Practitioners’ responses to Saunders and Roth’s Ten Talking Points for organising for change

Although food seems abundant in the European Union, challenges related to specific aspects of food security continue to exist and require ongoing attention. A country’s food security depends on various economic, social, environmental, and institutional factors, which are studied using several scientific research methodologies. The role of institutions in determining national success and failure has been increasingly emphasized in recent academic discourse. Our research makes a novel contribution to the literature on institutions and food security by integrating New Institutional Economics with food security metrics. It aims to examine the relationships between food security dimensions and country-specific institutional matrices in the twenty EU member states from 2012 to 2019. How strong were those relationships, and how did they differ between the new and old member states? Food security is proxied by the Global Food Security Index and its three pillars (economic accessibility, physical availability, and quality and safety). The institutional quality of a country is represented by the Worldwide Governance Indicators (regulatory quality, rule of law, and control of corruption). Using the food security indices as the dependent variables, we apply multiple regression models to identify which institutions determined national food security over time. The study revealed that between 2012 and 2019, there was no evidence of sigma convergence or reduction in the dispersion of institutional quality (except for control of corruption) and overall food security within the EU20. The domestic institutions were generally statistically significantly positively related to the GFSI and its elements. The weakest correlations for the EU20 were those linking institutional variables with food quality and safety. The rule of law, incorporating such formal institutions as the quality of contract enforcement and property rights, positively affected food security within the EU20, with the mostgreatest impact on food quality, safety, and availability. The dependence of food security on national institutional factors was stronger in new member states from Central and Eastern Europe. The exploratory results shed some light on the role of institutions in shaping food security. However, further research is required to gain a more detailed understanding of this phenomenon. The research findings suggest that policymakers in the EU countries could enhance national institutions to promote food security and, consequently, achieve the Sustainable Development Goals more effectively.

The economic life-cycle model assumes that households spread their income as well as possible over the life cycle (Deaton, 1992). They accumulate wealth throughout the life cycle and decumulate in old age. To date, however, results have shown that households tend to treat housing wealth different from other types of wealth. How can this be explained? Are people poorly informed, do they face practical restrictions or might they have other rationalities? This contribution demonstrates that choice that may seem irrational in the perspective of the life-cycle theory, appear rather rational when you take into account the formal and informal institutions in a country. To unravel the role of formal and informal institutions in people's choices, comparative qualitative research is of great value. The basic life-cycle model is a typical example of a universalistic model, which assumes that the rational foresighted consumer will distribute income and expenditures smoothly over the life cycle, regardless of institutional context. This approach facilitates the comparison of countries, as it is the rational agent that matters and rational agents are the same in all countries. In this contribution the life-cycle model (LCM) theory is taken as a case study to explain how qualitative comparative research can contribute to explaining why people do not act as this theory expects and why they behave as they do. We assume that contexts matter for households. Fiscal policies, housing policies and welfare-state arrangements (formal institutions) influence consumer behaviour, as do values, norms (informal institutions), in other words rationality is bounded by institutions (Hantrais, 2009; Kato, 1996). This contribution focuses on the role of institutions in this debate, drawing upon an example of a comparative housing study. The results demonstrate that comparative qualitative housing research helps to explain why households do not act according to the life cycle in the case of housing equity.

This research aims to reveal the dynamics of social, economic, and cultural changes in agribusiness institutions in oil palm development locations. Then reveal the role of each agribusiness institution in oil palm development locations. Using a qualitative approach to build a post-positivism approach. The research location is limited to the community (farmers) in Anggabaeri District and Besulutu District, Konawe Regency. These two research areas were chosen purposively. The database used in determining farmer groups is groups that are active and registered in the Extension Information System or SIMLUH data so 22 informants were obtained consisting of farmer group institutions, cooperative institutions, and government agencies, as well as from the Agricultural Extension Center. Specifically for farmers, the informants selected consisted of independent and plasma farmers. Data was obtained by distributing questionnaires and interviews and then analyzed descriptively. The results of the analysis show that from a social, economic, and cultural perspective, the presence of oil palm plantations brings significant changes. These changes include shifts in social stratification, interaction patterns, and improvements in health status. Apart from that, the regional economic structure is also undergoing a transformation which has an impact on increasing the income of various communities such as workers and farmers. Then there is the role of institutions, especially farmer groups, and cooperatives, in supporting and facilitating farmers' interests as a learning vehicle, production unit, and collaboration forum. Extension institutions play an important role in increasing farmers' capacity, and cooperatives contribute significantly to the provision of production facilities, transportation, and marketing of crops. An important finding is the important role of cooperatives in managing various risks associated with oil palm farming. These risks include business, financial, social, and legal engineering aspects. Cooperatives play an important role in mitigating these risks and ensuring the overall well-being and success of their members.

