Institutional Set-up Research Articles

‘Economic constitutionalism in a turbulent world’: a critical review

Abstract The article analyses the book Economic Constitutionalism in a Turbulent World edited by Skordas, Halmai and Mardikian, criticising the assumptions of societal constitutionalism and ordoliberalism on which it is based. The book concurs with the view that the current crisis of global legal institutions cannot be tackled going back to Nation States. Such an assumption seems to be inspired by societal constitutionalism à la Teubner. In contrast to traditional constitutionalism, which hinges on the dichotomy between constituent and constituted power, societal constitutionalism assigns a central role to independent institutions, whose main function is to avoid any hegemony of one social sub-system over another, in particular of politics over economics. The limit of societal constitutionalism lays in its assumption that the economic sub-system has its own rationality that the political–constitutional system can only irritate, taking for granted that the paradigm of that economic rationality is the one established after 1989, thus implicitly adhering to the neo-ordoliberal vision and legitimising its absolute immanentism. Coming to the materiality of the issues underlying the book, most of the contributions conceive globalisation as an engine for the increase of global prosperity. This confidence rests in the Ricardian theory of comparative advantage. However, the latter is valid only under condition of restrictions on the movement of capital. Another assumption made by several contributions is the theory of the varieties of capitalism, according to which individual models of capitalism tend to stabilise around certain production regimes whose key actors are large firms and business associations. According to an alternative, neo-Kaleckian paradigm, there is no natural convergence of the actors of the economic system towards a mutually beneficial institutional set-up, and it is quite unlikely that, without the external intervention of politics, the system can return to equilibrium.

1181: Comparing different institutional setups for prostate cancer in proton therapy

1181: Comparing different institutional setups for prostate cancer in proton therapy

Whistleblowing – an extension of working life democracy? The case of Norway

Working life relations are in a continuous state of change. So are the institutions of working life democracy. In Norway, three well-established components of working life democracy have been in place since the 1960s and 1970s, developing along different institutional tracks: collective bargaining at the national level, employee representation on the boards, and employee participation in protection of health and safety in the work environment. From 2007, legal protection of whistleblowing was included in the Working Environment Act (WEA), anchored in specific institutional arrangements. Before the turn of the century, a common assumption was that whistleblowing mainly targets irregular, even criminal, dispositions of the enterprise. After the inclusion in the WEA, data from Norway from the years 2016 to 2022 demonstrate that to a large extent, psycho-social problems have become the object of whistleblowing. However, institutional specificities limit the handling of social interaction problems by the traditional work environment arrangements. Against the background of its separate institutions for the handling of grievances, it is argued that whistleblowing, along with freedom of expression, are parts of a fourth track of democratization. Even though the institutional setup of whistleblowing has been revised twice since 2007, the findings indicate that additional revisions are still desirable.

Navigating the Selected SDGs: Unraveling Past Shortcomings for a Future of Prosperity

This study examines the United Nations' development framework, encompassing the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), in the context of Pakistan's engagement and advancement. While MDGs faced challenges in Pakistan due to diverse factors, SDGs were embraced as the nation's blueprint for development with a well-coordinated institutional setup. The study's main objective is to assess the institutional coordination and implementation of SDGs at national and provincial tiers. Through comprehensive stakeholder interviews and an analysis of specific SDG indicators, the study identifies regions with varying degrees of susceptibility to falling short of set targets. The research assessed annual progress levels and compared them to the 2030 targets, using data from PSLM and PDHS surveys. Districts were categorized based on their estimated annual change requirements, offering a concise overview of indicator status in Pakistan. The findings underscore the potential challenges faced by Sindh, Baluchistan, and specific districts in KP, shedding light on Pakistan's trajectory towards sustainable development.

