Institutional Flexibility Research Articles

The Liberal Case for Community Land Trusts

Abstract This paper argues that community land trusts (CLTs) can be part of a liberal housing policy from both an economic and a legal point of view. In this, I depart from the defense of community land trusts based on the so-called ‘decommodification’ of housing. First, from an economic point of view, CLTs are a comparatively better option than other traditional policies, such as rent control, once the political complexity of housing policies is considered. Second, fostering autonomy and the capacity for self-authorship requires that individuals be able to choose from a diverse set of valuable institutional designs; CLTs correspond to that ideal and bring a unique nuance to the existing options within common-interest communities. Additionally, I look at the somewhat recent legal innovations that brought CLTs to Canada and continental Europe to show that the institutional flexibility of CLTs allows them to support different visions of self-realization through ownership.

How higher education affects corporate human capital investment: Based on Upper Echelons Theory

This study uses listed companies from China's Shanghai and Shenzhen stock markets to examine how the level of higher education attained by corporate executives affects the company's human capital investment, based on Upper Echelons Theory. The findings suggest a positive correlation: higher education levels among executives lead to increased investment in human capital. Further analysis reveals that this effect is most pronounced in large-scale and non-state-owned enterprises, suggesting that the benefits of higher education on human capital investment are facilitated by the company's scale and institutional flexibility.

Institutional flexibility in tax law and enforcement

This paper examines how governments can optimally audit to discourage tax avoidance. We assume that an accounting firm designs and promotes strategies for tax avoidance. This firm adapts the quality and diversity of these strategies in response to shifts in government policies. We investigate when it is more effective to approve some methods while cracking down on others, rather than targeting all tax-avoidance activities uniformly. We find that selectively enforcing against specific methods can be optimal. This approach not only reduces the quality but also limits the variety of tax avoidance activities in the market and positively impacts the government’s tax revenue collection. Our analysis provides practical insights, linking the costs of auditing with the interaction between enforcement, the quality of tax avoidance methods, and tax revenue outcomes.

Improving the Learning Experience of Chinese Masters’ students in UK higher education

ABSTRACT Both challenges and opportunities are inherent with a growth in Chinese international students in UK Higher Education. However, teachers from the West may not understand the differences in Chinese educational practices, which can lead to negative stereotyping of these students as passive and problematic. This paper rejects this deficit perspective, focusing on the views of Chinese students as to what might need to change about the UK teaching and campus environment to improve their learning experience. Two focus groups were held with Chinese social science Masters’ students in a UK university. Some of their key requests included to reduce class sizes; to provide more guidance around study skills; to offer more timely and accessible information; to provide a more flexible range of services and learning support; and to create more social time with staff and other students. The discussions particularly brought out the importance of ‘relational pedagogy’. These requirements will need more staff time and institutional flexibility which will necessitate adequate funding. The authors conclude that, despite Chinese students’ significant contribution to the local economy and to University finances, there does not seem to be a commensurate investment in protecting their wellbeing and ensuring they receive a quality education. We consider it is important to listen to and act on the students’ suggestions outlined here if UK Higher Education is to remain the destination of choice for many Chinese and other international students.

Make-up of fiscal integration in the European Union

The present article aims to expose current trends in fiscal integration in the EU. Its milestones are brought forward, with particular attention being paid to the “NextGenerationEU” recovery plan, the latter constituting Brussels' key response to the socio-economic crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The article evaluates whether this program is going to remain a temporary phenomenon and to what extent it can define the “new normal” for the Economic and Monetary Union. Due to the Ukrainian crisis, the suggestions are spelled out more insistently to provide Brussels with “fiscal capacity” or permanent fiscal mechanisms that could repel emerging challenges and threats. The question that is considered here is whether we can expect such perpetual tools to become future elements of a full-scale fiscal union, bringing the euro area closer to the contours of an optimum currency area. The influence of European institutions as initiators of the integration process and the involvement of non-governmental players in it have received wider coverage in the specialized literature. Thus, in this case the role played in the process of fiscal integration by national governments is explored in more detail. For this purpose, the theory of multilevel governance and, in particular, its “dynamic” version are applied. It proves useful for identifying cases and ways in which governments can maintain control over decisions made within the integration system. The analysis confirmed that the Union has no plans to increase the issuance of the EU debt in order to replace national borrowing, or to transfer taxes from the national to the supranational level. It can be expected that in the future more active EU borrowing in financial markets will be accompanied by the measure of institutional flexibility which has now been achieved due to an intergovernmental compromise. At the same time temporary tools like NGEU and SURE are unlikely to lead to the fiscal union being completely federalized.

