Institutional Rigidities Research Articles

Language Teaching and Curricular Practices: A Comprehensive Literature Review

Language teaching has evolved over the decades, driven by advancements in educational theories and the growing need for learners to communicate effectively in a globalized world. Curricular practices in language education have shifted from traditional grammar-based approaches to more communicative and task-oriented models. However, the implementation of these curricula varies across different contexts, raising questions about their effectiveness and adaptability. This comprehensive literature review aims to analyze the current trends, challenges, and best practices in language teaching and curriculum design. By synthesizing findings from empirical studies, the review examines how various curricular approaches impact language proficiency, learner engagement, and teaching methodologies. The study also explores the role of institutional support and teacher training in facilitating successful language education reforms. The review finds that communicative and task-based curricula significantly improve language proficiency and learner motivation. However, successful implementation requires adequate teacher preparation, appropriate resource allocation, and flexibility in curriculum design. Additionally, challenges such as cultural differences, institutional rigidity, and assessment practices can hinder the effectiveness of innovative curricular models. In conclusion, while communicative and task-based approaches show promise, their success is highly context-dependent. Future research should focus on developing adaptable curriculum models that accommodate diverse educational settings and explore long-term outcomes of these approaches.

Making them pay: Comparing how environmental facts matter in two accountability contexts

This article makes the case for what we call accountability contexts as a valuable heuristic to think about how facts matter in public life, drawing attention to how different discursive and institutional contexts shape the ways in which facts can count. We examine two environmental case studies: The Territory, a documentary about the struggle of the Uru-eu-wau-wau community in Brazil to protect their land from illegal invaders, and the fact-checking organization Climate Feedback’s partnership with Facebook to flag misinformation on the platform. Popular stories about accountability hinge on using facts to change the public’s mind. In contrast, we find that publicity is only part of a much more complex picture. By analyzing factors such as appeals to relevant publics, institutional rigidity, the uses of knowledge and narrative, and the role of the state, we investigate the real, messy processes that people take part in as they seek change. Accountability contexts provide a valuable heuristic for scholars of political journalism and communication as well as a practical tool for analyzing which pathways have led to success or failure in the pursuit of accountability.

An Institution Economics Approach to Foreign Direct Investment Analysis in Nigeria

This research is an institution economics approach to foreign direct investment analysis in Nigeria spanning 1995 to 2021, using autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) model. It employed FDI as the dependent variable, while business freedom (BF) and trade freedom (TF) are the independent variables. FDI data were sourced from World Development Indicator (WDI), while BF and TF data were sourced from Index of Economic Freedom. Descriptive statistics were used to reveal behavioral tendencies of the data; both Augmented Dickey-Fuller (ADF) and Phillips-Perron (PP) unit root tests established mixed series of I(0) and I(1). F-bound test and Nayaran table showed long-horizon nexus between the series. The study found that in the long-horizon, the coefficients of both BF and TF have positive nexus with FDI, but are not statistically significant at 5% level of significance. Consequently, it was recommended that policy makers should improve on the openness and transparency with which businesses and trade are carried on within the economy, and interaction with other business people and government at the global level. In addition, deliberate efforts should be made to remove institutional rigidities and bureaucratic impediments to trade and investment.

Domestic Savings and International Capital Flows in the EU

This paper uses new statistical estimates to test for effects of economic integration in Europe on international capital mobility. In a world of perfect capital mobility, one should experience little or not statistically significant relationship between the amount of domestic savings and domestic investment. Alternatively, under less-than perfect capital international mobility, diverse portfolio preferences and country-specific transactions costs would create impediments for long-term capital flows. This would result in direct connection between any changes (increases) in domestic savings and domestic investment. According to empirical results of a similar empirical study by Feldstein and Horioka (1980) for developed countries (including some of current EU members included in this investigation), there were portfolio preferences and institutional rigidities, which resulted in almost equal corresponding differences in domestic investment rates driven by domestic savings rates among major industrial countries.
 The current study tests for capital mobility in the EU Member States (2010-2020) discussing compatibility of findings with previous evidence found in the literature (Feldstein and Horioka 1980). It also addresses the optimal national savings policy, tax incidence and concludes on capital formation in the EU.

