Low Institutionalization Research Articles

Varieties of trade union protest

Abstract The article examines varieties of trade union protest across industrial relations regimes, using protest event data for 27 European countries between 2000 and 2021. We present a large-n analysis of how the level and ‘movement character’ of union protest covaries with the strength and institutional settings of union movements across regimes. We show that unions remain important protest actors and that union protest in the public sphere notably outweighs workplace-related strikes. Furthermore, we find an inverse relationship between union institutionalization and the ‘movement character’ of union protest: While strong union movements in highly institutionalized regimes display a strike-heavy repertoire, weaker union movements in contexts of low institutionalization rely heavily on protest actions beyond the workplace strike. With these findings, we provide a novel empirical assessment of what unions do in the protest arena and how institutional settings can be conducive to strike-heavy versus protest-heavy union tactics.

ASEAN and European Union addressing the challenges of the 21st century

Abstract Subject and purpose of work The European Union (EU) and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) are trade partners and believe in rules-based multilateralism. They have developed strong ties despite starting from different starting points and having different standards. The EU is a mature regional cooperation scheme(union) with a highly institutionalized and legalized architecture. At the same time, ASEAN is an intergovernmental association with low institutionalization and legalization in which decisions are made by consensus. After almost fifty years of establishing a diplomatic dialogue between the EU and ASEAN, their cooperation has been of essential importance in maintaining peace and balancing great power rivalries. Materials and methods Bibliography in books and articles. Results The EU and ASEAN are among the world’s largest economies in terms of gross domestic product. The EU is already the world’s second-largest economy, and ASEAN could become the world’s fourth-largest economy by 2030. The EU looks forward to strengthening its economic cooperation with ASEAN to maintain its competitive position in the dynamically developing region of the Indo-Pacific. ASEAN is a crucial hub for transporting European goods and is essential in regional supply chains. Closer trade and investment relations could also help the EU achieve its goal of a strategic partnership between the two regional blocks encompassing political and economic cooperation. It would be desirable if the EU and ASEAN continue to connect Europe and Asia by acting as balancers and reducing tensions between the major international players. Conclusions In the 21st century, the rise of China, India, and other regional powers is consolidating a multipolar system and new geopolitical balances. In this new era, the EU and ASEAN can continue to connect Europe and Asia by acting as balancers and reducing tensions between the major international players.

Feasibility Study on China-ASEAN Cooperation in the Forewarning Mechanism Against Telecom Fraud

Along with the implementation of the Belt and Road Initiative and the deepening of regional police cooperation, China and ASEAN have jointly reached remarkable achievement on cyberspace security governance, whereas facing numerous new counter-cybercrime challenges at the same time, exemplified by diversified modes and high concealment. Undeniably, China and ASEAN have accumulated abundant experience through formal conferences and informal forums, but the low institutionalization of China-ASEAN cooperation has made it hard to timely and effectively respond to the protean transborder telecom frauds. Forewarning mechanism, as an innovative method to combat telecom fraud, could significantly make up for the deficiency under the current China-ASEAN cooperative system, while enriching the Belt and Road cooperation Initiative, raising the efficiency of controlling cybercrimes, exploiting the advantage of Chinese Internet+ strategy.

La institucionalización del sistema de partidos en el Perú, durante los años 2016-2021

Within a democratic State, the party system and its degree of institutionalization influence the governability and stability of a country. In the Peruvian case, there is a constant crisis of representativeness towards the current political parties, directly affecting the institutional level. Therefore, this reality is problematized through the following question: What factors influenced the process of institutionalization of the Peruvian party system during the years 2016 - 2021? This article seeks to respond to this based on the analysis of two political phenomena: "electoral volatility" and "political identity", describing these variables from the institutional and social levels, in order to argue the low institutionalization of the Peruvian party system.