Ethnopolitics in a Mining Enterprise in Crisis: Revisiting the Albanian Miners’ Protests in Late Socialist Kosovo

Abstract This article presents a novel approach to explain ethnopolitical mobilization among Kosovo Albanian miners during the winter of 1988–1989. Based on a close reading of the mining enterprise’s journal, it identifies three factors accounting for the rising politicization of ethnicity in microlevel dynamics within the Trepça mining enterprise. First, the article points at ethnic grievances in intra-elite managerial tensions and miners’ unrest. It relates these to structural conditions generated by the shifting cultural divisions of labor in Kosovo mining. Second, the article looks at counter-mobilizational dynamics among Kosovo Albanian miners, which were directly provoked by Serbian ethnopolitical mobilization during Slobodan Milošević’s rise to power. In a final step, the article reconstructs socio-occupational realignments taking shape in the particular decision-making structures of the mining enterprise. Against a background of internal power struggles and reorganizations, the executive management and the miners found themselves on the defensive against party representatives and managerial competitors. Making use of the enterprise’s institutional setup, they established a strong ethnopolitical alliance, which culminated in the underground strike of February 1989. The article suggests that this approach can be valuable to study other cases of intersecting social and ethnopolitical mobilization.

State aid for broadband network deployment: National and subnational governance mechanisms, 2003–2023

This paper examines the governance models of State aid measures for broadband network deployment in European Union Member States. The research is based on 199 decision letters collected from the European Commission's competition cases database, published between 2003 and 2023. Deploying a theory-driven content analysis approach, the analysis reveals and categorises a variety of governance models. These models vary regarding the authority responsible for the decision-making and, in the case of national schemes, the authority responsible for the implementation, including centralised and decentralised arrangements. Different legacies and institutional set-ups explain the governance models, including the typology of state structures, the constitutional powers, the traditions of participation in the telecommunication sector, policy diffusion and regional development. There are several possible pathways to a gradual transition from one model to another. The design of flexible national schemes, which offer subnational authorities the option to implement them in their regions or to rely on central management agencies for specific tasks adapted to their interests, resources and capacities, could be the optimal solution to prevent the launch of ad hoc measures by subnational authorities and to adapt to different institutional arrangements.

Exploring institutional dynamics in a multi-level analysis in Southeast Europe

ABSTRACT The European Union (EU) integration process of transition economies from Southeast Europe has faced significant political and economic challenges. Two decades in, these challenges persist, leading to slower-than-expected economic development and fostering local frustration, nationalism, populism, and migration flows. This article aims to disentangle the institutional complexities in these regions. Using an exploratory, inductive approach based on 30 qualitative interviews across three Southeast European countries, the research conducts a multi-level analysis. The findings reveal that complex institutional settings are characterised by institutional voids and asymmetries stemming from the transition process and EU integration. The perception of the overall institutional setup is central, negatively influenced by institutional voids and asymmetries but positively impacted by participatory law-making approaches. Additionally, competing institutional logics on the micro-level influence companies’ perspective. This article provides insights into the institutional challenges faced by companies in transition economies, crucial for policy formulation and development projects in the context of EU integration. The key takeaway emphasises the importance of well-designed participatory policymaking, highlighting the need for careful preparation and a foundation of trust.

Determinants of Peri-urban Land Use Management Practices in Case of Assosa City, Western Ethiopia

Peri-urban areas are today's metaphors for several rapidly changing and competing socioeconomic aspects of urban and rural power. Suburban areas are facing the challenge of active, illegal, and unauthorized spatial transformations. The division between the institutional and legal frameworks also exacerbates the issue. Robust and holistic land management are prospects for today's peri-urban areas to become tomorrow's huge cities. This study aims to examine determining factors of peri-urban land management practice in Assosa city peri-urban areas to support the design of effective land management systems. A mixed method study was used to collect primary and secondary data sources. The sample of peri-urban households was selected using simple random sampling techniques. Both descriptive and inferential statistical data analysis methods were utilized. The findings demonstrated that the bifurcated and ineffective legal and institutional frameworks, limited public-private organizational support and participation influence awareness and motivations of peri-urban landholders land management practice in suburban settings. Following this, the majority of peri-urban landholders consequently lack access to the land management practice. The estimated results of the binary logit model show the following variables: awareness, motivation, participation, institutional setup and land disputes were found to be factors determining peri-urban land management practice. The study recommends an all-in-one robust institutional framework to promote sustainable land management.

