What role for frames in scalar conflicts?

To meet growing demands of renewable energy, wind farms are increasingly planned and situated in forested lands. This stirs novel conflicts, which are often not strictly technological in nature. Instead, perceptions and narratives of affected actors play an important role in the development of such conflicts. As often in land-use decision, this involves conflicts over the right spatial scale on which decisions should be taken. This study empirically examines how conflicts over the most appropriate governance scale for decision-making are rooted in the different frames of involved actors. Based on 44 qualitative interviews in the German states of Lower Saxony and Rhineland-Palatinate, this study provides evidence for the value of frame theory for understanding scaling conflicts. Furthermore, the study is helpful to wind energy policy makers because it illustrates how actors perceive the strength and weaknesses of decision-making at different governance scales. The findings imply that frame reflection should become more integrated into conflict management practices because conflict over the most appropriate governance scale can be based on different perceptions of what the conflict is about and which scales of action are required. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.