Institutional Dimensions Research Articles

Impact of February 6, 2024 Earthquakes on Community Resilience

This study explores the interaction of people and place, the most important elements of geography, in the context of community resilience. Community resilience is the process of adaptation of a society to changing conditions by recovering from the effects of disasters as soon as possible. A resilient community is considered one of the most important components of disaster respons. In the context of increasing disaster risks, interest in increasing community resilience is growing in both academic and policy circles. This study seeks to understand how individuals affected by the February 6, 2023, earthquakes perceive resilience. These interviews were conducted as qualitative research. Typical case sampling was used in the study. Participants were selected from individuals who had experienced both earthquakes (January 24, Elazig and February 6, 2023, Kahramanmaraş) and equal gender distribution was sought. Interviews were conducted on July 15 and August 15, 2023, six months after the second earthquake. Interviews were conducted with 22 people, consisting of 11 female and 11 male earthquake survivors from Elazig, Kahramanmaraş, and Malatya, the three provinces affected by the earthquake. A descriptive analysis of the opinions obtained after the interviews was conducted. Similar answers were brought together, and conclusions on social resilience were evaluated in terms of social, environmental, economic, built, natura, and institutional environment dimensions.

Influence of a chatbot based on a conversational agent on the adaptability of first-year students of a Peruvian private university

ObjectiveThis study aims to evaluate the influence of using a chatbot-based conversational agent, named ODAbot, on the adaptability of first-year students at a private university in Peru.MethodsThe design of this study was pre-experimental with a quantitative approach. The sample consisted of 53 university students who participated in the research during March and April 2024. Participants completed pre-test and post-test questionnaires to assess their adaptability to university life before and after interacting with ODAbot. Additionally, a user experience questionnaire was used to measure satisfaction with the chatbot interaction. Data were analyzed using the Wilcoxon test to determine the statistical significance of the results.ResultsThe results showed that the use of ODAbot had a significant impact on students’ adaptability, especially in the social dimension (p = 0.000), while no significant differences were found in the institutional dimension (p = 0.124). The user experience was positive, with students reporting ease of navigation and understanding of the responses provided by the chatbot.ConclusionA notable improvement was recorded in the social dimension, promoting peer integration, as well as in the academic dimension, where students expressed greater satisfaction with the information provided. However, no significant differences were observed in the institutional dimension. Overall, the implementation of chatbots presents a promising opportunity to improve the adaptability of university students and ensure a quality educational experience.

Patient safety in a rural sub-Saharan Africa hospital: A 7-year experience at the AIC Kijabe Hospital, Kenya.

The development of a safety culture is challenging, primarily because it often disrupts institutional attitudes, norms and values. In the healthcare industry, most of the data on the results of unsafe care come from High-Income Countries. The Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture (HSOPS) is a tool for assessing, building, sustaining and comparing institutional safety cultures within healthcare organizations. We used the HSOPS over a 7-year period, and herein report our experience. The authors report their experience using the HSOPS tool in Kijabe Hospital, an institution with 650 employees, over a 7-year period. The HSOPS tool, with no local modifications, was distributed to all employees during each survey. The institutional HSOPS percent positive dimension scores for 2015, 2017 and 2019 were compared with baseline data from the 2013 survey. The average response rate during the study period was 84.5% (range 65.1% to 93.6%). In general, the mean percentage positive dimension scores of most domains improved in the 2019 survey (p<0.05), including reduced staff turnover and, improved hospital support for patient safety (p<0.0001), amongst other domains. The overall patient safety grade (excellent/very good), was 50% (range 43-64%). Although the dynamics of high staff turnover and hospital leadership change presented challenges in developing and measuring institutional patient safety culture, this study demonstrates that patient safety ideals can be developed and embraced in sub-Saharan Africa. Patient safety champions, a generative institutional leadership that is supportive of patient safety, are important for the development of an institutional safety culture. Creating an institutional just culture creates a patient safety culture.