Institutionalization Tracker: Assessing the integration of an education initiative into a system

The Institutionalization Tracker helps implementers, policymakers, and funders measure the progress of integrating an initiative into an education system and identify areas that require additional attention for further integration. This tool is designed to track progress toward institutionalization. It is organized by education system building blocks, each of which is broken down into specific elements. For each element, there is a set of criteria to consider when assigning a score ranging from “low institutionalization” to “high institutionalization,” and a column for providing an explanation for the score selected. The tool should be used when the vision for scaling includes government adoption or mainstreaming of an initiative into a formal education system. It should ideally be used at regular intervals (approximately every six months) to assess progress and determine actions to strengthen and advance institutionalization efforts.

Do political and business relations help emerging markets' SMEs in their national and international expansion? Evidence from Brazil and China

PurposeThis study aims to understand whether business and political relations help emerging markets' SMEs to overcome the challenges posed by low institutionalization in their national and international expansion. It focuses on the role that these relations play in determining access to government funding and contracts and to market information and business-related knowledge.Design/methodology/approachThe data were collected from 828 SMEs in Brazil and China. The data analysis was developed in two stages: the first stage was based on multivariate regression analyses using the ratio of sales outside the companies' region of origin divided by total sales as a dependent variable and the survey's answers as independent variables; outward sales were taken at two different levels – national and international – to consider: (1) the different stages in the national and international expansion process, and (2) the fragmented nature of domestic markets in both Brazil and China. The second stage was based on a stepwise multiple regression as the relative importance of the variables was not known beforehand and the objective was to rank them according to the managers' perceptions.FindingsInformal institutions, in particular business and political relations, can help to reduce uncertainty and overcome some disadvantages associated with weak institutionalization. They do this by providing access to trusted distribution channels, improving the familiarity with different institutional environments and strengthening the management of supply chains and commercial strategies to serve markets outside their region. Also, SMEs in emerging markets getting access to private sources of funding, market knowledge and government contracts through business and political relations are in a better position to expand nationally and internationally.Originality/valueThe research shows that the domestic environment, in particular one with low levels of institutionalization, impacts negatively the national and international expansion of SMEs and, more importantly, how firms can use business and political relations to overcome the obstacles posed by this environment. The findings also have implications for theory, practice and policymaking.

Understanding the use of recall referendums: Evidence from Ecuador

The recall referendum – a referendum triggered by citizens seeking to remove elected officials by means of a binding vote – used to be a rare institution, but since the 1990s has spread in different areas of the world. The frequency of its activation has been explained by three sets of sometimes interconnected variables: growing citizen dissatisfaction, institutional design (i.e. ease of activation), and the activity of political parties using the mechanism against their opponents, specially in contexts of low party-system institutionalization. This article proposes an additional variable: the role of electoral management bodies (EMBs) in allowing or preventing recall attempts. The empirical analysis focuses on the Ecuadorian experience, where legal provisions governing recall were introduced in 1998, modified in 2008, and amended in 2011, with a dramatic variation in the frequency of recall activations after each change.

Sociedade civil, partidos políticos e inter-relações: um estudo comparativo entre Porto Alegre e Montevidéu

Este artigo tem o propósito de realizar um estudo comparativo entre o orçamento participativo de Porto Alegre e a descentralização participativa de Montevidéu, tendo como centro analítico o papel desempenhado pelos sistemas político-partidários nos dois países. Nesse sentido, a investigação pretende oferecer elementos que auxiliem a responder à seguinte pergunta: até que ponto a natureza distinta dos sistemas partidários do Brasil e do Uruguai e suas ligações com a sociedade civil afetam a criação e o funcionamento das novas instituições participativas? Na análise buscou-se romper com a dicotomia normativa que separa a sociedade civil da sociedade política, presente em grande parte dos trabalhos acadêmicos sobre instituições participativas no Brasil. Após investigação baseada em fontes secundárias sobre as duas experiências e fontes primárias (entrevistas realizadas com integrantes dos Conselhos de Vizinhos, em Montevidéu, e com delegados do OP, em Porto Alegre), concluiu-se pelas influências distintas dos sistemas políticos nos casos estudados. Em Montevidéu, predomina, hegemonicamente, a participação de pessoas com uma longa trajetória na política partidária. No caso do OP de Porto Alegre, a baixa institucionalização do sistema político-partidário permitiu que os participantes não fossem constrangidos pelas identidades partidárias.

