New Institutionalism Theory Research Articles

Agile transformation in uncertain times: exploring diffusion strategies and organisational maturity

ABSTRACT The turbulent and dynamic environment in which organisations are evolving today forces them to adapt in a timely manner and strengthen their resilience. Agility represents one of the recognised capacities to reach that resilience in a VUCA environment. However, consensus is not yet reached regarding how to become agile, and which ‘agility’ better matches the organisation’s needs and trajectory. Based on a qualitative exploratory approach of 15 expert narratives, dominantly from IT field, this study seeks to answer how does the adoption of agility in companies operating in uncertain business environments affect and reflect their level of organisational maturity. The research analyses the variety of strategies used by organisations to embrace agility and how these strategies correlate with levels of organisational maturity. Utilising New Institutional Theory (NIT) – a widely acknowledged framework in modern social sciences – this research uncovers the agility triggers in the organisation. Moreover, the findings highlight a continuum to agile organisation of three stages. The research also takes a fresh look at the concept of maturity. Maturity in the context of agile transformation lies a convergence point that reflects a global coherence in the system: the individual, the collective, the organisational, as well as the external, that of the organisations implementing agile practices.

Associations’ involvement in preserving and developing local communities in rural areas

How much do associations in rural districts involve themselves in the local community, and what can explain differences their involvement? The analysis of this issue is based on data from a survey in 2022 of all types of associations in four rural municipalities. The analysis, which is inspired by theories of new institutionalism, shows that most associations are involved in tasks that aim to preserve or develop local conditions and institutions, and that the associations have a positive attitude towards contributing to develop the local community. The associations’ involvement in the local community depends in particular on the number of inhabitants in the local community, what their primary goals are and their size, while the associations’ age, municipal context and public support have little significance.

고령사회 노인문화정책의 변화 고찰 및 과제

In 2025, South Korea is projected to enter a super-aged society with 20.6% of its population aged 65 and older. The Baby Boomer generation, which will constitute a significant portion of this aged society, values cultural needs, independence, and the identity of being a free and active participant in society. Thus, understanding the characteristics of an aging society and the new senior is essential, and policy responses based on this understanding are necessary. This study explains the policy lag phenomenon in cultural policies for an aging society, based on Thomas Kuhn's paradigm theory and the path dependency theory of new institutionalism. It demonstrates that the cultural policies for an aging society have not adequately responded to the aging population, using the low birth rate and aging society policies and senior cultural programs as case studies. The study found that society has shifted to an aging society centered on the Baby Boomer generation, which has high cultural activity demands. Despite the shift in social paradigms, the transition from senior policies to the “Basic Plan for Low Fertility and Aging Society” did not prioritize the fulfillment of cultural needs, but rather continued to focus primarily on employment policies, as seen in previous welfare policies. It was difficult to find policies implemented from the perspective of cultural activities for seniors in the first Basic Plan, and even in the second and third supplementary plans, the emphasis was predominantly on senior employment. Additionally, the budget for the representative senior cultural policy, the Senior Culture Program, decreased steadily from approximately 4.6 billion KRW in 2016 to 2.5 billion KRW in 2022, with the number of programs reducing from 391 in 2016 to 163 in 2023. This study, which highlights the changes in an aging society and the current state of senior cultural policies, can be used to develop policies that enhance the quality of life in an aging society. Moreover, it suggests the need for more detailed research to create more segmented cultural policies that address specific age groups and genders, rather than policies targeting everyone aged 65 and older as a single group.

A conceptual framework of green supply chain integration toward enterprise performance through ambidextrous green innovation: an organizational capability perspective

PurposeThis study explores the impact of green supply chain integration (GSCI) on enterprise performance (EP) from an organizational capability perspective. Additionally, this study investigated the mediating effect of ambidextrous green innovation (AMGI) and the moderating effect of green legitimacy (GL).Design/methodology/approachThis study followed a five-step systematic review of the literature to ensure the auditability and repeatability of the concept development process: (1) formulation of the question, (2) research area orientation, (3) selection and evaluation of research literature, (4) data analysis and synthesis and (5) reporting and application of results.FindingsThis study clarified the concepts and dimensions of four relevant variables and, based on the organizational capability theory (OCT), ambidextrous innovation theory (AIT) and new institutional theory (NIT), explained the interactions among these variables and proposed a conceptual framework. In addition, an agenda for future research has been suggested.Originality/valueThis study provides a new direction for future GSCI research and practice in emerging economies. Enterprises should focus on developing GSCI capabilities to promote its positive impact on enterprise performance through AMGI adoption. Moreover, they must emphasize the acquisition of GL, which provides a certain degree of security, to realize the benefits of AMGI.

