Role Of Brokers Research Articles

How Indonesia and Vietnam navigate coalitional networks in the Indo-Pacific

ABSTRACT This article explores how two Southeast Asian middle powers, Indonesia and Vietnam, have responded to U.S. and China-led efforts to build coalitional hegemonies in the Indo-Pacific. Through the lens of network analysis, the article argues that while Indonesia and Vietnam have sought to enhance their positions in the coalitional networks that are being established by China and the United States, neither Jakarta nor Hanoi wants to be embedded exclusively in either network. The aim is to maximise their respective agency and level of autonomy in an era of China-U.S. rivalry, and avoid the worst-case scenario of being forced to choose between Washington and Beijing. Consequently, Indonesia and Vietnam have cautiously pursued greater social access in both networks while at the same time diversifying their alternative network options. Contrary to theoretical expectations, the two middle powers have been ambivalent in assuming brokerage roles in the China and U.S.-led networks. The analysis here contributes to the discussion on middle powers and networks—especially in the context of competing networks—as well as to the existing literature regarding Southeast Asian responses to China-U.S. rivalry.

The role of the academic developer as broker in building trust

ABSTRACT While ‘broker’ appears in academic development literature, the broker role is underexplored in it relative to other disciplines and its potential significance for academic developers (ADs). Synthesizing management and academic development literature, this conceptual article explains how ADs can foster trust as brokers. It delineates the broker role as articulated in management research and explains how ADs’ work is consistent with this conceptualization of the broker role. It elaborates on the conceptual and empirical basis of brokers’ ability to cultivate trust; articulates implications of the broker role for ADs’ practice in terms of important techniques, opportunities, and risks involved; and identifies areas for further research.

Constructions of agency in children’s cultural and linguistic brokering practices

Constructions of children’s agency have been an influential and dominant arena for discussion since the emergence of the ‘new’ paradigm of childhood in the 1990s. Cross-disciplinary studies recognise the different social, cultural and temporal influences upon perceptions of childhood and acknowledge the impact of such constructions on how children’s agency is understood and realised. Many of the definitions of agency reflect Article 12 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, which states the child’s right to be involved in decisions affecting them. However, as with other articles of the convention, Article 12 is prone to subjective adult interpretation predicated on assumptions of competence and capability, and subject to the same uneasy tension between participation, protection and provision which characterises the convention more broadly. Furthermore, the presumed relationship between children’s involvement in decision making as an indicator of agency is misleading. This paper argues that children’s agency is a poorly defined concept, whose lack of clarity contributes to children being constrained as active change agents within and beyond contexts which directly affect them. Using the context of child language brokers, the paper argues that despite offering children the ‘socio-culturally mediated capacity to act’ brokering practices frequently take place in response to adult-determined objectives, rather than in contexts freely chosen by the child, potentially compromising their agentic potential. This paper draws upon the findings from Crutchley’s doctoral thesis which used Biographical Narrative Interpretive Method to explore the retrospective narratives of adults who assumed the role of cultural and linguistic brokers during their childhoods.

Framing matters: LGBTQIA+ organisations’ boundary spanning within and across collective action fields

Western-based LGBTQIA+ mobilisations have often been described as both internally fragmented and isolated from other social struggles. However, recent studies show that LGBTQIA+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans*, queer, intersex, asexual/aromantic and other) organisations have increasingly used social media to span organisational boundaries by networking with other groups and framing common concerns. This article addresses these concerns by examining the interplay between digital networking and collective framing in different socio-political contexts and over time. The investigation focuses on the collective action events promoted on Facebook by LGBTQIA+ organisations located in Milan and Madrid between 2011 and 2020. After mapping the socio-semantic networks resulting from the promotion of the collective action events, the article analyses the brokerage roles played by different frames. Our findings show that while social media facilitates the creation of both within- and cross-field cooperative networks, framing congruence is necessary for transforming occasional cross-field network choices into sustained efforts to span boundaries and form intersectional alliances.

