The SPA-cube framework: An integrated approach for analysing power dynamics in environmental governance

Area of Science:

• Environmental governance
• Political science
• Sociology

Background:

• Traditional power analysis in environmental governance is limited.
• Existing methods fail to capture the dynamic and multidimensional nature of power.
• There is a need for integrated approaches to understand power shifts and governmental rationalities.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present the SPA-Cube Framework, an integrated methodological protocol for power analysis.
• To address limitations in traditional power analysis for environmental governance.
• To provide a structured approach for examining temporal, typological, and governmental dimensions of power.

Main Methods:

• Systematic integration of Gaventa's Power Cube, governmentality theory, and Sequential Power Analysis.
• Development and validation through a 36-month ethnographic study in Indonesia.
• Application of a structured protocol for integrated power analysis across policy cycles.

Main Results:

• The SPA-Cube Framework enables simultaneous examination of when, how, and why power shifts occur.
• It helps explain paradoxical outcomes, such as empowerment strategies reinforcing existing structures.
• The framework provides a dynamic tracking of power across policy intervention phases.

Conclusions:

• The SPA-Cube Framework offers a novel and replicable tool for navigating complex power dynamics in environmental governance.
• It enhances understanding of how technologies of rule shape subject formation.
• The protocol integrates temporal, typological, and governmental analyses into a single workflow.