IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/forpol/v163y2024ics1389934124000789.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Local policy networks in support of wood-based construction: A case study from Joensuu, Finland

Author

Listed:
  • Rahman, Md. Rayhanur
  • Wallin, Ida
  • Toivonen, Ritva
  • Toppinen, Anne

Abstract

Wood-based construction (WBC) is considered important for climate change mitigation, as buildings provide long-term carbon storage and contribute to sustainable urban solutions. Research shows that a lack of coordination among policy actors hinders the more rapid development of WBC in many contexts. Gaining a better understanding of the characteristics of local WBC-related policy networks is critical for speeding up WBC development. We conducted an exploratory case study on one WBC forerunner city, Joensuu, Finland. The results from our quantitative social network analysis show that the WBC policy network of Joensuu is moderately dense and mostly consists of research and business organizations. However, the local hub, Business Joensuu, holds a central position in the network despite being an intermediary non-profit business and a regional development organization. Information and knowledge sharing are the most common resources distributed among the actors, which implicitly suggests that the network is primarily contributing to research and innovation around WBC. Considering the diverse policy goal priority, statements related to WBC, actors are mostly interested in climate change mitigation measured by reducing carbon emissions from construction materials, followed by creating new employment opportunities. From the policy perspective, our findings concerning the WBC policy network of Joensuu showcase the importance of national and international policies in the local diffusion of WBC and the key role of collaborative actors.

