Institutional Change Research Articles

Responding to economic abuse: An institutional logics analysis of feminist activism

AbstractEconomic abuse (EA)—intimate partners' efforts to control women's economic resources—still suffers from ambiguous legal recognition. Even in countries with legal recognition, state allocation of resources for support remains meager. We suggest that Israeli state welfare organizations (SWOs) employees have developed their professional response to EA along two distinct value sets—a dominant institutional logic in their respective organizations and a more covert feminist institutional logic encountered in collaborations with feminist Non Governmental Organizations. Using a framework of multiple institutional logics, in interviews with 48 SWO employees, we map the multiple institutional logics that cultivate responses to EA survivors and show that elements of feminist understanding and practices on EA permeate SWOs' practices. The existence of a feminist institutional logic creates a path for exploring whether the feminist impact is significant in enabling committed responses to EA even while no institutional change is achieved.

Gender Sensitizing Parliaments: Reflections on Becoming a Feminist Academic Critical Actor

Informed by my secondment to the UK Parliament in 2015–2016, and the production and reception of The Good Parliament report—which offered a blueprint for a diversity-sensitive House of Commons—this article reflects on my experiences becoming a feminist academic critical actor. This new type of critical actor extends the conceptualization first developed by Childs and Krook (2006, 2008). A distinctiveness vis. Chappell and Mackay’s (2021) concept of the “feminist critical friend” is also drawn: In addition to researching institutional change and supporting others in their reform work, the feminist academic critical actor is essential to instigate and institute institutional change. In this, the feminist academic critical actor is engaged in quotidian persuasion work and is both the agent as well as the analyst of research, critically reflecting on the dynamics and actors of institutional status, change, and resistance, including their own acts, in situ and after. In making the case for the feminist academic critical actor, the academic is recognized as doing something different, begging important questions of responsibility and accountability, and the opportunities and costs of engaging in such acts, particularly for minoritized and/or precarious academics. In the latter part of the article, I sketch out some of the dilemmas located in the questioning of my authority and legitimacy, and concerning the harm that I faced as a relatively privileged aspirant feminist academic critical actor, acting to rework the highly masculinized institution that is the UK House of Commons.

Mandate Expansion into and within a New Domain: OECD and Global Health Governance

ABSTRACT International Organisations (IOs) can expand their mandate by employing deliberately chosen strategies. I propose that IOs' mandate expansion follows a two-step sequence: First, IOs branch out into a domain that lies outside of their initial mandate area. Second, IOs further increase their relevance within the domain and move their position from a marginal to a more focal one. To accomplish the two-step expansion, individual IOs use a particular mix of strategies, reflecting their organisation-specific contexts as well as external environments. The two-step sequence is explored in the case of the OECD's growing involvement in the health policy field from the organisation's establishment in 1961 until 2022. I employ a mixed-method approach, combining structural topic modeling and qualitative document analysis. This article highlights the different stages of IOs' mandate expansion and contributes to enriching the research streams of IOs' institutional changes and dynamics in global health governance.

An empirical analysis of the social contract in the Middle East and North Africa region and the role of digitalization in its transformation

AbstractThis paper presents an empirical analysis of the social contract (SC) in MENA based on a simple model synthesizing three main characteristics of a SC linking governments and citizens: Participation, Protection, and Provision. Using this 3‐P framework, we focus on the role of provision and protection in determining citizen participation, a question that drew much attention following the recent economic and social developments in MENA. We compare our characterization of the SC in MENA and Organisation for Economic Co‐operation and Development (OECD) countries and find robust empirical evidence that, in MENA, the benefits provided to citizens through improved delivery of basic services have come at the cost of impaired participation. We also find that digital transformation, a potential channel through which the SC may improve, has an inversely U‐shaped effect suggesting that institutional changes are called for in MENA countries before their SC is comparable to that of OECD countries.

Mind the Gap! Working Toward Gender Equity in Pediatric and Congenital Heart Disease: Present and Future.

Evidence from medicine and other fields has shown that gender diversity results in better decision making and outcomes. The incoming workforce of congenital heart specialists (especially in pediatric cardiology) appears to be more gender balanced, but past studies have shown many inequities. Gender-associated differences in leadership positions, opportunities presented for academic advancement, and recognition for academic contributions to the field persist. In addition, compensation packages remain disparate if evaluated based on gender with equivalent experience and expertise. This review explores these inequities and has suggested individual and institutional changes that could be made to recruit and retain women, monitor the climate of the institution, and identify and eliminate bias in areas like salary and promotions.

