Identifying Stakeholders

As described earlier in this module, Wikipedia can be an excellent resource for identifying stakeholders in a place you do not know well. Read the Wikipedia article for Norfolk, Virginia, paying particular attention to any sections related to demographics, economy, government, education, and infrastructure.

Based on your review of the Wikipedia article for Norfolk, identify one example of a stakeholder for each of the following stakeholder types: Governments, Interest Groups, Businesses, Scientific Experts, and Citizens. Note that for the Citizen stakeholder type, you should choose an example that you think could be highly vulnerable to sea level rise and related hazards. Examples of stakeholders have been provided for you to match with the appropriate stakeholder type.

Next, consider the power and interest of each of the stakeholder examples you identified, and classify each of them into the role of Latent (high power, low interest), Promoter (high power, high interest), Apathetic (low power, low interest), or Defender (low power, high interest). Note that these categories are somewhat subjective, and the best match may not be immediately apparent based on the information given in Wikipedia alone. Just give it your best shot. You should consider why this particular stakeholder would likely have high or low interest and power in the sea level rise planning process.

Finally, for the vulnerable citizen stakeholder, write one or two sentences explaining why this citizen stakeholder may have high vulnerability. Your answer should include a discussion of the citizen stakeholder's exposure to sea level rise, as well as that person's likely sensitivity and adaptive capacity. Explain why this particular stakeholder would likely have high or low interest and power in the sea level rise planning process.

Enter your answers in the Module 12 Lab Assessment