Macro-level Institutions Research Articles

Refocusing education: understanding higher education institutions’ needs for human resource development in Azerbaijan

ABSTRACT Research on the capacity of universities to produce skilled graduates in developing post-Soviet countries is limited. It was reported that innovative companies in Azerbaijan face challenges in recruiting university graduates with the necessary cognitive and technical abilities. Referring to the perspectives of faculty members, university leaders and representatives of the Ministry of Science and Education, the current study explored the factors that were thought to influence the capacity of universities to develop human resources for the modernizing labour market. The study's results also align with the broader discourse on higher education's role in economic development and offer insights for improving alignment between educational outcomes and labour market needs in developing countries like Azerbaijan. While the management style of educational programmes and the faculty members were recognized as influential aspects of quality provision and assurance for skilled human resource development, university managers expressed a desire for greater support and autonomy from macro-level institutions, such as the Ministry of Science and Education, particularly in curriculum design and fostering more effective university-industry partnerships.

Brief Encounter. The Distant Co-evolution of Régulation Theory and Evolutionary Economics

ABSTRACT Between the late 1980s and the mid-1990s, the perception of many contributors to régulation theory and evolutionary economics was that, because of a certain proximity in the issues and presuppositions of each approach, it might be fruitful for both to engage in a scientific dialogue that could lead to what Chris Freeman imagined might be an original synthesis. More than three decades later, it has to be said that the synthesis has not taken place and that the dialogue has lost much of its intensity. This article analyses the reasons that have led the two approaches to move further apart rather than closer together, by examining how régulation theory has integrated the problems of technology and dealt with agents’ diversity at the micro level, and how evolutionary theory has tackled the issue of macro-level institutions. It emerges that structural reasons relating to each of the approaches prevent genuine convergence, but that this does not represent a problem for which a solution should necessarily be sought.

Institutional logics in play at work: how applying an institutional logics approach to employees’ intentions to quit contextualizes HRM

Organizational and human resource management (HRM) scholars have shown an increasing interest in examining how macro-level institutions influence individuals’ behaviour, frequently adopting an institutional logics perspective. This approach encourages a holistic perspective, highlighting the multiplicity of logics within organizations. However, HRM studies that adopt an institutional logics approach often focus on just two logics (profession and HRM), downplaying other logics that influence individuals, and not fully assessing how a HRM logic plays out in organizations. Based on 54 interviews with Pakistani banking employees, we find that their perceptions of HRM effectiveness only partially explain their turnover intentions. Several logics (HRM, traditional leadership, corporation, professional, family, and religious logics) and their associated values are in play at work, and help to explain how HRM influences employees’ intentions to quit. Consequently, we contend that the HRM literature that applies an institutional logics approach downplays the multiplicity of institutional logics embedded within local contexts, and overlooks how various institutional logics and their constituent values shape individuals’ behaviour. Thus, this article highlights the importance of contextualizing HRM policies, ways for HRM research to fully benefit from the institutional logics approach, and the role of values in shaping employees’ responses to enacted HRM policies.

The role of macro institutional factors in determining types of entrepreneurial start-ups: a longitudinal panel study

Purpose What shapes entrepreneurs’ intention to allocate entrepreneurial effort towards different types of entrepreneurial start-ups? Grounded in a “national business systems” approach, the purpose of this paper is to examine the impacts of institutional dimensions on Schumpeterian and Kirznerian entrepreneurship. Design/methodology/approach Drawing upon a global context comprising 82 countries over the period between 2007 and 2018, this research applies a dynamic panel modelling approach, namely, the dynamic panel generalised method of moments estimator. This estimator allows to account for unobserved country-specific heterogeneity and to address endogeneity constraints that might occur between institutions and entrepreneurship. Findings The findings reveal that there are positive relationships between financial capital and both Schumpeterian and Kirznerian entrepreneurship. Educational capital positively affects the allocation of entrepreneurial efforts towards opportunity-based entrepreneurial activities. Moreover, institutional regulatory conditions could hinder the allocation of entrepreneurs’ resources into a Schumpeterian while facilitating the allocation of resources into a Kirznerian type of venture. Finally, a higher level of corruption promotes innovative entrepreneurial activities (i.e. a Schumpeterian type of venture) and leads to constraints on Kirznerian entrepreneurship. Practical implications The research findings demonstrate the significance of the macro environment for enacting and implementing policies to reap the benefits of different types of start-ups. It suggests different political actions are needed to motivate highly qualified individuals to engage in Schumpeterian and Kirznerian entrepreneurship, rather than focusing purely on enhancing a country’s overall start-up rates. Originality/value By acknowledging the multidimensional nature of entrepreneurship, this research provides greater theoretical exposition and empirical support for the role played by macro-level institutions in determining types of entrepreneurship. It reveals the important role played by macro institutional conditions in influencing choices about different types of start-ups and gives rise to the multidimensional nature of entrepreneurship.

