TY - JOUR

T1 - On melting summits

T2 - The limitations of field-configuring events as catalysts of change in transnational climate policy

AU - Schüßler, Elke

AU - Rüling, Charles Clemens

AU - Wittneben, Bettina B.F.

PY - 2014/3/14

Y1 - 2014/3/14

N2 - Although field-configuring events have been highlighted as catalysts of institutional change, scholars still know little about the specific conditions that allow such change to occur. Using data from a longitudinal study of United Nations climate conferences, we analyze how regular and high-stakes events in an event series interacted in producing and preventing institutional change in the transnational climate policy field. We uncover variations in event structures, processes, and outcomes that explain why climate conferences have not led to effective solutions to combat human-induced global warming. Results in particular highlight that growing field complexity and issue multiplication compromise the change potential of a field-configuring event series in favor of field maintenance. Over time, diverse actors find event participation useful for their own purposes, but their activity is not connected to the institutions at the center of the issue-based field. In discussing how events configuring a field are purposefully staged and enacted but also influenced by developments in the field, our study contributes to a more complete understanding of field-configuring events, particularly in contested transnational policy arenas.

AB - Although field-configuring events have been highlighted as catalysts of institutional change, scholars still know little about the specific conditions that allow such change to occur. Using data from a longitudinal study of United Nations climate conferences, we analyze how regular and high-stakes events in an event series interacted in producing and preventing institutional change in the transnational climate policy field. We uncover variations in event structures, processes, and outcomes that explain why climate conferences have not led to effective solutions to combat human-induced global warming. Results in particular highlight that growing field complexity and issue multiplication compromise the change potential of a field-configuring event series in favor of field maintenance. Over time, diverse actors find event participation useful for their own purposes, but their activity is not connected to the institutions at the center of the issue-based field. In discussing how events configuring a field are purposefully staged and enacted but also influenced by developments in the field, our study contributes to a more complete understanding of field-configuring events, particularly in contested transnational policy arenas.

KW - Management studies

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84900410530&partnerID=8YFLogxK

UR - https://www.mendeley.com/catalogue/0e286501-21a9-3433-852c-a2b5f1960a60/

U2 - 10.5465/amj.2011.0812

DO - 10.5465/amj.2011.0812

M3 - Journal articles

AN - SCOPUS:84900410530

VL - 57

SP - 140

EP - 171

JO - Academy of Management Journal

JF - Academy of Management Journal

SN - 0001-4273

IS - 1

ER -