Current Institutional Arrangements Research Articles

A short institutional and regulatory history of the Australian urban water sector

This paper provides a synopsis of the current regulatory and institutional arrangements that pertain to the urban water and wastewater sector in Australia. A short and selected institutional history of the urban water sectors in the Australian cities of Sydney and Melbourne is outlined, followed by an analysis of the relative effectiveness of the institutional structures in enabling the sector to respond to the challenges faced by the sector in the future.

The Formulation of Monetary Policy

The purpose of this paper is to elucidate the way in which current institutional arrangements shape the character of monetary policy. It is emphasized that the Fed, in order to preserve its independence, formulates monetary policy in a way that prevents the formation of coalitions within the government that could threaten its independence. As a consequence, the Fed, in general, attempts to balance multiple, changing objectives. This attempt leads to the demand for flexibility, an absence of precommitment. Much of the paper is devoted to a discussion of the way in which the Fed's desire to avoid precommitment influences its use of analytical procedures for formulating policy and its use of money supply targets.

The discourses of incidents: cougars on Mt. Elden and in Sabino Canyon, Arizona

Incidents are relatively short periods of intensified discourse that arise from public responses to symbolically important actions by public officials, and an important part of the conflict that increasingly surrounds state wildlife management in the West. In an effort to better understand incidents as a facet of this conflict, we analyzed the discourses of two incidents in Arizona that were precipitated by the intended removal of cougars by managers in response to public safety concerns. We used newspaper content, 1999–2007, to elucidate seminal patterns of public discourses and discourse coalitions as well as differences in discursive focus between incident periods and background periods. Cougars were mentioned in newspaper articles 13–33 times more often during incidents compared with background periods. State wildlife agency commissioners and hunters were part of a discourse coalition that advocated killing cougars to solve problems, blamed cougars and those who promoted the animals’ intrinsic value and sought to retain power to define and solve cougar-related problems. Personnel from affected state and federal agencies expressed a similar discourse. Environmentalists, animal protection activists, and some elected officials were of a coalition that defined “the problem” primarily in terms of people’s behaviors, including behaviors associated with current institutional arrangements. This discourse advocated decentralizing power over cougar management. The discourses reflected different preferences for the allocations of power and use of lethal versus non-lethal methods, which aligned with apparent core beliefs and participants’ enfranchisement or disenfranchisement by current state-level management power arrangements.

Assessing Institutional Alternatives for Future Northwest Passage Governance

Because of significant environmental changes underway in the Arctic region, institutional change for Northwest Passage management is receiving increased attention. Due to the potential environmental and security impacts of regularized ship transits through the Northwest Passage, a number of informed observers have discussed the need for considering alternative means of governing the waterway. This article assesses four approaches to governing the use of the Northwest Passage, including the current institutional arrangement. Following an overview of the environmental change underway in the Arctic region and its impacts on the Northwest Passage, the controversy surrounding the international legal status of the waterway and the possibility that it may in future become a commercial resource are discussed. Advantages and disadvantages of three alternative institutional models of resource governance recommended for application in the Northwest Passage case are presented, along with those surrounding the Arctic Cooperation Agreement, the current institution in use. The analysis suggests maintenance of the status quo institution appears to be the most likely outcome.