The purpose of this research is to reveal the dynamics of social, economic, and cultural changes in agribusiness institutions in oil palm development locations. Then reveal the role of each agribusiness institution in the location of oil palm development. Using a qualitative approach to build a post-positivism approach. The research location is limited to the community (in this case farmers), consisting of independent farmers and plasma farmers. The results of the study found that there were changes in demographic patterns around oil palm plantations that other researchers had not uncovered (the findings of this study), namely social stratification, patterns of indirect (easier) interactions, and improved health status. The role of institutions in supporting agriculture is very vital in accommodating the interests of farmers. The farmer groups formed are capable of acting as learning vehicles, production units, and collaboration vehicles. In terms of increasing the capacity of farmers, extension agents also play an important role in supporting farming. Specifically, Cooperatives do not only partner, providing production, transportation, and Marketing Facilities, besides that there is risk management. Risk management covered by cooperatives is engineering business, financial, social, and legal risk management.

This paper seeks to explain the difference across countries of the impact of national growth on the growth of the income of the poor. Traditionally, studies attempting to explain such differences investigate only the impact of some additional variables on the income level of the poor. Here, we introduce interaction terms to explain the change in the elasticity of income of the poor to national income. We focus on the role of formal and informal institutions and religions; variables which have rarely been considered in this context. The results show that only formal institutions (i.e.,Resistance to corruption) and, to some extent, informal institutions (i.e.,Trust all) explain the differences. Religion has no impact. The findings also show that improvements in theResistance to corruptionbenefits the extremely poor more than the poor.

The paper examines the impact of local institutions on development and poverty in the rural areas of India. Recent research on the role of institutions on the path of economic development indicates the importance of both “macro” and “micro” institutions including local institutions. The study finds a large number of both formal and informal local institutions in the surveyed villages, and a substantial degree of interaction of the households with the institutions. These include both formal institutions such as service cooperatives and dairy cooperatives, as well as informal institutions such as savings groups, community associations and labour groups. The study finds that apart from the standard factors included such as land, capital and labour, the presence and membership in local institutions plays a significant role in explaining the variation in household incomes and gain in capital assets over time. Savings/ micro-credit groups, and dairy cooperatives are found to be particularly important. Further, membership in these institutions is not found to be related to high asset levels or high caste – it is often inversely so. This indicates a stronger developmental role. Recorded opinions of the households supports the findings on the impact and beneficial role of local institutions. The study confirms that institutions do matter, and that local institutions can and do make a significant contribution in helping development in the rural areas, especially so for the lower income groups.

The monograph examines the evolutionary and institutional problems of market transformation and their impact on the economic growth of post-socialist countries in a globalizing world. Chapter I is devoted to the theoretical and methodological foundations of the analysis of evolutionary and institutional conditions that ensure balanced and sustainable economic growth. It examines key aspects of institutional theory and the evolutionary approach, the role of institutions in economic systems, their impact on sustainable development, as well as ways to adapt socio-economic systems to changes. The main focus is on the interaction of formal and informal institutions, their transformation under the influence of historical, social and economic factors, as well as the development of approaches to the study and implementation of innovations to ensure stable growth in modern conditions. Chapter two is devoted to the analysis of evolutionary and institutional reforms that ensure balanced and sustainable economic growth. It examines the features of market transformation in a transitive economy, analyzes the factors slowing down this process, and examines the mechanisms for adapting the institutional environment to changes. The main focus is on the role of formal and informal institutions, their interaction and impact on economic development. The issues of institutional equilibrium, transitional periods and strategies aimed at increasing the sustainability of economic systems are also considered. The third chapter examines key approaches to measuring institutional factors influencing economic growth. The article analyzes modern theoretical and empirical studies on the relationship between the quality of institutions and macroeconomic indicators. Special attention is paid to the impact of institutional reforms on the long-term development of national economies, as well as mechanisms for assessing the effectiveness of the institutional environment. The monograph is intended for managers and specialists of government and corporate management bodies, researchers, doctoral students, postgraduates and students.