Natural resource fund governance and the institutionalization of rent seeking in Nigeria's oil sector

AbstractThe concept of resource curse is widely accepted in the extant literature. However, the burden of proof remains high as some resource‐rich countries experience rapid economic growth. This study examines how Nigeria's strategy for governance and management of revenue proceeds from petroleum resources has helped sustain rent‐seeking behavior, the resource curse phenomenon, and under‐development of the country. Using the theory of new institutionalism and a process‐tracing method, the article argues that political and historical dynamics in establishing legislation for governance and management of oil and gas revenues engendered path‐dependent rent‐seeking practices sustained by selfish political elites. The resource curse is not universal or inevitable in resource‐rich countries, but largely a product of institutionalization and sustenance of initial unhealthy practices. We recommend that recognizing the need for savings, stabilization, and investment, and setting clear fiscal rules to check excessive political discretion will reduce rent seeking and the resource curse in Nigeria and elsewhere.Related ArticlesAli, Hamid E., and Shahjahan Bhuiyan. 2022. “Governance, Natural Resources Rent, and Infrastructure Development: Evidence from the Middle East and North Africa.” Politics & Policy 50(2): 408–40. https://doi.org/10.1111/polp.12451.Ikeanyibe, Okechukwu M. 2018. “Bureaucratic Politics and the Implementation of Liberalization Reforms in Nigeria: A Study of the Unbundling and Reorganization of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation.” Politics & Policy 46(2): 263–94. https://doi.org/10.1111/polp.12249.Mähler, Annegret. 2011. “Oil in Venezuela: Triggering Conflicts or Ensuring Stability? A Historical Comparative Analysis.” Politics & Policy 39(4): 583–611. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1747‐1346.2011.00305.x.

Mind the gap! Building bridges between institutional work and critical sensemaking

PurposeThe purpose of this article is to address research gaps relating to agency and institutionalism in new institutional theory (NIT) and institutional work (IW) and use the critical sensemaking (CSM) approach to bridge the debates around agency, especially on issues of language and discourse, actor network theory (ANT) and history.Design/methodology/approachA conceptual analysis of the literature is performed to discuss issues of agency in IW and CSM in organizations, and examples of empirical studies are used to illustrate connectivity, contrast and fusion.FindingsThe analysis illustrates points of distance (rather than disconnect), but most importantly, connectivity and the potential for further developments between the literature on IW and CSM.Social implicationsDiscussion around new possibilities to focus on agency has the potential to contribute to humanist thinking about the (agentic) character of organizations and the potential for social change.Originality/valueThe article contributes to the discussion of agency in the organization through a starting point (i.e. CSM) outside of NIT.

Unintended transformation? Organizational responses to regulative crackdown on civil society in Azerbaijan

ABSTRACT Whereas nearly half of the world’s countries have imposed restrictions on civil society organizations (CSOs) since the 1990s, little is known about how those regulations reshape the civic space and actors. This article delves into the patterns of transformation of organizational behaviours of traditional non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and new CSOs before and following the enforcement of coercive state policies against civil society in Azerbaijan. By applying the theory of new institutionalism, the article first analyzes the development of post-independence Azerbaijani civil society and the vulnerabilities thereof. Then, it uses original data to portray CSOs’ survival strategies in the face of institutional pressures – operationalizing Christine Oliver’s typology of strategic responses. The findings underscore dual unintended consequences. First, extant and emerging democracy-oriented Azerbaijani CSOs have pursued existence outside the regulative institutional control of the authoritarian regime since 2015. Second, the crackdown brought about marked de-NGOization of civil society while engendering alternative modes of organization in civic associations.