Alike but also different: a spatiotemporal analysis of the older populations in Zhejiang and Jilin provinces, China

According to the 7th National Population Census, China is experiencing rapid growth of its ageing population, with large spatial disparities in the distribution of older folks in different regions. And yet, scant comparative research has been conducted on the two regions of Zhejiang and Jilin in particular, which differ considerably in economic development but witness nearly the same ageing trend. In response, this article compares Zhejiang, an advanced economic province, with Jilin, with its relatively low level of economic development, to explore the ageing issue and analyse the spatial correlation between older populations and socioeconomic factors. Using the spatiotemporal data analysis and geographical detector approaches, we obtain three significant findings: 1. both provinces have maintained steady rates of increase in ageing; 2. the older populations in Zhejiang and Jilin are mostly concentrated in the provincial capitals and nearby cities with reasonably established economies; and 3. the factors, including local fiscal expenditures, beds in hospitals and nursing homes, and coverage of social security, show a highly similar spatial pattern between older populations in Zhejiang and Jilin. The q-values of all the selected socioeconomic factors in Jilin showed a growth trend, indicating that the spatial correlation between these factors and ageing is strengthening year on year, that is, the resources gained from the socioeconomic development of Jilin have shifted steadily toward old-age services. As a consequence, a vicious circle of the slowing down of the economic growth drives away working forces and quickens the pace of population ageing, is present. From a policy perspective, Jilin province is strongly dependent on state-owned enterprises characterised by institutional rigidity, an inflexible market economy and an under-developed private sector, all of which are profoundly influenced by ageing. The consequence is large population outflows of young people. In contrast, the economy of Zhejiang province is partially decoupled from the ageing trend, so the gap in level of development between its counties has been narrowing. The policy implication here is that Zhejiang represents an active private economy that has coped successfully with ageing by attracting young migrants and developing new forms of development, such as the digital economy.

Institutional Rigidity and Cultural Flexibility: Internationalization of a State Owned Enterprise (WITHDRAWN)

Institutional Rigidity and Cultural Flexibility: Internationalization of a State Owned Enterprise (WITHDRAWN)

Labour market rigidity and total factor productivity: a re-examination of the evidence from India

ABSTRACT The existing empirical studies concerning labour market rigidity associated with the labour laws in India suggest an adverse impact of rigidity on total factor productivity (TFP). In this paper, we improve upon both the measurement of spatiotemporal variation in labour market flexibility and plant-level TFP from production function estimates in the presence of institutional rigidity in labour inputs adjustment due to job security legislation based on the recent advancement in the literature. We use an unbalanced panel of manufacturing plants from the Annual Survey of Industries panel data from 1999–2000 to 2016–17 to analyse the relationship between labour market rigidity/flexibility and TFP. We find that establishments that fall under the purview of job security legislation have higher productivity than those outside the ambit of job security legislation. The results suggest that rigidity associated with job security provisions does not harm TFP, and higher flexibility is negatively associated with TFP. However, we find considerable heterogeneity in the flexibility–TFP relationship across various industry groups. The heterogeneity in the flexibility–TFP relationship suggests that flexibility-inducing labour policy may improve TFP in some industries and, at the same time, decrease it in others.

Media Sosial dan Pelayanan Publik: Pengaruh Adopsi dan Penggunaan Media Sosial Instagram Terhadap Kualitas Pelayanan Publik di Dinas Perdagangan Provinsi Sumatera Selatan

Utilizing ICT and social media is crucial in government for effective service provision. The South Sumatra Trade Office adopts Instagram to improve public services. However, challenges arise due to institutional rigidity. This study quantitatively examines the impact of Instagram adoption and usage on service quality. Findings reveal significant partial and joint effects, highlighting the importance of leveraging social media in enhancing public services. The results showed that the X1 variable, namely the Instagram Adoption variable, had a partial effect on the Quality of Public Service (Y) with a significance value of 0.000 <0.05. In the X2 variable, namely the Instagram Social Media Usage variable, it has a partial effect on the Quality of Public Service (Y) with a significance value of 0.004 <0.05. In addition, the Adoption of Instagram Social Media (X1) and the Use of Instagram Social Media (X2) have a joint or simultaneous effect on the Quality of Public Services at the Trade Office of South Sumatra Province with an Fcount of 47.635. While the value of Sig. F 0.000 < 0.050.

Co-creating community-led frugal innovation: An adapted Quadruple Helix?