The Obscure Appellate: The Egyptian Islamic Supreme Court, 1898–1955

Abstract This article examines the Egyptian Islamic Supreme Court (al-Maḥkama al-ʿUlyā l-Sharʿiyya), thereafter the isc, and its role in overseeing Islamic judicial practice in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The isc introduced new procedural requirements for dispensation of justice and assumed the responsibility to defend the jurisdiction of Islamic courts against persistent attempts by British colonial administrators and reform-minded political and bureaucratic elite to limit, if not undermine, their authority. The isc marked the recalibration of the legal and judicial authority of the Chief Judge of Egypt (qāḍī Miṣr, an Ottoman administrative judicial position) along with Shaykh al-Azhar and the Muftī of Egypt (who used to exercise oversight of Islamic courts’ decisions and procedures), in favor of this institutional apparatus. The creation of the isc demonstrates the centrality of the regulatory authority of the Ministry of Justice in fostering any potentiality for Islamic law as a system of governance. The continuous attempts to regulate Islamic courts since the 1880s cannot be examined in isolation from the procedural developments pursued in the secular National and Mixed Courts. The role of the isc was determinative of Islamic judicial practice in lower Islamic courts across Egypt. As a result, operations of Islamic courts were readjusted to a set of evolving norms concerning internal coherence, judicial reasoning, adoption of procedural rules to reflect directives from the Ministry of Justice, and attention to the updated rules of evidence and appeal. This process underscores how Islamic judicial practice was both transformed and made possible through an interwoven set of institutions, actors, and traditions. I argue that this institution, the isc, provides an ideal site for critical and interdisciplinary reflection aimed at exploring both the structural and the contextual history of law in colonial Egypt.

Flood risk and flood management in Zarabad and Konarak Districts 2024 (Makoran), Balochestan, Iran

Flooding is the most devastating natural hazard in Iran and the recent flooding has demonstrated its severeness. Floods are common throughout the country. However, their characteristics differ from region to region. Flooding behavior of the major basins and flood management at the national level are investigated in this article. Monsoon rainfalls are the main source of floods in the River Rapch Zarabad Basin, while Mediterranean Waves and Cyclones, which are generated over the Arabian Sea, induce flooding in the Makoran Coastal Area Rapch and Kahir Basin. Fluvial floods in the Zarabad Basin have caused major economic losses. Iran government has spent vast resources on relief operations and flood works since the country came into existence. A number of provincial and federal acts, ordinances, accords, and treaties shape the national flood policy. Institutional setup for flood hazard and crisis management has evolved over the years. Nevertheless, data show no major reduction in the flood-to-damage ratio. The inter-linkage of structural and non-structural measures and their combined efficiency must be analyzed and optimized for more effective flood management. Risk management has been established as a well defined procedure for handling risks due to natural, environmental or man made hazards, of which floods are representative. Risk management has been discussed in many previous papers giving different meanings to the term—a result of the fact that risk management actually takes place on three different levels of actions: the operational level, which is associated with operating an existing system, a project planning level, which is used when a new, or a revision of an existing project is planned, and a project design level, which is embedded into the second level and describes the process of reaching an optimal solution for the project.

Child pornography in India - issues and challenges

Child Abuse and sexual assault are some of the major issues in society that raise the question of institutional setup. The nature of child pornography in the 21st century is especially pernicious. Sex abuse images of children can easily be made using any smartphone or other handheld device and replicated and distributed across the globe within seconds. The paper discusses the issues and challenges of Child Pornography in India. The paper also deals with how to tackle these issues through proper laws and implementation of the policies.