Suggested Citation

  • Rahman, Md. Rayhanur & Wallin, Ida & Toivonen, Ritva & Toppinen, Anne, 2024. "Local policy networks in support of wood-based construction: A case study from Joensuu, Finland," Forest Policy and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 163(C).
  • Handle: RePEc:eee:forpol:v:163:y:2024:i:c:s1389934124000789
    DOI: 10.1016/j.forpol.2024.103225
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1389934124000789
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.forpol.2024.103225?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Viljanen, A. & Lähtinen, K. & Kanninen, V. & Toppinen, A., 2023. "A tale of five cities: The role of municipalities in the market diffusion of wooden residential multistory construction and retrofits," Forest Policy and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 153(C).
    2. Florencia Franzini & Sami Berghäll & Anne Toppinen & Ritva Toivonen, 2023. "Planning for wooden multistorey construction – insights from Finland's municipal civil servants," European Planning Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 31(1), pages 168-188, January.
    3. Grit Ludwig, 2019. "The Role of Law in Transformative Environmental Policies—A Case Study of “Timber in Buildings Construction in Germany”," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(3), pages 1-14, February.
    4. Asta Salmi & Jaakko Jussila & Mervi Hämäläinen, 2022. "The role of municipalities in transformation towards more sustainable construction: the case of wood construction in Finland," Construction Management and Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 40(11-12), pages 934-954, December.
    5. Buttoud, Gerard & Kouplevatskaya-Buttoud, Irina & Slee, Bill & Weiss, Gerhard, 2011. "Barriers to institutional learning and innovations in the forest sector in Europe: Markets, policies and stakeholders," Forest Policy and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 13(2), pages 124-131.
    6. Nils Ringe, 2005. "Policy Preference Formation in Legislative Politics: Structures, Actors, and Focal Points," American Journal of Political Science, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 49(4), pages 731-745, October.
    7. Weiss, Gerhard & Hansen, Eric & Ludvig, Alice & Nybakk, Erlend & Toppinen, Anne, 2021. "Innovation governance in the forest sector: Reviewing concepts, trends and gaps," Forest Policy and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 130(C).
    8. Normann, Håkon Endresen, 2017. "Policy networks in energy transitions: The cases of carbon capture and storage and offshore wind in Norway," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 118(C), pages 80-93.
    9. Jaana Korhonen & Alexandru Giurca & Maria Brockhaus & Anne Toppinen, 2018. "Actors and Politics in Finland’s Forest-Based Bioeconomy Network," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(10), pages 1-20, October.
    10. Markku Karjalainen & Hüseyin Emre Ilgın & Lassi Tulonen, 2021. "Main Design Considerations and Prospects of Contemporary Tall Timber Apartment Buildings: Views of Key Professionals from Finland," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(12), pages 1-18, June.
    11. Ingold, Karin & Fischer, Manuel & Christopoulos, Dimitris, 2021. "The roles actors play in policy networks: Central positions in strongly institutionalized fields," Network Science, Cambridge University Press, vol. 9(2), pages 213-235, June.
    12. Aurenhammer, Peter K., 2017. "Forest land-use governance and change through Forest Owner Associations – Actors' roles and preferences in Bavaria," Forest Policy and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 85(P1), pages 176-191.
    13. Robert M. Bond & Christopher J. Fariss & Jason J. Jones & Adam D. I. Kramer & Cameron Marlow & Jaime E. Settle & James H. Fowler, 2012. "A 61-million-person experiment in social influence and political mobilization," Nature, Nature, vol. 489(7415), pages 295-298, September.
    14. Ramage, Michael H. & Burridge, Henry & Busse-Wicher, Marta & Fereday, George & Reynolds, Thomas & Shah, Darshil U. & Wu, Guanglu & Yu, Li & Fleming, Patrick & Densley-Tingley, Danielle & Allwood, Juli, 2017. "The wood from the trees: The use of timber in construction," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 68(P1), pages 333-359.
    15. Giurca, Alexandru, 2020. "Unpacking the network discourse: Actors and storylines in Germany's wood-based bioeconomy," Forest Policy and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 110(C).
    16. Beyers, Jan & Braun, Caelesta, 2014. "Ties that count: explaining interest group access to policymakers," Journal of Public Policy, Cambridge University Press, vol. 34(1), pages 93-121, April.
    17. Hedeler, Barbara & Lettner, Miriam & Stern, Tobias & Schwarzbauer, Peter & Hesser, Franziska, 2020. "Strategic decisions on knowledge development and diffusion at pilot and demonstration projects: An empirical mapping of actors, projects and strategies in the case of circular forest bioeconomy," Forest Policy and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 110(C).
    18. Martyna Maniak-Huesser & Lars G. F. Tellnes & Edwin Zea Escamilla, 2021. "Mind the Gap: A Policy Gap Analysis of Programmes Promoting Timber Construction in Nordic Countries," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(21), pages 1-14, October.
    19. David Marsh & Martin Smith, 2000. "Understanding Policy Networks: towards a Dialectical Approach," Political Studies, Political Studies Association, vol. 48(1), pages 4-21, March.
    20. Galina Churkina & Alan Organschi & Christopher P. O. Reyer & Andrew Ruff & Kira Vinke & Zhu Liu & Barbara K. Reck & T. E. Graedel & Hans Joachim Schellnhuber, 2020. "Buildings as a global carbon sink," Nature Sustainability, Nature, vol. 3(4), pages 269-276, April.
    21. Toivonen, Ritva & Vihemäki, Heini & Toppinen, Anne, 2021. "Policy narratives on wooden multi-storey construction and implications for technology innovation system governance," Forest Policy and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 125(C).
    22. Kremer, Hannah & Villamor, Isabel & Aguinis, Herman, 2019. "Innovation leadership: Best-practice recommendations for promoting employee creativity, voice, and knowledge sharing," Business Horizons, Elsevier, vol. 62(1), pages 65-74.