Conflict-mediation, consensus-building, and co-production: Three models of co-governance in China’s neighborhood regeneration

Existing literature on co-governance has extensively discussed how the state interacts with various actors beyond the government to promote urban development. In China, the discourse and practice of co-governance illustrate different trajectories from the West. As the urban development strategies in China shifted from property-led expansion to inner-city neighborhood regeneration, the importance of multiscalar participation in governing community affairs has been increasingly emphasized, moving beyond the government-market dichotomy and emphasizing negotiation and collaboration among the government, market participants, stakeholders, and the public. Based on practical experience and participatory action research in Guangdong province, we identify three models of co-governance in recent neighborhood regeneration practices: (1) the state-led co-creation model for conflict-mediation purposes, which primarily relies on local government and party organization to mediate inherited conflicts and rebuild local trust for promoting the regeneration agenda; (2) the professional-led place-making model for consensus-building purposes, which focuses on reshaping daily habits and beautifying public spaces to achieve consensus-based aspirations for neighborhood development; and (3) the co-production model, driven by society-community partnership, which reflects the emergence of new commons, encompassing dynamic reconfigurations on both socio-economic and institutional dimensions. Through case studies in Guangzhou and Foshan, specifically in the Enninglu, Keyuan, and Dongfeng neighborhoods, we illustrate how local governments enhance the inclusiveness and effectiveness of neighborhood governance by engaging various third-party actors, such as local enterprises, community planners, and residents’ self-help groups. Local governments are skillfully avoiding direct confrontation with residents by incorporating community planners and empowering social actors to promote co-production among multiscalar participants. By examining the emergence, functioning, and dilemmas of different co-governance models in China’s latest neighborhood regeneration practices, this study enriches the existing framework of the state-market-society landscape, demonstrating the plurality of the state’s governance intentions and highlighting the political space in which grassroots governance is constituted.

Institutional escapes, breaks, and continuities: Reframing running away from residential child care institutions

Abstract This article offers a novel approach to understand the phenomenon of running away from residential care institutions, challenging prevailing views that pathologize these incidents as individual deviance. Drawing on insights from the sociology of escape and Deleuze and Guattari’s concepts of rhizome and lines of escape, we examine spatial, temporal, and relational dimensions of institutions, revealing the porous nature of institutional boundaries and non-linear characteristics of runaways. By reframing runaways as integral to institutional life rather than isolated events, we argue against reducing them to individual traits. Running away serves as pivotal moments that disrupt and shape institutional norms, highlighting inherent limitations in care. Conceptualizing running away as running-around within the institutional assemblage, we challenge binary inside/outside distinctions and argue that they oversimplify institutional complexity. Our analysis underscores how institutions exert totalizing control through surveillance, while being transformed through acts of running away. Examining the employees’ experiences though five focus group interviews, we critique the conventional perception of institutions as places of care, emphasizing their unbounded and multifaceted social configurations. We discuss how institutional powers shape semiotic systems that govern young people’s behaviour, advocating for a nuanced understanding of residential institutions as rhizomatic formations, where individual actions continually reshape institutional practices and perceptions.

Sustainable Livelihood in Post-Disaster Tourism: Lesson Learned from Merapi Tourism Site

This research aims to explore the practice of the Sustainable Livelihood Tourism Framework (SLTF) in post-disaster management in the Mount Merapi area, Sleman, Yogyakarta. The focus of SLTF achievement in this study encompasses ecological, economic, sociocultural, and institutional dimensions. Research on the SLTF has indeed become a significant focus in tourism studies. However, most of these studies are confined to a single research methodology, resulting in limited scope and a lack of comprehensive discussion. This study used a mixed-method approach with an explanatory sequential design. The study found that tourism positively impacts the increase of economic activities in the community. However, on the ecological side, tourism presence degrades environmental quality due to issues such as carbon emissions, industrial waste, climate change, the greenhouse effect, illegal logging, and illegal mining. Furthermore, other policies were identified, such as mineral water mining permits that degrade the environment and the establishment of landfill sites in the Kaliurang area, which spoils the natural beauty. Tourism practices also have a negative impact on institutional aspects, as the community perceives government policies as too complex and not meeting their expectations. Lastly, in the socio-cultural aspect, tourism preserves traditional values, as tourists tend to respect them. This mixed-method approach underscores the need for balanced strategies that address environmental concerns while maximizing economic benefits, improving institutional involvement, and supporting socio-cultural enhancement.