Frugal innovation often requires cooperation among heterogeneous actors with diverse values, capabilities, interests, and norms. This qualitative, action-oriented case study presents the dynamics and interplay among the quadruple helix actors for community-led frugal innovation, thereby emphasizing the role of academia in its process. The findings of this study depict that informal actors can bring significant innovative inputs into the innovation system if the right kind of mechanisms are employed and trust-building exercises are undertaken. In addition, this study stimulates one to reflect on the challenges and complexities faced by academicians in publicly funded research institutions, especially for bringing informal actors into the innovation system and creating shared values. The quadruple helix model has been primarily discussed; most discussions involve advanced country settings. This study, conducted in a developing country setting, demonstrates that an intermediary actor linked to (but not identical to) the existing academia can significantly shape cooperation and its related activities in the desired direction. The findings indicate the necessity for adapting existing behavioural norms or institutional rigidities that exist among academic institutions if one wishes to galvanize the rich potential of community-led frugal innovations in India. Policy recommendations are discussed to create a conducive environment for such innovations.

Setting contextual conditions to resolve grand challenges through responsible innovation: A comparative patent analysis in the circular economy

AbstractThis article draws on responsible innovation (RI) undertaken by hybrid organizations, institutional rigidity, and national innovation systems (NISs) to assess and contextualize the innovation performance of for‐profit firms seeking to resolve grand challenges (GCs). The extant research on RI lacks the theoretical underpinnings to profile the unique characteristics of RI firms and the contextual conditions behind the resolution of GCs through RI. This study aims to fill this important gap by focusing on a specific type of RI firm—a firm seeking to reduce climate change through implementation of a circular economy model. By studying a multi‐country sample of 1153 manufacturing firms, we implemented propensity score matching (PSM) and the Heckman selection model to compare the patent productivity of RI and non‐RI firms. Our evidence demonstrates that RI firms display lower likelihood of patenting and lower patent productivity than non‐RI firms when they do engage in patenting. Furthermore, we found that a stronger national R&D environment can be conducive to aligning public interests and private incentives by enabling RI firms to enhance their patent productivity. Additionally, RI firms in industries with lower levels of technological complexity capture more value from improvements in R&D environments than RI firms in industries with higher levels of technological complexity. Our argument as a whole contributes to the GC and RI literature streams by considering both the innovation barriers faced by RI‐oriented firms and the macro/industry boundary conditions that enable such organizations to overcome them.

The classical liberal version of labor law: Beware of coercion dressed up as liberty

Abstract In this Article, I contest on both theoretical and empirical grounds the progressive agenda, as represented by Hanoch Dagan, that seeks to advance the unionization movement in the name of individual autonomy and property. Theoretically, the Article shows that the common-law account of autonomy, which stresses freedom of action from external constraints involving the use or threat of force, provides the best analytical framework, one that undermines the modern progressive case for collective bargaining by workers. The negative account of autonomy applies to all persons; its correlative duties are simple. It applies regardless of the overall level or distribution of wealth. It is scalable from small to large societies. And it forces employers to respect the full range of material and psychological needs in order to recruit and retain their workers. In contrast, the modern progressive alternative imposes no clear correlative duties on employers. It has no obvious way to constrain the dominance of union forces. And its commands are sufficiently complex that they are often not understood by the workers whom they are intended to protect. Empirically, this Article shows that the institutional rigidity of union structures in dynamic markets fails; and it rejects the claim that individual workers are wedded to their current employer, given competitive forces that allow for rapid entry and exit. Given the long-term systematic advantages of the classical liberal model, it is no surprise that unions are generally in decline in major industrial societies.

Adaptive Water Management: On the Need for Using the Post-WWII Science in Water Governance

Although the UN concluded, already in 1997, that water would be the most contentious issue of the 21st century, water governance is still confused, nearly everywhere. Even the severe impacts of escalating water bankruptcy and global warming have so far failed to incur a marked improvement in governance systems. The global community has adopted sustainable development as a common vision and guide for the future. Yet, the adoption of the underlying principles of sustainable development has been slow in the water sector and elsewhere. Despite the realization that water governance is a political issue, the near-universal neoliberal agenda tends to only employ technologic and economic solutions to address water problems. This paper presents a historical overview, from the end of the Second World War (WWII) and onwards, of events that could, or should, have had an impact on water management frameworks. It evidences some important consequences of the institutional rigidity exposed during that period. The paper also turns to the fields of science, policy, and management, to pinpoint failures in the translation of political rhetoric as well as new scientific findings into change at the operational level. It explores how an updated knowledge base could serve a quest for sustainable water governance strategies. It is argued that a persistent failure to learn is an important reason behind the dire state that we are now in. As a result, water management is still based on century-old, technocratic, and instrumental methodologies that fail to take advantage of important scientific advancements since WWII and remain unable to properly deal with real-world complexities and uncertainties. The paper concludes that when it is linked to a transformation of the institutional superstructure, adaptive water management (AWM), a framework rooted in systems thinking, emerges as a prominent way to embark on a needed, radical transformation of the water governance systems.