From an amplifier to a silencer: the Slovak EU presidency and energy policy

ABSTRACT Council Presidency is widely regarded as one of the most challenging responsibilities for EU countries, particularly for newcomers. Countries that joined the Union during the eastern enlargement in 2004 have presided over the EU at most twice, as the large number of members has made the presidency a sporadic occasion. This rarity elevates the significance for member states assuming the presidency, as they aspire to demonstrate their capability to lead the EU effectively during their six-month term. This paper examines the 2016 Slovak Council Presidency and why it changed its policy priorities. While energy policy was at first among Slovakia’s top priorities and made it into the draft Presidency programme, in the final programme – and the Presidency itself – energy issues lost their key position and became only part of the day-to-day agenda. We argue that the Slovak Presidency functioned as a silencer of national preferences and assumed the role of an honest broker acting as a neutral mediator with no own preferences. It also sought to avoid controversial topics, including those related to energy policy. The paper thus contributes to the discussion about the functions of the Presidency of the Council of the European Union.

The Role of Intermediaries in Selection Markets: Evidence from Mortgage Lending

Abstract We study the role of brokers in selection markets. We find broker-clients in the Canadian mortgage market are observationally different from branch-clients. They finance larger loans with more leverage and longer amortization. We build and estimate a model of mortgage demand to disentangle three possible explanations for these riskier product choices: (1) selection on observables, (2) unobserved borrower preferences for riskier loans, and (3) a causal effect of brokers. Although we find that brokers influence product choices, the main reason borrowers choose high-leverage products is unobserved preferences. Borrowers prefer larger loans and brokers facilitate qualification for them. (JEL G21, D12)

Exploring the role of evidence-based educational resources and brokering in the wake of political trauma

Background The research-practice gap has not been explored within civics education, and in particular the role of evidence-based civics curriculum in times of political trauma. Such research is critical in equipping educators with evidence-based resources to help mitigate political trauma experienced by students. Here, we explore the types of resources teachers access as well as the role of Brokers, Intermediaries and Boundary Spanners (BIBS) in connecting teachers to such sources after the historic 6 January 2021 US Capitol insurrection. Aims and objectives This study poses the following research questions: (1) what resources did teachers utilise to support their students following the 6 January 2021 Capitol insurrection; and (2) who were key BIBS in connecting teachers to such information and what role did research evidence have in the generation of such materials? Methods Using cross-sectional survey data, we analyse the open-ended text-based responses from educators reflecting on the days after 6 January 2021. Findings The study illuminates’ trends in: (1) the type of resources teachers utilise to address students’ needs (educational curricula, social media, news outlets); and (2) the role of BIBS in connecting them to such information (media platforms, mass media, educational non-profit organisations). Discussion and conclusion In the face of political trauma, educators present civics crises as ‘open issues’ and struggle to access frameworks to support research-based pedagogy. Findings illuminate the potential of a BIBS framework that works to further support educators in facilitating conversations and evidence-based pedagogies with their students that rebuke such injustices.

From seller to broker: When and how issue sellers engage with external stakeholders to sell issues inside organizations

Issue sellers employ a variety of tactics to create internal support for issues they seek to advance within an organization. While the relationship between internal issue “sellers” and “buyers” has been examined in prior work, we address a crucial omission in this body of literature, namely how issue sellers engage with external stakeholders to influence internal issue selling. We study corporate social responsibility (CSR) managers, their organizational counterparts who are expected to implement CSR, and external stakeholders (in our study non-governmental organizations). We find that issue sellers have three issue-selling tactics at their disposal that they employ dynamically and depending on internal buyers’ perception of the issue: First, mobilizing external stakeholders when internal support for the issue is low; second, buffering external expectations when they are incongruent with internal requirements; and third, moderating between external stakeholders and internal buyers when issues are difficult to implement. Our contribution is to explain why issue sellers’ role vis-à-vis internal buyers and external stakeholders can be better understood as that of “issue brokers” when they navigate strategically between external stakeholder expectations and organizational goals. This advances the issue-selling literature and research on brokerage roles and contributes to individual-level research on CSR.

