Institutional Choice Research Articles

Objective and subjective consequences of pandemic-related study program changes for the perception of the practical year - a comparison of medical students in Germany with and without a second national board examination.

Due to SARS-CoV-2, the Bavarian Ministry of Health decided in April 2020 to postpone the second national board examination in human medicine and to bring forward the start of the practical year (in German: Praktisches Jahr, further abbreviated with PJ) from May to April 2020. The different tertial times made it necessary for affected students to reorganise the PJ and rendered the preparation for the national board examination that had already taken place obsolete. As a result, students had to prepare for it again after the PJ and take it together with the third national board examination. How do students affected by the early PJ differ in their perception of the practical year and in their psychological well-being from the comparison groups with a regular PJ schedule? The study is based on quantitative data from the Dean of Studies Office of the Medical Faculty of Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (LMU) and an online survey. The sample consists of LMU students who started the early PJ in April 2020 (n=86) and two comparison groups: The cohort of LMU students who started their PJ regularly in May 2019 (n=50), and students from other German universities who started their PJ regularly in May 2020 (n=98) and took the second national board examination in human medicine in spring 2020. For students affected by the early PJ, there were measurable negative effects on the choice of training institutions, the quality of the PJ content, preparation for the national board examinations, and career planning. Compared to regular students from other federal states, affected students reported higher psychological stress, with comparable resilience. It can be assumed that the insights gained apply to the entirety of medical students in the affected federal states of Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg. As a conclusion, we make the recommendation to include the position of the students in decisions of great consequence.

Оцінювання розбіжностей уявлень споживачів освітніх послуг про імідж університетів

The purpose of the study is to quantify the level of divergence (similarity) of perceptions of potential consumers of educational services regarding the image of universities in order to strengthen their competitive position in the market of educational services. Within the terms of this purpose, the authors were given the following tasks: to assess the level of differences in the perception of the image of the university by consumers of educational services; to identify the sources of formation of their ideas about the quality of educational services. The article solves the problem of forming a positive image of universities in Ukraine in the context of determining its components, which, according to the results of a survey of students, had the most significant impact on the choice of a higher education institution (HEI), as well as determining the level of divergence of the criteria for its choice by consumers of educational services. An assessment of the image of higher educational institutions in the city of Kyiv is carried out according to the totality of external and internal local components, making it possible to identify the main priorities for choosing a future consumer of educational services. It is determined that the main components of the image when students make a decision to enter one or another from the studied higher education institution are: scientific cooperation with foreign higher education institutions; international partnerships; the scale of educational activities; infrastructure of the university. Based on the results of the study, matrices of perception of the image of universities have been developed and distances between them have been determined, which allow to identify the level of divergence of perceptions of consumers of educational services about the image of universities. Distinctive features of the obtained results are that they allow to determine how the perceptions of consumers of educational services change in the process of obtaining them in the studied universities, also to allocate those components of the image that should be given the greatest attention by HEIs in the process of forming a further strategy for attracting and retaining consumers of basic services. The sphere of practical use of the obtained results is the system of public administration bodies in the field of higher education, management bodies of higher education institutions.

Мотивы и социально-профессиональные ориентации молодежи при выборе профессии

The article examines the motives and socio-professional orientations of young people in the labor market of the region. The relevance of the study of this topic is caused by a fairly high proportion of young people among the ablebodied population of Russia (about 35 %), as well as the strategic role of youth in the economic development of the country. Empirical data are obtained as a result of a survey conducted on the basis of the 2021 study in ten regions of the Siberian Federal District. Its main purpose is to assess the factors and motives influencing the choice of profession and the beginning of work. The reasons for the choice of an educational institution and a place of work by young people, their salary expectations and the main directions of the development of the system of employment of graduates of educational institutions are analyzed. The research materials can be used in the educational process, in the system of professional orientation, by managers and specialists of enterprises, researchers.

