European Policy Analysis Volume 2, Number 1, Spring 2016 | Page 29

European Policy Analysis

Structural
Resources

Power

and

Reputational approach to power and resource analysis.
Here it constitutes the second power
dimension defined by Stokman and

“Betweenness centrality” is the Zeggelink (1996), namely resources
most prominent centrality measure enabling actors to act and influence
used to study power and dominance, as policymaking. Participants to the survey
it indicates an actor’s strategic position evaluated the general reputational power of
between other actors in the network. It all actors integrated in the corresponding
shows the structural advantage of an actor process when answering the question:
in the network and is thus in line with what “Considering the list of all actors integrated
Stokman and Zeggelink (1996) defined as in the respective policy process, who are,
access relations within policy formulation. following you the three most important
Betweenness centrality measures the actors?” Reputational power scores then
number of times an actor is on the shortest reflect the number of times an actor was
path between two other actors within the mentioned as most important, expressed
collaboration network. Concretely, this in percentages (see Table 2).
means that actors with high betweenness
The analysis of reputational
centrality scores have the potential to link power shows a different picture to that of
other actors which would otherwise not be centralities: actors having a rather weak
connected. Actors with high betweenness betweenness centrality (such as HEV,
centralities thus have the opportunity to TCS, EnAW, and SVP nationally; DEZA
gate keep, control information flow among and EDA internationally), and thus being
otherwise disconnected others, and poorly interlinked within the collaboration
potentially impact decision making.3
network, may nonetheless be seen to be

Only few actors in the national important by the other actors (indicated
process had a betweenness centrality by a high reputational power score).
above the mean (see Table 2). Most of Nationally, the actors being seen as most
them, and particularly Economiesuisse, relevant for climate policy design include
the Petrol Union, and the Agencies the business association Economiesuisse,
for the Environment (FOEN) and for the Swiss Agency of Energy (SFOE), and
Energy (SFOE), were also present in the Christian-Democratic People’s party
the second international policy process. (CVP). Internationally, the Swiss Agency
Those organizations thus link different for Development and Cooperation (DEZA)
unrelated actors through collaboration ties and the State Secretariat for Economic
and do this in both the national and the Affairs (Seco) are perceived as powerful.
international settings.
The Swiss Agency for the Environment

In contrast to betweenness (FOEN) is the only actor being perceived
centrality, reputational power is not a as important in both processes and at the
network measure and reflects a cognitive two levels.
3

The two measures are complementary: reputational power indicates in a subjective manner which
institutions are seen as powerful by the other actors in the network, while the centrality measure shows
which actors hold a control position over others (Scott 2000).

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