Institutional Framework Conditions Research Articles

The state role in the housing sector in Hamburg and Havana challenges and successes of the state's claim to control in different political and planning systems

AbstractHousing supply is a controversial topic across the globe. In Europe, for example, housing provision is fundamentally characterised by capitalist market economy. However, the intensity of state intervention differs significantly in the respective European countries. Germany is certainly one of the countries in which the state traditionally intervenes considerably in the housing market and attempts to control it through various measures. In addition, the stakeholders in the housing market are very different, and the housing market is highly segmented. In Cuba, as a rather atypical example for Latin America, where the housing market is largely liberalised, the housing market is very strongly regulated by the socialist Cuban state. In this article, we address the topics of housing supply by analysing the institutional framework conditions and the different levels of intervention in the very different systems of Germany and Cuba. In doing so, we find that the objectives at the planning and political levels in these two case studies are quite similar despite the major political and social differences. It has become clear, that there is a gap between the aspiration of the political-administrative planning system and the planning expectations of the citizens in both systems. However, it is also emphasised that the state's claim to intervene in the housing market and the regulations, production and financing conditions are very different. Using Vaus’s ‘most-different-case approach’, we emphasise for the two cities of Hamburg and Havana that although considerable successes have been achieved in both systems in terms of adequate housing provision, but major challenges still exist in both cities. The analysis has also made clear how important it is to combine housing policy demands with the realities of housing industry, real estate markets and urban planning perspectives.

Barriers and framework conditions for the market entry of second-life lithium-ion batteries from electric vehicles

Transition to circular economy for lithium-ion batteries used in electric vehicles requires integrating multiple stages of the value cycle. However, strategies aimed at extending the lifetime of batteries are not yet sufficiently considered within the European battery industry, particularly regarding repurposing. Using second-life lithium-ion batteries (SLBs) before subsequent recycling can offer several advantages, such as the development of sustainable business models, the reduction of emissions, and alignment with UN Sustainable Development Goals 7, 12, and 13. Using expert and problem-centred interviews along with an exploratory workshop, this study guides stakeholders in the battery sector by illustrating the necessary changes for a more holistic circular economy. Moreover, an extended political, economic, social, technological, environmental, legal, and additionally safety-related (PESSTEL) analysis approach is carried out, which has not yet been used in this context. In this process, barriers, as well as necessary institutional framework conditions and organisational requirements for a successful market entry of SLB applications are investigated. Among others, key barriers relate to the competition with first-life applications and safety concerns. SLBs require high manual labour costs for repurposing, along with expenses for expired warranties and re-certifications. Ownership structures in traditional business models often result in SLBs and their corresponding usage data staying under the control of the manufacturers. Market viability, however, requires a level playing field for both first-life and second-life operators as well as circular battery and data-sharing business models. Gathering data on the ageing performance and performing improved safety testing according to test protocols facilitates the reliable assessment of SLBs.

Towards inclusive mechanization? Two-wheel tractor-based service markets in Ethiopia, Burkina Faso, and Zimbabwe

PurposeAfrican agricultural mechanization could lead to a mechanization divide, where only large farms have access to machines. Technological solutions such as scale-appropriate machines and institutional solutions like service markets offer hope for more inclusive mechanization. Two-wheel tractor-based service markets combine both technological and institutional elements, but there is limited research on their economic viability and challenges.Design/methodology/approachWe analyze the economic viability of two-wheel tractor-based service provision based on data from service providers in Ethiopia, Burkina Faso, and Zimbabwe. We also examine the institutional framework conditions for such service providers based on qualitative interviews with these service providers and stakeholders such as machinery dealers, spare parts providers, and banks.FindingsTwo-wheel tractor-based service provision is economically highly viable, largely due to multifunctionality. Post-production services such as threshing and transportation are particularly lucrative. However, the emergence and economic sustainability of service providers can be undermined by bottlenecks such as access to finance, knowledge and skills development, access to fuel and spare parts, and infrastructure problems.Originality/valueThis is the first study on the economics of two-wheel tractor-based service provider models. Past studies have focused on large four-wheel tractors, but two-wheel tractors are different in many aspects, including regarding investment costs, repair and maintenance costs, capacity, and multifunctionality.