Professores na Educação de Jovens e Adultos: inserção, precarização e formação continuada

O presente texto apresenta reflexões sobre a formação continuada ofertada aos professores que atuam na Educação de Jovens e Adultos em uma Rede Municipal de Ensino, explorando suas interfaces com os processos de ingresso e de constituição da docência nessa modalidade educativa. Análise documental e entrevistas foram os procedimentos metodológicos utilizados para compreensão do objeto. Como resultados principais, evidenciou-se a desvantagem apresentada da EJA no conjunto das políticas educacionais, dado que a concepção de provisoriedade dos gestores públicos não os permite assumir a educação como direito para jovens e adultos, o que reflete na baixa institucionalização dessa modalidade nos sistemas de ensino.

Investor Sentiment and the Basis of CSI 300 Stock Index Futures: An Empirical Study Based on QVAR Model and Quantile Regression

The asymmetrical mutual influence of investor sentiment and the basis of CSI 300 stock index futures under conditions in different market situations was investigated using the quantile vector autoregressive model (QVAR). The article also discussed asymmetrical influence of investor sentiment on the basis under conditions in different investor structures using the quantile regression method. On this basis, we obtained several important conclusions: (1) There exists a one-way causal relationship where investor sentiment has a significant impact on the CSI 300 stock index futures basis in China; the investor sentiment is likely to exert stronger influences on the basis in the chaotic period of the stock market and imposes significant asymmetrical effects. (2) The institutionalized development of investors can reduce the influences of investor sentiment on the basis when the stock market is stable, while it does not play its function in stabilizing the capital market when the stock market is in turmoil. (3) The low institutionalization level, the individualization of institutional investors, and the imperfect short-sales mechanism as a whole are still the sticking problems in the immature capital market of China.

UM ESTUDO COMPARADO DA DIPLOMACIA DE LULA NO ORIENTE MÉDIO E AHMADINEJAD NA AMÉRICA LATINA

The article compares Lula’s foreign policy to the Middle East with Ahmadinejad’s to Latin America. Methodologically, the historical concepts of each diplomacy is combined with empirical data on trade flows and diplomatic actions. It is argued that the implementation of foreign policies involved similar (presidential diplomacy) and distinct means (universalism and multilateralism by Brazil, and personalism, bilateralism and low institutionalization by Iran). The results of diplomacies also resembled: although the economic implications were modest, Brasilia politically increased its global projection capacity, while Tehran relatively reduced its international isolation.

Proposal of an indicator to measure the professionalization of election campaigns: The case of Colombia

An indicator is proposed that measures the degree of professionalization of presidential campaigns in political systems where there is high personalization and low institutionalization of political parties. The professionalization of Colombia’s 2014 presidential campaign is measured: describing both the organizational dimension and internal structure of the campaign, and the communication strategy used to persuade the voters. Dimensions and categories are established that show the development and evolution of the techniques used in the presidential campaign.

A governança facilitada no Mercosul: transferência de políticas e integração nas áreas de educação, migração e saúde

Artigo O artigo investiga o papel das instituições do Mercosul no processo de transferência de políticas entre os Estados--membros em três áreas específicas: educação, saúde e migração. O argumento principal é que essas instituições tornaram-se espaços formadores de políticas públicas, atuando como facilitadoras da transferência de políticas nos três casos empíricos examinados. O artigo pretende contribuir para o desenvolvimento de estudos empíricos de transferência de políticas públicas nos processos de integração regional. Os blocos regionais criam espaços de articulação de ideias e trocas de experiências entre os gestores de políticas públicas. A metodologia envolveu análise de documentos oficiais do bloco e entrevistas. Apesar do seu caráter intergovernamental e da sua baixa institucionalização, o Mercosul desempenhou funções importantes no processo de formulação de políticas públicas nacionais nas três áreas selecionadas na pesquisa.