Challenges in Integrating Demographic Variables into Local Government Authorities’ Development Plans

This paper examines the Challenges in Integrating Demographic Variables into Local Government Authorities’ Development plans in Chemba and Mpwapwa district councils. The study population was LGA’s development planning officers. The study adopted a cross-sectional research design in which both qualitative and quantitative data from planning officers were collected. Descriptive statistics (Univariate analysis) was done to explore the characteristics and distribution of respondents presented in frequencies and percentages. Cross-tabulation with chi-square (χ2) test tested the association of variables at a 0.05 (95%) significance level. The study findings revealed that LGA planning officers face several challenges in integrating population variables into development plans. Such challenges are Institutional-based (Scarcity of data, lack of political commitment to the goal, limited access to computing facilities, and inadequacy of statistical sources. Resource-based (Unclear relevance of the move among development planners, Continuing discussions on the best ways can use population data in development planning, Lack of clear understanding of demographic variables that can be integrated into the development plans in different sectors, Inadequate conceptualization and understanding of the operation and effects of population variables, lack of sufficient expertise to prepare needed projection inputs). Planning process based (Bureaucratic structures of centralized planning offices; create a barrier between planners and the public) Relying on secondary data from socio-economic profiles, too many directives (central government priories).Technical-based (unclear approaches of integrating population issues into development plans, lack of appropriate methodology, lack of planning and projection techniques, missing manual on the methodology, inadequate research into the many facets of the demographic processes and of their interrelations with other social and economic processes. The chi-square (2) test of the findings revealed no significant (P>0.05) statistical variation by LGAs on the faced challenges in integrating population variables into development plans. The study concludes that institutional setup, resource constraints, the nature of the planning process, and some technical issues affect LGA’s in coming up with effective and comprehensive development plans that cope with the area-specific aging population. The findings require the LGAs to consider putting more effort into the reliable sources of data, knowledge, and skills of planners, planning tools, and planning approaches in order to come up with good and realistic development plans that foster increasing local economic growth and improve the living standard of people; that slow down youth rural-urban migration due to low economic efficiency in their places of origin. The study recommends that LGAs in collaboration with the parent Ministry have to design the means of curbing the encountered planning challenges including improving awareness and sources of data for planning purposes, reviewing the planning approach by making it rather horizontal and comprehensive instead of being vertical from central government policies because obstacles and opportunities for development are area specific, and planners should get acquainted with methodologies for integrating population variables into development plans.

Correlation of woodfuel production participation among rural households in the drylands of Ethiopia

Woodfuel production and consumption have been a concern for multiple stakeholders involved in household energy use, deforestation, and climate change. While research into the underlying decision-making process is growing, it remains insufficient. Such a study offers opportunities to develop policies that enable diversification of household energy consumption and livelihood options away from woodfuel use. Policymakers often lack an understanding of factors correlated with households' participation in woodfuel production. Therefore, this study examined the correlation between household participation in woodfuel production and factors that influence households' participation in woodfuel production in dryland areas of Ethiopia. Data were collected from 1,114 purposively selected woodfuel-producing and non-producing households through household surveys, key informant interviews, and focus group discussions. The sample included 775 participant households and 339 non-participant households. The collected data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and a binary logistic regression model. The results revealed that drought and related shocks are the main factors that forced households to participate in woodfuel production. The model results indicated that age, education, landholding, livestock holding, production asset value, ownership of improved cook stoves, number of years lived in the area, distance from the forest, access to forest extension, and institutional membership are statistically significant factors that negatively influence household participation in woodfuel production. On the other hand, household expenditure and drought occurrence positively and significantly influence the participation of households in woodfuel production. The findings of the study suggest that sustainable management and utilization of dryland forest resources require considering socioeconomic, demographic, institutional, and environmental factors correlated with households' decisions to participate in woodfuel production. This can be achieved through sound institutional setups and policy frameworks in the sector.