The relationship between participation and space in residential care facilities for older people

Participation has been akey issue in gerontology, geriatric care policy and practice for several years now. The relationship between participation and space plays arole in the discussion about community orientation. So far, little attention has been paid to the relationship between participation and space within residential care facilities for older people. Qualitative data from two studies on residential care facilities for older people were secondarily analyzed by a"supra-analysis" and using qualitative content analysis with respect to participation in relation to space and space in relation to participation. Almost all levels of the participation ladder considered can be found with respect to the co-design of spaces, although residents with dementia are granted fewer opportunities for participation. In addition, spaces can create conditions for participation through their arrangement. Reciprocal relationships are condensed in processes of space appropriation, design and planning. If there is no access to these processes, self-determined everyday life is limited. The results contribute to aspatially related development of participation concepts because they show in which spatial contexts participation is produced in institutional settings through the interaction of different actors and how it is distributed spatially. In order to promote participation in institutions, it is important to reflect on existing possibilities for spatial appropriation, design and planning against the background of institutional framework conditions.

What Can Ukraine Learn from Aufbau Ost?

Abstract This article uses Aufbau Ost (or reconstruction of the East) of the new German states as a structural model to estimate the possible costs of an Aufbau Ost 2.0 of Ukraine while taking institutional differences into account. Based on three approaches, the model is validated for the new German states – namely capital coefficients, actual investment flows and actual public transfers – and applied to Ukraine. Key indicators for Germany from 2021 are used as a basis. The economic goal for Ukraine set in this article is to reach Poland’s present level of prosperity in 15 years, which implies a growth rate of 9% per year. This will require a total of US $8.5 trillion over 15 years, which can, however, be financed to a considerable extent by endogenous, investment-driven economic growth if the institutional framework conditions are designed in a market-economy way, especially the taxation system. Transfers and capital imports must close a current account deficit of about US $200 billion per year.

Comparing Mathematics Early Years Education in Spain, Portugal and Slovenia

This work aims to examine how the learning of mathematics in early childhood is developed in different policies, particularly within the processes of formal education and care in early years institutions. A comparative analysis of early mathematics education policies across countries must consider cultural differences, teaching practice, structural differences and institutional framework conditions, as well as the initial training and professional knowledge of teachers and educators. Extracted from the official country regulations, the following pages include some of the main characteristics of the national systems of early childhood education and care (ECEC) in Portugal, Slovenia and Spain, as well as a comparison of the ECEC guidelines concerning mathematics education between these three countries. There is an international consensus on an approach to early mathematics education inspired by realistic mathematics education (RME), i.e., on the importance of working mathematically in context, as well as on the idea of doing so through play, developing the language to communicate mathematical ideas. However, we found that these three aspects are reflected very differently in the official regulations of the three countries: while in Spain the development is very detailed and emphasizes the holistic approach and the role of mathematics in exploring the environment, the Portuguese curriculum emphasizes the role of mathematics as a form of language. The Slovenian curriculum, at last, focuses on the concepts and procedures associated with each mathematical sense. Furthermore, there are structural features concerning the regulation and type of ECEC system that have an influence in the implementation of the curriculum.

Calling Baumol: What telephones can tell us about the allocation of entrepreneurial talent in the face of radical institutional changes

Calling Baumol: What telephones can tell us about the allocation of entrepreneurial talent in the face of radical institutional changes

Facilitation of public Payments for Ecosystem Services through local intermediaries: An institutional analysis of agri‐environmental measure implementation in Germany

AbstractEconomic instruments for the management of natural resources and ecosystem services governance have gained importance over the past few years. The development and implementation of large‐scale public Payments for Ecosystem Services (PES) programs as agri‐environmental measures (AEMs) depends on complex governance structures and involves diverse actors and stakeholder groups. However, research on intermediaries within PES implementation is still in its infancy. This article begins to fill this gap by providing an institutional analysis of the implications of a particular intermediary within a PES governance structure: German Landcare Associations (LCAs), which may facilitate AEM implementation in Germany. This analysis will identify the institutional challenges and constraints for cost‐effective and environmentally effective AEMs. Furthermore, we determine possible further institutional conditions that need to be addressed to better support intermediaries in AEM facilitation. To this end, the authors have determined the institutional framework conditions for the present and prospective future involvement of LCAs as intermediaries in the context of AEMs. A special focus has been placed on implications for corresponding transactions costs. The study is based on an online survey including all German LCAs and exploring LCA staff perspectives on AEM implementation. The results of this study emphasize few but severe challenging factors that adversely affect AEM implementation. We show that intermediaries can alleviate institutional implementation challenges and lower transactions costs, particularly by providing effective agri‐environmental information, training and implementational support. The positive effects on implementation are always dependent on the institutional framework and the opportunities and resources provided to the intermediaries.