The role of institutions in latent and emergent entrepreneurship

PurposeThis study empirically investigates the moderating effect of institutions (including formal institutions and informal institutions) on the relationship between FDI and regional technology-based entrepreneurship in China’s emerging economy.Design/methodology/approachBy collecting data on technology-based entrepreneurship at the regional level in China, our final balanced panel comprises 81,926 technology start-ups in 29 provinces at the regional level from 2000 to 2014.FindingsThe results show that FDI is critical to encouraging technology-based start-ups. We also argue that the institutions positively moderate the relationship between FDI and regional technology-based entrepreneurship. This study supports the negative interaction effect of FDI and corruption on technology-based entrepreneurship in eastern regions, suggesting that corruption weakens FDI’s entrepreneurial enthusiasm.Originality/valueThis study contributes to the literature by highlighting the critical role of regional formal institutions in moderating the positive effects of FDI on technology-based entrepreneurship. This enriches the knowledge spillover theory of entrepreneurship and the OLI paradigm, offering a fresh perspective on this complex relationship. Additionally, it provides nuanced insights into how corruption, as an informal institution, interacts with FDI in different regional contexts.

Many kinds of community development institutions exist in rural Taiwan. For example, Farmers' Associations, Fishermen's Associations, Community Development Associations, Lion Clubs, Rotary Clubs, and various grass-root cultural-educational foundations are common. As the primary organizations to implement government-supported and private-supported projects, these institutions play significant roles during the process of community development. They worked as resources supporter, service provider, program initiator, resource mobilizing agent, and resource integrator in increasing productivity, raising community consciousness, and promoting quality of life. Generally speaking, the government institutions paid more attention on physical constructions and the improvement of production and social welfare system, while the non-government organizations carried out more social-educational programs and focused more on spiritual and ethic development.Change is the only thing that never changes. Rural institutions in Taiwan have been facing rapid social change and huge challenges. Globalization, information technology change and the impacts of social change are three essential aspects. These changes might cause increasing competition and unemployment. ROC government has decided to phase out the provincial government to promote productivity and efficiency. As a consequence, the roles of rural institutions are more essential in helping community people cope with these difficulties and problems, In order to help local people deal with the challenges and social changes, to become self-reliant, some local institutions should be restructured and readjusted so that to maintain competitiveness to the service of rural people, and to meet the changes of internal and external environments. The goals and functions of these institutions have to be reexamined. The agricultural educators and community development workers also need to be re-trained in order able to improve people's awareness and to enhance their capacity.

The agricultural development program is the Government's effort to grow participation in the development of an independent and welfare society. The success of the development program is inseparable from the role of farmer institutions in rural areas. The Form of farmer institutions that are often found is farmer groups, United Farmer’s Group, cooperatives, and KUD. This article aimed to examine the urgency of farmer institutions as support for success in the development programs by a qualitative descriptive approach and NVivo analysis. The existing farmer institutions tend to be less active and participatory so that they do not function optimally. Therefore it is necessary to make some efforts to change the behavior of farmers through training, advocacy, group meetings, technology adoption, and comparative studies. Communication has an important role in the formation and implementation of an agricultural institution in the form of bonding, bridging, and linking to create synergy inside and outside the institution. The results of the word cloud analysis show the words "farmer", "agriculture" and "institutional" as the words that appear most often. The role of the institution and its development is very important for farmers so that they can be more independent in running businesses in sustainable agriculture.

