Synopsis: Decision Context: Values-Rules-Knowledge (VRK)

Decision Context: Values-Rules-Knowledge (VRK)

Prevailing systems of societal values, rules and knowledge define the context in which decisions are made. This means that successful adaptation requires changes to these systems to enable new decisions to be made. The interaction of values, rules and knowledge both creates and limits the set of decisions that are practical and permissible in a given decision context. People can use the VRK model to help diagnose constraints in decision processes. This means that adaptation initiatives can be reframed to reveal new approaches to developing adaptation responses to more complex problems.

Gorddard, R., Colloff, M. J., Wise, R. M., Ware, D., & Dunlop, M. (2016). Values, rules and knowledge: Adaptation as change in the decision context. Environmental Science & Policy, 57, 60-69.doi:10.1016/j.envsci.2015.12.004