Rozwiązania instytucjonalne na rzecz rozwoju konkurencyjności sektora gazu ziemnego w UE

The study explores the subject of sectoral competitiveness on the example of gas sectors in different European countries. Literature review on sectoral competitiveness suggests that the concept has evolved considerably over time and that contemporary definitions of competitiveness span beyond traditional economic factors. Studies on gas sector in this context to date, however, have largely focused on export competitiveness of upstream activities. To address the research gap, a targeted approach is suggested to study and compare competitiveness of the entire national gas sectors, spanning beyond standard productivity measures. A dedicated synthetic indicator is designed to perform a comparative analysis of contemporary gas sectors, taking account of the gas price offered to the industry, institutional performance, infrastructure readiness and job creation potential. Then, the case study is presented and it examines four countries that have liberalized their gas sectors and are reliant on gas imports to a different degree. Results confirm that the application of a synthetic indicator factoring in different aspects of sectoral competitiveness is appropriate to arrive at a holistic view of gas sector’s relative performance. The significance of the institutional setup is also confirmed from the perspective of inducing investment, enhancing market liquidity, as well as creating sustainable jobs in the gas sector.

The Tendency of Livestock Growth in Ethiopia: A Review

Ethiopia ranks first in Africa and 5th in the globe in its livestock population. The livestock subsector is immensely contributing about 60-70 % to the population’s livelihood and about 80% of the farmers use animal traction to plough their croplands. This study involved gathering livestock-based data from the Central Statistical Agency (CSA) for the years 2004/05 to 2018/19. Additionally, information on livestock holders was systematically organized and analyzed to track progress over the years. Quantifiable values indicating increases were presented in tables and figures. The relationship between cattle numbers and livestock owners’ growth trends was tested using the Pearson correlation. The findings were further supported or challenged through a comprehensive literature review. The data show that the cattle population grew by 57% in 2018/19 than the number it was at the end of 2004/05 and the number of cattle owners increased by about 53 %. Likewise, the total number of sheep population grew by 82.69 % and their holders by 53%, the total goat heads grew by 162.2% and the camel population by 284%. From the total stock of cattle, 97.92% and 99.72% of sheep and all the goats and camels were identified as indigenous, respectively. The study found a significant and strong correlation (p less than 0.01) between the number of animals used for production and the number of holders. This suggests that the growth in livestock population is primarily due to an increased number of livestock owners, rather than an increase in the number of animals per holder. The work identifies bottlenecks in livestock development and provides insights into growth trends and underlying causes. It highlights opportunities for policy interventions to enhance sustainable livestock production. Further research is recommended on addressing feed and water shortages and evaluating policy and institutional setup effectiveness.

Climate change-induced landslide vulnerability: Empirical evidence from Shimla district, Himachal Pradesh, India

Landslides as dynamic geological hazard have caused socio-economic and environmental vulnerabilities at various scales. Thus, landslide vulnerability assessment is essential for understanding the implications for society and the environment. The present study attempts to examine landslide vulnerability in Shimla District, Himachal Pradesh, India. It constructed a composite landslide vulnerability index (CLVI) by integrating 57 indicators of 7 different domains (social vulnerability index, physical vulnerability index, economic vulnerability index, climate change and environmental vulnerability index, early warning system index, emergency response system, and adaptation strategies index) at the household level. CLVI serves as a most effective tool for the quantification of complex domains of disaster vulnerability and identification of thematic areas for disaster risk reduction. The data on various indicators were derived through a field survey of 450 households from 30 villages. The relationship between CLVI and its domains was ascertained using multiple linear regression. The CLVI analysis revealed that nine villages were highly vulnerable to landslides, while six villages experienced moderate vulnerability. Climate change and environmental vulnerability, physical fragility, and low adaptation strategies induced high to moderate vulnerability. The regression analysis showed that the degree of vulnerability was mostly influenced by the physical domain, followed by the economic and environmental domains. Effective policy, institutional setups, provision of landslide-resistant buildings, and livelihood diversification may enhance adaptive capacity among the communities. Thus, CLVI has not only helped in identifying thematic areas for reducing vulnerability but has also been instrumental in recognizing priority areas.

