Public policies for sustainability in uncertain environments 340 126

Proposal of methods for the venezuelan context

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.51896/ocsi.v7i1.1096

Keywords:

government policies, sustainable development, government, strategic planning, decision-making

Abstract

The formulation of public policies for sustainability in contexts of high volatility and institutional uncertainty, such as Venezuela, faces the systematic failure of traditional rational-linear models of public policy. This article addresses this problem by proposing the Integrated Prospective-Delphi Framework (IPDF), a methodological tool that articulates structural prospective analysis (MICMAC, MACTOR) with the Delphi method under the epistemological principles of Complex Systems Thinking. Through conceptual analysis and theoretical synthesis, this study demonstrates how the recursive integration of systemic diagnosis and stakeholder deliberation allows us to overcome the historical dichotomy between technical rigor and social legitimacy. The result is a dynamic model capable of managing tensions and generating public policy foundations that are simultaneously systemically robust and politically viable, offering a significant contribution to governance of complex problems in the Global South.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Ahlström, H., Williams, A., & Vildåsen, S. (2020). Enhancing systems thinking in corporate sustainability through a transdisciplinary research process. Journal of Cleaner Production, 256, 120691. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2020.120691

Alva, R. M. E., & Díaz, J. O. F. (2018). Herramientas MICMAC y MACTOR para el análisis estratégico y prospectivo. Disponible en: https://t.ly/b4hfz

Bardach, E. (2005) A practical guide for policy analysis: The eightfold path to more effective problem solving. Washington, D.C.: CQ Press.

Beiderbeck, D., Frevel, N., Von Der Gracht, H., Schmidt, S., & Schweitzer, V. (2021). Preparing, conducting, and analyzing delphi surveys: Cross-disciplinary practices, new directions, and advancements. MethodsX, 8https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mex.2021.101401

Boulkedid, R., Abdoul, H., Loustau, M., Sibony, O., & Alberti, C. (2011). Using and reporting the delphi method for selecting healthcare quality indicators: A systematic review. PLoS ONE, 6https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0020476

Boyd, E., Nykvist, B., Borgström, S., & Stacewicz, I. (2015). Anticipatory governance for social-ecological resilience. Ambio, 44, 149–161. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13280-014-0604-x

Carmine, S., & De Marchi, V. (2022). Reviewing paradox theory in corporate sustainability toward a systems perspective. Journal of Business Ethics, 184, 139–158. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-022-05112-2

Constitución de la República Bolivariana de Venezuela [CRBV] (1999) Gaceta Oficial N° 36.860. https://crespial.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Año-1999-Constitución-de-la-República-Bolivariana-de-Venezuela-Gaceta-Oficial-36.860.pdf.

Corley, K. G., & Gioia, D. A. (2011). Building theory with utility and originality. Academy of Management Review, 36(1), 12–32. https://doi.org/10.5465/amr.2009.0486

Godet, M., & Durance, P. (2011). La prospectiva estratégica. Gestión en el tercer milenio, 5(10), 61–75. https://doi.org/10.15381/gtm.v5i10.9911

Grubb, M., McDowall, W., & Drummond, P. (2017). On order and complexity in innovations systems: Conceptual frameworks for policy mixes in sustainability transitions. Energy Research and Social Science, 33, 21–34. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.erss.2017.09.016

Hahn, T., Pinkse, J., Preuss, L., & Figge, F. (2014). Tensions in corporate sustainability: Towards an integrative framework. Journal of Business Ethics, 127, 297–316. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-014-2047-5

Hariri, M. (2021) 'Structure of integrated reporting, voluntary disclosure and firm-specific characteristics in Saudi Arabian companies', International Journal of Business and Management, 16(10), pp. 73–85. Disponible en: https://doi.org/10.5539/ijbm.v16n10p73.

Hariri, M. (2022) 'Relationship between corporate information disclosure and financial performance in Saudi Arabia', International Business Research, 15(3), pp. 18–31. Disponible en: https://doi.org/10.5539/ibr.v15n3p18.