Bangladesh's pathways to climate-resilient development: A methodical review

Climate resilient development pathways (CRDP) are procedures that reinforce sustainable development and reduce poverty and inequalities while meeting adaptation and mitigation targets. The study systematically assessed Bangladesh's efforts to combat climate change and evaluated its progress toward CRDP with a degree of confidence approach. It also assessed climate change vulnerability, national climate change plans and policies, climate finance conditions, and environmental sustainability. The study revealed that the recent climate change plans and strategies have transformative, social inclusiveness, gender responsiveness, climate resilience, institutional flexibility and coordination, and target setting and monitoring attributes from a moderate to large extent. However, to implement its recently developed climate plans like the Mujib Climate Prosperity Plan, Delta Plan, NAP, and NDC, where funding is essential—the nation needs USD 533.7 billion. The study suggests that though the country has implemented several plans and strategies in recent decades, uneven progress has appeared in some important socio-economic and environmental indicators as well as SDGs which signifies low return against investment. It can be concluded that ensuring maximum socio-economic and environmental return on investment, long-term climate finance, strengthening local govt. organizations, adopting region specific and holistic approaches with private sector engagement would advance CRDP attainment as well as a nature positive economy and system transition in Bangladesh.

The Evaluation and Significance of Smart City Projects in Korea: Targeting Enterprises within the Smart City Association Convergence Alliance

This study identified, analysed, and prioritised significant factors for standardising the Korean smart city project evaluation system. We analysed the efficiency and productivity of companies currently providing smart city services, considering both policy and practical aspects. The prioritisation of smart city planning reflects the latest trends in South Korea, where urban planning is moving towards smart city planning. Furthermore, public–private and private–private partnership capacity-building highlights the importance of business scalability. This shows that smart city services are only stabilised when the private sector is involved in and leads the project, rather than focusing on public development. The feasibility of building intelligent facilities indicates that smart city projects should be implemented after securing cost–benefit feasibility. The results were used as the basis for an evaluation system, showing that, in smart city convergence alliances, small- and medium-sized enterprises achieved the highest efficiency by reducing inputs to 81% and 86% under the assumptions of constant and variable returns to scales, respectively. As the operational aspect is more problematic than the technical aspect, policy alternatives are necessary for smooth business progress, including increased flexibility of laws and institutions and the activation of policies that temporarily relieve regulations for smart city projects.

ФОРМИРОВАНИЕ СИСТЕМЫ ГОСУДАРСТВЕННОГО УПРАВЛЕНИЯ УСТОЙЧИВЫМ РАЗВИТИЕМ (НА ПРИМЕРЕ РОССИИ И КИТАЯ)

The aim of the paper is to develop methodological approaches to the formation of a multi-level system of public administration for sustainable development on the example of Russia and China. The proposed approaches include: general characteristics of the sustainable development management system (subject, object, forms, principles, methods, result), formalization of project selection, principles for identifying project relationships, tools for prioritizing projects, a model for monitoring program performance. Multilevel implies integration not only at the national, mezzo and micro levels, but also at the supranational level - the participation of the United Nations and other international organizations, the implementation of joint projects, primarily with friendly countries. Developed on the example of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) No. 13 “Taking urgent measures to combat climate change and its consequences”, the network management model allows formalizing the choice of projects constituting the program, principles and approaches to identifying the interconnection of projects, tools for prioritizing projects, and can be extrapolated to other SDGs with high network ranks (the degree of mutual influence on other SDGs). To assess the quality of public administration for sustainable development, the following indicators are proposed: the complexity of national programs and the quality of goal setting, adaptability and flexibility of state institutions in implementing sustainable development goals; business involvement in the transition to sustainable development; efficiency and effectiveness of the management system; compliance of legislation and law enforcement with sustainable development objectives; the level of achievement of planned results by the managed system; the degree of publicity when assessment of sustainable projects. Such a set of indicators makes it possible to integrate the assessment of the managed and the management system, to highlight the role of the management system in the results achieved by the managed system.

