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Stakeholder Analysis and Wicked Problems

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Global Encyclopedia of Public Administration, Public Policy, and Governance

Synonyms

Ill-structured problems; Messy problems; Type III problems

Definition

A wicked problem is a public problem that persists over time and appears unsolvable. It presents important knowledge problems resulting in conflicts over the nature of the problem as well as the optimal solution. Wicked problems have the following characteristics: (1) are unpredictable because they are nested in complex webs of relations; (2) are ambiguous due to multiple cognitive frames; (3) involve a large number of stakeholders with conflicting interests; and (4) cross multiple policy jurisdictions.

Consequently, these problems are resistant to technocratic solutions, are difficult to manage, are addressed by short-term solutions that only partially address the problem, and the institutional framework is inadequate for collaboration and knowledge coproduction. The most common wicked problems are climate change, asylum seeking, obesity, and natural resource depletion.

A common strategy to address wicked...

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Universidad de Concepción, Concepción, Chile

    Jeanne W. Simon

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  1. Jeanne W. Simon
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Correspondence to Jeanne W. Simon .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, Florida, USA

    Ali Farazmand

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Simon, J.W. (2017). Stakeholder Analysis and Wicked Problems. In: Farazmand, A. (eds) Global Encyclopedia of Public Administration, Public Policy, and Governance. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-31816-5_2710-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-31816-5_2710-1

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  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-31816-5

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-31816-5

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