Abstract

GARCIA SANCHEZ, Ester. The concept of the actor: Reflections and proposals for political science. Andamios [online]. 2007, vol.3, n.6, pp.199-216. ISSN 2594-1917.

The concept of actor is widely employed in social sciences as well as in politicians' and journalists' discourses. That is why the lack of definitions is so striking. We assume that this concept must be defined in operational terms in order to orient both theoretical analysis and empirical research. By examining the academic debates on this subject, we propose a definition of the term that serves to determine when an individual or a group of individuals can be considered as actors. Based on this, we make a distinction between two main types of actors -nominal actors and collective actors. Since actions and/or decisions are at the core of the concept, we conclude by focusing on those factors that have an impact upon actors' actions and decisions.

Keywords : Agency; collective actors; nominal actors; decisions; Political Science.

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