ABSTRACT Policy makers in today’s network society are increasingly confronted with complex and wicked policy problems that require collective action. This article analyzes such a collective action problem from a policy network perspective. By explaining impasses and breakthroughs in decision-making processes from a cognitive, a social, and an institutional point of view, the network perspective offers explanations for the presence and absence of collective action. INTRODUCTION: MANAGING WICKED PROBLEMS Many of today’s policy problems are complex and contested, and they are called wicked for good reasons (Rittel and Webber 1973; Radford 1977; Mason and Mitroff 1981). They are per- sistent despite considerable efforts to solve them. This is especially true of highly technical problems in the fields of environment, health, and safety. Such problems have to be dealt with in a context of great uncertainty with regard to the nature and extent of the risks involved for individuals and society as a whole. It is commonly assumed that uncertainty springs from a lack of technical knowledge about the nature of the issues involved and their solutions. We often do not know enough about the causes and effects of problems. Causal relations are nu- merous, interrelated, and difficult to identify. For example, we assume that increased levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere cause environmental risks, but we do not know what con- centrations of carbon dioxide are threatening, and we can only guess the consequences. This cognitive uncertainty, however, is only part of the story. Wicked policy problems are often found at the boundaries of natural and social systems (Dryzek 1997, 8). Uncer- tainties result not only from a lack of scientific knowledge but also from strategic and insti- tutional factors. Strategic uncertainty exists because many actors are involved. Their strategies to ad- dress the problem are based on their perceptions of the problem and its solutions, which may differ from the views of others. The carbon dioxide debate illustrates the wide variety of ac- tors and strategies involved in attempts to deal with this policy issue. Diverging and con- flicting strategies are the result, and these may cause stagnation and deadlocks in policy debates—they may also lead to surprising and unexpected outcomes. Dealing with Wicked Problems in Networks: Analyzing an Environmental Debate from a Network Perspective Ellen M. van Bueren Delft University of Technology Erik-Hans Klijn Erasmus University of Rotterdam Joop F. M. Koppenjan Delft University of Technology Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, Vol. 13, no. 2, pp. 193–212 © 2003 Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, Inc.