What is the role of national media environments in shaping the impact of CSR on a firm’s performance?

PurposeThis study aims to contribute to the existing literature on corporate social responsibility (CSR) by examining the influence of national media environments on the economic consequences of CSR. Drawing on signaling theory, this study distinguishes between two country-level media environments − digital media accessibility and media freedom − of which the prior research has often implied their value in cultivating the stakeholders’ awareness about the firms’ socially responsible behavior, suggesting that they amplify the benefits of CSR actions.Design/methodology/approachThis study conducts multilevel analysis with a sample of 44,222 firm-year observations representing 6,726 companies from 57 countries over the period 2003–2019.FindingsThis study finds supportive evidence that CSR is more positively related to financial gains in countries with greater digital media accessibility. This study concludes that digital media accessibility affects a firm’s reputation and legitimacy benefits derived from CSR actions, resulting in better financial performance (FP).Originality/valueThe findings of this paper contribute to the existing literature on the CSR–FP relationship by demonstrating the relevance of considering the media environment to better explain the link between CSR and FP. In doing so, this study enriches our understanding of the importance of the media at macro-level institutions by examining how and why these media environments cultivate a culture of CSR as a strategic tool for firms.

How can public policies facilitate local cooperation? insights from the EU’s wine policy

ABSTRACT Decentralised cooperation is key for achieving a range of policy goals, but we still know relatively little about how to create it in low-trust, institutionally weak settings. This article develops an account of Facilitative Overarching Institutional Frameworks (FOIFs) as macro-level institutions that abate the obstacles to local cooperation. Through qualitative evidence collected via fieldwork, it is shown that the EU’s wine policy is a good example of a FOIF, and that it has crucially contributed to the puzzling emergence of demanding forms of local cooperation in the Greek wine sector. When combined with favourable local conditions, and particularly with local leadership, as in Santorini, a FOIF can have transformative implications for local cooperation. When local leadership is absent, as in Lemnos, the final degree of local cooperation will be more limited. While the rareness of embedded policymaking in Greece inhibits the adoption of public policies that favour decentralised cooperation, in the wine sector the EU’s system of subsidies and geographical indications partially compensates for these for domestic institutional deficiencies. The article contributes to our knowledge about the emergence of decentralised cooperation in adverse circumstances and improves our understanding of the effects of transnational integration regimes on local governance arrangements.

Time matters: Investigating the asymmetric reflection of online reviews on customer satisfaction and recommendation across temporal lenses

Online platforms’ growth further facilitates the increasing popularity and business value of online reviews. This study investigates the key elements of online reviews and their relationships to customer satisfaction and online recommendation. Our findings from Skytrax suggest that the review textual comments of each product attribute have a positive direct effect on customer rating of the corresponding attribute and a positive spillover effect on other attribute ratings. Additionally, comments and attribute ratings have different magnitudes in reflecting customer overall satisfaction and online recommendation. Such asymmetric reflection varies across three-level hierarchical temporal lenses, including the COVID-19 pandemic (macro-institutional level), customer waiting time resulted from service failures (meso-organizational level), and the temporal contiguity between the customer consumption time and review posting time (micro-individual level). The three-level hierarchical temporal lenses negatively moderate the reflection of attribute-level ratings and comments on customer overall satisfaction but positively moderate the reflection of attribute-level ratings and comments on customer recommendation. Our findings offer valuable insights for managers, helping them comprehend the significance of temporal lenses in shaping customer online review behavior and the asymmetric reflection of consumer perceptions and behaviors stemming from online reviews. Managers should take into account these temporal lenses when designing and implementing online review platforms and when delivering products and services in order to enhance the advantages of positive electronic word-of-mouth effects.

