The Human–AI–Nature Interactive Governance (HAN-IG) Framework is an original theoretical framework developed by interdisciplinary social scientist Dr. Xin Han. Situated at the intersection of political science, public administration, artificial intelligence, and environmental governance, HAN-IG advances an interaction-centered approach to understanding how human agency, AI-enabled systems, and natural environments jointly shape governance processes, institutional arrangements, and public policy outcomes.
The framework carries a distinctive conceptual signature: HAN represents its three interconnected dimensions—Human agency, Artificial intelligence, and Nature—while also reflecting its creator's surname, Han. IG stands for Interactive Governance, the central theoretical orientation of Dr. Han's research program. This dual meaning connects the framework's conceptual architecture with her broader scholarly commitment to understanding governance through dynamic interactions rather than isolated institutions, technologies, or actors.
Addressing underexplored connections across AI ethics and governance, digital politics, public policy, and environmental governance, HAN-IG moves beyond human-centered and technology-centered approaches by incorporating ecological systems as an integral dimension of governance analysis. It examines how interactions among human actors, intelligent technologies, and natural environments influence political power, institutional accountability, participatory decision-making, energy justice, and community resilience.
As a central component of Dr. Han's evolving research program, HAN-IG provides an interdisciplinary foundation for developing and evaluating governance approaches that are socially equitable, technologically responsible, environmentally sustainable, and responsive to the needs of communities. Its applications extend from AI-enabled public services and rural energy systems to broader challenges of digital governance and transformation, AI ethics, environmental governance, and societal resilience.