Table 1 Shiffman and Smith’s Framework [11]

Actor power

The strength of the individuals and organizations concerned with the issue

1. Policy community cohesion: the degree of coalescence among the network of individuals and organizations that are centrally involved with the issue at the global level

2. Leadership: the presence of individuals capable of uniting the policy community and acknowledged as particularly strong champions for the cause

3. Guiding institutions: the effectiveness of organizations or coordinating mechanisms with a mandate to lead the initiative

4. Civil society mobilization: the extent to which grassroots organizations have mobilized to press international and national political authorities to address the issue at the global level

Ideas

The ways in which those involved with the issue understand and portray it

5. Internal frame: the degree to which the policy community agrees on the definition of, causes of, and solutions to the problem

6. External frame: public portrayals of the issue in ways that resonate with external audiences, especially the political leaders who control resources

Issue characteristics

Features of the problem

7. Credible indicators: clear measures that show the severity of the problem and that can be used to monitor progress

8. Severity: size of the burden relative to other problems

9. Effective interventions: the extent to which proposed means of addressing the problem are clearly explained, cost effective, backed by scientific evidence, simple to implement, an inexpensive

Political context

The environments in which actors operate

10. Policy windows: political moments when global conditions align favourably for an issue, presenting opportunities for advocates to influence decision makers

11. Global governance structure: the degree to which norms and institutions operating in a sector provide a platform for effective collaboration