Franke. Ulrich / Roos, Ulrich 2024: Actor-Structure Problem in Public Policy, in: Minna van Gerven et al. (Hrsg.), Encyclopedia of Public Policy, Springer, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-90434-0_109-1 .

Keywords Social theory -American pragmatism -Agency -Practice -Structure of collective action -Rules for action -Crisis -Creativity -Abduction -Process

This article, co-authored with PD Dr. Ulrich Franke deals with the term actor-structure-problem, emerging in the late twentieth century and defines the academic discussion of human action and its requirements. It refers to fundamental questions about the relationship between actors or agency, that is, the capacity to act, and structure—a topic as old as human self-reflection. 

The article deals with the following aspects:

• Central Definition of the term
• The Actor-Structure Problem in Late Twentieth-Century Sociology and Philosophy
• The Advent of the Actor-Structure Problem in Political Science
• A Pragmatist Answer to the Actor-Structure Problem
• Implications of the Pragmatist Answer to the Actor-Structure Problem
• The Actor-Structure Problem in Current Socio-Scientific Discussions