The term “action arenas” is drawn from Elinor Ostrom’s work on organizational analysis. Action arenas provide a focus for inquiry and action, and are defined by a shared, ongoing project involving a set of “repeat players” who interact over time in relation to a common problem or goals. These arenas often operate across formal organizational boundaries. The action arena for many of the Center’s higher education projects consists of (1) the identified organizations, programs and people operating at different levels and shaping students’ opportunity structures, (2) the rules of the game that shape the choices available to those whose decisions influence students’ trajectory, and (3) the choice points for pivotal decisions shaping the contexts affecting students’ progress into and through college.
An important aspect of institutional analysis involves identifying the action arenas that are the focus of analysis and intervention. That work both cross-cutting, informed by multi-disciplinary knowledge about common patterns affecting a field, and context-specific, informed by an analysis of the needs, opportunities, and actors present in a particular location. The Center’s collaborative inquiry involves identifying the appropriate action arenas for each of its projects.
For example, the Center is currently collaborating with Rutgers University and Rutgers Future Scholars—a program aimed at increasing college access and success for first-generation middle and high school students in Rutgers’ surrounding urban communities—to advance full participation goals at a systems level in New Jersey. The action arenas for Rutgers Future Scholars’ work consists of (1) the identified organizations, programs and people operating at different levels and shaping students’ opportunity structures, (2) the rules of the game that shape the choices available to those whose decisions influence students’ trajectory, and (3) the choice points for those shaping the contexts affecting students’ progress from seventh grade into and through college.