Embedding social innovation process into the institutional context: Voids or supports

Social innovation (SI) is a complex construct that is lacking a unifying paradigm in social sciences. However, together with the recent attention towards social change, it requires a theoretical perspective that analyzes the construct within its institutional context (IC) without forgetting that the term is socially constructed. This current study aims to contribute to the literature by exploring and describing the inter-linkages between institutional voids (IVs)/institutional supports (ISs) perspectives and SI process by positioning the actor as the catalyzer and the change-agent. The study tries to explore if existing IVs or supports, which are embedded in social-welfare, commercial or public-sector logics, stimulate SI and result in the development of these ideas. The research setting is deliberately selected as a developing country that deals with plenty of IVs and suffers from the lack of ISs; a research setting that exhibits a high degree of heterogeneity and a low institutionalization level. The results indicate that IVs stimulate SIs mostly at the incremental and institutional level where IS is inadequate. The heterogeneity of IVs and a low degree of institutionalization result in the heterogeneity of actions undertaken for SI. Implications for practitioners and scholars are recommended at the end of the paper.

Interregionalism's impact on regional integration in developing countries: the case of Mercosur

ABSTRACTThis article examines the impact of interregionalism on deepening regional integration processes in non-European Union (EU) regions, specifically the Southern Common Market (Mercosur). It considers whether ‘capacity-building’ functions of interregionalism are present in EU–Mercosur relations. It argues that although negotiations for an association agreement might have helped Mercosur survive periods of severe crisis in the past, the terms of the agreement under negotiation were not sufficiently attractive to encourage deeper integration in Mercosur. Moreover, interregionalism cannot be expected to compensate for low institutionalization, nor substitute for weak political willingness to deepen integration. Ultimately, Mercosur alone can decide how far it wants to take its regional integration.

Symbolic Capital and Gender: Evidence from Two Cultural Fields

This article builds a gendered understanding of Bourdieu’s concept of symbolic capital. Through a comparison of two cultural fields – the heavy metal scene and the contemporary folk scene in Toronto, Canada – I show that field structure impacts the extent to which gendered dispositions (which we can understand as masculine capital and feminine capital) are exchangeable for symbolic capital, or reputation. Using semi-structured interviews, discourse analysis, and participant observation, I highlight two features of the fields that shape the extent to which masculine and feminine capital produce symbolic capital: the degree to which symbolic capital is institutionalized, and the level of symbolic boundary-drawing in the field. The heavy metal field’s low institutionalization of symbolic capital and high symbolic boundaries heighten the salience of gender as a basis of symbolic capital, while the folk field’s high institutionalization of symbolic capital and low symbolic boundary-drawing reduce the extent to which gender matters.

As Regiões Metropolitanas no Brasil e o problema institucional de cooperação: a trajetória das Regiões Metropolitanas de Natal e Aracaju

O trabalho analisa a evolução do processo de institucionalização das Regiões Metropolitanas brasileiras, tendo como objeto empírico os casos de Natal-RN e Aracaju-SE. Por meio da análise institucional histórica e comparada sobre a constituição dos arranjos normativos das Regiões Metropolitanas de Aracaju e Natal, busca-se compreender como se deu o processo de formação, cooperação na gestão das áreas metropolitanas analisadas. Apesar dos diferentes contextos específicos respectivos de cada Região Metropolitana, observa-se como característica comum em ambas que não existem mecanismos institucionais e de cooperação tanto Federativos quanto intrametropolitanos que incentivem o interesse por parte dos entes federados para a cooperação. Ainda que exista uma frágil motivação política nos dois casos analisados, estes mostram uma baixa institucionalização, o que caracteriza estas duas regiões metropolitanas como um quadro de cooperação incipiente tornando inviável avançar em termos de gestão metropolitana.