Integrating Indigenous and Western Health Practices as Synergy for African Development in the Globalization Era: The Nigerian Example

The health policy of colonial rule precipitated structural and institutional changes in the healthcare system of the colonized Africans, as Western medicine was imposed across Africa as a better system of health management. This development fundamentally altered the professional and practical acceptability of indigenous medicine even beyond the colonial era. The much-acclaimed theoretical incompatibility of western and indigenous medical systems is one of the major causes of the strain in the levels of acceptance between indigenous medicine and western medicine in post-colonial Africa. In the case of Nigeria, a majority of the populace, especially in the rural areas, still consult the indigenous medical care providers. This consultation is arguably as a result of some factors, including the people’s thin financial resources,the mythical belief in the therapeutic efficacy of indigenous medicine, and closeness of the indigenous healthcare centres to the patients, among others. Given this, it becomes imperative to explore the historical development and value of Adepoju Adewale Toyin and Onagun Rasheed: Integrating Indigenous and… 415 indigenous healthcare practices in Nigeria and determine the possibility of its integration with western medicine. Towards accomplishing this, we explore historical-analytic method, using primary and secondary sources to examine the current state of indigenous traditional health practice in Nigeria, identify the factors that drive (mis)communication between patient and practitioner, and suggest solutions that can be implemented to address existing challenges. In addition, with illustrations drawn from successful examples of integration of indigenous and modern health practices in developing countries, the paper argues in the context of globalization that an advantageous synergy between indigenous and western health practices is feasible as a development strategy for Africa.

Social Housing with Community Support in Québec: A Sociopolitical Perspective

The 2022 adoption of a new policy framework on community support in social housing in Québec speaks to a convergence of a multitude of community, government, and municipal actors around this practice. This qualitative study delves into the process by which this approach was institutionalized to demonstrate how community support became a central norm of the social housing field in the province. Drawing from literature on the welfare mix, we situate this phenomenon in the broader context of the transformation of the welfare state, in which nonprofit organizations played an increasing role in providing social housing to vulnerable populations (e.g., people at risk of homelessness). This article demonstrates how power dynamics and negotiations between the state and the third sector were, in this case, a major source of institutional change over time.

Who Feels Safe? Uncertain Futures and Enduring Aspirations in Italy

ABSTRACT In an attempt of going beyond a simple opposition between those conceived as agents and those seen as subjects of disciplinary power, this article engages with a reflection on differential states of precariousness and (un)safety, which involve both ‘forced migrants’ and ‘citizens’. Drawing on ethnographic research in Milan (Italy), I outline some recent institutional changes in the Italian asylum system, which led to the political abandonment of refugees in situations of increasing marginalisation, but also to the layoff of several frontline asylum workers, who were often young people hit by the consequences of economic recession. Through the words and biographical trajectories of three young women (two asylum workers and one refugee), I trace the emergence of contested temporal and work experiences, marked by widespread feelings of uncertainty and devaluation. I approach empirically the idea of (un)safety as a material and bodily condition and as an emotional state, directly linked to the perceived possibility of being able to orient oneself towards the future. By zooming in on differential experiences of (un)safety and precariousness – but also on enduring aspirations – I aim at documenting the material and affective entanglements of acts of government, as well as their inherent potential for empowerment and transformation.

Varieties occupational change in Europe after the great recession

ABSTRACT This paper empirically explores occupational change in Europe after the 2008-crisis (the Great Recession). During this period, which has remained relatively unexplored by the literature so far, many European economies have implemented profound institutional changes in their labour markets and transformed their growth models. Using individual-level data of 18 economies, I build three indicators of job quality -the average educational attainment, the median earnings and an index of job instability based on the contractual characteristics of the job- and analyse relative employment growth of jobs. The findings suggest that there is not just one pattern of occupational change in Europe, in opposition to the mainstream view of pervasive polarisation. On the contrary, I detect a variety of occupational change profiles, which even differ within the same country depending on the indicator employed.

