Using narratives to map the wickedness of problems and solutions in sustainability transitions - the case of agri-food in Norway

Sustainability transitions in challenging policy areas like agri-food are often described as ‘wicked’. It is common in the literature to invoke wickedness rhetorically, as a means of drawing attention to a problem’s difficulty, while assuming a binary distinction between wicked and tame problems (Termeer et al., 2019). This contrasts with a literature taking an analytical approach to the wickedness concept, offering theoretical insights into why problems are wicked and how wicked they are (Head, 2022). Analytical approaches to the concept are important, as the wickedness of a given problem can have implications for the design of systemic policy approaches to address it (Wanzenböck et al., 2020). Yet the literature is largely undeveloped when it comes to empirically operationalising the theory. This gap may result in missed opportunities to better inform policy, and may contribute to concept stretching resulting from broad rhetorical use. This paper contributes by demonstrating an operationalisation of the concept, exploring the extent to which degrees (how wicked) and dimensions (why a problem is wicked) can be mapped. Diverging from previous work (e.g. Kirschke et al., 2019), this paper utilises narratives of stakeholders to the policy process as data, recognising the role of social construction in the wickedness of a problem. The paper’s approach is unique in combining the Narrative Policy Framework (Jones & McBeth, 2010) with Head's (2022) three dimensions of wickedness: complexity, uncertainty and value divergence / contestation. The combined analytical framework is tested on the policy problem of greenhouse gas emissions from the Norwegian agri-food system. The data is sourced from the public consultation responses of organisations to a landmark climate policy assessment (Miljødirektoratet, 2020). In the case, agri-food stakeholders adopt narratives of complexity and uncertainty to qualify their divergent values on problems and solutions (contestation). The results highlight relative differences in wickedness between problems and solutions, between different solutions, and between dimensions of wickedness for individual solutions. While the analytical framework has limitations due to the specificity of individual case problems, it illustrates how the rhetorical labelling of difficult problems as ‘wicked’ can mask important heterogeneity in terms of how and why problems are wicked. These insights could better inform the design of systemic policy approaches, such as mission-oriented innovation policy (Larrue, 2021). - Head, B. W. (2022). Wicked Problems in Public Policy: Understanding and Responding to Complex Challenges. Springer Nature Jones, M. D., & McBeth, M. K. (2010). A Narrative Policy Framework: Clear Enough to Be Wrong? Policy Studies Journal Kirschke, S., et al. (2019). Clusters of water governance problems and their effects on policy delivery. Policy and Society Larrue, P. (2021). The design and implementation of mission-oriented innovation policies: A new systemic policy approach to address societal challenges. OECD Miljødirektoratet. (2020). Klimakur 2030 Termeer, C. J. A. M., et al. (2019). A critical assessment of the wicked problem concept: Relevance and usefulness for policy science and practice. Policy and Society Wanzenböck, I., et al. (2020). A framework for mission-oriented innovation policy: Alternative pathways through the problem–solution space. Science and Public Policy