4CMR not only generates findings of interest to key organisations, we ensure those findings reach the necessary individuals, provide the answers they seek and do so in an appropriate format and venue. This process of informing decisions is guided by our work in the social science of networks and Assemblages. An Assemblage is a collection of institutions and individuals that play key roles in the "ecosystems" of climate change and sustainability policy, each of which has specialised purposes, resources, influence, etc in the development, support and implementation of policies for sustainable, low carbon economies. Our engagement activities target these members of the Assemblage so we can inform the policy world at all of the points where such information will be most effective at driving change to a decarbonised global economy.
Our approach involves detailed study of the ways in which specific institutions and individuals influence policy. This begins with a typology of roles, shown in the figure above and to the right. In this simplified scheme, there are seven categories of institutions or individuals, each playing a specialised role in the "ecosystem" of policy development, assessment and/or implementation.
Each category contains specific examples of institutions and individuals, shown in the figure to the left. In this example, only Framers are considered, with three subcategories shown (Media, NGOs and Trade Organisations). And then specific examples are provided of only three institutions that fall within the NGO subcategory. Bear in mind that any specific institution or individual may fall simultaneously into several categories and subcategories. For example, the WWF is an NGO serving as a Framer of policies, but it also conducts research and is hence a Researcher, as well as having its own offices within which it can implement carbon reduction measures (and is hence an Adopter).