Value chains and the role of middlemen in white shrimp farming in Central Vietnam

ABSTRACT Vietnam is the world’s third largest exporter of shrimp products. Small-scale farmers are the main actors in producing shrimp but they depend on middlemen to market their products. This study aims to explore the role, network relationships and strategies of middlemen in shrimp farming in the central Vietnamese Thua Thien Hue province. This is based on semi-structured interviews with farmers, middlemen, wholesalers, input suppliers and local government representatives as well as complementary statistical data. The research findings illustrate the role of middlemen as buyers and as facilitators of information and capital. The network relationships between middlemen, farmers, wholesalers and input-suppliers are a stable arrangement based on trust and personal interaction. Within the framework of global value chains (GVC), they can be characterized as “captive” and “relational.” The main determinant enabling the structure of these interactions is the informality of transactions which are conditioned by the institutional framework conditions in Vietnam.

Immigration and institutional change: Did mass immigration cause peronism in argentina?

This paper studies the relationship between mass immigration in Argentina and the rise of Juan D. Perón (the iconic Argentine populist leader) in the mid-20th century. We find no evidence suggesting that mass immigration to Argentina from 1876 through 1925 explains Peronism directly or indirectly, such as through a reaction to immigrants or their descendants. Instead, a weak institutional framework and domestic conditions independent of immigrants’ role in Argentine economics and society explain Peronism's rise.

Socialist Legacy and Entrepreneurship: The Case of Vietnam

We study the case of Vietnam to assess the role of institutional and historical legacy on entrepreneurship outcomes. In particular, we investigate the detrimental effect of socialist institutions on entrepreneurship. Vietnam offers a unique quasi-experimental setting because the country was divided into a socialist North and non- socialist South in 1955. The country was reunified in 1976 and the South adopted the institutional framework conditions of the North. To assess the relationship between socialist history and entrepreneurship in this unique setting, we survey more than 3,000 Vietnamese individuals. We find North-South differences in a variety of entrepreneurship outcomes, highlighting the long-lasting influence of historical differences in institutional framework conditions on entrepreneurship. Specifically, more than four decades after Vietnam’s reunification North Vietnamese respondents have lower entrepreneurship intentions, are less likely to select into entrepreneur-ship education programs, and are less willing to engage in business takeover.

How many firms benefit from a window of opportunity? Knowledge spillovers, industry characteristics, and catching up in the Chinese biomass power plant industry

Abstract The literature on the catching up of latecomer countries has pointed at windows of opportunity as a precondition for catching up. Previous research has however failed to illuminate the determining factors affecting the number of firms benefitting from windows of opportunity. The current article addresses this gap by combining insights on the nature of knowledge spillovers with sectoral characteristics. This perspective is applied empirically by analyzing the number of firms benefitting from a ‘green’ window of opportunity in the Chinese biomass power plant industry, specifically related to changes in the institutional framework conditions in the form of a feed-in tariff and specified targets for renewable energy. The article finds that while a single Chinese firm constituted the initial phase of the catch-up cycle, domestic knowledge spillovers allowed a larger number of Chinese firms to benefit from the window of opportunity in the later stage of the catch-up cycle. The article points at the importance of combining sectoral characteristics with the degree of domestic knowledge spillovers as key determinants for the number of firms profiting from windows of opportunity.