Abordagens teóricas e definições mínimas na pesquisa em Comunicação Pública: construindo o conceito de Comunicação Pública de Estado

Public communication is a rapidly developing scientific and professional field. However, the perception that it remains a concept under construction persists. To elucidate its definition, this study seeks to recognize and systematize the contributions of Brazilian research on public communication. The literature review found three aspects that delimit the area: the agents promoting communication, the content and production ethos, and the communication channels. Such aspects constitute minimum requirements for the concept of state public communication, which, in turn, includes a normative-democratic dimension that enables participation, transparency, accountability, defense of social rights, and governance; and an institutional dimension related to links and trust in institutions and democracy.

Representing London: making and claiming the city

What does it mean to represent a city? We examine this question through drawing from and seeking to read across two somewhat distinct meanings of representation, stemming from cultural theory and political studies. The reason for approaching representation in this way is an interest in how elected representatives claim the city. Based on interviews with members of the London Assembly, we take a transversal cut across party and geographical lines to analyse the nature and content of their representative claims, identifying two main types: the city as an identity and as a place or a collection of places. The politicians invoke cultural and institutional dimensions of representation and representativeness. The usefulness of employing both senses of representation is that through its representatives, the city—and urban democratic representation—is more than a discrete object or even a multiplicity of viewpoints, but rather a process continually made and remade through practices and claims, even as these slide across scales. These repertoires of representation, of the city as is and as it could be, signal how even from a place of seeming political marginality, the city is open to multiple imagined ideals that are shared and cut across conventional political lines.

Low health literacy is associated with health-related institutional mistrust beyond education

Abstract Background Institutional mistrust, the lack of confidence and overall suspicion towards authorities or systems, usually governmental, but also extending to the health sector, poses a major obstacle towards public health policies and actions. Lower educational attainment has been linked to higher mistrust, but the role of health literacy in particular remains unclear. Methods Cross-sectional study in the general adult population of Greece and Cyprus following proportional quota sampling (January 2022 to May 2023). The current analysis is based on a sub-sample of 292 participants, with complete information on health literacy (main exposure, assessed via the validated HLS-EU-Q16) and health-related institutional mistrust (main outcome, assessed via a new culturally adopted questionnaire comprising 11 items). Multiple linear regression was used to determine associations between the aforementioned factors, adjusting for educational attainment and other potential confounders. Results Exploratory factor analysis revealed 3 health-related institutional mistrust dimensions, towards: (a) governmental authorities and the media (i.e., the system), (b) doctors and other health professionals, and (c) the scientific community. Health literacy was negatively associated with all mistrust dimensions, with associations being particularly strong with mistrust towards the system (B, 95% CI per unit increase in the HL scale: -0.87, -1.58; -0.15) and the scientific community (-0.71, -1.11; -0.32). These association remained robust to adjustment for educational attainment and other sociodemographic factors. Conclusions Mistrust towards a perceived system, comprising the government and media, as well as towards the scientific community on health-related matters, is higher among individuals with low health literacy, irrespective of educational attainment. Enhancing health literacy could act as a novel target for public health approaches aiming to tackle health-related institutional mistrust. Key messages • Health-related institutional mistrust is a complex phenomenon, which appears to have different dimensions, relevant to the perceived system, health professionals, and the scientific community. • Low health literacy is an independent predictor of health-related institutional mistrust, rendering it a novel target for attempts towards reversing this phenomenon and its adverse health consequences.