Att arbeta i ”möjlighetsfönstret”

Using the window of opportunity - Co-operation between police and social services in cases of domestic violence in families with children.This article describes and discusses the cooperation between police and social services when working in accordance with the so-called Icelandic model. The aim of this article is to explore what cooperation within the Icelandic model during the “window of opportunity” means for police officers and social workers discretion and their possibility to perform their work in acute cases of domestic violence in families with children. Empirical data consists of interviews with police officers and social workers. Theories of new institutionalism and street level bureaucrats are used in the analysis.Results show that the Icelandic model has led to increased cooperation between police and social workers at the crime scene. The police and social workers state that they can focus to a greater extent on carrying out what they regard as their own tasks in acute cases of domestic violence when they work according to the model. At the same time, the model has entailed increased control of their work, which has reduced the degree of discretion and possibility for professional assessments and priorities. The perception that there is a “window of opportunity” is shared by the police and the social services and they believe that coordinated efforts in the acute phase are important.

Transitioning towards a circular economy under a multicriteria and the new institutional theory perspective: A comparison between Italy and Brazil

The obligations arising from legislation and other instruments affect the macro-level decision-making related to the transition toward a circular economy (CE), which is a multifaceted topic since it tries to aggregate the interests of different stakeholders. In this context, this paper aims to analyse the current policies, strategies and initiatives related to the CE transition from a multicriteria perspective and under the lens of NIT (New Institutional Theory). This is the first approach that analyses which CE strategies and related practices boost the transition from a macro-level perspective, using a multicriteria method and considering developed and emerging economies. For this reason, this paper can be helpful for researchers and practitioners involved in implementing strategy and policymaking aimed at the transition toward a CE. It also contributes to the discussion on the global transition to the CE by identifying differences and similarities between countries. The proposed methodology has been applied to compare the realities in Italy and Brazil. The perceptions of several stakeholders from the two countries have been gathered through a questionnaire to evaluate numerous strategies against several social, environmental, economic, and technical criteria. The main results are: Italy presents a proactive behaviour, a higher level of institutionalisation, and a coercive isomorphism related to European regulations and strategies. In contrast, Brazil has reactive behaviour, a lower level of institutionalisation, and is impelled by mimetic isomorphism. Although it is possible to observe several advances in the last years in Brazil, the transition to a CE is still in the early stages compared to Italy.

Local gambling culture and corporate tax aggressiveness: A trait activation perspective on informal institutions

AbstractBased on the theory of new institutionalism and trait activation, we empirically evaluated the role of gambling culture on aggressive corporate taxation. A positive association was found between gambling culture and tax aggressiveness, the gambling culture increased the risk preferences of firm executives. The relationship was more pronounced in non‐state‐owned firms, firms with a high proportion of male executives, shortsighted executives, local CEOs, and those located in areas with less intense tax regulation and lower levels of Islamic faith. The findings enrich studies investigating the economic consequences of gambling culture and provide innovative ideas for external regulators to formulate anti‐avoidance measures.

Stakeholders and ESG disclosure strategies adoption: The role of goals compatibility and resources dependence

Environmental, social, and governance (ESG) disclosure plays a critical role in promoting corporations’ abilities to achieve sustainable development. Previous research has focused on the concept, antecedents, and consequences of ESG disclosure, ignoring that there are significant differences in ESG disclosure strategies of corporations and providing even less understanding of how corporations adopt ESG disclosure strategies. Therefore, we identify the factors and mechanisms of ESG disclosure strategy adoption in context of stakeholders. Using new institutional theory (NIT) and resource dependence theory (RDT), we suggest that goals compatibility and resources dependence are the 2 critical factors that affect a corporation’s ESG disclosure strategy adoption. Accordingly, we construct a framework of corporations’ ESG disclosure strategies adoption. We address the gaps in understanding of ESG disclosure strategies adoption of corporations, expand NIT and RDT, and provide rich practical guidance to promote the healthy development of ESG disclosure strategies.