Decent work and work life quality in Nepal: an observation

PurposeThis paper aims to review the situation of decent work (DW) and quality of work life (QWL) in the context of Nepal.Design/methodology/approachThe paper is based on a literature survey. Institutional arrangements for DW and QWL are studied in connection with current labor legislations, national policy documents, and company policies and initiatives. The status of DW and QWL is described, examining national policy documents published by the Government of Nepal, National Planning Commission, labor legislations, International Labor Organization (ILO) and other relevant literature.FindingsAt present, although the country has been successful in reducing the number of people under the poverty line, there are challenges in meeting the DW goals. In the case of QWL, since there is rising dissatisfaction among employers and employees in the present economic and political circumstances, they are interested in short‐term benefits.Research limitations/implicationsThere are a number of factors affecting DW and QWL. In this paper only national economic and social conditions, poverty level, employment situation and income generation are considered for analysis. The analysis of the QWL situation is done only on the basis of published information rather than using primary sources of information.Practical implicationsThe findings of this study will have a number of implications in understanding and improving the level of current institutional arrangements in order to ensure DW and QWL. The observations made in this paper can add some value in the process of formulation of national policy for, and regulation of DW. The issues discussed will have substantial implication for the development and framing of new labor laws and policies.Originality/valueThe paper focuses on DW and QWL for the first time in the Nepalese context. This is an original contribution by the authors to familiarize readers with the situation of DW and QWL in Nepalese organizations.

Tipping Toward Sustainability: Emerging Pathways of Transformation

This article explores the links between agency, institutions, and innovation in navigating shifts and large-scale transformations toward global sustainability. Our central question is whether social and technical innovations can reverse the trends that are challenging critical thresholds and creating tipping points in the earth system, and if not, what conditions are necessary to escape the current lock-in. Large-scale transformations in information technology, nano- and biotechnology, and new energy systems have the potential to significantly improve our lives; but if, in framing them, our globalized society fails to consider the capacity of the biosphere, there is a risk that unsustainable development pathways may be reinforced. Current institutional arrangements, including the lack of incentives for the private sector to innovate for sustainability, and the lags inherent in the path dependent nature of innovation, contribute to lock-in, as does our incapacity to easily grasp the interactions implicit in complex problems, referred to here as the ingenuity gap. Nonetheless, promising social and technical innovations with potential to change unsustainable trajectories need to be nurtured and connected to broad institutional resources and responses. In parallel, institutional entrepreneurs can work to reduce the resilience of dominant institutional systems and position viable shadow alternatives and niche regimes.

Bullshit as resistance: justifying unearned privilege among students at an elite boarding school

Resistance is typically framed around the experiences of youth with oppression within institutions and through “intersecting” systems of domination. Resistance among those who benefit the most from current institutional arrangements, like students attending elite schools, has rarely been considered in how resistance is theorized. This postcard is based on two years of ethnographic research into the process by which students at one elite boarding school internalize elite status and convince themselves that they deserve the privileges of an elite education. Drawing on interview and focus group data, I explore the role of what the students describe as “bullshit” as both a form of resistance as well as a key lesson in the process of becoming elite while disguising the appearance of unearned privilege. I draw a parallel between “having a laff” as a form of working class resistance, and bullshit as a form of resistance among ruling elites.

Ratification of the Ramsar convention and sustainable wetlands management: Situation analysis of the Kilombero Valley wetlands in Tanzania

In recent years, the Kilombero Valley wetlands in Tanzania was designated and added to the Ramsar convention’s list in an attempt to improve its social, economic and environmental values. This study, carried out in selected sites within the Kilombero Valley wetlands, uses a participatory approach to analyze the existing situation and to reflect upon the quest for sustainable management as defined by Ramsar convention. The empirical findings reveal that the Kilombero Valley wetlands are an important source of livelihood for 87% of the dwellers in the area. Moreover, the wetlands also contribute significantly to welfare outside the area as 70% of the country’s hydropower depends on water regulation functions of this wetland and they are the source of a diverse number of streams, adding to their biological and ecological value. The study furthermore revealed that the current institutional arrangement for the site threaten the sustainability of the wetlands, despite its addition to the Ramsar convention’s list. A more detailed study on appropriate incentive mechanisms for the sustainable management of the wetlands, which would help to internalize the negative effects created by the users, is recommended. Key words: Wetlands, sustainable management, incentive mechanisms, institutions.