Limitations and Challenges of Online Teaching at Higher Education Institutions in Oman

Higher education institutions have opted for online teaching due to COVID-19 Pandemic as delivering classes online was the only available option to continue their teaching and learning activities. Higher education institutions were found to be more dynamic during their utilization of electronic platforms in delivering their activities and due to the unclarity of COVID, it seems that online teaching and learning will remain a crucial part of higher education due to its flexibility, accessibility, and convenience. However, to determine whether online teaching is the best choice for higher education institutions, it’s imperative to shed some light on the challenges and limitations of teaching online to enable institutions in Oman to decide on the future of their teaching and learning activities. Therefore, this study intends to examine the limitations and challenges of online teaching in Oman. The study data was collected by employing a questionnaire survey and distributed to all higher education institutions in Oman. We have received responses from a total of 25 higher education institutions that have participated in the study of which 12 are private universities representing 48%, 9 are public private colleges accounting for 36%, and 4 are university colleges accounting for 16%. The study revealed that the challenges faced by HEIs were student participation and active involvement, evaluation of performance, absenteeism, and insufficient knowledge of the use of online tools, and technologies both by instructors and students. Some of the limitations identified in using technological tools for teaching and learning were the efficiency of internet connectivity which disrupts the teaching engagement, restricted access to some of the technological tools, ineffective ways to gauge academic integrity, and inability to exhibit the capabilities and skills of learners.

In the interim: administering art in India, after independence, before institutions

ABSTRACT The article focuses on the Indian state’s relationship with art, and art institutions to gain insights into approaches to nation/state formation and administration. It asks two questions: How was art administered in India between 1947 and 1953, the period after India’s independence but before formal institutions for it came up? And what were the implications of decisions taken during this period on subsequent institutional choices? I argue that matters of art were addressed here–in the “interim”–not merely in a formal manner through political and administrative procedures, but as the very question of political and administrative matters, intricately intertwined with appeals of taste, rule, disinterest, gains, penny pinching, but most of all, of problem solving. From the commitment to solve problems were at hand, in a country ravaged by Partition, unemployment, and a poor economy, what emerges is not a pious approach to tradition; nor do decisions affecting art practice follow some predetermined path to modernity. Neither does the state’s approach simply correspond to the view generally taken in existing literature where the starting point tends to be the framework of secular nationalism. Rather, by being attentive to everyday problem-solving and decision-making processes of statesmen who led the project of institution-building–Nehru, Azad, Patel among others–we discover the priority they gave to building state capacity; everything else, including nation-building followed from this. In this regard, even though there was no specific programme yet in place for looking into the arts, the arts got looked after in almost all matters concerning politics.

Budget support to the health sector—The right choice for strong institutions? Evidence from panel data

AbstractThis article examines the relationship of sector budget support to the health sector and the infant mortality rate for developing countries. Project‐type interventions have been widely used in developing countries in the past decades. These smaller‐scale interventions often did not bring the results that the donors would have wanted, at least on a macro level. At the beginning of the millennium, forums on aid effectiveness proposed new principles to increase the effectiveness of aid. Many scholars agreed that one of the answers would be budget support. This article tries to answer whether budget support is the efficient aid modality in countries with strong institutions. In the baseline scenario, a panel data analysis is applied, which includes 113 countries between 2010 and 2018. This dynamic linear panel model is estimated by using ordinary least squares (OLS) and system generalized method of moments (GMM). Health sector aid, in general, has a significant and negative effect on the infant mortality rate in the average country. Sector budget support is insignificant in the baseline estimation and when interacted with a governance variable. In contrast, project‐type interventions exhibit significant and negative effects on the outcome variable. The results indicate that sector budget support might not be the superior choice among the aid modalities in the health sector, even in countries with good governance.

Long-Term Care Services and Insurance System in China: An Evolutionary Game Analysis

The study creates a simplified game model to propose a suitable policy to foster a win-win scenario between care institutions and families of the disabled elderly, and to give a reference basis for enhancing the welfare level of the disabled elderly as well as the commercial performance of care institutions. First, we study and synthesise the experiences of contemporary Chinese long-term care pilot cities to offer data for subsequent numerical analysis; second, we create an evolutionary game model to depict the conflicts and evolving patterns of conflicts between the disabled elderly and care facilities in China; and third, we use numerical analysis to investigate the effects of internal factors (cost of care, price of care) and policy assistance (government subsidies). Finally, we utilise numerical analysis to investigate how internal factors (cost of care, price of care) and policy assistance (government subsidy) affect the combination of solutions. The study reveals that (1) the two-sided strategic choices of care institutions and disabled families make the game unstable. (2) The government can influence the choice of care institutions and disabled families by tax rates and subsidies, implying a stability policy. (3) The presence of an evolutionary stabilization strategy implies that government control may have a desirable limit. When government engagement in this market is limited, “professional care, home care” finally becomes the evolutionary stability method.

