Three perspectives, one problem: a multi-theoretical approach to the role of expertise in the acid mine drainage policy controversy in Gauteng, South Africa

This thesis aims to formulate an in-depth understanding of the roles of experts and expert-based information in unstructured environmental policy problem contexts, with a particular focus on the acid mine drainage (AMD) policy controversy located in the Witwatersrand Goldfields of Gauteng, South Africa. I address this research topic by adopting a multi-theoretical complementary approach, which seeks to construct an in-depth, multi-dimensional analysis by applying several theoretical frameworks to the same case study context, based on the premise that each theory can explain unique elements that others cannot. Using this approach, I analyse the AMD case study and its developments between August 2002, marking the first instance of AMD discharge on the Western Basin of the Witwatersrand, and October 2023, when this research was finalised.

The three frameworks I have chosen to apply, although hailing from divergent epistemological traditions and academic disciplines, are all highly relevant to unpacking the roles of experts and expert-based information in the AMD environmental policy controversy, and each does so in a unique manner contributing specific analytical tools and areas of focus. The frameworks I have chosen are Weible’s (2008) framework focused on the uses of expert-based information in policy subsystems, which falls within the neo-positivist Advocacy Coalition Framework (ACF) tradition, the interpretivist Argumentative Discourse Analysis (ADA) approach, situated within Interpretive Policy Analysis (IPA), and boundary work, which falls under constructivism. Each case study application represents a stand-alone piece of analysis, characterised by unique explanatory features, and taken together they contribute an in-depth, multi-dimensional, comprehensive picture of the case study at hand. The thesis makes three key contributions to public policy literature.

The first contribution lies in providing three sophisticated individual theoretical frameworks, refined and adapted to be optimally suitable for study of the research topic before and after application to the case study, and thereby significantly adding both to the overall research topic of this study as well as the specific research approaches within which these frameworks fit.

The second contribution lies in the application of the multi-theoretical complementary approach to public policy research, which has resulted in a deep and rich analysis of the case study at hand from multiple angles and at multiple levels of analysis. This thesis could therefore inspire more researchers to apply a multi-theoretical approach to conduct a thorough and comprehensive analysis of a complex topic, thereby allowing them to reach a depth of analysis that the application of a single theoretical framework approach cannot.

The third contribution lies in potentially inspiring other researchers to take forward the testing of the individual theoretical frameworks which I have begun in this thesis. Researchers could apply the same version of the frameworks which I utilise to test their explanatory potential in other contexts. In addition, the recommendations at the end of each of the theoretical analysis chapters in this thesis could be taken forward by others to address some of the frameworks’ remaining shortcomings and challenges, specifically in the context of their potential application to other developing country contexts.