Frames, agency and institutional change: the case of benchmarking in Danish construction

This study examines change and the sources influencing the formulation and diffusion of policies in construction. The change examined is the introduction of a benchmarking policy initiative in the Danish construction industry. Using institutional theory with emphasis on the concepts of frames and framings, we show how strategically motivated actors are able to frame policy problems in ways that disclose the mixture of motives, interests and institutional mechanisms at play in change processes. In doing so, we contribute to the literature on the role of agency in institutional change and the framing of policy problems. We conclude by highlighting how insights gained from the framing perspective present a challenge to the dominant comprehensive rationalist view of the policy process and the formulation and implementation of reform initiatives.