Political equality and institutional choice: lessons from Steffen Ganghof’s beyond parliamentarism and presidentialism

ABSTRACT This comment encourages normative democratic theorists to attend to the agenda for democratic theory that Steffen Ganghof sets in Beyond Parliamentarism and Presidentialism. I discuss Ganghof’s distinction between ‘procedural’ and ‘process’ equality. I conclude with a meta-theoretical question about how theorists should think about advocacy for large-scale constitutional systems.

Master’s Degree Programme in Russia: a Conscious Choice for International Students?

In recent decades, there has been a significant increase in the number of students worldwide choosing to study abroad. In 2014, according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, about five million students studied abroad. The development of distance learning technologies contributes to the growth of mobility.Russia is an attractive destination for students’ mobility, both shortterm and long-term, and Russian universities compete for students in global markets. The internationalization of education, the increase in the number of international students at degree programs set new requirements for host universities, which should be taken into account in their strategies. This is the presence of a developed infrastructure at the university (laboratory equipment, well-equipped classrooms, modern dormitories, a library with access to a large number of electronic resources, etc.), high quality of teaching, accessible and friendly living environment at the university. In addition, various external factors that characterize the accessibility and attractiveness of the city and the country are important.The goal of our research is to identify the factors that are important for foreign students to choose Russian universities for master’s studies. The master’s level assumes that students themselves make an informed decision about studying abroad, as well as about the choice of country and direction of study, and also better understand what advantages foreign learning experience gives.The study was conducted by interviewing foreign students enrolled in Master’s programs at the National Research University Higher School of Economics in St. Petersburg. The choice of this particular educational institution is due to the high proportion of foreign students enrolled in Master’s programs (on English-language programs their share reaches 40%, and on average is about 13%); the presence of several programs of prestigious international accreditations, network programs (double diplomas, consortiums) and, in general, high positions of the university in international rankings; as well as the wide range of master programs for different areas of study. The survey involved foreign students enrolled in master’s programs (excluding short-term mobility programs). As a result, it was revealed that the reputation of the university, the availability of scholarship programs and grants, employment prospects in Russia or abroad after graduation, simplicity and transparency of the enrollment procedure are crucial for master’s students intending to study in Russia.The results obtained on the basis of a survey of students make it possible to clarify the set of factors identified from the analysis of the literature that affect students’ decision-making about their training in the Master’s programs in Russia. Their practical significance lies in the fact that they can be taken into account when developing university strategies and programs, as well as marketing campaigns aimed at attracting foreign graduate students.

Le diable est dans les détails – czyli kilka refleksji na temat kontrolno-nadzorczych dylematów dotyczących regulaminów organizacyjnych urzędów gmin

The paper is based on an analysis of the provisions pertaining to the adoption of the house rules of municipality offices and the regulations specifying the rules and the procedure of exercising supervision over these acts of executive bodies, as well as of subjecting them to the direct control of administrative courts. This analysis has revealed that the approach to the form in which the above issues are regulated should be revised towards such regulations and practice of applying law that would facilitate having more regard for the attributes of the independence of self-governmental administration in this field. The treatment that these features have received (especially in the practice of supervisory organs and judicature’s output) has so far not explored or respected this potential. Taking also into account the experience (both doctrinal and related to administrative practice) gathered in the period of over 32 years since the reestablishment of territorial self-government in Poland, the paper thus argues that, at least in certain areas, the process of overcoming the limitations linked to the rationing – so to speak – of the attributes of decentralization (especially: of independence as one of its components) should be initiated. Therefore, the paper postulates in this context that invalidity sanction be substituted by the derogation in the form of revocation (that is: an ex tunc effect should be substituted by an ex nunc effect). The paper also signals that, when dealing with these forms of self-governmental activities, it may be possible to depart from the automatic application of the temporary protection related to the delivery of a supervisory adjudication (i.e. from the mechanism that presumes automatic sui generis acceleration of the enforceability of a supervisory adjudication). This stance has been additionally supported by the discussion of the specificity of organizational administrative law (in particular – with regard to the acts of non-municipal law, while allowing for the complex character of the house rules of municipality offices) which takes into account the conception of institutional choice.

