The SPA-cube framework: An integrated approach for analysing power dynamics in environmental governance
Muhammad Alif K. Sahide, Siswandi Siswandi, Nurhady Sirimorok, Micah R. Fisher, Grace Yee Wong, Maria Brockhaus

TL;DR
The SPA-Cube Framework is a new method for analyzing how power changes over time in environmental governance, combining different theories into one structured approach.
Contribution
The SPA-Cube Framework integrates three power analysis approaches into a replicable protocol for dynamic, multidimensional power analysis in environmental governance.
Findings
The framework enables simultaneous analysis of when, how, and why power shifts across policy interventions.
It explains paradoxical outcomes, such as empowerment strategies reinforcing existing power structures.
Validated through a 36-month ethnographic study in Indonesia, it offers a structured workflow for tracking power dynamics.
Abstract
This article presents the SPA-Cube Framework, an integrated methodological protocol that addresses key limitations in power analysis for environmental governance. Traditional approaches often employ singular or static lenses, failing to capture power’s multidimensional, dynamic, and governmental nature. Our framework systematically integrates three complementary pillars: Gaventa’s Power Cube (typologizing visible, hidden, and invisible power), governmentality theory (revealing rationalities and technologies of rule), and Sequential Power Analysis (providing temporal sequencing and actor-centric focus). This synthesis enables researchers to simultaneously examine when and how power shifts, what forms it takes, and why it operates as it does across policy interventions. The framework helps explain paradoxical outcomes, such as how empowerment strategies can inadvertently reinforce…
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Taxonomy
TopicsSustainability and Climate Change Governance · Foucault, Power, and Ethics · Asian Studies and History
