social institution............................................................................................................18
5. Interrelation..................................................................................................................19
Spheres...........................................................................................................................19
Integration challenges...................................................................................................19
Corporation...................................................................................................................20
Policy integration...........................................................................................................21
Policy entrepreneurs.....................................................................................................22
6. Collaborative governance.............................................................................................24
Cloud problems.............................................................................................................24
Collaborative governance.............................................................................................24
Examples of collaborative governance.........................................................................25
,1. Wicked problem Governance
Challenges in spatial planning and environmental governance
Challenges in spatial planning and environmental governance include issues like climate
change, biodiversity loss, urbanization, water management, and resource scarcity.
Clim ate chan ge : intersect with multiple domains, making it difficult to find
solutions that satisfy all stakeholders.
Ur ban ization : rapid urban growth creates challenges in housing, infrastructure,
and sustainability.
B iodiver sity loss: impacts ecosystems and human livelihoods, but requires
balancing environmental protection with economic activities like agriculture.
These problems are labelled ‘wicked problems’ when they are complex, intractable, open-
ended, unpracticable and seem to be proliferating. Other examples of wicked problems:
Global warming;
Drug abuse;
Child protection;
Safety of nanotechnology.
Wicked problem
Characteristics of Wicked problems
Spatial and environmental challenges are often described as w icked pr oblem s.
Diffi cult to defi ne : there’s no clear agreement on what constitutes the problem.
In ter dependen cies: solutions are interrelated; solving one aspect can worsen
another.
- E.g., addressing transportation congestion might increase pollution if the
focus is on expanding road capacity.
Multi-causal: issues like economic, environmental, and social factors interact.
- E.g., climate change affects the environment, but it also influences health,
migration, and economic activities.
No clear solution s: there’s no ‘’right’’ solution, addressing one aspect may
exacerbate others.
Socially com plexity: involve multiple stakeholders, often disagree on what the
problem is and how to tackle it.
In volve chan gin g behaviour
Or gan ization al boun dar ies an d r espon sibilities
Ch r on ic policy failur e : the complexity of these problems often leads to
persistent policy failures, as seen in global challenges like the ongoing housing
crisis, refugee crisis, and public health emergencies like COVID-19.
2
, Progress of wicked problem
Wicked problems are not necessarily solved but managed over time. The goal is often not
a final solution but progress toward more effective governance. The literature
demonstrates the failure of conventional approaches in addressing problems that involve
complexity, uncertainty, and stakeholder conflicts.
Typologies of complex problems
Tam e pr oblem s: these have clear definitions and known solutions.
- e.g., water management in the Netherlands.
Politically com plex pr oblem s : disagreements on problem recognition but
clear on actions.
- e.g., nitrogen management.
Cogn itively com plex pr oblem s : little is known about the problem or its
implications.
- e.g., artificial intelligence.
Ver y w icked pr oblem : difficult or impossible to solve because of incomplete,
contradictory, and changing requirements that are often difficult to recognize, and
there is no single solution to the problem.
- E.g., Covid-19, eventually we found a way out.
Conditions of wicked problems
A problem is more likely to be wicked if several conditions are present:
Str uctur al com plexity: intractability of the technical aspects of the problem
(non-stakeholder related).
K n ow ability: the nature of the problem or solution is unknowable – relevant
information may be hidden, disguised or intangible.
K n ow ledge fr agm en tation : available knowledge is fragmented among
multiple stakeholders.
3