    23. Kerry London & Zelinna Pablo, 2017. "An actor–network theory approach to developing an expanded conceptualization of collaboration in industrialized building housing construction," Construction Management and Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 35(8-9), pages 553-577, September.
    24. Ismael Blanco & Vivien Lowndes & Lawrence Pratchett, 2011. "Policy Networks and Governance Networks: Towards Greater Conceptual Clarity," Political Studies Review, Political Studies Association, vol. 9(3), pages 297-308, September.
    25. Ditte P. Gerding & Hans (J. W. F.) Wamelink & Els M. Leclercq, 2021. "Implementing circularity in the construction process: a case study examining the reorganization of multi-actor environment and the decision-making process," Construction Management and Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 39(7), pages 617-635, July.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Creutzburg, Leonard & Lieberherr, Eva, 2021. "To log or not to log? Actor preferences and networks in Swiss forest policy," Forest Policy and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 125(C).
    2. Weiss, Gerhard & Hansen, Eric & Ludvig, Alice & Nybakk, Erlend & Toppinen, Anne, 2021. "Innovation governance in the forest sector: Reviewing concepts, trends and gaps," Forest Policy and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 130(C).
    3. Pérez-Sánchez, Laura À. & Velasco-Fernández, Raúl & Giampietro, Mario, 2022. "Factors and actions for the sustainability of the residential sector. The nexus of energy, materials, space, and time use," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 161(C).
    4. Galán-Martín, Ángel & Contreras, María del Mar & Romero, Inmaculada & Ruiz, Encarnación & Bueno-Rodríguez, Salvador & Eliche-Quesada, Dolores & Castro-Galiano, Eulogio, 2022. "The potential role of olive groves to deliver carbon dioxide removal in a carbon-neutral Europe: Opportunities and challenges," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 165(C).
    5. Viljanen, A. & Lähtinen, K. & Kanninen, V. & Toppinen, A., 2023. "A tale of five cities: The role of municipalities in the market diffusion of wooden residential multistory construction and retrofits," Forest Policy and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 153(C).
    6. Shin, Bigyeong & Chang, Seong Jin & Wi, Seunghwan & Kim, Sumin, 2023. "Estimation of energy demand and greenhouse gas emission reduction effect of cross-laminated timber (CLT) hybrid wall using life cycle assessment for urban residential planning," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 185(C).
    7. Ramcilovic-Suominen, Sabaheta & Kröger, Markus & Dressler, Wolfram, 2022. "From pro-growth and planetary limits to degrowth and decoloniality: An emerging bioeconomy policy and research agenda," Forest Policy and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 144(C).
    8. Normann, Håkon Endresen, 2017. "Policy networks in energy transitions: The cases of carbon capture and storage and offshore wind in Norway," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 118(C), pages 80-93.
    9. Winkel, Georg & Lovrić, Marko & Muys, Bart & Katila, Pia & Lundhede, Thomas & Pecurul, Mireia & Pettenella, Davide & Pipart, Nathalie & Plieninger, Tobias & Prokofieva, Irina & Parra, Constanza & Pülz, 2022. "Governing Europe's forests for multiple ecosystem services: Opportunities, challenges, and policy options," Forest Policy and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 145(C).
    10. Hetemäki, L. & D'Amato, D. & Giurca, A. & Hurmekoski, E., 2024. "Synergies and trade-offs in the European forest bioeconomy research: State of the art and the way forward," Forest Policy and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 163(C).
    11. Abhijeet Mishra & Florian Humpenöder & Galina Churkina & Christopher P. O. Reyer & Felicitas Beier & Benjamin Leon Bodirsky & Hans Joachim Schellnhuber & Hermann Lotze-Campen & Alexander Popp, 2022. "Land use change and carbon emissions of a transformation to timber cities," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-12, December.
    12. Mijailoff, Julián Daniel & Burns, Sarah Lilian, 2023. "Fixing the meaning of floating signifier: Discourses and network analysis in the bioeconomy policy processes in Argentina and Uruguay," Forest Policy and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 154(C).
    13. Giurca, Alexandru & Befort, Nicolas, 2023. "Deconstructing substitution narratives: The case of bioeconomy innovations from the forest-based sector," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 207(C).
    14. Kotkaniemi, Anniina & Ylä-Anttila, Tuomas & Chen, Ted Hsuan Yun, 2023. "Policy Influence and Influencers Online and Off," SocArXiv dnrg6, Center for Open Science.
    15. Yu Dong & Tongyu Qin & Siyuan Zhou & Lu Huang & Rui Bo & Haibo Guo & Xunzhi Yin, 2020. "Comparative Whole Building Life Cycle Assessment of Energy Saving and Carbon Reduction Performance of Reinforced Concrete and Timber Stadiums—A Case Study in China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(4), pages 1-24, February.
    16. Etienne Lorang & Antonello Lobianco & Philippe Delacote, 2023. "Increasing Paper and Cardboard Recycling: Impacts on the Forest Sector and Carbon Emissions," Post-Print hal-03832461, HAL.
    17. Frank R. Baumgartner & Christine Mahoney, 2008. "Forum Section: The Two Faces of Framing," European Union Politics, , vol. 9(3), pages 435-449, September.
    18. Alan Gerber & Mitchell Hoffman & John Morgan & Collin Raymond, 2020. "One in a Million: Field Experiments on Perceived Closeness of the Election and Voter Turnout," American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, American Economic Association, vol. 12(3), pages 287-325, July.
    19. Ghadah Lafi Alharbi & Monira Essa Aloud, 2024. "The effects of knowledge management processes on service sector performance: evidence from Saudi Arabia," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 11(1), pages 1-19, December.
    20. Luo, Li & O'Hehir, Jim & Regan, Courtney M. & Meng, Li & Connor, Jeffery D. & Chow, Christopher W.K., 2021. "An integrated strategic and tactical optimization model for forest supply chain planning," Forest Policy and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 131(C).

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:forpol:v:163:y:2024:i:c:s1389934124000789. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/forpol .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.