The SPA-cube framework: An integrated approach for analysing power dynamics in environmental governance

This article presents the SPA-Cube Framework, an integrated methodological protocol that addresses key limitations in power analysis for environmental governance. Traditional approaches often employ singular or static lenses, failing to capture power’s multidimensional, dynamic, and governmental nature. Our framework systematically integrates three complementary pillars: Gaventa’s Power Cube (typologizing visible, hidden, and invisible power), governmentality theory (revealing rationalities and technologies of rule), and Sequential Power Analysis (providing temporal sequencing and actor-centric focus). This synthesis enables researchers to simultaneously examine when and how power shifts, what forms it takes, and why it operates as it does across policy interventions. The framework helps explain paradoxical outcomes, such as how empowerment strategies can inadvertently reinforce existing structures. Developed and validated through a 36-month ethnographic study in Indonesia, it offers a novel tool for navigating complex power dynamics by providing a structured protocol that integrates temporal, typological, and governmental analyses into one workflow. • Offers a replicable, step-by-step procedure for conducting integrated power analysis across policy cycles. • Enables dynamic tracking of power across three phases: background conditions, intervention delivery, and post-intervention adjustments. • Analyses visible, hidden, and invisible power with a focus on how technologies of rule shape subject formation.