Die PESTEL-Analyse – Status quo und innovative Anpassungen

Abstract The link between economic development, entrepreneurial activity, and institutional framework conditions has been focused by scholars from different disciplines, inter alia economics and business management, and is of utmost relevance also for practitioners. This applies in particular to the question of those macro factors that exert an influence on the sustainable success of entrepreneurial activity. PESTEL analysis as a strategic tool that focuses on the assessment of the business environment in terms of specific market conditions, (likely) developments and their positive or negative effects on an enterprise is a popular instrument in this context. However, the existing literature often offers only a compilation and partial discussion of categories and dimensions, but does not include a discussion of the effects of specific framework conditions in detail, nor provides concrete indicators to make the concept operable. The article deals with this question, providing an operationalization of numerous sub-categories of PESTEL, as well as discussing possible extensions to the PESTEL toolbox that become necessary against the backdrop of globalization and digitization. Zusammenfassung Der Zusammenhang zwischen wirtschaftlicher Entwicklung einerseits und institutionellen Rahmenbedingungen andererseits wird in der einschlägigen Literatur seit langem diskutiert. Dies gilt insbesondere für die Frage nach denjenigen Makrofaktoren, welche einen Einfluss auf den Erfolg unternehmerischer Tätigkeit ausüben. Die PESTEL-Analyse als strategisches Instrument fokussiert das Unternehmensumfeld in Hinblick auf spezifische Marktgegebenheiten, (wahrscheinliche) Entwicklungen sowie deren positive oder negative Auswirkungen. Sie soll somit eine fundierte Entscheidungsgrundlage für das Management bieten. Die bestehende Literatur zum Thema bietet jedoch oftmals lediglich eine Zusammenstellung und teilweise Diskussion von Kategorien und Dimensionen, jedoch keine Diskussion ihrer Wirkungen im Einzelnen sowie konkrete Indikatoren, um das Konzept operationalisierbar zu machen. Der vorliegende Beitrag widmet sich dieser Frage und bietet zum einen eine Operationalisierung zahlreicher Sub-Kategorien der PESTEL, zum anderen werden mögliche Erweiterungen, welche insbesondere angesichts voranschreitender Globalisierung und Digitalisierung notwendig werden, vorgestellt und kritisch diskutiert.

Intercultural opening: participant observation in two hospitals and two outpatient care services

Abstract Background The German healthcare system is facing intercultural diversity, since numerous migrant patients, nurses, and doctors are involved. This raises the question as to what extent everyday processes, working cultures and institutional framework conditions change because of this and how intercultural healthcare can be improved. Methods The participant observation took place on 22 days during summer 2018 in two outpatient care services and two hospitals, which show different degrees of intercultural opening (e.g. more or less migrant employees and patients). The aim was to reconstruct the daily work routine of health staff as well as the patients’ daily routine. The anonymized records include meetings, care tours, handovers and visits. The observation protocols were analyzed by documentary method and compared on two levels: degree of intercultural opening and sector affiliation. Results The results show that intercultural opening has a sector-specific impact on organization and daily work processes. The health staff of the hospital with high intercultural opening showed routine handling and relaxed reactions to communication difficulties due to the regular care of migrant patients, whereas that of the hospital with low intercultural opening showed stress-related defensive stance due to rare cases. The situation in the outpatient sector is different: The care of migrant patients was perceived to be more costly in the institution with high intercultural opening, because the migrant employees repeatedly perform additional socio-educational work that is not covered by insurance. Conclusions The migration-specific knowledge of employees has a positive effect on patient care in both inpatient and outpatient sector. However, this may be financially disadvantageous for nursing services under the conditions of outpatient care. Key messages Synergy effects arise from the involvement of migrant health workers and the care of migrant patients. Framework conditions must support these synergy effects in order to improve cultural sensitive healthcare.

MEASURES FOR PROVIDING OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OF THE REGION IN CONDITIONS OF GLOСALIZATION AND DECENTRALIZATION