It takes more than a village: the challenges of co-management in Uganda's fishery and forestry sectors

Decentralisation policies in least developed countries have emerged in response to failed centralised natural resource governance programmes because high-value natural resources are distributed unequally, with central governments often reaping more than local-level users. Current natural resource governance institutions have been created to remedy the problems that central governments formerly posed. Here, we argue that Uganda's forestry and fishery resources are biologically diverse and thus amenable to current decentralised management programmes, provided that there is compromise between market values and local cultural and subsistence values and uses. We observe, however, Uganda's current institutional arrangement favours the former over the latter and determine that successful natural resource decentralisation requires strengthening local-level natural resource institutions with increased fiscal flow, enforcement, monitoring and judicial powers. A strong and reliable partnership between local-level resource users and the central government is necessary for this to occur.

Institutional barriers to work beyond retirement in an aging Japan: Evidence from a recent employee survey

This paper focuses on institutional barriers to older workers' continued work beyond the conventional retirement age in contemporary Japan. Under the current institutional arrangements, most older workers in Japan, contending with mandatory retirement rules at the workplace, have the option of being re-employed after mandatory retirement, and experience large wage reductions if they choose this option. We examine how these institutional arrangements in Japan today affect older workers' views and decisions regarding their future labor market behaviors. Using a multi-nomial logit analysis, we analyze data drawn from a nationally representative sample of 1,400 male regular employees, aged 57 to 59, who participated in the 2007 “Survey on continued employment and occupational life after age 60 (Rokujūsai ikō no keizoku kōyō to shokugyō seikatsu ni kansuru chōsa)”, which was conducted by the Japan Institute for Labour Policy and Training (JILPT). Our analysis has found (i) that older workers do not want to be re-employed if their prospective wages are lower than their desired minimum level; (ii) that, if they choose not to be re-employed, they tend to seek alternative employment opportunities by themselves rather than retiring; and (iii) that, other than prospective wage level, the prospective total income (including “in-work” social security benefits) and the availability of flexible work arrangements are crucial factors affecting the future labor market behaviors of older workers.

Mismatches between legislative frameworks and benefits restrict the implementation of the Ecosystem Approach in coastal environments

MEPS Marine Ecology Progress Series Contact the journal Facebook Twitter RSS Mailing List Subscribe to our mailing list via Mailchimp HomeLatest VolumeAbout the JournalEditorsTheme Sections MEPS 434:213-228 (2011) - DOI: https://doi.org/10.3354/meps09260 Mismatches between legislative frameworks and benefits restrict the implementation of the Ecosystem Approach in coastal environments Alison R. Holt1,*, Jasmin A. Godbold2, Piran C. L. White3, Anne-Michelle Slater4, Eduardo G. Pereira4, Martin Solan2 1Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield S10 2TN, UK 2Oceanlab, University of Aberdeen, Main Street, Newburgh, Aberdeenshire AB41 6AA, UK 3Environment Department, University of York, Heslington, York YO10 5DD, UK 4School of Law, Taylor Building, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen AB24 3UB, UK *Email: a.holt@sheffield.ac.uk ABSTRACT: The Ecosystem Approach is increasingly being adopted as a framework for developing environmental policy because it forms a strategy for the management and sustainable use of land, water and living resources. Yet it is not clear how this approach translates into policies that will create the integrated management necessary to protect the environment and supply the benefits which society values. Here we explore the disconnect between current policy and legislation aiming to conserve and protect specific components of coastal wetland ecosystems, and the aspirations of the Ecosystem Approach. Using an estuarine case study, we illustrate the benefits that people value from coastal wetlands and evaluate the extent to which current institutional arrangements protect these benefits. We find that cultural services are the most valued, particularly recreational activities and the enhancement of human wellbeing through a sense of belonging. Although many laws exist that relate to different components of coastal wetland areas, a diversity of organisations are responsible for their implementation, and they do not always adequately protect the benefits most valued by people. In order to successfully move towards the implementation of an Ecosystem Approach, we argue that new institutional arrangements are required. These need to encompass formal laws that protect those ecosystem processes and functions that are necessary to support valued benefits, whilst recognising the need for bridging and coordinating networks of organisations for the integrated management of coastal wetlands. KEY WORDS: Coastal wetlands · Ecosystem services · Network · Ecosystem management · Recreation · Human well-being Full text in pdf format PreviousNextCite this article as: Holt AR, Godbold JA, White PCL, Slater AM, Pereira EG, Solan M (2011) Mismatches between legislative frameworks and benefits restrict the implementation of the Ecosystem Approach in coastal environments. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 434:213-228. https://doi.org/10.3354/meps09260 Export citation RSS - Facebook - Tweet - linkedIn Cited by Published in MEPS Vol. 434. Online publication date: July 28, 2011 Print ISSN: 0171-8630; Online ISSN: 1616-1599 Copyright © 2011 Inter-Research.