Status Keberlanjutan Program Pelepasliaran Orangutan Sumatera (Pongo abelii L.) di Bentang Alam Bukit Tiga Puluh Provinsi Jambi

This research aims to analyze the sustainability status and analyze sensitive attributes (leverage analysis) on the sustainability of the Sumatran orangutan (Pongo abelii L.) reintroduction program in the Bukit Tigapuluh Landscape. The analysis was carried out using the RAPFISH method with four dimensions, namely ecological, economic, social and institutional dimensions which were then validated using the Monte Carlo method, determining the stress value and R2 value. Determining sensitive attributes is done using leverage analysis. The research results show that the sustainability status of the Sumatran Orangutan (Pongo abelii L.) reintroduction program in the Bukit Tigapuluh Landscape in the ecological and economic dimensions is quite sustainable, but in the social and institutional dimensions it is less sustainable. The results of the sensitivity analysis showed that of the total of 36 attributes used, 13 sensitive attributes were identified which influenced the sustainability index value of the Sumatran orangutan reintroduction program namely pressure on the area, number and type of nest trees, forest area area, opportunities for competition (intra and between species), level of habitat suitability, contributing to improving the community's economy, average income against UMP, potential tourist attractions, threat of habitat change, conflict management mechanisms, threat of animal hunting, level of community education and information on regulations related to management rules for Sumatran orangutans.

The institutional dimension of the inequality–corruption nexus: A varieties of capitalism assessment

AbstractAre unequal societies prone to the abuse of economic power to influence political decisions for private gains? We investigate how changes in inequality affect changes in corruption, controlling for comparative political economy factors. Our varieties of capitalism (VoC) approach explains corruption trends from an institutional viewpoint: liberal market economies (LMEs) exhibit lower corruption despite having high inequality. Coordinated market economies exhibit lower inequality but higher corruption, while state‐led non‐liberal economies have low inequality despite showing a range of degrees of corruption. Resource exporting economies show high corruption as well as inequality, akin to developing countries despite having higher national incomes. The relationship between changes in inequality and corruption diverges between the different VoC: strongly positive in coordinated and state‐led market economies, of an unclear sign in resource‐exporting economies, weak in resource‐poor developing countries, and downright negative in LMEs. Institutions are thus critical mediators of the socioeconomics of corruption.

The spatial correlation of economic institutional change in China and its impact on economic growth: A social network analysis approach.

Economic institutional change is a vital driving force behind the rapid rise of China's economy. However, the incremental approach to economic institutional change has caused unbalanced transformation and economic growth. To this end, we adopted the entropy method to measure the economic institutional change index, and employed social network analysis to reveal its spatial correlation characteristics. We then applied QAP analysis to empirically demonstrate the impact of China's economic institutional change on regional disparities in economic growth. The findings indicated a gradual increase in the level of economic institutions over time and a spatial gradient between the eastern, central, and western regions. Moreover, the spatial correlation network of China's economic institutional change is stable and gradually improving. Nevertheless, the role of provinces in the process of economic institutional change varies: the eastern coastal provinces play a dominant role, the central and western provinces benefit to a lesser extent, and some provinces in northeastern China play a "bridging" and "intermediary" role. Regional differences in China's economic institutional change have widened the regional disparities in China's economic growth, and the impact of each dimension of economic institutions on regional disparities in economic growth is characterized by phases.

The Political Uses of the Covid Pandemic in the Rise of Greek Neo-Authoritarianism

