Discourse Networks and Contentious Global Public Policy

Abstract This article develops a comprehensive typology of policy frame trajectories and proposes a research agenda to explain the complex, evolving dynamics of framing in European and global public policy‐making. Challenging static and instrumentalist views, frames are conceptualised as malleable, relational and contingent, unfolding through processes such as emergence, diffusion, contestation, co‐optation, drain and disappearance. The typology distinguishes between single and multiple frame trajectories, revealing how shifting power relations, advocacy coalitions, institutional contexts and crises interact to influence framing over time. The proposed agenda identifies a broad spectrum of explanatory factors, both endogenous and exogenous, including strategic actor behaviour and structural transformations within policy fields. This nuanced framework emphasises the interplay between agency and structure in shaping frame trajectories within the multi‐level governance structures characteristic of the European Union and global policy networks. Methodologically, the article advocates combining discourse network analysis with qualitative approaches to capture the multifaceted nature of framing in complex and fragmented governance environments. The conceptualisation provides valuable insights into how frames gain prominence, become contested or are strategically appropriated, offering practical implications for policy‐makers and advocacy groups navigating evolving European and international policy debates. Ultimately, this work calls for a dynamic, long‐term perspective on framing processes that accounts for their relational and temporal complexity across global and European public policy‐making.