Биржи в структуре энергетического рынка: новый взгляд

The paper offers a systematized and updated view of exchange-traded energy products. The increase in natural gas and electricity trade volumes at commodity exchanges has dramatically changed the wholesale market structure in Europe. Nowadays commodity exchanges have played an essential role in energy trading. The complexity of exchange technologies and the reasons for their demand are often hidden under everyday exchange routine. Academic analysis of exchange activity has traditionally been feebly developed, because, firstly, classical economics assumes that finding of equilibrium between supply and demand is an instantaneous and cost-free process. Markets were mainly described as simple market exchanges where faceless buyers and sellers meet for an instant to exchange standardized goods at equilibrium prices. Secondly, energy exchanges are relatively new phenomenon. The justification of exchange trading became possible as a result of new institutional economics (NIE) and transaction cost theory (TCT) findings. Under conditions of positive transaction costs, incomplete foresight and bounded rationality – the conditions of the New Institutional Economics (NIE) – the institutional framework not only of firms but also of markets matters. Also, within this institutional framework the concept of “governance structure” was introduced. A high-performance system shall align transactions with governance structures in relation to their adaptive needs. Governance structures are properly regarded as part of the optimization problem. A shift from one structure to another may permit a simultaneous reduction in both the expense of writing a complex contract and the expense of executing it effectively in an adaptive, sequential way. The founders of NIE and TCT, having been investigating the stock and commodity exchanges, approached them as a measure of transaction costs for other-the-counter trades. However, they did not include exchange trading into classification of governance structures. As far as is known, it has not been described in this way in terms of NIE and TCT to date. Natural gas and electricity markets is a good examples of network industries, which are an appropriate case of institutional flexibility regarding the alignment between transactions and governance structures. “Liberalised” network industries needed and still need an “intense” design and re-design to be able to host any kind of markets and to interact with. Organized markets, energy exchanges have developed a required bridge between leaving long-term contracts and price promulgation. The hypothesis of energy exchange classification as a special type of governance structure, in the meaning of NIE and TCT, for network industries is discussed in this article.

Yajé como política. Territorio, petróleo y pandemia en los siekopái de la Amazonía ecuatoriana

AbstractThis article shows the political adaptations of the yajé ritual in the Ecuadorian Amazon. It focuses on the siekopái's practices of resistance, negotiation, and self‐affirmation around three contemporary issues: the recognition of their ancestral territory, the demand for reparations for environmental damage resulting from oil exploitation, and the management of care during the COVID‐19 pandemic. We argue that the inclusion of the yajé ritual in these contexts corresponds to a contested shamanic tradition, and that the deployment of its political potential is due to communal reasons and the shamans' negotiating skills in the invisible world. We conclude that the adaptations indicate an institutional flexibility that has allowed the siekopái to survive to this day in a changing and threatened environment.

Team Approach: Improving Orthopaedic Operating Room Efficiency.

The cost of surgical care accounts for almost one-third of all health care spending in the United States. Within health care spending, the operating room (OR) is one of the largest health care costs during a perioperative episode of care. Efficiency in the OR has been associated with increased productivity, safety, and quality of care. However, multiple sources of delays can contribute to inefficiency, and improving efficiency in the OR requires a systematic approach to identify and address each issue. We report on the case of a process improvement initiative implemented in a large academic institution to improve OR efficiency in outpatient orthopaedic cases, and we discuss the lessons learned through this program. Optimizing workflow in the OR requires a multidisciplinary team approach consisting of clinician leaders with common goals and open discussion regarding the needs of each team member, including circulating nurses, surgical nurses/technologists, and anesthesiologists. Our experience highlights the importance of practical, clinician-driven changes that are supported by administrative engagement, resources for staffing and equipment, and institutional flexibility, which are required to implement systemic changes to address and improve efficiency in the OR.

STRATEGIC FLEXIBILITY OF ZVO IN THE FORMATION OF COMPETITIVE GOALS IN THE CONDITIONS OF CHANGES

The article examines the issue of strategic flexibility of higher education institutions in modern conditions. The relevance of the study of the strategic flexibility of higher education institutions in the formation of competitive goals in conditions of change is determined by modern trends in the competitive advantages of higher education institutions; adaptation of flexible development strategies; partnership cooperation with European universities; increasing the competitiveness of the teaching staff; diversification of new areas of scientific activity and new opportunities for development. In the process of writing a scientific article, various general scientific research methods are used. An analysis of the development strategies of four institutions of higher education was carried out, namely, Ivano-Frankivsk National Technical University of Oil and Gas (Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine), Lviv Polytechnic (Lviv, Ukraine), Mining and Metallurgical Academy named after S. Staszyca (Krakow, Poland), Poznań Polytechnic (Poznań, Poland). The conducted analysis showed that the most important element is the goals and objectives, and their components are determined primarily not by strategic planning due to the improvement of the quality of education and the positioning of higher education institutions as a competitive market of educational services, it’s the adaptation to market conditions, the formation of a competitive specialist capable of working at the international level, the search and attraction of consumers, analysis of activities of educational institutions, analysis of provision of educational services to consumers, diversification of educational activities in order to enter the European market of educational services. The practical value of the research lies in the thorough analysis of development strategies for the implementation of flexible management of institutions of higher education in a changing, flexible and competitive environment. Strategic flexibility will allow to form a new environment of “VUKA” and “BANI”, because in difficult conditions, competitiveness of the university is quite important.