ABSTRACT Post-2010 economic and more recently pandemic shocks opened the path for re-invigorating Greek authoritarianism while undermining democratic institutions. This paper examines the ways in which the authoritarian conundrum reshapes progressively, on the ashes of the socio-economic and health crises, the cultural and political foundations of the rule of law in Greece. The paper consists of the following sections. First, it tries to discuss critically patterns on authoritarian rule by, first, drawing on its socio-historical origins and analyses in theoretical terms the rise of Greek neo-authoritarianism with an emphasis on COVID-19. Second, it discusses how pandemic laws and subsequent policy processes opened the path for controversial repressive law fostering neoliberal policies. Third, it sheds light on the institutional dimensions of the public health crisis, declared in March 2020 that required public authorities to establish a restrictive and mainly preventive state of emergency, while discussing the political and social consequences of the exacerbation of executive dominance. Fourth, it shows that in moving from a provisional state of emergency—which in principle is not constitutionally unconditional—to a state of (permanent) exception that defies the legal order, Greece has progressively developed an authoritarian apparatus of legal permissiveness, a new form of authoritarian legality.

Exploring the nexus between exports’ economic complexity and institutional quality: insights from Italian provinces

ABSTRACT The present research aims to investigate the determinants of economic development and productivity by proposing an empirical analysis of the economic effects of institutional quality on the economic complexity of export at the intra-national level, focusing on 103 Italian provinces from 2004 to 2016. Using the System Generalised Method of Moments (System-GMM) estimator, the study assesses the influence of various institutional dimensions on provincial economic complexity, as measured by the Economic Complexity Index (ECI). The findings indicate that institutional quality, particularly rule of law, regulatory quality, and voice and accountability, significantly enhances economic complexity. Better formal and informal institutions such as completeness of contracts, social cohesion, contract enforcement, by reducing transaction costs and uncertainty, and by favouring knowledge dissemination and security of investments, are source of comparative advantage in complex industries that lead to diversified and sophisticated production, fostering economic growth and innovation. Moreover, the study emphasises the importance of related activities, which interact with institutions to support complex and innovative export-related activities through knowledge spillovers and related diversification. The analysis also highlights the pivotal role of human capital, social capital, and innovation, which should remain focal points for policymakers.

Ethics and International Trade: A Tale of Many Connections

In recent decades a growing number of analytic political philosophers have started to pay attention to the ethics or morality of international economic integration. In this paper we offer an overview of the normative questions related to international trade. The paper has eight parts and focuses on these topics starting from a conceptual definition of trade: the legal, institutional and governance dimensions of international economic exchange and related ethical questions; the idea that trade has distributive effects within participating countries; the distinction between the ethics of production and consumption; two specific international markets, the market for natural resources and that for weapons.

A Bibliometric Analysis of Research on the Metaverse for Smart Cities: The Dimensions of Technology, People, and Institutions

The “Metaverse” is evaluated as having significant potential in a “Smart city” design and operation. Despite growing interest, there is still a lack of comprehensive quantitative analysis on the “Metaverse”, particularly in the context of smart cities. This study conducts a bibliometric analysis of 604 articles selected from the “WoS” database and employs three dimensions of technology, people, and institutions as a balanced perspective on smart cities, providing a comprehensive understanding of research trends on the “Metaverse” in the context of smart cities. This study identifies the “Metaverse” as a Virtual reality technology, popular since 2021, and provides information on the active years, countries, fields, journals, authors, and institutions involved in “Metaverse” research on smart cities. This study also identifies three stages of research development as follows: Stage 1 (2007–2013) to Stage 2 (2014–2020) and Stage 3 (2021–20 October 2023), revealing the research focus evolution from basic “urban planning” to complex “urban governance” and “Smart city” construction with consideration of multi-stakeholders’ perspectives. Additionally, this study reveals that “Metaverse” research studies on the “technology” dimension have consistently outnumbered that on “institutions” and “people” across all stages in the “Smart city” domain. These findings address current theoretical gaps and offer a foundation for future research.