Contextualizing communication for digital innovation and the future of work

Abstract Digital innovation is the future of work. The ongoing and interlinked transformation of digital technologies, work, communication, and organizing raises important theoretical questions. Integrating recombination-based innovation theory and institutional theory of communication, this article contributes a novel framework that specifies the theoretical linkages between macro-level institutions and digital innovation: Social actors negotiate tensions arising from multiple institutional logics through (a) attention allocation; (b) sensemaking; and (c) external, boundary-spanning networking. The framework can advance the study of communication by (a) reconciling conflicting and inconclusive empirical findings; (b) targeting research efforts; and (c) responding to critiques of communication scholarship as failing to address social contexts. By focusing on digital innovation and the interplay between societal structures and communicative action in shaping it, this article advances scholarly discussions on the future of work, conceptualizing digital innovation as an institutional as well as communicative accomplishment.

Entrepreneurship in and around academia: evidence from Russia

PurposeThis paper deals with types and actors of entrepreneurship in and around academia in Russia, as well as with institutional settings of the entrepreneurial activity of academic faculty.Design/methodology/approachThis paper is based on a series of semi-structured interviews using the purposive snowball method (2022–2023). The respondents are either engaged in different kinds of entrepreneurship in and outside universities in Moscow and Nizhny Novgorod or experts in entrepreneurship in and around academia.FindingsA double mixed embeddedness driven approach to the typology of diverse forms of entrepreneurship in and around academia are shown in the context of the temporality as well as of the micro-, meso- and macro-level institutions, such as the low demand in innovations in the economy; uncertainty of property rights; limited interest of university administration in academic entrepreneurs or its focus solely on students' entrepreneurship; and necessity entrepreneurship motives on the micro-level. The research limitations of the study are the small number of observations and the localisation of the panel in only one country.Research limitations/implicationsThe research limitations of the study are the small number of observations and the localisation of the panel in only one country.Practical implicationsThe “Special Military Operation” and its consequences would hinder bottom-up academic entrepreneurship in the country, while pushing universities to launch R&D with the big industry, and forcing many faculties to non-academic entrepreneurship.Originality/valueFor the first time, the broad variety of entrepreneurial activities of academic staff including the specifics of non-classical forms of entrepreneurship in and around academia and their embeddedness into different contexts are discussed.

Meritocratic lifelong learning: Responsibilisation of marginalised adults for their learning as neocolonial contract

ABSTRACT After the declaration of lifelong learning as the Sustainable Development Goal 4 in 2015, lifelong learning has become a new policy bandwagon. However, whether investment of time and resources needed for it should be the responsibility of marginalised adults or any other macrolevel institutions has remained elusive. Nested in the larger theoretical and scholarly debate on meritocracy, this paper analyses the World Bank’s policy documents and interviews conducted among Nepali educational policymakers. The key findings of this study suggest that under the neocolonial contract foisted by the World Bank’s policy discourses, marginalised adults are expected to take responsibility for lifelong learning and remain competitive in the global job market. They are blamed for their inability to be competitive because lifelong learning policies are guided by a fallacious discourse of meritocracy. The vision shared by Nepali policymakers shows that lifelong learning can be embedded in the sociocultural contexts of the learners rather than merely guided by meritocratic ideals.

Service encounter and value co-creation in fundraising activities at the NPO sector

PurposeFundraising plays a critical role in the success of non-profit organizations (hereafter NPOs). This study aims to propose to analyze fundraising from a service-dominant logic, specifically from a service ecosystem approach, to understand the different entities and interactions involved in this activity, as well as the types of value that emerge from them.Design/methodology/approachA cross-case study was developed using three health-care Brazilian NPOs. Data collection methods were performed to build each case, including observation of NPOs’ telemarketing staff interaction with donors and long interviews with their marketing managers. Data analysis involved applying the service ecosystem framework to each NPO and contrasting them.FindingsFirst, the findings revealed the way in which religious, political and child-rearing institutions integrate into citizenship ideals that permeate both NPOs’ and donors’ attitudes and behaviors. Second, five different fundraising interactions (emotional, religious, political, influencer and empathetic) in which NPOs and donors pool their resources to co-create value are presented. Third, how the outcomes of fundraising interactions manifest for NPOs in the form of financial (money and time) and social value (social legitimation) and for teleworkers and donors in the form of emotional value (joy and relatedness) are identified.Originality/valueThis paper used a service ecosystem approach to analyze a new service context “fundraising,” which has been scarcely discussed in the literature. The findings show how macro-level institutions work together for fundraising. Five different fundraising interactions were identified, linking the communication with the service experience literature. Finally, the findings identify fundraising’s different value outcomes extending traditional approaches for evaluating this activity.