Restructuring of Multilateralism and Inclusive Development of the SCO

Unlike the multilateral institutions of the past, formed by hegemons in accordance with their interests, the SCO multilateral format has given a new impetus to inclusive multilateral regional cooperation. In order to promote inclusive cooperation in Eurasia, the SCO member states have formulated strategic plans for cooperation in the main subregions and key areas of organization’s activities. New SCO plans to intensify cooperation take into account the principle of inclusiveness, and promote a system interests compatibility between members. Taking into consideration the relatively vague and "blurred" forms of cooperation between the member states, an increase in the SCO membership can create both new challenges and contribute to the emergence of new formats of interaction. Thus, the introduction of new forms of small multilateralism may become relevant for increasing the effectiveness of the SCO. Cooperation within the framework of new formats of small multilateralism should be established in accordance with the political preferences and readiness of the SCO Member States in order to increase the effectiveness of intra-organizational interaction. Institutional flexibility in pragmatic cooperation brings mutually beneficial results and has great potential for extending the format of such cooperation to a wide range of issues. An inclusive approach and multilateral cooperation within the framework of the SCO helps to strengthen cooperation in various fields and contribute to the creation of a democratic and fair political and economic environment. It seems that China and Russia, as the leading powers in the SCO, will be interested in promoting new formats of cooperation and reforming the regional system of interaction. The combination of classical large-scale multilateralism with small forms of multilateral cooperation within the SCO will help to deal with the current difficulties in regional governance and improve the effectiveness of the organization.

Institutional Flexibility in Tax Law and Enforcement

Institutional Flexibility in Tax Law and Enforcement

STRATEGIC FLEXIBILITY OF ZVO IN THE FORMATION OF COMPETITIVE GOALS IN THE CONDITIONS OF CHANGES

The article examines the issue of strategic flexibility of higher education institutions in modern conditions. The relevance of the study of the strategic flexibility of higher education institutions in the formation of competitive goals in conditions of change is determined by modern trends in the competitive advantages of higher education institutions; adaptation of flexible development strategies; partnership cooperation with European universities; increasing the competitiveness of the teaching staff; diversification of new areas of scientific activity and new opportunities for development. In the process of writing a scientific article, various general scientific research methods are used. An analysis of the development strategies of four institutions of higher education was carried out, namely, Ivano-Frankivsk National Technical University of Oil and Gas (Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine), Lviv Polytechnic (Lviv, Ukraine), Mining and Metallurgical Academy named after S. Staszyca (Krakow, Poland), Poznań Polytechnic (Poznań, Poland). The conducted analysis showed that the most important element is the goals and objectives, and their components are determined primarily not by strategic planning due to the improvement of the quality of education and the positioning of higher education institutions as a competitive market of educational services, it’s the adaptation to market conditions, the formation of a competitive specialist capable of working at the international level, the search and attraction of consumers, analysis of activities of educational institutions, analysis of provision of educational services to consumers, diversification of educational activities in order to enter the European market of educational services. The practical value of the research lies in the thorough analysis of development strategies for the implementation of flexible management of institutions of higher education in a changing, flexible and competitive environment. Strategic flexibility will allow to form a new environment of “VUKA” and “BANI”, because in difficult conditions, competitiveness of the university is quite important.

Pendidikan Merdeka Belajar dalam Perspektif Filsafat Progresivisme

The purpose of this study was to determine the concept of independent learning education in the perspective of progressivism philosophy. The approach used is a qualitative approach with the method of literature or literature review (literature review/literature research). The material used as a study is books and journals that are relevant to the perspective of philosophy and the Freedom to Learn policy. The analysis process in this study includes: data reduction, verification and drawing conclusions. The results of the study show that the current education system was conceptualized by the Minister of Education and Culture referring to the concept of progressive philosophy of thought put forward by John Dewey, where the philosophical value requires: 1) the existence of independence and flexibility of educators and educational institutions in exploring maximally abilities, intelligence and the potential of students in a flexible, natural, fun and democratic way, 2) improving student character as a manifestation of social aspects in progressivism 3) there is a change in educational practice to a more advanced, quality and modern direction quickly and provide real benefits for participants educate. Conclusion. Optimizing the concept of Freedom to Learn is expected to be able to improve the quality of resources and the competitiveness of students in a globalized world.
 
 Keywords: Free Learning, Progressivism, Education.