Continuous auditing in public sector and central banks: a framework to tackle implementation challenges

PurposeThis paper aims to analyse the implementation challenges faced by internal audit departments of public sector organisations and central banks when implementing continuous auditing (CA) systems. CA aims to monitor internal control systems and risk levels on a continuous basis to support the audit process. This study identifies the implementation challenges of CA systems and proposes adequate countermeasures.Design/methodology/approachThis study employs the design science information system research and the design science research process methodologies to ensure the rigor of this analysis. These research methodologies are adopted to tackle identified organisational problems and propose solutions. This methodological approach consists in the following phases: identification of the problems and motivation; definition of the objectives of the solution; research design and development; evaluation; communication.FindingsThis study detects several implementation challenges for public sector organisations and central banks and proposes adequate solutions. This study finds that these challenges are related to organisations’ complexity, institutional rigidity, potential threats to internal auditors’ independence and the issue of considering CA system as a “real time error correction” mechanism. The solutions involve the development of a business process focussed audit approach to enable internal auditors to analyse CA indicators, and the use of CA systems to support each phase of the audit process.Originality/valueThis study contributes to the scant strand of literature on internal auditing in central banks. Given the exceptional demand for guidance concerning internal auditing in the public sector and in central banks, this paper provides guidelines for these organisations to implement CA systems and to tackle implementation challenges. The analysis allows internal audit departments within central banks to better support their organisations in the achievement of their important regulatory and policy objectives.

Understanding monetary and fiscal policy rule interactions in Indonesia

ABSTRACT We examine the interaction of monetary and fiscal policies in Indonesia from 1974Q2 to 2019Q1. Within a standard structural vector autoregression framework, we show that the reactions of the policy rules are consistent with theoretical predictions. For instance, a contractionary monetary policy is trailed by a contractionary fiscal policy with lower government expenditure. We extend the analysis to evaluate the interaction of policy rules during active and passive regimes. We show that monetary and fiscal policies are not synchronized over the full sample period, suggesting structural and institutional rigidities, particularly in the past. Restricting the sample to a recent period, we find the policies are more harmonized. We attribute this to the recent joint policy coordination initiatives between the monetary and fiscal authorities.

Reorienting India’s Agricultural Policy

Sustainability transitions are inevitable if we are to address the multiple crises in and caused by industrial agriculture. Despite the intent, there are few analyses of policy changes that enable sustainable agriculture; of the policy processes in particular. This paper analyses two cases of transition from the Union Government supported green revolution to biodiverse local and sustainable agriculture; cases of policy change evident in millet based agricultural programmes by two State Governments (Andhra Pradesh and Odisha) in India. A Laswellian in-context policy analysis reveals how the adverse social and ecological consequences of the green revolution in rainfed agriculture tracts in the country, was a key driver of these policy changes initiated by the State governments. The emergence of new and dispersed sub-national policy makers and regionally differentiated policy processes to address these consequences, mark significant institutional change. The re-definition of the policy problem by these new policy communities, led by civil society organizations and State Governments is enabled by new deliberative practices, a result of the substantive understanding of and the agency of rainfed agriculture and millets in these local agri-food systems. The new territorial identities forged within policy communities continue to confront the institutional rigidity of centralized consolidated agricultural knowledge and policy making. These decentralized policy processes and knowledge of and in the process are necessary for the transition to sustainable agri-food systems. They demand more academic and public engagement with institutional reform for sustainability.

Institutional flexibility, political alternation, and middle-of-the-road policies

This paper presents a novel explanation for political alternation in democracies, rooted in the benefit for the median voter of keeping policy from drifting too far to either extreme. Central to this argument is the idea that policy change is gradual and that this gradualism depends on the institutional flexibility/rigidity of the country. Built on this idea, we propose a model of dynamic elections and show that institutional rigidities cause alternation. We also show that, though institutional rigidities prevent governments from implementing extreme policies, they incentivize parties to polarize as much as they can. However, more flexible institutions can foster moderation. Last, we analyze the resilience of equilibrium policies to players’ impatience and discuss extensions of our model, including office-motivated parties, the cost of alternation, alternation every two terms, and asymmetric policies.