Elaborating institutional arrangements to better enhance sustainable crop intensification in Uganda: A farmers’ perspective

Weak and inefficient institutional arrangements have been identified as a major cause of the slow pace of agricultural growth in developing countries. Institutions – the humanly devised constraints that shape human interaction – play a significant role in Sustainable Crop Intensification (SCI) in Uganda. This study uses farmers' perceptions to assess institutions and their roles in SCI. We collected data from 135 rice and potato-producing households in Eastern and Southwestern regions of Uganda between January and February 2017. We used Focus Group Discussions to identify and categorize institutional typologies following which we asked households to evaluate several institutional aspects. Overall, institutional contributions to SCI were highly valued by farmers. Based on functional, organizational, and managerial obstacles, farmers perceived formal institutions to be ineffective while they perceived informal farmer's institutions to be the most relevant institutions as they provided financial resources that alleviated constraints to agricultural production and met livelihood needs. We found a lack of coordination between the micro, meso, and macro-level institutions, which then affected their institutional functionality to execute SCI. There is a need for innovation within existing institutions, and a status quo of institutional arrangements that would better respond to smallholders' needs.

Globalization in Social-Commercial Tensions: The Case of Nepalese Microfinance

Hybrid organizations that simultaneously pursue social and commercial objectives often experience tensions. Yet such tensions can arise from contradictory global and local demands. This study focuses on how individual actors' relations with macro-level institutions construct social and commercial objectives, which, in turn, shape tensions. We apply the qualitative case study method to investigate how the translation process from the global to the local informs the experience with tensions among leaders of hybrid organizations. We analyzed interviews and archival data on 26 microfinance organizations in Nepal, where both the traditional (local) model of microfinance and the global model of microfinance are practiced. We compare the microfinance leaders who belong to global professional networks with those embedded only in local professional networks. We find that the managers embedded in global professional network exposed to and embraced more expansive meanings of social and commercial activities and goals in microfinance. Moreover, social-commercial tensions were more pronounced among globally embedded leaders than locally embedded leaders. Our findings contribute to the hybrid organization literature and paradox theory by illustrating the role of globalization and global networks in shaping leaders' conceptualization of commercial and social objectives, which in turn give rise to tensions and hybrid organizational practice.

Value Generation Through Public Procurement of Innovative Earth Observation Applications: Service-Dominant Logic Perspective

This article investigates how the implementation of a national space strategy in partnership with supranational organizations affects the development of service ecosystems of Earth Observation (EO) applications. The subject is studied through the lens of a service-dominant logic perspective, a meta-theory that seeks to explain how economic value is cocreated in business-to-business markets. Qualitative empirical research was conducted in three emerging space countries—Slovakia, Latvia, and Estonia—to understand how value-creating resource integration processes involving space downstream companies and their potential end-users are affected by adding the European Space Agency (ESA) to the ecosystem. The study's findings showed that the catalytic procurement of prototypes of new EO applications through ESA is connected to multilevel institutional changes in relevant service ecosystems. ESA's involvement facilitates more intensive interaction between EO companies and their targeted customers in dyadic relationships. Value cocreation processes are influenced by micro-, meso-, and macrolevel institutions. The study highlights the linkages between ESA's involvement and the purposeful entrepreneurial efforts of EO companies to change prevailing institutional arrangements. This institutional work is aimed at reconfiguring institutional arrangement at the mesolevel to make it more supportive to value-creating resource integration activities between actors in a service ecosystem.

