The Impact of Frame Ambiguity on Field-Level Change
研究了南非责任投资运动中，倡导者使用模糊框架吸引了更多场域参与者，但最终阻碍了新意义和实践的制度化，提出变革需在模糊性与明确性之间取得平衡。
While prior work suggests that ambiguous frames may be helpful in promoting institutional change, we still know little about their impact on field-level change. Drawing on contemporary accounts of organizational fields as structured around issues, we investigate the rise of responsible investment in South Africa, examining how proponents’ use of frame ambiguity drew in a broader range of field actors but ultimately stalled the institutionalization of new meanings and practices in the investment field. Our study suggests that to promote change, proponents should seek a balance between enough ambiguity to invite participation, and enough specification to regulate the understanding of the problem, promote the experimentation of new practices, and clarify the impetus for action. We also contribute to the conceptualization of field settlement by distinguishing among rhetorical, incremental, and disruptive field settlements, highlighting that field settlements are not always indicators of further substantive change processes in a field.