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. 2021 Jul 14;6:35. Originally published 2021 Feb 19. [Version 2] doi: 10.12688/wellcomeopenres.16542.2

Table 2. Complex Urban Systems for Sustainability and Health (CUSSH) stakeholders: what do we mean by policymakers, decision-makers, planners, policy entrepreneurs, governance, and civil society actors?

Term Definition Partners in CUSSH
Policymakers Public policy can be defined as ‘the deliberate decisions - actions
and nonactions - of a government or an equivalent authority toward
specific objectives’ 75 . Of the many actors involved in setting public
policy agendas, those affiliated with government who are taking policy
decisions are considered policymakers.
Policymakers working with CUSSH include
national and local government actors
working within health, environment,
housing, and other sectors.
Decision-
makers
Decision-makers is a broad term covering a range of stakeholders.
Within public policy, the actors taking decisions may be affiliated with
government or acting on its behalf.
Decision-makers working with CUSSH
include a range of stakeholders who
influence the urban environment: national
and local governmental staff, planners,
developers, financiers.
Planners Urban planning is the ‘well-honed practice of systematic compromise’ 76 ,
or the process of moving from knowledge to action 77 . Planning’s
purpose and means are contested and diverse 78 . Planners shape and
apply regulations about land use, take decisions in the interest of the
public, balance competing interests, and seek to increase transparency
and participation in local decision-making.
Within some of the CUSSH cities urban
and city planners are involved in the
programme.
Policy
entrepreneurs
Actors who use their power, knowledge, and networks to achieve
their goals by influencing policy. They may be consultants, non-
governmental organisations, politicians, lobbyists, or others 79 .
Policy entrepreneurs working with CUSSH
include non-government organizations
working within the health, environment,
and sustainability sectors.
Civil society
actors
Actors involved in public policy include ‘individuals or collectives
such as organizations, networks, or coalitions—and their attributes,
including their knowledge, values, beliefs, interests, strategies, and
resources’ 75 .
Civil society actors working with CUSSH
include public and community groups and
networks within the cities.