Preparedness for and collaboration during regional outbreaks with multidrug-resistant organisms

Abstract Background Outbreaks with multidrug-resistant organisms (MDROs) are a significant burden on the healthcare system and the wellbeing of affected patients and carriers. Cross-institutional MDRO outbreaks require a concerted multidisciplinary effort for effective outbreak management. This presents challenges regarding cooperation, coordination and communication between stakeholders. In this study, we investigate collaborative structures and coordination roles in Dutch outbreak response networks and how Dutch healthcare professionals engage in preparedness activities relating to MDRO outbreaks. These findings form the basis for the development of a stress test exercise for improving professional and organizational collaboration and coordination during MDRO outbreaks. Methods Using a mixed-methods design, an online survey and qualitative interviews are conducted among healthcare professionals in two healthcare regions in the Netherlands. Social network analysis is used to gain insight in collaborative structures and brokerage roles. To investigate preparedness activities, the survey is combined with qualitative interviews to explore respondents’ experiences, preferences and needs regarding preparedness activities for MDRO outbreak management. Results During the workshop we will show the cross-organizational network structures, the strengths and weakness of the mutual connections and provide insight in positions in networks, roles and responsibilities. Also, we provide insight in how the use of and experience with training and exercise activities, such as stress tests, contribute to preparedness for MDRO outbreaks in vulnerable patient populations. Conclusions This study shows how healthcare professionals from different organizations collaborate during MDRO outbreaks, and how they engage with preparedness activities. This provides valuable input for development of a stress test specific to MDRO outbreak management, and other interventions to improve outbreak preparedness.

Generating and translating evidence for safe and effective medication management in aged care homes.

Generating and translating high-quality evidence is integral to providing safe and effective medication management for residents of aged care homes. Residents are often under-represented in trials of medication effectiveness and safety. This paper reviews opportunities and challenges for generating and translating evidence for safe and effective medication management in aged care homes. There are an increasing number of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) being conductedin aged care homes. Observational studies can also help address the evidence-practice gap arising from underrepresentation of residents in RCTs. Stepped-wedge and helix counterbalanced designs may help overcome limitations of traditional RCTs for evaluating medication management interventions in the aged care setting. Strategies for generating evidence include building effective partnerships with aged care homes and organizations, using novel trial designs, leveraging existing data and knowledge sharing through international platforms. Strategies for translating evidence include using quality indicators for audit and feedback, provision of education and training, engaging internal and external stakeholders, and development of local action plans and guideline implementation tools. There is an emerging interest in the role of knowledge brokers to facilitate knowledge translation. Future directions for generating and translating evidence include strengthening international research collaboration, industry partnerships, standardizing aged care home data to support national and international comparisons, and optimizing the use of technology. Initiatives may include improving access to routinely collected administrative health and medication data for conducting high-quality observational studies. Future studies should assess outcomes prioritized by residents to ensure that medication management strategies are tailored to their needs.

The impact of government-backed venture capital on artificial intelligence startups’ productivity: focusing on broker roles

ABSTRACT This study investigates the effects of government venture capitals (GVCs) backing on the productivity of startups compared to private venture capitals (PVCs). Based on a sample of 1,149 artificial intelligence startups in South Korea, we find that startups backed by GVCs show better productivity than those backed by PVCs. In examining the underlying mechanism of such higher performance by GVC-backing, we find that GVC-backed startups are more likely to acquire proprietary data and join R&D testbed programmes, thus leading to better productivity compared with PVC-backed startups. We interpret our findings as evidence of the positive abilities of GVCs as intermediaries for their portfolio startups.