Does government education expenditure affect educational outcomes? New evidence from sub‐Saharan African countries

AbstractThe human capital crisis, reflected in the weak global competitiveness of African education, has questioned the effectiveness of public spending in increasing educational outcomes on the continent. Thus, this article examines the impact of government education expenditure on educational outcomes in 31 sub‐Saharan African (SSA) countries from 2000 to 2019 based on a generalized method of moments (GMM). The study sheds light on the priorities of government education spending on the continent. Findings showed that the effect of government education spending on educational outcomes in SSA was driven by the measure of educational outcome used. Government spending in Africa had focused mainly on primary and secondary education to the detriment of tertiary education because it is convenient and generates political gains. Due to institutional rigidities that emanate from the governance structure, the inequitable allocation of government funding had made higher education in Africa less responsive to the changes in global knowledge and labour market demands. Therefore, the following policy agenda becomes imperative in SSA: (i) government education spending should equitably target all education levels to improve the aggregate human capital development indicators in the region; (ii) there is a need to enhance government institutions' capacity to increase their level of effectiveness and performance.

Germanness and religious universalism in the aftermath of the 1844 Trier pilgrimage

AbstractIn 1844, an exhibition of a holy relic at the Trier cathedral elicited public outrage, resulting in the foundation of a new anti‐clerical confession, the German Catholics (Deutschkatholiken). This article examines conceptions of Germanness generated by the supra‐confessional public debate that followed by analysing journal publications of contrasting religious affiliations from 1844–1846. I argue that in the context of extensive and highly politicised religious deliberation, confessional divergence was not just decried as an obstacle to unity that had to be overcome but also enshrined as a mark of German singularity. Across confessional divides, the condition of disunity was thought to manifest a unique German aptitude for spiritual exploration and resistance to institutional rigidity. These qualities singled out the Germans for a spiritual quest in search of an ultimate, universal religious creed. This finding raises important questions on the interaction between inclusionary and exclusionary elements in ethnic and national identities formed in the context of internal diversity, as well as their positioning within universalistic structures.

Economic growth, economic complexity, and carbon dioxide emissions: The case of Colombia

This paper aims to validate the hypothesis of an Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) for Colombia, introducing the Economic Complexity Index (ECI) into the analysis as a differentiating element of production volumes. We use a Vector Error Correction Model (VECM) to corroborate if there is a long-term relationship between the variables covering the period between 1971-2014. Also, we test the robustness of the results using three different techniques: Dynamic Least Squares, Fully Modified Least Squares, and Canonical Cointegration Regression. The results show that for a developing country like Colombia, the EKC does not exist, and does not yet benefit from increases in economic complexity. Arguably, the country has several hurdles to overcome before achieving the environmental benefits of increased product sophistication. Some of them could be related to the country's own productive and institutional rigidities, which opens the space for public policy intervention.

Digital Medicine in Men with Advanced Prostate Cancer – A Feasibility Study of Electronic Patient-reported Outcomes in Patients on Systemic Treatment

AimsElectronic patient-reported outcome (ePRO) measures have the potential to improve patient care, both at an individual level by detecting symptoms and at an organisational level to rationalise follow-up. The introduction of ePROs has many challenges, including funding, institutional rigidity and acceptability for both patients and clinicians. There are multiple examples of successful ePRO programmes but no specific feasibility studies in those who are less digitally engaged. Prostate cancer is predominantly a disease of older men and digital exclusion is associated with increased age. We assessed the feasibility of ePRO completion in older men receiving treatment for advanced prostate cancer both within the clinic and from home. Materials and methodsMen receiving palliative systemic treatment were asked to complete ePROs on a tablet computer in the outpatient department at 0 and 3 months. Participants were also offered optional completion from home. Feasibility was assessed via a mixed methods approach. ResultsOn-site ePRO completion was acceptable to most patients, with 90% finding it easy or straightforward and 80% preferring electronic over paper. Remote completion was more challenging, even for those who accessed e-mail daily and owned a tablet, with only 20% of participants successfully completing ePROs. Barriers to electronic completion can be categorised as technical, attitudinal and medical. Quality of life and symptom ePRO results were comparable with published data. ConclusionsOn-site completion is achievable in this population with limited staff support. However, remote completion requires further work to improve systems and acceptability for patients. Remote completion is critical to add significantly to current clinical care by detecting symptoms or stratifying follow-up.