Leading Large Scale Innovation: Building Institutional Flexibility

RE-Engineered was launched at the University of Saskatchewan in 2021/22. It was designed to build community among our first-year engineering students with modularized courses, full integration across all learning outcomes and courses, competency-based assessment, introduction to 4 sciences instead of the usual 2, an Indigenous Cultural Contextualization module, and replacement of final exams in December with a week of experiential learning days across 5 engineering disciplines. The scale of the changes envisioned by the first-year team (Sean Maw and Joel Frey) was so large that it impacted most institutional support units and had substantial operational and teaching practice change requirements for two colleges.
 Over the four-year design process, it became clear that the curricular design required a parallel and intentional process of broad organizational change for successful implementation. From this realization sprung the Change Management Committee (CMC). This group has leveraged resources (financial, human, expertise), influenced key decision makers on campus, and facilitated deep organizational change.

Specifics of Design of Healthcare Institutions Interiors in the Conditions of the "COVID 19" Pandemic

The purpose of the article is to forecast, determine changes in the methodological basis for creating an interior environment by means of design in conditions of extremely uncertain requirements for the protection of the population from COVID-19. The research methodology involves the use of methods of generalization and systematization of scientific and theoretical information on the design of the environment in the context of the spread of coronavirus infection. The scientific novelty of the study is to clarify the features of interior design of healthcare institutions in the context of protection against coronavirus infections. Conclusions. Ukrainian healthcare sector found itself in an ambivalent state in late 2020, as the coronavirus raged relentlessly across the country, vaccination was developed quite slowly, therefore, being in public institutions, vulnerable population groups needed special safety conditions. Coronavirus-related expenses have already leveled a financial blow to healthcare system. Many hospitals lacked the space and resources to treat Covid-19 patients with severe symptoms, while treating those with mild and asymptomatic patients who could infect healthcare professionals and other patients. During the first wave of the virus pandemic, beds for patients were set up in lobbies, conference rooms and even cafeterias. They were added to the wards and corridors, filling any free space. The pandemic required the flexibility of medical and research institutions and services to overcome current and future crises.
 As a result of the conducted research what specific design decisions should be considered when designing medical facilities in a pandemic. The peculiarities of creating safe, adapted, flexible and efficient spaces that support the quality of medical care and are resistant to infections on the example of foreign experience are highlighted. And research the basic regularities of pandemic-resistant healthcare design were identified: versatility, flexibility, aesthetics and harmony, safety and sterility, mobility and innovation. The interior should be focused on reducing the transmission of infectious particles.

Re‐Imagining Inclusion Through the Lens of Disabled Childhoods

The purpose of this article is to contribute new insights to critical disability and disabled children’s childhood studies that center on the valuing of disabled children’s lives—a guiding purpose in the disability justice movement. We use published findings from the Inclusive Early Childhood Service System project, a longitudinal, institutional ethnography of the ways that families and children are organized around categories of disability, which show social inclusions and exclusions before and during the pandemic. These findings illuminate: (a) institutional flexibility for the purpose of social inclusion and isolation during the pandemic as a result of institutional organization; (b) the impact of institutional decisions around closures, remote programs, and support on families’ choices and self‐determination; and (3) the ways safety is differently applied and rationalized for disabled children allowing institutions to exclude disabled children and families. We use critical disability studies and disabled children’s childhood studies to interpret these findings and position the valuing of disabled children’s lives with a call for disability justice actions.

유아특수교육기관의 조직문화에 대한 유아특수교사의 경험과 요구

The purpose of this study is to examine the experiences and needs of early childhood special education teachers for the organizational culture of early childhood special education institutions. A focus group interview was conducted with 11 early childhood special education teachers working for special classes in kindergarten and special education kindergartens. As a result of the study, 3 themes, 11 subcategories, and 30 main concepts were derived. Specific research results are as follows. First, early childhood special education teachers presented four types of organizational culture experiences according to the differences in the method of pursuing values and flexibility of institutions. In other words, it is a relationship-oriented culture, a performance-oriented culture, a hierarchy-oriented culture, and a chaotic organizational culture that is difficult to be explained by the preceding three models. Second, early childhood special education teachers presented negative experiences with respect to organizational fairness such as mutual fairness, procedural fairness, and distribution fairness. Third, early childhood special education teachers said that it is necessary to make an active effort on their own to realize the unique identity of early childhood special education teacher along with the improvement of democratic and organizational culture. In addition, they emphasized the need for awareness-raising training for institutional members and securing fairness in the promotion system for early childhood special education teacher. Based on the results of this study, future improvement plans for the organizational culture of early childhood special education institutions were suggested.