Влияние стратегического партнерства АУКУС на геополитическую ситуацию в Индо-Тихоокеанском регионе

The purpose of the AUKUS strategic alliance is to develop cooperation between the member countries (U.S., UK and Australia) in the field of security and defence in the Indo-Pacific region. The agreement provides for the supply of submarines powered by nuclear reactors to Australia. The emergence of this new strategic alliance was caused by the following factors: the increased power of China in the region; the weakening of the U.S. position in the Indo-Pacific; the desire of the UK to implement the “global Britain” strategy in practice; and the need for the U.S. to have reliable allies to contain China. These factors reveal the true purpose of AUKUS—containment of China and opposition to its active policy in the region. In this article, the author uses comparative analysis to reveal the different goals and geopolitical interests of the AUKUS countries. The systematic approach helps to describe the essence of the complex developing geopolitical system of the Indo-Pacific region.The theories of new institutionalism and constructivism make it possible to identify both continuity and gaps in the security policy and foreign policy of regional actors. Australia’s participation in the AUKUS allows it to: strengthen its political ties with influential partners—the United States and Great Britain; receive additional security guarantees from them in the context of increased activity of Chinese policy in the region; raise the country’s status in the regional hierarchy; and strengthen its defence capability. Australia’s entry into the AUKUS means the formation of a new, anti-Chinese strategy in the region. For the UK, membership in the AUKUS allows it to: expand its naval presence in the Indo-Pacific region; strengthen its special relations with the United States; improve its image, which was shaken after the country’s exit from the EU; and restore traditional ties with Australia. For the United States, AUKUS is the implementation of the strategy of “pivot” to Asia and the creation of a new alliance that has greater opportunities for military-strategic cooperation in the face of the threat from China to use the Pacific Ocean to oust the United States from a leading position. There are some possible geopolitical consequences of creating AUKUS for the region. They are escalation of tension and the nuclear arms race of the opposing parties; a new cold war with China; expansion of the club of nuclear powers because of Australia; imbalance of geopolitical forces in the region; undermining transatlantic unity; and a common strategy in the foreign policy of European countries and the United States.

Влияние стратегического партнерства АУКУС на геополитическую ситуацию в Индо-Тихоокеанском регионе

The purpose of the AUKUS strategic alliance is to develop cooperation between the member countries (U.S., UK and Australia) in the field of security and defence in the Indo-Pacific region. The agreement provides for the supply of submarines powered by nuclear reactors to Australia. The emergence of this new strategic alliance was caused by the following factors: the increased power of China in the region; the weakening of the U.S. position in the Indo-Pacific; the desire of the UK to implement the “global Britain” strategy in practice; and the need for the U.S. to have reliable allies to contain China. These factors reveal the true purpose of AUKUS—containment of China and opposition to its active policy in the region. In this article, the author uses comparative analysis to reveal the different goals and geopolitical interests of the AUKUS countries. The systematic approach helps to describe the essence of the complex developing geopolitical system of the Indo-Pacific region.The theories of new institutionalism and constructivism make it possible to identify both continuity and gaps in the security policy and foreign policy of regional actors. Australia’s participation in the AUKUS allows it to: strengthen its political ties with influential partners—the United States and Great Britain; receive additional security guarantees from them in the context of increased activity of Chinese policy in the region; raise the country’s status in the regional hierarchy; and strengthen its defence capability. Australia’s entry into the AUKUS means the formation of a new, anti-Chinese strategy in the region. For the UK, membership in the AUKUS allows it to: expand its naval presence in the Indo-Pacific region; strengthen its special relations with the United States; improve its image, which was shaken after the country’s exit from the EU; and restore traditional ties with Australia. For the United States, AUKUS is the implementation of the strategy of “pivot” to Asia and the creation of a new alliance that has greater opportunities for military-strategic cooperation in the face of the threat from China to use the Pacific Ocean to oust the United States from a leading position. There are some possible geopolitical consequences of creating AUKUS for the region. They are escalation of tension and the nuclear arms race of the opposing parties; a new cold war with China; expansion of the club of nuclear powers because of Australia; imbalance of geopolitical forces in the region; undermining transatlantic unity; and a common strategy in the foreign policy of European countries and the United States.