Nanopore sequencing data analysis using Microsoft Azure cloud computing service.

Genetic information provides insights into the exome, genome, epigenetics and structural organisation of the organism. Given the enormous amount of genetic information, scientists are able to perform mammoth tasks to improve the standard of health care such as determining genetic influences on outcome of allogeneic transplantation. Cloud based computing has increasingly become a key choice for many scientists, engineers and institutions as it offers on-demand network access and users can conveniently rent rather than buy all required computing resources. With the positive advancements of cloud computing and nanopore sequencing data output, we were motivated to develop an automated and scalable analysis pipeline utilizing cloud infrastructure in Microsoft Azure to accelerate HLA genotyping service and improve the efficiency of the workflow at lower cost. In this study, we describe (i) the selection process for suitable virtual machine sizes for computing resources to balance between the best performance versus cost effectiveness; (ii) the building of Docker containers to include all tools in the cloud computational environment; (iii) the comparison of HLA genotype concordance between the in-house manual method and the automated cloud-based pipeline to assess data accuracy. In conclusion, the Microsoft Azure cloud based data analysis pipeline was shown to meet all the key imperatives for performance, cost, usability, simplicity and accuracy. Importantly, the pipeline allows for the on-going maintenance and testing of version changes before implementation. This pipeline is suitable for the data analysis from MinION sequencing platform and could be adopted for other data analysis application processes.

Value extraction and institutions in digital capitalism: Towards a law and political economy synthesis for competition law

AbstractThe rise of digital capitalism was marked by significant changes in the processes of value generation and capture in the economy. However, its impact on competition has only been recently explored. Taking a Law and Political Economy perspective we analyse four central developments challenging the traditional competition law framework and raising important questions regarding the broader institutional environment for the protection of competition: the transition towards financialisation and the logic of futurity, in particular in the digital economy, which gives rise to new competitive strategies of undertakings, structured around the ‘shareholder value’ principle; the extraction of economic value through new types of labour, which fall outside traditional employment relationships and hence affect the scope of competition law in the digital economy; the emergence of digital value chains that rely on multi-sided platforms and the formation of digital ecosystems, which challenge the usual focus of competition law on markets; the generation and extraction of value in the digital economy through new types of commodities and natural and artificial scarcities, that shape new social relations of production in accordance with the logic of futurity and lead to the emergence of competitive bottlenecks. Based on this analysis, we emphasize the need for a comprehensive theory-building for competition law and regulation that engages with these new processes of value generation and capture. We highlight how the underlying theories of ‘value’ and the institutional set-up have led to inequality and reduced competition. Existing institutions could not respond to these changes, which led to the initiation of significant institutional reforms. The prevailing conception of competition law had to evolve in congruence with different regulatory alternatives (a ‘toolkit’ approach). The article concludes by analysing how the emerging competition and regulatory compass for the digital economy in the European Union (EU) contributes to this dialectic between value generation/capture and institutional choice.

The Impact of Social Capital on Rural Residents’ Medical Service Utilization in China—An Empirical Study Based on CFPS Data

Based on CFPS data, the article analyzes the impact of social capital on the utilization of medical services by rural residents in China using binary logit and multinomial logit models. The social capital includes two dimensions: cognitive social capital and structural social capital, and the indicators of medical service utilization are "whether to seek medical treatment when sick" and "choice of medical institution". This paper concludes that: (1) among the cognitive social capital, special trust and religious beliefs have a significant positive influence on whether rural residents choose to seek medical treatment when they are sick; (2) among the structural social capital, social participation has a significant positive influence on choice of medical institution, and social network has a significant positive influence on the choice of township health center, specialty hospital, and general hospital. According to the empirical results, this paper proposes the following suggestions. The trust mechanism of rural society should be reconstructed, the positive role of religious beliefs should be given full play, the healthy development of social networks should be promoted, and the rural social organizations should be fostered and developed.