Topicality. The urgency of determining measures that are to ensure the economic growth of regions under the influence of globalization and decentralization of the system of governance and administrative-territorial structure is significant and linked to the formation of prerequisites for the further development of the economies of the regions. This topic is one of the main in modern regulatory documents, international agreements, strategies. Strategic documents on EU development for the period up to 2027 refer to the need of the ensuring of decent standard of wellfare without significant divergence in different territories of countries, in accordance with their prerequisites and capabilities in the fields of traditional and smart specializations. It emphasizes the importance of accessing the baseline territories with their local capabilities and advantages to the global economic exchange, while maintaining the balance of management and effectiveness of managing the development of the territorial bases and regional levels: without compromising local self-government, an adequate level of decentralization should be ensured, whereby standards for the performance of all management functions and the provision of public services will be controlled, regulated and guaranteed by the principle of subsidiarity, and key powers will be retained by central authorities and a high level of control will be ensured. Most European countries have already undergone the most difficult phase of transformational transformation to integrate territories into the global economic exchange based on the use of local opportunities and benefits. For Ukraine, however, this stage is just beginning and the results of the first phase of decentralization indicate the need to include levers of economic regulation and stimulate the development of the economic foundation for further administrative and territorial transformations. Therefore, it is important to formulate a set of measures to ensure the economic development of territorial systems in the country, which must meet the current perspective directions of world, European, national, cross-border policy and provide the construction of an institutional framework and economic foundation for further decentralization, administrative and administrative changes.Aim and tasks. The purpose of the article is to identify key areas and measures for the effective regulation of processes of sustainable development of functional territories in the context of decentralization and globalization and taking into account the impact of institutional support and framework conditions, in particular regulations, international, national, cross-border levels.Research results. The complex of vectors and measures for stimulation of sustainable development of functional territories, defined by economic features in the structure of administrative-territorial units of Ukraine, involved in the processes of decentralization and globalization, has been developed. The urgency of applying the modern mechanism of institutional support for the investment development of the regions in terms of decentralization from the standpoint of compliance with the goals and criteria of the Concept of reforming local self-government, strategic documents on promoting sustainable development in Ukraine until 2020 and 2030, as well as the provisions of government action plans, program documents support for reforms by the President of Ukraine. The key directions of increasing investment activity in the regions are determined on the basis of taking into account the principles and provisions of the European Cohesion Policy for the period up to 2027, the prospects for the development of the Lower Danube Euroregion, the implementation of the Danube Interreg transboundary cooperation program and the provisions of other agreements and program documents in the field of cross-border and international cooperation. Measures to regulate the economic development of the regions based on support for their effective participation in the globalization processes are defined.Conclusion. The regularities and challenges of the modern institutional support of the economic development of the regions in the conditions of influence of globalization and decentralization processes with the identification of features of such provision at the international, national, cross-border levels are revealed. Formulated vectors for stimulating the economic development of the region in modern conditions and supplemented by such measures of their implementation as: the use of tax levers to support priority types of activities in terms of functional territories and by design, economic grounds; introduction of economic experiments to support the development of territorial-economic complexes that form certain functional communities or capable of realizing potentially promising areas of specialization; development and active use of unified approaches to the assessment and sound regulation of economic activity and development of regional economic systems.

Totalitarian school politics during fascism in Italy and their transgenerational effects

PurposeThe research is rooted in the interest in educational biographies of ethnic and linguistic minorities in Europe during the twentieth century. The purpose of this paper is to give an answer to the question of how the nationalistic educational norms during the period of totalitarian regimes manifested themselves in the educational biographies of minorities, and how much individuals and collectives transferred their scholastic denationalisation experiences (e.g. prohibition of alphabetisation in their mother tongue) to the following generations. In other words, if and how traces of the previously named experiences, for example the attitude towards education, can be found in insecurities and attitudes of the first or even the second follow-up generation.Design/methodology/approachThe theoretical foundation used for this research is the conception of school as “institutional actor” theorised by Helmut Fend (2006). Fend used a widened concept based upon Weber’s (1922/1988) action-theoretical, Luhmann’s (2002) system-theoretical and Scharpf’s (2000) and Schaefers’ (2002) institution-centred approaches. This scientific background designs a theoretical concept of school fitted for the social and pedagogical research field. Specifically, in Fend’s analysis of design- and action-oriented potentials, Fend (2006) “turns his special attention to the processes in the educational field, which are implemented by actors, who themselves act in the context of institutional framework conditions” (p. 17).FindingsThe experience of school in totalitarian contexts manifests itself in individual and collective memories, later found in the following generations with particular emphasis on the approaches towards education.Originality/valueThis paper analyses the transgenerational impact of the experiences ethnical minorities had with schools.