Assessment of the barriers to AI integration in teacher education programme through Deiph method Nigerian Universities lecturers’ experience

The study adopted survey design to examine Michael Okpara University OF Agriculture Umudike and Alvan Ikoku University of Education Owerri teacher educators’ experience on the barriers to AI integration in teacher education programme in Nigerian universities through Deiph method. Researchers’ made experience response questionnaire titled” Teacher-educators Questionnaire on the barriers to Ai integration in Teacher education programme in Nigerian Universities using Deiph method” (TQBAIEEP). TQBAIEEP was used for data collection. It had reliability coefficient of 0.8 5 determined using Cronbach Alpha. The data collected was analyzed using mean and standard deviation in answering research questions. The findings showed that teacher educators’ experiences indicate that barriers to AI integration in teacher education in Nigerian universities exist at the institutional, technological, and socio-cultural factors levels. Recommendations were made which span institutional, technological, and socio-cultural dimensions, emphasizing cross-cutting strategies and capacity building. The Deiph method provides a structured framework for diagnosing, evaluating, identifying, and prioritizing the barriers.

Problems of Contemporary Parliamentarism in Serbia – Institutional and Functional Issues. Tradition and Modernity

The article is dedicated to the problems of contemporary Serbian parliamentarism, both in the institutional and functional dimension. First, the evolution of the position of the Serbian parliament since 1835 will be presented, albeit in a cursory way, then the current constitutional regulations, before moving on to contemporary issues. The main research question is to what extent the problems of dysfunction of the Serbian parliamentarism result from structural reasons and to what extent from functional ones. Several research methods were used in the work – legal and institutional analysis, historical and descriptive analysis as well as a comparative and systemic method.

International students’ experiences in Brisbane during COVID times through a social justice lens

ABSTRACT The article examines the situation of international students living in Brisbane during COVID lockdowns, through a social justice lens. Despite the significant economic contribution of tertiary international students towards the Australian economy, they were excluded from government pandemic support. Help provided by other organisations was limited. International students felt undervalued and excluded, facing challenges due to their lack of income from part-time jobs, mental health issues, constraints in relation to home arrangements, online study, and lack of sense of belonging. Our findings further show that although place was a determinant in the wellbeing of students, social attachment (either spatially or a-spatially) was the most valued support to students. While there has been research on the needs of international students in Australia during lockdowns, no studies yet link these three variables: COVID lockdowns, their effects on international students left in Australia, and considerations of city scale, in a mutually influencing relationship. We followed a qualitative research design, using interviews and focus group discussions with international students and support providers in Brisbane during COVID times. We argue that both distributive and institutional dimensions of justice are important to understand the disadvantaged situation experienced by international students: the institutional COVID restrictions greatly affected students ‘trapped’ in the country, while there was a very limited distribution of resources that did not match the needs of students. We conclude with some recommendations as a result of our research. Practitioner pointers During a global pandemic, government needs to ensure that all people stranded in the country, including international students, are entitled to the same financial assistance. International students should have been consulted about, and appropriately informed through effective ways of communication about the services provided to them during the pandemic. All levels of government and educational institutions dealing with international students, need to fully consult with students and listen to their concerns.

Nudging manufacturing small and medium enterprises in developing communities to energy management: exploring the role of institutional pressure dimensions

Purpose This paper aims to investigate whether all the dimensions of institutional pressures matter for energy management (EM) of manufacturing small and medium enterprises using evidence from Uganda. Design/methodology/approach This study used a cross-sectional design using evidence from 195 manufacturing small and medium enterprises in Uganda. The study was conducted by administering a questionnaire to obtain quantitative data which were analyzed using Smart Partial Least Square Structural Equation Modeling. Findings The findings revealed that two dimensions of institutional pressures (coercive and mimetic) positively and significantly predict EM, unlike normative pressures. Notable is that coercive pressures contribute more to EM than mimetic pressures. Research limitations/implications This study uses a quantitative design; thus, future studies through interviews would offer more knowledge on EM. The government should reinforce regulations to achieve sustainable energy for all communities. Additionally, governments and industry associations should pay attention to the critical pressures (coercive and mimetic) to step up EM. Moreso, enterprise managers should comprehend government regulations and peers’ actions for effective EM. Originality/value This study contributes to EM literature by using institutional theory to examine the contribution of individual dimensions of institutional pressures to EM from the context.