Securities market theory: Possession, repo and rehypothecation

By introducing repo markets we understand how agents need to borrow issued securities before shorting them: (re)-hypothecation is at the heart of shorting. Non-negative amounts of securities in the box of an agent (amounts borrowed or owned but not lent on) can be sold, and recursive use of securities as collateral allows agents to leverage their positions. A binding box constraint induces a liquidity premium: the repo rate becomes special and the security price higher than expected discounted cash-flows. Existence of equilibrium is guaranteed under limited re-hypothecation, a situation secured by (current or proposed) institutional arrangements.

Applying Institutional Choice Theory to Patent Right – Case of Patentable Subject Matter Debates

Institutional choice theory seems to provide a refreshing perspective to assess the efficacy of the patent system by bringing a process oriented insights and the costs of participation into the discussion. One variation of this approach is to examine how the current shape of a law or a policy is the result of a particular institutional choice. This can be done by analysing the correlating policy tools of institution and the policy substance that are affected by each institutional choice. As multiple institutions are heavily involved both in the affirmation of the right and in the assertion and enforcement of the right, patent policy and law making is one area of law that benefit from the comparative institutional analysis. Institutional comparison requires identification of the status quo (identification of the current path of decision making and institutional choice). This identification may reveal the direction of changes in law and policy, affected by the institutional choice. In other words, comparison identifies defects in current institutional arrangement. Also comparison of institutions holding peer position may encourage competition among the institutions in a positive way. By identifying path of decision making process and comparing institutional competence and capabilities, institutional comparison may reveal incompetent or inefficient decision making process. Thus institutional comparison helps articulation of new law and policies.In this context, this paper aims to identify the institutions that are involved in the operation of the systems of patent for the purpose of comparative institutional analysis and to flesh out the details of comparative institutional analysis as applied to a system of patent and patent right. Additionally, as an endeavour to identify the correlating legal rules and policy resulting from the institutional choice, this paper follows the debates surrounding the patentable subject matter in US, Japan and Europe.

How the Creation of the Caribbean Single Market and Economy (CSME) will Strengthen Caribbean Economies

