Un concepto de actor para la ciencia política

Abstract

The concept of actor is widely employed in social sciences as well as in politicians and journalists’ discourse. That is why it is so striking the lack of definitions. We assume that this concept must be defined in operational terms so that can orientate 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 collective actors -nominal actors and collective actors. Since actions and/or decisions are in the core of the concept, we conclude focusing on those factors that have an impact upon actors’ actions and decisions.