United in Grief? Emotional Communities Around the Far-Right Terrorist Attack in Hanau

Drawing on theories of affect, emotion, and new institutionalism, we analyze discourse around the right-wing terrorist attack in Hanau, Germany, to identify the different ways in which emotions and affect circulate on legacy media and Twitter and how they help establish varying emotional communities. Building upon an understanding of journalism as an affective institution, our article takes a close look at how journalism attempts to assert its role in public spheres not only by circulating information but also by providing emotional interpretations of events. Journalism’s emotional interpretations, however, do not remain unchallenged. With the emergence of the hybrid media system, users engage in various forms of interaction on social media platforms, forming “affective publics” by connecting through their affective reactions to current issues and events. In these interactions, distinct emotional communities may emerge, built around performative, political emotions. Our data comprises various news shows aired on the German public service broadcaster ARD as well as a dataset of tweets about #Hanau that were collected in the immediate aftermath of the attack. The results of our mixed-methods analysis reveal that different performances of grief played a central role both on TV news and on social media. On TV, grief was nationally connotated and aimed at uniting Germany’s population. On social media, it fueled anti-racist activism, as seen on the hashtag #SayTheirNames, honoring the victims of the attack.

신제도주의 관점을 적용한 교육정책연구 동향 분석

Objectives This study examined the educational policy research based on the theory of new institutionalism and analyzed the trend of educational policy research applying the new institutionalism perspective from 2013 to 2021 to provide the direction of future educational policy research. Methods For this purpose, 58 studies using the new institutionalism perspective were selected as the subjects of analysis through three stages of literature research method and the trends were analyzed by opening related research materials. In the first stage, the analysis criteria were selected by examining the preceding studies related to the trend of education policy research applying new institutionalism. In the second stage, the related papers were investigated with the keywords ‘new institutionalism’ and ‘education’, and then the educational policy research materials were classified according to the analysis criteria. In the third stage, each research was analyzed according to the analysis area and standards. Results As a result of the study, educational policy research applying the theory and concept of new institutionalism has been actively conducted so far, and there have been many studies using integrated analysis frameworks emphasizing interest in institutional change and the role of actors. In terms of research topics, 58 papers from 2013 to 2021 were conducted evenly in the whole of educational policy studies based on new institutionalism. In terms of research methods, educational policy research has been conducted mainly on literature research, and qualitative research has gradually increased since 2013, but the proportion of quantitative research and mixed research has been relatively low. Conclusions The new institutionalism theory can be a useful approach to analyze educational policy, and it can increase the explanation power of the theory if it is applied to the education policy research after highlighting the issues of the analysis theory by grasping the issues and limitations of the theory.

The Cross-Country Comparison Model for Labor Participation (CCC Model for LP) of Persons with Chronic Diseases

Purpose To design a model based on the three pillars of new institutional theory (NIT), that facilitates cross-country comparison of labor participation (LP) of people with chronic diseases. This model should support getting a comprehensive overview of factors representing country differences, understanding these differences and should support estimating cross-country transferability of policies and interventions in the context of Work Disability Prevention. Methods Based on NIT, a draft model was designed by means of (1) a literature review of empirical studies; (2) theoretical books and articles; (3) a focus group with six expert researchers. This draft model was (4) adapted in the context of academic education. Literature was searched on Web of Science and EBSCO host. Feedback on (use of) the model was received from the focus group, four different academic courses at 28 occasions and two international conferences. Results The cross-country comparison model for labor participation (CCC model for LP) of persons with chronic diseases is proposed consisting of five factors: (1) Legislation; (2) Norms & values in practice; (3) Culture; (4) Organization of WDP in practice; (5) Labor market characteristics. Within these factors and based on (in)direct empirical evidence, subfactors are distinguished. The feedback received led to renaming (sub) factors, improved visual representation and a tool for estimating transferability. Conclusions The CCC model for LP of persons with chronic diseases allows for a comprehensive understanding of country differences and cross-country transferability of policies and interventions. The CCC model can be used for other populations when population-specific subfactors are included.

