Discursive framing and organizational venues: mechanisms of artificial intelligence policy adoption
| Author | Frans af Malmborg,Jarle Trondal |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1177/00208523211007533 |
| Published date | 01 March 2023 |
| Date | 01 March 2023 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
Article
Discursive framing and
organizational venues:
mechanisms of artificial
intelligence policy
adoption
Frans af Malmborg and
Jarle Trondal
University of Agder, Norway
Abstract
The purpose of this article is twofold: to theoretically assess ideational and organiza-
tional explanatory factors in the adoption of artificial intelligence policies; and to exam-
ine the extent to which the European Union has managed to facilitate a coordinated
artificial intelligence policy in the Nordic countries. The study utilizes a mixed-methods
approach based on systematic web searching, systematic policy document analysis and
key informant semi-structured interviews. The study finds that the European Union has
utilized framing-based strategies to set an agenda for a coordinated European artificial
intelligence policy. Moreover, the strategy has affected member-state artificial intelli-
gence policies to the extent that key tenets of European Union artificial intelligence
discourse have penetrated Nordic public documents. However, the extent to which the
Nordic countries incorporate European Union artificial intelligence policy discourse
diverges at the national level. Differentiated national organizational capacities among
Nordic countries make the adoption of artificial intelligence policies divergent. This
observation is theoretically accounted for through a conversation between organiza-
tional theory of public governance and discursive institutionalism. The study argues that
the framing of European Union artificial intelligence policies is filtered through organi-
zational structures among states.
Corresponding author:
Frans af Malmborg, University of Agder, Department of Political Scienceand Management, Universitetsveien
25, Kristiansand 4604, Norway.
Email: frans.af.malmborg@uia.no
International Review of Administrative
Sciences
!The Author(s) 2021
Article reuse guidelines:
sagepub.com/journals-permissions
DOI: 10.1177/00208523211007533
journals.sagepub.com/home/ras
2023, Vol. 89(1) 39–58
International
Review of
Administrative
Sciences
Points for practitioners
The study illuminates how policymakers in the Nordic countries are affected by the
European Union when crafting their own artificial intelligence policies. The European
Commission profoundly influences the policymaking of member states and affiliated
states through the policy strategy of policy framing. The Commission uses this soft
measure to nudge member states to comply with the European Union policy frame-
work. Second, the study shows how ‘organizations matter’: variation in national orga-
nizational capacities in the Nordic states contributes to variation in national policy
adoption. Even though Nordic countries adopt European Union-level policy frames,
their implementation is shaped by varying organizational capacities available at the
national level.
Keywords
administrative structures, artificial intelligence, ideational analysis, organizational
approach, policy framing
Introduction
The exponential increase in business investment, research and development (R&D)
and the technical performance of artificial intelligence (AI) (Perrault et al., 2019)
has impelled the idea that AI is central to the ‘fourth industrial revolution’
(Schwab, 2017). A contemporary notion is to believe that AI will transform
both modern societies and science at scale (Appenzeller, 2017; Harari, 2017).
Such transformative potential is also echoed within the discourse on ‘smart gov-
ernment’ and ‘big data’, in which opportunities often seem endless (Maciejewski,
2017;
Siug
zdinien_
e et al., 2019). This has initiated a stark worldwide increase in
soft policy, such as ethical guidelines and AI strategies (Jobin et al., 2019).
International organizations such as the United Nations (UN), the Organization
for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and the European Union
(EU) have all started developing AI soft policy. This study argues that the EU,
more specifically, the European Commission (Commission), applies soft measures
of policy framing in the domains of AI and accordingly sets member states to
adopt a common EU-level policy frame. By examining member-state AI policies,
this study thus asks to what extent the Commission managed to facilitate a coor-
dinated policy framework within the member states.
In 2018, the Commission launched its first policy document on AI, which was a
first attempt to frame a common European policy approach to strengthen
Europe’s global position on AI (European Commission, 2018a). In the subsequent
coordinated plan released the same year, member states were encouraged to devel-
op their own national AI strategies by mid-2019, which should outline investment
levels and implementation measures, taking the coordinated plan into account.
40 International Review of Administrative Sciences 89(1)
To continue reading
Request your trial