Th e article is devoted to the systematization of modern theoretical views on the role of institutions in social development. Th e relevance of the topic is determined by the need for a thorough analysis of modern views on the role and place of institutions in social development in the conceptualization of diff erent approaches to the development of institutional theory. Th e novelty of the work lies in the substantiation of the directions of use in domestic science and practice of modern approaches to institutionalism in general and various institutions in particular in order to improve the economic and social development of the country, its regions and communities. Th e purpose of the article is to summarize the main latest theoretical views on institutional theory and the practical use of its components in the formation of state development policy in various spheres of public life. Іn the process of preparing the article, such basic research methods as systematic and multidisciplinary, as well as comparative analysis were used, the joint application of which allowed to fully explore and generalize the multifaceted and complex nature of the components of institutional theory and its use. Scientifi c approaches to key components of institutional theory are considered. Th e main characteristics of the concept of institutions as a common phenomenon in the social, political and economic spheres are highlighted. Emphasis is placed on the coordinating role of institutions, the importance of studying the impact on public policy-making of both formal and informal institutions. Th e approach to the analysis of institutions from the point of view of rational and sociological behavioral models is systematized. Various scientifi c interpretations of institutional theory on an interdisciplinary basis — from the point of view of organizational institutionalism, institutional economics and comparative institutionalism — are characterized and analyzed. Th e author identifi ed provisions of these theoretical approaches, which seem relevant and are of greatest interest to scientists, politicians, practitioners in the framework of institutional analysis. In particular, the importance of socially responsible investment in the development of person, separate territory, country as a whole, as interconnected and interdependent processes that characterize the development of self-regulation of the business environment as a form of informal institutions. It is found that from the point of view of formation and implementation of public policy by authorities of diff erent territorial levels, it is important to use the ideas of comparative institutionalism, in particular on the mutual conditionality and interdependence of institutions in diff erent spheres of public life. Th e generalization of research on the implementation by countries of various institutional forms for the improvement of development policy is out, on the basis of which the importance of complementarity of institutions, dialectically interconnected, is determined. In this context, the key functions of institutions that are critical for the formation and implementation of development policy are described. Th e introduction of such an approach to evaluating the eff ectiveness of institutions as “institutional distance” is analyzed.

The role of formal and informal institutions in promoting economic growth has not been formally and analytically analyzed in the context of Asian economies. To fulfill this gap, the role of formal and informal institutions in the economic growth of Asian countries is empirically examined over the period of 1986 to 2020. Panel fixed effect method and system GMM (Generalized Methods of Moment) dynamic panel estimation technique is employed for empirical analysis. Empirical estimates reveal that the linear and non-linear effect of formal and informal institutions on economic growth is positive while their joint effect is reported to be negative. Thus, the findings concludes that formal and informal institutions are complement to each other. Further, informal institutions may increase societal efficiency by facilitating cooperative activities and without considering their role better economic performance is not possible in Asian countries. Keywords: Formal institutions, informal institutions, economic growth, Asian countries.

Purpose. The purpose of the article is to defining the nature, types, and role of formal and informal insurance market institutions. Methodology of research. The methodological basis of the work has become a systematic approach to the study of the formation and functioning of formal and informal insurance market institutions; as well as a dialectical method of cognition and grouping to determine the types of formal and informal institutions that have formed and ensure the development of insurance relationships. Methods of induction and deduction have been used to generalize the essence and role of insurance market institutions under the provisions of economic theory and insurance business. The differences between formal and informal insurance market institutions have been established by a comparative method. To make theoretical generalizations, to form conclusions from the study, an abstract reasoning method has been used. Findings. The article presents the results of empirical analysis of formal and informal institutions, under the influence of which the insurance market has been formed and is currently functioning. Formal insurance market institutions are clearly defined, regulated by public protection mechanisms, and mandatory for all economic entities involved in the insurance process. Informal insurance market institutions are unwritten and undocumented norms and rules that shape the behaviour of economic entities of the insurance market regarding the creation, purchase and sale, and consumption of insurance services. Both formal and informal insurance market institutions should be divided into basic and specific ones, taking into account the peculiarities of the insurance market and the specifics of insurance relationships. Originality. Given the peculiarities of the insurance business, formal and informal insurance market institutions are clearly distinguished, with their subsequent division into basic and specific ones. Practical value. The results of the study can serve as a basis for further research in this area and will be useful for insurers, supervisory authorities, and other participants in the insurance market in terms of improving the quality of insurance services, identifying areas of the insurance market, and efficiency of its participants, which will increase confidence in the insurance market. Key words: institution, formal institution, informal institution, insurance market, basic insurance market institution, specific insurance market institution.

This paper accentuates the conviction that institutions play a significant role in SMEs internationalisation. Informal institutional mechanisms have been notable in localities in the African setting. However, most studies in business research have been focused on formal institutions. The role of informal institutions in the international performance of SMEs demands to be understood with more cases. This paper argues that the two dimensions of institutions do not work in isolation but complement each other to provide the desired results in SMEs' international performance. We analyse the complementation role of formal and informal institutions in the internationalisation of small exporting firms. This study is based on primary data collected through a survey of 134 small exporting firms from different sectors in Ghana and analysed with multiple regression in SPSS. Findings revealed that not every aspect of the informal institutional mechanism is relevant for superior firms' international performance. Formal institutions complement informal institutions in order to function effectively.