Flächensparen zwischen Anspruch und Wirklichkeit. Zur Rolle von Akteuren und Steuerungsinstrumenten in Dorferneuerungsprozessen

Using the example of the Bavarian Village Renewal Programme, the article investigates which steps and instruments of the village renewal process are capable of steering actors towards a reduction of land take. Two case studies featuring different settlement pressures are analysed using methods of qualitative empirical social research. The continuing transformation of open spaces to built-up areas for settlement and transport is one of the core environmental and planning-related challenges of our time. The reduction of land take is a normative as well as a strategic goal. Particularly in rural areas, however, the divide between land take and population development continues to grow. This phenomenon is the result of decision-making processes of local and regional actors, who are actively zoning out new plots at low prices e.g. in order to achieve a competitive advantage in the intermunicipal struggle for residents and enterprises. Village renewal under the framework of the Federal Land Consolidation Act provides a broad range of instruments, including participation of local actors and landowners, expertise and planning concepts as well as funding and implementation of measures, among others through land readjustment. The article illustrates that while village-renewal processes provide various opportunities to reduce land take and to promote inner development, the objective to reduce land take is not incorporated in the instruments or existing instruments are not fully utilised to that end. The contrasting case studies illustrate how demographic, economic and institutional framework conditions are affecting the actors’ scope of action and rational. The aim of reducing land take is an aim that is desirable from a political and societal perspective. Yet when being weighed against other aims these perspectives often succumb to personal or political interests or to perspectives linked to the process of planning. Finally recommendations for the practice of village renewal and an outlook on future needs of research are given.

XVI-wieczny dyskurs polemiczny w świetle pism Grzegorza Pawła z Brzezin

The subject of the analysis in the article are two editions of Grzegorz Pawełs of Brzeziny’s works treated as an update of the 16th-century polemical discourse. The purpose of the sketch is a preliminary description of this discourse, taking into account its parameters such as the institutional framework, cultural and social conditions, speakers and their interrelationships, the subject of speech, knowledge, basic concepts, ideas and values contained in the discourse.

A Methodology for Integrated Refurbishment Actions in School Buildings

Educational buildings could play leading roles in increasing high-performance building refurbishments across Europe. The city of Vienna has substantially modernized its schools in the last decade, however mostly single refurbishment measures have been undertaken. This is missing the potential of comprehensive and more energy-efficient actions as well as functional adaptations, which become ever more important as school and learning systems are changing. Institutional framework conditions, budget constraints as well as the lack of a coherent methodology have been identified as the main barriers in this context. The research question addresses how qualitative aspects, such as architecture and function, as well as quantitative aspects, such as energy consumption, could be combined in a methodology that can be easily applied by relevant stakeholders. What would a methodology that actively supports stakeholders in their decision-making process for more comprehensive school refurbishments look like? This paper describes a potential approach and its application in a case study. The proposed methodology supports the development of energy- and functionally optimized refurbishment concepts, with a focus on the synergies between energy-related optimizations and state-of-the-art functional room concepts in order to do justice to the changing learning requirements in schools.

Fundamentalni pokretači prosperiteta u zemljama Evropske unije i Zapadnog Balkana

In this paper the aim is to identify key drivers that have contributed the most to the prosperity of European Union and Western Balkan countries in the 2007-2016 period. Empirical analysis is based on data for cumulative growth rate of values of nine original Legatum Prosperity Index (LPI) pillars and on implementation of Multivariate Data Analysis. Using Principal Component Analysis, four principal components are obtained and we named them: Economic Environment, Social Infrastructure, Institutional Framework and Life Conditions. Based on standardised score values of four new variables, we distinguish the countries that had the highest positive and negative score in each component. With cluster analysis based on LPI pillars growth rates, four clusters of countries have been formed: the first cluster consists of three Western Balkan countries, the second and third of, respectively, ten and four mostly new EU member state countries, and fourth of fourteen predominantly 'old' EU member countries. The analysis points out the fundamental drivers of prosperity in countries belonging to different clusters according to changes in values of nine LPI pillars in the previous decade. In all observed countries it is possible to identify certain similarities in the change of components of prosperity, as they are EU members or candidates for membership.