Institutionalising city networking: Discursive and rational choice institutional perspectives on membership of transnational municipal networks

This article analyses participants’ reasoning for their city’s membership in transnational municipal networks and the extent to which this changes over time. Theoretically, we build on new-institutional theory and conclude that although parts of the members’ reasoning have rational components, a discursive institutional perspective improves the understanding of cities’ membership of transnational municipal networks. This perspective uncovers how important aspects of transnational municipal network participation are motivated by a different logic than that of measurable output. Cities use transnational municipal networks as sources of internal and external legitimacy, to legitimatise their position in domestic politics and their international position among other ‘global’ cities.

Theoretical and Methodological Features of Europeanization and New Institutionalism

It is identified in the paper that one of the important prerequisites for implementing an effective European integration policy is to consider the theories of Europeanization and new institutionalism. The essence of the concepts of "Europeanization" and "new institutionalism" is studied, the evolution of theoretical approaches to their research is considered, and the directions of studying "external" Europeanization were analyzed. The paper proves that the concept of Europeanization is widely used in the European scientific literature to analyze the political and regulatory influence of the European Union on new EU member states and neighboring countries, as well as the fundamental mechanisms of Europeanization. The author notes that Europeanization implies changes, transformations, and reforms taking place in all spheres of life under the influence of European integration processes, which can be analyzed from the standpoint of new institutionalism. The key provision of the new institutionalism is defined by the commonly used expression – "institutions matter", whose analytical priorities are to use a wide range of interdisciplinary approaches to the analysis of norms, institutions and processes.

A New-Institutional Analysis of Inclusion Policy Enactment in Teacher Education: A Case from Ontario

This qualitative single case study aimed to examine the logics of one teacher education program towards preparing pre-service teachers for inclusive teaching from the perspectives of the program’s coordinators. In particular, the study aimed to understand the practices of these coordinators and how these practices are influenced by inclusive education and teacher education policies. This examination would reveal how education policies are enacted in this particular case. New-Institutionalism (NI) theory (DiMaggio & Powell, 1991) constituted the theoretical framework that guided the methodology as well as the analysis of the findings. The study revealed that the coordinators’ understanding and practices around the existing inclusion and teacher education policies emerge from their own experiences in this particular program, intermingled with their beliefs about how inclusion should be enacted in teacher education and schools. Key findings included coordinators developing inclusive mindsets among pre-service teachers, negotiating their logics towards inclusion through modeling inclusive teaching practices in the university classroom, and engaging them in critical discussions around inclusion policy practice in schools, and coordinators calling for a curriculum policy change. Recommendations for future teacher education programming in response to the evolving inclusive education are offered.

Информация и институциональный выбор в моделях агентских взаимодействий

The paper discusses the neo-institutional approach to the study of agent interactions based on information exchange and the institutional choice for the use of a common resource. The aim of the study is to formalize the model of interaction between two agents exchanging information and finding various modes of such exchange, which are determined by the influence of in-formation transfer of institutions. This enables us to adjust the standard scheme applied to study the institutional choice, which involves the demonstration of the Prisoner’s Dilemma game take and discussion of the example of adverse selection. The research methodology is based on the theory of new institutionalism developed by the Coase-Ostrom scientific school. We expand this approach by removing model constraints and conventions of institutional choice to describe the general theoret-ical provisions covering various institutional situations that are difficult to study only through field research. This research also discusses the questions not taken into account by the above-mentioned methodology: the institutions as a kind of a common resource and behavior of agents in situations where there is no institutional choice or the choice is determined by the criteria other than the expected benefits and costs and not only by a set of normally established situational variables. The proposed model results not only in finding information exchange regimes and the types of adaptation of the correspond-ing agents, but also in the determination of an acceptable decision-making zone within the framework of institutional choice, according to simultaneously applied criteria — an increase in the general welfare, material component of welfare and reduction in information asymmetry. It is shown that the regulatory parameters that correspond to the influence of institutions on the transfer of information from one agent to another can be dependent or not, but affect their respective channels of information transfer in their own way. The adverse selection model is determined not only by information asymmetry, but also by other institutional conditions related to the characteristics of a given market, a third party’s influence on the deal, as opposed to the external effect mechanism. This brings us to the fact that the inherent properties of adverse selection — lowering of the price of goods and quality loss — cease to have effect. Areas of future research may include an expanded application of this model to institutions as a public resource.