Rethinking situated agency: an interpretive framework to policy implementation

Abstract

Recent scholarship has increasingly celebrated the diversity of actions in policy implementation, challenging the dominant and orthodox understanding of implementation as a rational and structured enterprise. However, a practical framework to analyse this plurality of actions remains underdeveloped. Adopting the interpretive lens, this article reconsiders policy implementation as (1) interactive meaning-making, (2) individual endeavours, and (3) expressive acts. By decentring to the actor’s cognitive processes, the interpretive framework considers actions that diverge from “formal” objectives as adjudication of different ideas and beliefs rather than mere depictions of implementation deficit. Using a study of research governance in Indonesia, this article highlights the significance of the interpretive framework and associated concepts, such as situated agency and dilemmas, in providing richer analysis. Importantly, this approach advances and broadens the scope of implementation studies beyond the conventional compliance-resistance paradigm, helping to unveil the “black box” of the policy process.