The current institutional arrangements which govern the Caribbean Single Market and Economy are fully realized based on attempts of preceding Caribbean economic integration. The first significant attempt was disastrous. With myopic dreams of unification, the West Indies Federation was formed in 1958 and consisted of 10 British West Indian territories, where Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, and Barbados were the principal members. Most of the Leeward and Windward islands, which were then under British control, were also apart of the federation. The seat of government was in Port of Spain, Trinidad who was then, slated for independence in 1962. Consequently, the federation saw little hopes of surviving its troubled infancy because it was an institution built on self interest, rather than symbiosis. Before Trinidad left, however, Jamaica, the most populous and prosperous member, voted (1961) to leave the federation, fearing that it would have to shoulder the burdens of the economically underdeveloped members. Trinidad and Tobago, inevitably, followed suit and the federation disintegrated in May, 1962. Further attempts date back 1968, with the establishment of the Caribbean Free Trade Area (CARIFTA) to serve the purpose of only removing the tariff and other barriers to intra regional trade in goods. This resulted in a reticent ten percent (10%) growth in intra- regional trade of the Caribbean economies. The integration process was later intensified through the Treaty if Chaguaramas which outlined directives to create a Common Market in the region. Added to the existing agenda of supporting liberalization on trade in goods, was the establishment of a common external tariff, intended to provide protection to regional industries. The 1973 treaty contained further provisions for the removal of restrictions in the establishment of businesses, provisions of services, the movement of capital and the coordination of economic policies. These stipulations barely made a difference to the volume of intra- regional trade which still lingered at 10% mark of total trade. It failed to catalyze new investments and though it intended to support regional import substitution, it miserably addressed evolving and pressing issues concerning international competitiveness and export penetration. In the following years the Caribbean economies, under the auspices of multilateral lending institutions, implemented structural adjustment programs that targeted of economic, financial and trade liberalization which surpassed their commitments as expressed by the treaty of Chaguaramas. By the end of the 1980’s, through precipitating trading blocs and the inception of economic globalization, there was ubiquitous face-lifting of economies. This accommodated the working of free and private market forces to construct robust capital and other factor flows, and to endorse an export oriented growth and international competitiveness. Henceforth, at Grand Anse Grenada, 1989, Heads of Government, being properly convinced of the necessity to reinforce and extend the Caribbean Community in all of its dimensions, decided to convert the limited Common Market as conceived in 1973, into a Single Market and Economy in as short a time as possible.

Community perceptions of water quality and current institutional arrangements in the Great Barrier Reef Region of Australia

This paper traces the perceived linkages between sources of water quality deterioration, impact on human wellbeing and the institutions responsible for dealing with the sources and impacts. The DPSIR (Driving forces-Pressure-State-Impact-Response) framework is used as a guide for data collection and to structure responses and the emerging themes. The web of linkages, as perceived by residents, is then compared with current institutional arrangements across different relevant sectors. Taking a case study and exploratory research approach, eleven residents of Whitsunday shire, Queensland, Australia were interviewed about their perceptions of water related issues. This was followed by an analysis of current water management institutions for the region. Significant gaps were found between community concerns regarding water quality and actual institutional arrangements responsible for managing water use and quality. Residents perceived their local government body (Shire Council) as accountable for responding to water-related pressures and impacts in their Shire, whereas the responsibility falls primarily on government agencies and organisations at a regional, state and national level. Improved communication between the council and residents is needed to close these gaps in understanding. Moreover, incorporation of local perceptions and values regarding water pressure, impacts and preferred use into the development of institutional arrangements for water management is suggested.

Influences of transaction costs in environmental policy

There is a growing literature reporting the extent of transaction costs for environmental policies. However understanding why transaction costs occur and why they are small or large is also important for efficient policy selection and evaluation. Following an analysis of the organisational economics literature and reports of the extent of transaction costs for a number of environmental policies, three key influences to transaction costs in environmental policies are identified. These are the following: 1) the characteristics of the transaction for the environmental good; 2) the nature of the transactors; and 3) the current institutional environment and arrangements. These affect transaction costs to the government and all other parties influenced by a policy. Transaction costs occur due to actions of information collection and policy design, policy enactment and establishment, implementation and contracting, administration and monitoring, and enforcement. An interrogation of transaction cost influences reveals that: 1) the influence varies between parties and is affected by the actions and interactions of and between all parties to a policy; 2) how transaction costs are experienced varies across time; and 3) who experiences transaction costs depends on the policy itself. Future policy selection and refinement will benefit from empirical analysis of the causes of transaction costs.