Varieties of engagement: Japanese corporate leaders’ strategic relations with foreign shareholders and institutional change

Purpose Applying the concept of “entrepreneur managers” from dynamic capabilities theory to the question of how some Japanese managers develop and use their relationships with foreign investors, this article explores organizational contexts in which Japanese managers use foreign shareholders as resources to enhance firm capabilities in the global marketplace, deploy assets effectively and implement changes to traditional organizational customs. The article asks why and how some top managers implemented institutional changes and adopted customs that are common in the shareholder-based system while others did not. Design/methodology/approach We conducted qualitative interviews with 11 inverstor relations (IR) managers of large, listed Japanese firms in Kyoto and Tokyo. Findings First, by inviting a hedge fund partner and using their human capital and social capital, a Japanese CEO committed to strengthening his firm’s competencies in the global market and introduced changes that are common in the shareholder-based system. Second, a CEO with an MBA degree and exceptional communication skills in English and Japanese dedicated himself to executing much of the strategic advice suggested to him by foreign shareholders and altered some of his firm’s traditional Japanese management practices. Third, even though many Japanese firms welcomed and used foreign shareholders as advisors to help them streamline and/or acquire firm assets, their top leaders’ implementation of organizational changes was limited. Fourth, the top leaders of family-owned firms were reluctant to initiate dialogue with foreign investors. Originality/value This article adds some useful organizational context to existing scholarship on institutional theory by examining Japanese leaders’ strategic management in their relations with foreign investors. Using the concept of dynamic capabilities, it addresses the role of innovative strategic managers in firms’ institutional changes.

Satisfaction with public goods provision and citizen preferences for institutional changes: Evidence from the dictatorship‐era constitution in Chile

AbstractWe argue that a deficient provision of public goods may influence citizen satisfaction with the status quo, thereby encouraging demands for institutional changes. We formalize and test this relationship using prior data related to the recent constitutional process carried out in Chile to replace its dictatorship‐era constitution. Individual‐level data from the Chile 2016/17 AmericasBarometer survey are used to estimate ordered and multinomial probit models to study the determinants of citizen preferences for constitutional change, distinguishing between amendment and replacement. The main findings reveal that preferences for reforming the Chilean constitution can be driven by greater discontent with public goods provision. These results remain robust when estimating pseudo‐panel models using cohort‐level data and examining coefficient stability. Moreover, higher levels of corruption are associated with a stronger demand for constitutional replacement, suggesting a potential rupture in the shared social contract due to poor governance and lower political equality.

Racism in healthcare: We need to talk.

In order to tackle racism in healthcare, it must be rooted out, carefully and mindfully, by all those who work in the field. Of late, there is much talk to enact institutional change; however, I believe there is a paucity of commentary to encourage individual responsibility. Here I present a personal experience which I believe illustrates a frequent occurrence whereby racism is falsely identified in a person. Given the obvious negative connotations associated with being a racist, the chance for further conversation to understand one another is denied. I call for a more personal call to action for each and every healthcare professional. I urge my colleagues to be mindful with the use of racist and to take a breath before presiding judgement. You might be surprised as to what you learn from other when they are given the chance.

Adaptive Political Economy: Toward a New Paradigm

The conventional paradigm in political economy routinely treats living, complex, adaptive social systems as machine-like objects. This treatment has driven political economists to oversimplify big, complex social processes using mechanical models, or to ignore them altogether. In development, this has led to theoretical dead ends, trivial agendas, or failed public policies. This article proposes an alternative paradigm: adaptive political economy. It recognizes that social systems are complex, not complicated; complexity can be ordered, not messy; and social scientists should be developing the concepts, methods, and theories to illuminate the order of complexity, rather than oversimplifying it. The author illustrates one application of adaptive political economy by mapping the coevolution of economic and institutional change. This approach yields fresh, important conclusions that mechanical, linear models of development have missed, including that market-building institutions look and function differently from market-sustaining ones.

Career trajectories of MD-PhD physician scientists: The loss of women investigators

Advances in biomedical research require a robust physician scientist workforce. Despite being equally successful at securing early career awards from the NIH as men, women MD-PhD physician scientists are less likely to serve as principal investigators on mid- and later careers awards. Here, Steinman etal. discuss the causes of gender disparities in academic medicine, the implications of losing highly trained women physician scientists, and the institutional and systemic changes needed to sustain this pool of talented investigators.

외국인 근로자의 건강정보 취득 어려움과 관련된 요인

Independent variables included sociodemographic characteristics such as country of origin, subjective health level, and health insurance subscription, length of stay in Korea, language difficulties when using medical care, experiences of discrimination, and social networks. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to identify factors associated with difficulty in acquiring health information. As a result of the analysis, 49.5% of the sample experienced difficulty in acquiring health information. Factors associated with relatively high difficulty in obtaining health information include having a spouse, country of origin (Cambodia, Philippines, Myanmar, China), low subjective health level, short total length of stay in Korea, experiencing language difficulties when using medical care, experiencing discrimination, and a lack of interaction with Korean colleagues. Based on the results of this study, we proposed measures such as developing an intercultural communication competency education program for medical personnel, institutional changes in the employment permit system, and development of visual online information materials to increase foreign workers' acquisition of health information.