Humphrey-Murto, S., Wood, T., Gonsalves, C., Mascioli, K., & Varpio, L. (2020). The delphi method. Academic Medicine: Journal of the Association of American Medical Colleges, https://doi.org/10.1097/acm.0000000000002887

Jabareen, Y. (2009). Building a conceptual framework: Philosophy, definitions, and procedure. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 8(4), 49–62. https://doi.org/10.1177/160940690900800406

Loorbach, D. (2009). Transition management for sustainable development: A prescriptive, complexity-based governance framework. Governance, 23, 161–183. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-0491.2009.01471.x

Morin, E. (1998). Introducción al pensamiento complejo. Barcelona: Gedisa.

Morin, E. (2014). Complex thinking for a complex world – about reductionism, disjunction and systemism.2, 14–22. https://doi.org/10.17101/systema.v2i1.257

Oliver, T., Benini, L., Borja, Á, Dupont, C., Doherty, B., Grodzińska-Jurczak, M., Iglesias, A., Jordan, A., Kass, G., Lung, T., Maguire, C., McGonigle, D., Mickwitz, P., Spangenberg, J., & Tarrason, L. (2021). Knowledge architecture for the wise governance of sustainability transitions. Environmental Science & Policy, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envsci.2021.09.025

Peter, C., & Swilling, M. (2014). Linking complexity and sustainability theories: Implications for modeling sustainability transitions. Sustainability, 6, 1594–1622. https://doi.org/10.3390/su6031594

Rittel, H. W. J., & Webber, M. M. (1973). Dilemmas in a general theory of planning. Policy Sciences, 4(2), 155–169. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01405730

Rowe, G., & Wright, G. (2011). The delphi technique: Past, present, and future prospects — introduction to the special issue☆. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 78, 1487–1490. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2011.09.002

Santos, A. C. M. D., Rezende, M., Ferreira, M. F. N., & Silva, M. J. M. (2021). The paradigm of systemic complexity and the sustainability of homeland earth: An epistemological view of the brazilian reality according to the ideas of Edgar Morin. Acta Scientiarum.Human and Social Sciences, https://doi.org/10.4025/actascihumansoc.v43i2.58715

Saboin, J. L. (2021). The Venezuelan Enterprise: Current situation, challenges, and opportunities. Inter-American Development Bank. https://doi.org/10.18235/0003099

Schulte, M., & Paris, C. M. (2024). Working the system—An empirical analysis of the relationship between systems thinking, paradoxical cognition, and sustainability practices. Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, https://doi.org/10.1002/csr.2798

Schneider, A. L., & Ingram, H. M. (1997). Policy design for democracy. Lawrence, KS: University Press of Kansas.

Simon, H. A. (1957). Models of man: Social and rational. Wiley.

Szathmári, A., Köves, A., & Gáspár, J. (2024). Human-centred decision support for the common good: A combination of participatory foresight methods. Journal of Decision Systems, 33, 154–168. https://doi.org/10.1080/12460125.2024.2345946

Tomai, M., Ramani, S., & Papachristos, G. (2024). How can we design policy better? frameworks and approaches for sustainability transitions. Sustainability, https://doi.org/10.3390/su16020690

Tranfield, D., Denyer, D., & Smart, P. (2003). Towards a methodology for developing evidence-informed management knowledge by means of systematic review. British Journal of Management, 14(3), 207–222. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8551.00375

Value Reporting Foundation [VRF] (2022) El marco internacional . January. Disponible en: https://t.ly/ioZzb (Accessed: 1 Julio 2025).

Veldhuizen, C. (2020). Conceptualising the foundations of sustainability focused innovation policy: From constructivism to holism. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 162, 120374. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2020.120374

Voulvoulis, N., Giakoumis, T., Hunt, C., Kioupi, V., Petrou, N., Souliotis, I., Vaghela, C., & Rosely, W. B. W. (2022). Systems thinking as a paradigm shift for sustainability transformation. Global Environmental Change, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2022.102544

Webster, J., & Watson, R. T. (2002). Analyzing the past to prepare for the future: Writing a literature review. MIS Quarterly, 26(2), xiii–xxiii. https://www.jstor.org/stable/4132319

Published

2026-03-18

How to Cite

Cegarra Acosta, A. J., & Guerra Unda, L. Y. (2026). Public policies for sustainability in uncertain environments: Proposal of methods for the venezuelan context. Observatorio de Las Ciencias Sociales en Iberoamérica, 7(1), 59-73. https://doi.org/10.51896/ocsi.v7i1.1096