Environmental Change Institute
The role of professional intermediaries
in decision-making: Actor-Network
Theory & Social Practice Theory
Gavin Killip, BEHAVE conference
Oxford, 3-4 September 2014
Aims



Provide some insights into the working lives of small builders
Compare and contrast 2 theoretical approaches using the
same set of interview data
Comment on qualitative research methods for studying policyled future change (cf. quantitative models and scenarios)
Gavin Killip, BEHAVE conference
Oxford, 3-4 September 2014
Page 2
Why study small builders?



Most (?all) low-carbon scenarios include ambitious building
renovation programmes
Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) dominate the
existing markets for repair, maintenance and improvement
Therefore, renovation programmes will involve:

EITHER, recruiting the existing SMEs to the task
 OR, replacing them with someone else

Either way, it helps to understand the incumbent SMEs

NB the aim was NOT to elicit opinions about climate change
Gavin Killip, BEHAVE conference
Oxford, 3-4 September 2014
Page 3
Methodology: how to study the future?



Low-energy renovation of building stocks is an example of a
target-led transition, which needs to be coordinated and
aggregated (Rotmans 2005) => not a historic case study
Underlying assumption: innovative practices are revealing of
current context and possible future practices
Specific interview questions to explore innovation:

When did you last use a new product for the first time?
 If I was a manufacturer trying to persuade you to use my new
product, what would be your thought processes in deciding whether
or not to try it?

The use of hypothetical questions seems to have worked
Gavin Killip, BEHAVE conference
Oxford, 3-4 September 2014
Page 4
Data and data collection




16 semi-structured interviews with SMEs in construction-related
sectors (builders, electricians, plumbers etc)
Carried out in 2008; average interview length ~70 minutes
Published in Energy Policy (Killip 2013)
More recent work too (‘Building Expertise’ EP/H051163/1)


Not a big enough sample to claim any statistical significance
… this is exploratory – not representative


SME construction firms are hard to reach for research
My own experiences of low-energy renovation undoubtedly
influenced my approach and the data I managed to gather
Gavin Killip, BEHAVE conference
Oxford, 3-4 September 2014
Page 5
ANT and SPT in a nutshell
Actor-Network Theory
and non-human actors (‘actants’) all have agency
Observed behaviours are the outcome of negotiations (‘translation’)
between actants
Translation may lead to ‘enrolment’ or ‘dissidence’ of other actants
Human
Social Practice Theory
•Practice theory side-steps the
structure/agency dualism
•Practices have 3 ‘elements’
•People are ‘carriers’ of practice;
practices ‘recruit’ carriers
COMPETENCE
MATERIAL
Gavin Killip, BEHAVE conference
Oxford, 3-4 September 2014
MEANING
Page 6
Selective lists of past studies
ANT studies
SPT studies
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
The role of advisors in agricultural
policy
Plans for change in a scallop fishery
Wetland agri-environment policy
Gardening as interaction of plants
and people
Recycling urban waste on farmland
Installers’ views of condensing
boilers
Practices of SME construction firms
A town adopting a district heating
system
Skate-boarding
Hula-hooping
Nordic walking
Showering
Doing laundry
Commuter cycling
Driving
Snowboarding
Repairing photocopiers
Freezing food (having a freezer)
Renovating a home
Gavin Killip, BEHAVE conference
Oxford, 3-4 September 2014
Page 7
Understanding builders 1: ANT approach




Builders are practical, flexible, good at problem-solving …
… like to be autonomous, ‘own boss’
… wary of demanding or difficult clients
… take pride in their work and their place in communities

Conservatism rules but innovations do occur:

good client + time and money to innovate = best conditions

Cost is important but so are: product reliability, availability,
familiarity
 Regulations are both minimum and maximum … and
sometimes have to be bent
 Attitudes to - and experience of - training are mixed
Gavin Killip, BEHAVE conference
Oxford, 3-4 September 2014
Page 8
Understanding builders 2: SPT approach
Manual skills,
practical problemsolving, managing
time, sussing out
clients, formal /
informal training
Products, buildings,
tools, physical
constraints. Link to
cost, reliability,
compatibility …
It’s a job, pays the
bills. Take pride,
enjoy autonomy.
Have to deal with
customers,
regulators, suppliers,
paperwork …
COMPETENCE
MATERIAL
MEANING
Conflicts between
personal values
and industry
values
Gavin Killip, BEHAVE conference
Oxford, 3-4 September 2014
Page 9
What does the comparison show?


SPT tends to (?over-)emphasise stability
ANT tends to (?over-)emphasise instability

Most SPT studies have been of domestic routines and leisure
pursuits, ie the actors have been unambiguous
 Most ANT studies have been of multi-actor interactions

An individual may carry multiple practices (sometimes
conflicting) => multiple identities (eg citizen, consumer, family
member, volunteer, employee, entrepreneur)

Where one-off decisions are being made, and multiple actors
are involved, we need to match PRACTICES and ACTORS
Gavin Killip, BEHAVE conference
Oxford, 3-4 September 2014
Page 10
Thank you.
Comments or questions?
gavin.killip@eci.ox.ac.uk
Presentation title, edit in
header and footer
(view menu)
April 9, 2015
Page 11