Evolving Institutional Arrangements, Scaling Up, and Sustainability

Urban development and poverty alleviation efforts in the Global South, such as slum upgrading, have been transformed by policy shifts toward more decentralization, reduced state control, and greater civil society and community participation in local governance. The Slum Networking Project (SNP) in Ahmedabad, India, is an internationally recognized “best practice” in participatory slum upgrading. We illustrate how changing the nature of multi-stakeholder participation in the SNP affected its potentials for sustainability and scaling up. Stakeholder ability to alter the institutional arrangement resulted in a significant transfer of project implementation responsibility and authority from the state to nongovernmental organizations (NGOs). Although these stakeholder-initiated institutional innovations initially expedited and expanded SNP and made it more sustainable, we argue that the enlarged role for NGOs in the current institutional arrangement can limit the program’s potential for further scaling up.

Using Mead's Theory of Emergence as a Framework for Sociological Inquiry into Pre-Service Teacher Education

In this paper we take up Chang's (2004) challenge to apply Mead's theory of emergence in sociological inquiry. Largely overlooked by scholars, this theory is shown to prove explanatory in one field where limited solutions have been found to date. Specifically, the theory sheds light on how the theory-practice gap is created and sustained in pre-service teacher education. The argument is that under current institutional arrangements the trainee/beginning teacher encounters different and oft-times conflicting environmental, social and cultural conditions in the two ‘fields of interaction’ (Mead, 1934: 249) of their training program, namely, the on-campus pre-service program and the school. The argument draws on interview and focus group data collected via a study of first-year graduate teachers of an Australian pre-service teacher education program. We conclude that the Meadian mechanisms of role taking and self-regulated behaviour within the two environmental fields of interaction inhibit the trainee/beginning teacher from exercising the power of agency to implement theory learned at university in practice in the classroom. In this sense Mead's theory of emergence predicts the obduracy of the gap between theory and practice in teacher education.

The moral regulation of the workplace: presenteeism and public health

This paper draws on Durkheimian concepts of moral forces, particularly anomie and fatalism, and the forced division of labour, to argue that the current institutional arrangements to protect and compensate workers in hazardous workplaces are insufficient. This argument is illustrated with interview data from workers at a meatworks in New Zealand which examined workers' responses to illness and injury in the workplace. It is suggested that an imbalance in moral forces leads to pathological outcomes for workers - seen in presenteeism - the phenomenon of staying at work when injured or ill - and workplace injustice. There are state institutions such as worker compensation schemes and occupational safely and health regulations, and other intermediary groups such as unions, that can act as a buffer against anomic and fatalistic forces in the workplace, but at present these countervailing regulatory and advocacy forces are not sufficiently protective of vulnerable workers. Public health advocacy and research could fill the current void.

Collaborative governance and adaptive management: Lessons from California's CALFED Water Program

Abstract Both for its technological and institutional innovations and for its history of conflicts, California's water system has been one of the most observed in the world. This article and this Special Issue on the CALFED Bay-Delta Program continue in this tradition. CALFED is likely the most ambitious experiment in collaborative environmental policy and adaptive management the world has seen to date. This Issue moves beyond the celebratory tone of other analyses of collaborative, adaptive management and looks closer into how collaborative networks work to produce innovation, and more importantly to reflect also on their inherent contradictions, limitations and “dark sides”. While collaborative governance enhances mutual understandings and can be a source of innovation, it appears ill-suited to resolve alone the distributive dilemmas at the core of many water – and other environmental – conflicts. A lacuna in existing research concerns the institutional design of effective boundaries and linkages between democratic politics, legitimate authority, and adaptive governance, i.e. the mix of institutions that can provide sufficient responsibility, accountability and democratic legitimacy, without choking off the self-organizing interaction, shared learning, and communication that is at the heart of collaboration. A painful realization in the Delta is that environmental conservation and further growth may be fundamentally at odds; efficient win–win solutions, institutional or technological, seem insufficient to satisfy the competing demands posed upon the system. Radical decisions and changes might be necessary, but they seem unlikely under current institutional arrangements and political conditions.