Government as a platform: Intergovernmental participation for public services in the Russian Federation

Government as a Platform (GaaP) has been advocated in multiple countries, and most research has concentrated on collaboration at the national level. In the Russian Federation, universal participation of regional and municipal authorities on the public services platform Gosuslugi.ru. is a priority intended to address regional disparities as well as greater efficiency. Russia serves as a case study to explore the extent to which it possible to use platforms for intergovernmental management - to effectively integrate all regions on a single platform, despite wide differences in capabilities and needs. We examine the case of Gosuslugi.ru through the technology enactment framework (Fountain, 2001). While the literature on platforms emphasizes loose coordination or orchestration, the technology enactment framework suggests that in systems with a high degree of centralization, such as Russia, platforms will be more centralized and top-down. We show the problems a highly centralized approach creates for implementation in the context of wide disparities, but the modularity and adaptability of platforms may also allow for more decentralization through choice and varied levels of participation. An open question is whether such flexibility will be allowed going forward. The technology enactment framework has been used primarily to analyze microlevel behavior within organizations. Considering macro-level institutions such as federalism can enhance use of the technology enactment framework across countries, and this case may have implications for intergovernmental participation on platforms in other nations.

Trust in the programme: An exploration of trust dynamics within rural group-based support programmes

Publicly-funded programmes of business support are important vehicles for rural development, and over the last two decades, group-based models of business support have become popular, in which dedicated advisors work with small firms in groups, rather than one-to-one mentoring. A fundamental goal of such programmes is to foster enhanced inter-firm knowledge exchange and learning, and improved firm resilience and innovation, through the development of collective trust amongst participants,. Although many studies have investigated the evolution of trust, including in a rural context, to date most research has focused either on the macro-institutional level, or the micro-personal level, with relatively little exploration of how meso-level collective trust may be encouraged amongst groups of participants in rural business support programmes. This paper addresses the gap by exploring the development of collective trust within two group-based rural business support programmes in Northern Ireland. The study reveals that programme design features and the interpersonal style of advisors combined to shape clients' trust in the programmes and their sponsoring institutions, as well as influencing the degrees of goodwill and camaraderie within the client groups themselves.

State-Owned Enterprises as Institutional Actors: A Hybrid Historical Institutionalist and Institutional Work Framework

ABSTRACTAlthough state-owned enterprises (SOEs) are recognized as important economic actors, the literature to date has assumed close state control over SOEs and, therefore, their passive stance towards institutions. Drawing on the institutional work and historical institutionalism literatures, we challenge this view. We develop a multilevel framework of SOE top management teams’ (TMTs’) embedded agency, spanning the national macro-institutional level, the meso-level of regimes of state-SOE relations, and sector-specific institutions. We then derive propositions regarding the factors across these multiple levels that shape SOE TMTs’ motivation, resources, and scope for institutional work. This framework allows us to explain the leeway for and likelihood of SOE TMTs’ engagement in institutional work across institutional contexts.

FEATURES OF THE INVESTMENT SOURCES ATTRACTING IN THE ENERGY SAVING INFRASTRUCTURE OF UKRAINE

Abstract. The peculiarities of the investment sources attracting in the energy saving infrastructure of Ukraine are illuminated. The energy saving infrastructure is proposed to be considered in terms of its elements, such as macro-, meso- and micro-level institutions together with the implemented measures. It is proposed to include world, international and European organizations (such as the Energy Community, World Bank, EBRD, NEFCO, etc.) into the macro-level institutions, which together with meso- and micro-level institutions implement programs and strategies to optimize the irrational use of energy resources. Meso-level institutions include state agencies, ministries, the Cabinet of Ministers, the Verkhovna Rada, the President of Ukraine, large financial institutions, and others. The micro-level institutions are presented by the village, settlement, city councils and their executive bodies; district and regional councils, which represent common interests of territorial communities of villages, settlements and cities; district councils in cities and their executive bodies. In order to improve the forms and methods of attracting sources of investment in energy saving infrastructure, it is necessary to conduct a thorough analysis of the existing measures and programs implemented in the country today. The study of implemented projects, strategies and programs allowed to identify the strengths and weaknesses of each event, as well as areas that need further elaboration. Conclusions are drawn that the investment potential of Ukraine’s energy saving is extremely high and includes measures of various nature, namely: from targeted allocation of funds for the renewal of fixed assets of institutions to educational activities, promotion of measures for the rational use of resources. Also, since the sources of investment are quite widely diversified geographically, it can be argued that the issue of domestic energy conservation is relevant in the global and international arena. Keywords: energy saving, investment, energy saving infrastructure, energy efficiency, Energy Community, World Bank, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. JEL Classification Q40, Q49, G24 Formulas: 0; fig.: 0; tabl.: 1; bibl.: 20.