Emergency treatment of pelvic ring injuries: state of the art.

High energy pelvic injuries sustain significant mortality rates, due to acute exsanguination and severe associated injuries. Managing the hemodynamically unstable trauma patient with a bleeding pelvic fracture still forms a major challenge in acute trauma care. Various approaches have been applied through the last decades. At present the concept of Damage Control Resuscitation (DCR) is universally accepted and applied in major trauma centers internationally. DCR combines hemostatic blood transfusions to restore blood volume and physiologic stability, reduced crystalloid fluid administration, permissive hypotension, and immediate hemorrhage control by operative or angiographic means. Different detailed algorithms and orders of hemostatic procedures exist, without clear consensus or guidelines, depending on local traditions and institutional setups. Fracture reduction and immediate stabilization with a binder constitute the basis for angiography and embolization (AE) or pelvic packing (PP) in the hemodynamically unstable patient. AE is time consuming and may not be available 24/7, whereas PP offers a quick and technically easy procedure well suited for the patient in extremis. Resuscitative endovascular balloon occlusion of the aorta (REBOA) has also been described as a valuable adjunct in hemostatic non-responders, but merely constitute a bridge to surgical or angiographic hemostasis and its definitive role in DCR is not yet clearly established. A swift algorithmic approach to the hemodynamically unstable pelvic injury patient is required to achieve optimum results. The present paper summarizes the available literature on the acute management of the bleeding pelvic trauma patient, with emphasis on initial assessment and damage control resuscitation including surgical and angiographic hemostatic procedures. Furthermore, initial treatment of open fractures and associated injuries to the nervous and genitourinary system is outlined.

Standards made in Europe for global use

This commentary reflects on the contributions by Egan, Delimatsis and Verghese that provide historical accounts of ETSI’s origin and its dynamic evolution and attempt to explain its resilience. In this commentary, we place focus on ETSI’s unique attributes and their dynamic evolution to arrive at a better understanding of its resilience during critical moments and over time. We identify three such key attributes, namely ETSI’s institutional set-up and openness, its standard-setting activities and flexibility and the ETSI IPR policy. The article illuminates their importance, also in ETSI’s interactions with the European Commission and how these traits originated, were activated and evolved during critical moments. Taken together, these contributions suggest that the governance reforms proposed by the EU risk undermining the attractiveness of open European ICT standardization, a key ingredient of ETSI’s very success in ICT matters.

Remapping the connections between feminism and secularism: A study of the women’s movements in India and their engagements with religion

ABSTRACT Postcolonial elite inherit not only colonial institutions but also ideologies that animate future directions of institutional apparatus in their societies. This paper argues that the leadership of Women’s Movements in India (WMI) are influenced by their positions within the elite sections of Indian society and the ideologies that are in circulation therein. This also applies to their engagement with religion in contemporary India. It suggests that notwithstanding the efforts made by WMI to engage with difference in relation to the “religious other,” their praxis continues to remain captive to the social locations of its leadership, which in the context of India today remains predominantly urban, English speaking, professionally qualified, Hindu, and upper-caste. Drawing on empirical data and analyzing documented histories of WMI which record the movements’ engagement with religion in the colonized past and in contemporary postcolonial times, this paper attempts a remapping of the connections between feminism and secularism, both of which share a legacy with post Enlightenment liberal humanism, within the postcolonial context of India.

The Managerial Family? Family Care Work in Germany and Spain

Abstract This article engages with scholarly debates on the emergence of market logics in family life. By deploying qualitative data from couple interviews in Germany and Spain, we show how the existence of a so-called managerial family is salient among interviewees in both countries. Couples might introduce weekly family planning meetings or follow investment strategies when organizing childcare and housework. Drawing on the theoretical concept of moral economies, the article adds a macro-level institutional perspective to this picture of entrepreneurial family life by linking how couples justify their managerial practices to macro-level moral ideas and the institutional setup in which they live.