Exploring Putative Factors Affective Prospective Students’ of the University for Development Students: A Case Study of the Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Consumer Sciences, Nyankpala Campus-Ghana

The expansion of the higher education industry has caused a tremendous increase in the number and type of colleges, polytechnics and universities offering similar academic programmes in Ghana. As a consequence, the competition in the higher education industry makes it critical for education leadership and managers to deploy strategies that would influence students’ choice of a higher education institution and programme selection. The paper is an exploratory study designed to identify the important factors that influence students’ choice of university and particularly the programme. Data was collected through telephone interviews with students who were offered admissions to pursue agricultural related courses in the Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Consumer Sciences of the University for Development Studies. About 320 students were randomly selected from the 1280 students offered admission to the faculty in the 2021/20222 Academic Year. The data was analyzed using descriptive statistics and presented in graphs and tables. The study found that 53.75% of the respondents declined their admission to offer Agriculture related programs because that was not their choice of programme. It further identified that most of those who declined the offer had applied for health related programmes where they were sure after completion could easily be employed. The study therefore, recommends a programme to educate prospective students on the job prospects, opportunities and benefits of pursuing agricultural related programmes. Government should also put in place measures to attract the graduate youth into Agricultural entrepreneurship.

China’s Multi-Front Institutional Strategies in International Development Finance

Abstract China has expressed its dissatisfaction with aspects of the international development finance regime for many years, related to issues such as its lack of voting power and an insufficient focus on infrastructure spending by traditional multilateral development banks. To address these dissatisfactions, China has utilised a range of approaches, from the application of pressure inside existing institutions, to building outside pressure in the form of using alternative institutions or creating new ones. But how has the combination and timing of these different measures impacted its success in ultimately securing reforms? Applying insights from the institutional choice literature, we find that China has pursued both inside and outside measures to try to secure its objectives in development finance with varying degrees of success. Simply combining these measures has been insufficient to secure success however. In cases where China has exerted internal leverage prior to utilising outside options, it has been the most successful. We conclude that combination and sequencing of these approaches is an under-appreciated factor in determining success of dissatisfied states in securing changes to institutions.

Pengaruh Sharia Marketing dan Kualitas Layanan terhadap Loyalitas dengan Kepuasan sebagai variabel Intervening (Studi Kasus Pengguna Tabungan Syariah di BMT Huwaiza Depok)

Many factors influence people in choosing trustworthy financial institutions to manage finances. BMT Huwaiza is one of the choices of non-bank financial institutions that provide various services. BMT Huwaiza is a sharia cooperative with the highest number of members and assets in Depok City. This study aims to analyze the influence of sharia marketing and service quality on loyalty of with satisfaction as an intervening variable. Data was obtained through questionnaires using purposive sampling technique. Data analysis method used path analysis. The results show that: 1) Partially, sharia marketing has no significant effect on member loyalty with satisfaction as an intervening. 2) Partially, the service quality has significant effect on member loyalty with satisfaction as an intervening. 3) Simultaneously, sharia marketing and service quality have significant effect on member loyalty with member satisfaction as an intervening.

Understanding how systemic change happens -marketisation and de-marketisation

This paper discusses possible conceptual foundations of formal models of endogenous change processes, understood here as movements between market and non-market transactions at the level of the national economy. It links but does not merge movements of resources with shifts in the pattern of transaction types. In focussing on transaction types, it deploys insights from Commons, Coase, and Godelier, to discuss how framing transaction types as the fundamental 'thing to be explained' points to the value of choices about how activity may best be organised, which requires a general concept, which can be found in Commons' 'going concern', applicable to transactions focussing on markets or not. It entails the possibility of institutional change and shifts in the location of economic resources without formal policy change. It suggests that the main requirement for such change processes are dualistic incentive patterns that operate upon institutional choice and/or development, which derive at root from experienced contrasts between the realities of existing and normatively privileged systems, and others, normatively initially deemed inferior, that offer key actors greater economic efficiency. Moves of institutional activity from one to the other are thus conceptually processes of endogenous systemic change. System in this sense is thus viewed as a coexistence of alternatives. The motivation comes directly from consideration of two very different historical moments: endogenously driven shifts 'from plan to market' in countries attempting central planning, and contemporary pressures in market economies from areas of the economy, such as services, where joint production and/or own consumption imply irremediable market failure and so non-market based economic institutions offer greater economic efficiency and may therefore attract both resources (factors of production) and investment in development of suitable transactions and their organisation.