The design and implementation of age-related HR practices across firms in institutional contexts: evidence from Thailand

PurposeThis paper aims to examine the design and implementation of age-related human resource (HR) practices across organizations located in the institutional contexts of the under-researched emerging market economy of Thailand.Design/methodology/approachA cross-case analysis of five organizations is conducted across industries. The empirical evidence in this paper draws on semistructured interviews and focus groups with older workers of each organization, semistructured interviews with top managers and/or HR managers of each organization, field visits to each organization located in Bangkok and other provinces in Thailand and a review of archival documents and Web-based resources.FindingsThis paper proposes that firms design and implement various age-related HR practices, including the extension of the retirement age, financial planning facilitation, the bundling of maintenance and the bundling of utilization, to ensure that older workers in their firms maintain their current level of functioning to cope with the problem of skill shortage in the Thai labor market, have sufficient savings after retirement to respond to the “productivist informal security” welfare state regime and return to previous levels of functioning after facing losses in their careers.Research limitations/implicationsDue to the fact that this research is based on case studies of age-related HR practices in five firms across industries in Thailand, the findings may not be generalizable to all other firms across countries. Rather, the aim of this paper is to enrich the discussion regarding the design and implementation of age-related HR practices in organizations. Another limitation of this research is that it does not include firms located in several industries, such as the financial services industry and the education industry. Future research may explore age-related HR practices in organizations located in these industries. Moreover, quantitative studies using large samples of firms across industries might also be useful for fostering an in-depth understanding of the design and implementation of age-related HR practices in organizations.Practical implicationsThis paper provides practical implications for top managers and/or HR managers of firms in Thailand and other emerging market economies. That said, these top managers and/or HR managers can implement age-related HR practices to respond to the problem of skill shortage in the labor market, ensure that older workers have sufficient savings after retirement and help older workers return to previous levels of functioning after facing deterioration in health conditions and/or losses in their careers.Social implicationsThis paper provides policy implications for the government and/or relevant public agencies of Thailand and other emerging market economies that still face a severe skill shortage problem. Older workers who possess tacit knowledge and valuable experience and are still healthy can be considered excellent alternates for firms to help alleviate the skill shortage problem in the labor market. However, firms should implement age-related HR practices to retain this group of employees overtime.Originality/valueThis paper contributes to the literature on comparative institutionalism and human resource management, specifically regarding age-related HR practices, in the following ways. First, this paper examines how firms design and implement age-related HR practices to respond to the country’s macro-level institutions. Additionally, in this paper, the author triangulates the findings from older workers with those from employers to ensure that actual HR practices perceived by older workers are in line with HR practices perceived by top managers and/or HR managers. Moreover, the literature on age-related HR practices has likely overlooked emerging market economies, including the under-researched country of Thailand, because most studies in this area have focused on developed economies. Therefore, the findings in this paper provide an in-depth analysis of the design and implementation of age-related HR practices across firms located in the emerging market economy of Thailand to respond to the national institutional context.

State-Owned Enterprises as Actors: An Institutional Work Framework

Although state-owned enterprises (SOEs) are recognized as important economic actors, the literature to date has assumed close state control over SOEs and therefore their passive stance towards institutions. Drawing on the institutional work and historical institutionalism literatures, we challenge this view. We develop a multilevel framework of SOEs top management teams’ (TMTs’) embedded agency, spanning the national macro-institutional level, the meso-level of regimes of state-SOE relations, and sector-specific institutions. We then derive propositions regarding the factors across these multiple levels that shape SOE TMTs’ motivation, resources, and scope for institutional work. This framework allows us to explain the leeway for and likelihood of SOE TMTs’ engagement in institutional work across institutional contexts.