How Institutionalized Are Model License Use Terms? An Analysis of E-Journal License Use Rights Clauses from 2000 to 2009

This paper explored the degree to which use terms proposed by model licenses have become institutionalized across different publishers’ licenses. It examined model license use terms in four areas: downloading, scholarly sharing, interlibrary loan, and electronic reserves. Data collection and analysis involved content analysis of 224 electronic journal licenses spanning 2000–2009. Analysis examined how use terms changed over time, differences between consortia and site license use terms and differences between commercial and noncommercial publisher license use terms. Results suggest that some model license use terms have become institutionalized while others have not. Use terms with higher institutionalization included: allowing ILL, permitting secure e-transmission for ILL, allowing e-reserves with no special permissions, and not requiring deletion of e-reserves files. Scholarly sharing showed lower institutionalization with most publishers not including scholarly sharing allowances. Other use terms showing low institutionalization included: recommendations to avoid printing requirements related to ILL and recommendations to allow hyperlinks for e-reserves. The results provide insight into the range of use terms commonly employed in e-journal licenses.

The Reform and Development of the Decision-making System in Contemporary China

中国的决策体制是中国政治体制的中枢系统, 也是决定中国发展的关键因素。以 中国共产党为领导核心的决策体制是在中国共产党领导革命、创建新中国的长期历史 中形成的, 具有其历史合理性。决策体制从建立到改革开放前呈现集中化的趋势。决 策权力日趋集中的体制, 存在着决策结构专业化分工程度不高、制度化程度低、偏重 经验决策、决策过程封闭和缺乏自我修正与调节机制等弊端。改革开放后, 决策体制 改革的重点, 是在决策结构、决策方式和决策机制三个主要方面推进决策的民主化、 科学化和法治化建设。决策体制改革的实践证明, 以决策民主化、科学化和法治化为 导向的决策体制改革, 成功应对了中国由经济和社会迅速变迁所带来的各种挑战。从 政治发展的角度看, 决策体制改革呈现出的基本趋势是: 从个人决策向民主决策、从 经验决策向科学决策、从决策组织高度集中向决策组织结构分化、从封闭式决策向开 放式决策、从被动参与决策向自主参与决策、从决策非制度化向决策制度化转变。一 个中国共产党主导、多方参与、科学论证、过程开放、依法运行的决策模式在决策体 制改革的实践中初步形成。 关键词: 决策体制 集中决策 民主决策 科学决策 依法决策 The decision-making system is the backbone of China’s political system and a crucial factor determining its development. The decision-making system with the CPC lying at the core results from the CPC’s long history of leading China’s revolution and establishing the People’s Republic of China; therefore it has historical rationality. Decision-making was centralized over the period from the foundation of the PRC to reform and opening up. This centralized decision-making system had faults such as a low level of specialized division of labor, low institutionalization, an undue emphasis on experience, a closed decision-making process and the absence of any self-correcting and adjustment mechanisms. The reform of China’s decision-making system in the post-reform period has attached much importance to promoting democratic, scientific and law-based decision-making with regard to decision- making structures, modes and mechanisms. Practice proves that this reform has successfully met the challenges arising from rapid social and economic transition. Viewed from the perspective of political development, it involves an evolution from personal to democratic, from experience-based to scientific, from centralized to decentralized, from closed to open, from passive to active participation and from non-institutionalized to institutionalized decision-making. A decision-making model has gradually taken shape that is characterized by CPC domination, participation by multiple entities, scientific proof, open process, and law-based operation.

Electronic government policies in Brazil: context, ICT management and outcomes

The State Reform processes combined with the emergence and use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) originated electronic government policies and initiatives in Brazil. This paper dwells on Brazilian e-government by investigating the institutional design it assumed in the state's public sphere, and how it contributed to outcomes related to e-gov possibilities. The analyses were carried out under an interpretativist perspective by making use of Institutional Theory. From the analyses of interviews with relevant actors in the public sphere, such as state secretaries and presidents of public ICT companies, conclusions point towards low institutionalization of e-gov policies. The institutional design of Brazilian e-gov limits the use of ICT to provide integrated public services, to amplify participation and transparency, and to improve public policies management.