Selective coupling in hybrid organization: Institutional logic contradiction in the context of ERP post-implementation

Drawing a qualitative case study over two years during, this paper provides a detailed sociological account of the local practices and institutional logic and found out that local teams used selective coupling, which led to hybrid practices such as delegation and bricolage. These findings can help top-level manager enhance their awareness of the issues raised by the ERP implementation across organizations. Understanding the constellation of institutional logic within the organization can direct their attention toward new perspectives, thus creating opportunities to influence institutional change. This study analyzes the institutional contradiction during post-implementation from the perspective of flexible coupling and provides further evidence from a completely different context, namely the cross-border implantation in the industrial sector, and within the organization.

Historical trajectory, logic of change and dynamics of the regulatory system for ground floor stalls--Based on a historical institutionalist perspective

The regulatory system of street stalls is an important part of China's street governance system, which plays a pivotal role in the country's economic development and social stability. Based on the analytical framework of historical institutionalism, by analyzing the historical trajectory of the change of China's street stall regulatory system, it is found that it presents a double logic of change in terms of the mode and process of change, and that its power mechanism consists of the synergistic interactions among stakeholders, social values, the institutional environment, and the institutional system. Reflecting on the past and looking forward to the future, in order to promote the long-term sustainable development of the stall regulation system and make it enter a virtuous cycle of institutional change, it is necessary to further strengthen the concept of people-oriented management, innovate the management mechanism, and promote the combination of stall regulation and artificial intelligence.

Institutional change for the development of urban sanitation in the Global South: A social science review

This paper analyses knowledge in social sciences about the conditions for and the process of institutional change in the urban sanitation sector in the Global South. We conducted a literature review of 148 papers. This review is organised around the six steps of institutional change proposed by Greenwood et al. (2002). Most studies focus on conditions and barriers to change, on the “legitimacy” of social or technological innovations, and the actors promoting change. The change process is rarely analysed from a long-term perspective, nor at the city scale, calling for further research.

Climate change adaptation policies and institutional arrangement: Agriculture and fishery sector in India

<p>India’s agriculture and fishing sectors confront significant challenges due to climate change because of its distinctive geographical location and predominantly agrarian economy, highlighting the urgent need for institutional frameworks and effective adaptation strategies. This study delves into the current state of institutional structures and policies aimed at climate change adaptation within these key sectors in India. Through an exhaustive analysis of literature, official reports, and policy documents, the research evaluates the policies and interventions implemented to mitigate the impacts of climate change on agriculture and fisheries. Several policies are in abode to facilitate the planning, establishment, and implementation of adaptation programs at the national and regional scales in the country. However, given India’s broad geographical size and varied socio-cultural settings, the adaptation requirements of diverse sectors and susceptible populations are still not sufficiently recognized and addressed. Key areas under scrutiny include crop diversification, water management techniques, technological advancements, and community-based adaptation approaches.<em> </em>Furthermore, the study evaluates the effectiveness of existing institutional arrangements including governmental bodies, academic institutions, and community organizations in fostering climate resilience across different domains. By synthesizing insights from diverse sources, this research aims to offer valuable perspectives on the institutional dynamics and policy landscape shaping climate change adaptation efforts in India’s agriculture and fisheries sectors to build resilience and sustainability.<strong><em> </em></strong>This research paper highlights some of the evolving as well as existing adaptation requirements and suggests how new research, policy, and practice engagements could meet these requirements.<strong></strong></p>

Lo intrincado: Cali Distrito Especial y la gobernabilidad de sus localidades. Análisis desde la división territorial

The categorization of Cali as a special district has led to intricate debates in different fields, including the legal, political-administrative, and social spheres. However, primarily, the issues revolve around governance guarantees. It is argued that this pivotal concept contributes to understanding efficient and effective public management. This article aims to analyze the effects of the Special District of Santiago de Cali political-administrative division on governance in the territories. The employed methodology combines social science hermeneutics and normative analysis inherent in legal hermeneutics. This article presents two major challenges to governance: the social, political, environmental, and economic heterogeneity of the territories, and their ability to adapt to institutional change. The new district localities must consider the socio-economic and environmental characteristics, as well as the capacity for coordination and organization, in terms of public management, within the city.