Servicescape in transnational higher education: the effects of campus design, physical environment and facilities on student experience and satisfaction

ABSTRACT Previous research suggests that campus design and facilities may influence students’ institution choice, perceived teaching and learning quality, student experience, and student satisfaction. However, to our knowledge, this is the first study to investigate the possible benefits of a new purpose-built campus in a transnational education setting from the student perspective. It was found that campus design, physical environment, and facilities may influence students’ choice of institution, but these have less weight than other factors such as the university’s reputation and teaching quality. Most students believe that opportunities for higher quality teaching and learning exist at the new campus, as all participants reported that the new teaching rooms have improved layouts and incorporated more technology. Also, most students perceive their overall student experience at the new campus as good or excellent, and every participant rated their overall satisfaction as the same or higher at the new campus compared to the old campus. No student was less satisfied with the new campus. The research findings suggest that institutions and students may both derive considerable benefits from a new purpose-built campus that has been well-designed and constructed.

ДЕЦЕНТРАЛІЗАЦІЯ ОСВІТНЬОЇ СИСТЕМИ В УКРАЇНІ

The article considers the main aspects and problems of transforming an educational network in the current context of decentralization. Reference is made to the urgent need of restructuring the responsibilities in education management between the center and regions providing the latter with independence in finances, organization and management at the regional level. It is emphasized that extending powers of the local executional bodies in management of educational institutions is the primary purpose of decentralization process. There was examined a pattern of decentralizing the basic education in Poland, according to which it was recommended to oblige the local self-government bodies to implement the education politics according to the local needs, finding the school administration and continually appraise the quality of education. It has been observed that currently the essential functions of state in education are assigned to the regional state administrations, regional and local educational departments. The local authorities are burdened with responsibilities of financing and providing the social security for children, defining the network of training institutions, maintaining their records and performing control over their activities. The author points out that at present the local and regional authorities duplicate the functions of the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine, which is non-effective. The author believes that the local government officials are able to perform political management well up to the officials of educational departments and administrations. However, prior to assignment of new obligations, it is necessary to develop and implement an effective retraining program for personnel and staff of the municipal structures. There have been reviewed the results of the pilot project: «Decentralization: education reforms at the local level», which experts had been analyzed the consistency of educational network. It pointed to the major areas of concern for the education reforms in local communities, namely a significant expense side of budget for education financing, low level of education in rural students according to the data obtained from the independent external assessment, and lack of subject oriented teachers. The author makes a conclusion that the purpose of decentralization in education should be an overall improvement of educational services and be based upon the following basic principles: students’ right to have a free choice of educational institution, equal access to good-quality education services, decent conditions to develop their abilities, improving the quality and efficiency of the educational process, effective use of types of resources. Key words: decentralization, transformation, education, educational system.

Motivation for postgraduate studies by nonacademic optometrists: A case study at a South African university.

BackgroundAn increasing number of optometrists who are nonacademics are pursuing postgraduate studies, despite such qualifications traditionally being more relevant to an academic rather than a clinical setting.AimThis study set out to explore possible reasons for the increase in postgraduate studies by nonacademic optometrists and their experiences thereof.SettingPostgraduate optometry students who were registered at a selected South African university within the period 2010–2020 participated in the study.MethodsA descriptive cross-sectional research design was used, which entailed an online survey and a follow-up questionnaire focused on the motivation for postgraduate studies, choice of institution, research area, expectations and outcomes and supervision received. Convenience sampling was used to recruit the participants, and data were analysed with descriptive statistics.ResultsResponses were received from 54 optometrists who were pursuing postgraduate studies but not currently in academia. The main reasons reported for enrolling in postgraduate studies were interest in research (69.2%) and academia (61.5%). Institutional reputation was the reason provided by 48.1% of respondents for their choice of institution for their postgraduate studies. Fifty per cent of respondents opted for research in the public health field. To be a better researcher was the most common expectation (88.5%), with 73.1% indicating achieving this outcome. Most respondents indicated that they had received constructive and timeous supervision during their studies.ConclusionInterest in research and academia are important factors influencing nonacademic optometrists to pursue postgraduate studies; however, the postgraduate experience is likely to also facilitate development of other professional and clinical skills.ContributionThis study provides an insight into the motivation and experiences of non academic optometrists who pursue postgraduate degrees.