Slum upgrading and participation: Insights from a marginalized neighbourhood in Buenos Aires

This paper rethinks participation in slum upgrading beyond a well-established dichotomy of “top-down” and “bottom-up” processes and instead proposes a relational and strategic approach to urban transformation. Based on qualitative research with a small informal settlement, Barrio Saldías, in Buenos Aires, that fell off the city government's agenda, this paper explores the role of participation in promoting upgrading from the margins. It argues that Saldías differs from instances of community-led upgrading due to the central role of party brokers and political representatives (especially from the local state) alongside residents, all of whom participate together in a political climate dominated by the discourses of citizen participation and slum upgrading. Rather than collapsing these experiences into the logic of clientelism, participation is centred as the articulatory logic based on a shared desire and commitment to transforming urban space, towards multiple political ends. Participatory upgrading in Saldías exceeds the narrow focus of project-centric approaches and draws on a wider trajectory of participation in Buenos Aires. It demonstrates this through an analysis of three moments of participatory upgrading in Saldías.

Agents, brokerage and Argentinian railways 1880–1905

This article examines the role of agents and how their brokerage activities influenced the composition, shape and size of Baring’s business networks in Argentinian railways during 1880–1905. Baring was heavily involved in Argentine sovereign and railway financing and relied on trusted agents, who acted as important conduits of information, to manage their business empire. We explore 2700 pieces of correspondence in the form of letters and telegrams to illustrate Baring’s network over time. Studying the case of Argentinian railways, the correspondences reveal the longevity of Baring’s network and agents’ brokerage roles over time in response to changing local and global economic currents. Through this rich qualitative data and network analysis, we contribute to understanding agent’s brokerage and network change over time. By highlighting the role of invisible actors in the form of agents, the article contributes to understanding infrastructure finance, financial globalisation and more generally, the global history of capitalism.

Multilevel integrated healthcare: The evaluation of Project ECHO® networks to integrate children’s healthcare in Australia

The present empirical study aims to explore medical knowledge sharing in the Australian healthcare context, aiming to broadly evaluate the potential impact of Project ECHO®, an online mentoring and networking health program. We focus on health-related knowledge sharing practices among the network of professionals through formal and informal channels, and across different health and non-health sectors and organisational systems. Studying knowledge transmission among professional networks is essential for optimizing healthcare delivery, promoting innovation, and providing insights on improvement of patient experiences within the healthcare system. We utilize a multilevel approach to shape our data collection strategy. Employing network measures and Multilevel Exponential Random Graph Models, we aim to explore how advice and knowledge sharing behaviours among healthcare professionals and their institutions are interdependently connected. Then, we incorporate network generated results within an evaluation framework for establishing some aspects of the efficiency of the ECHO program along four pillars: Acceptability, Capability, Reachability, and Integration. Our investigation found that among ECHO members, hierarchy is less pronounced compared to across levels and organizations, with certain individuals emerging as central in advice-sharing. The multilevel network perspective showed complex, informal patterns of knowledge and information sharing, including inter-organizational hierarchy, role and sector homophily, brokerage roles with popularity across health organizations, and connectivity through knowledge-sharing in cross-level small group clusters.

Factors Affecting Health Research Utilization Among Health Professionals in Nigeria

The utilization of health research in clinical practice is hindered by individual, organizational, and systemic barriers, including insufficient research literacy and unsupportive organizational cultures. Enhancing research literacy, fostering supportive environments, and implementing evidence-based policies are crucial for bridging the gap between research and practice, ultimately improving patient outcomes. This study investigates the factors affecting health research utilization among health professionals in Nigeria, an essential aspect for advancing healthcare systems and patient outcomes. Utilizing a cross-sectional descriptive design, data were collected via an online survey distributed to public health professionals and policymakers. The survey explored demographics, research utilization, dissemination effectiveness, barriers, and recommendations for improvement. Key findings indicate significant demographic disparities, with a higher proportion of younger and non-public health degree holders reporting unused research findings. The study identified major barriers, including inadequate communication, poor dissemination practices, and lack of access to research findings. Despite 87.6% of respondents conducting potentially impactful research, only 13.6% reported actual utilization of their findings. The recommendations for improvement emphasized the role of knowledge brokers, fostering research-attuned and decision-relevant cultures, enhancing communication and interaction between researchers and users, and building capacity among all stakeholders. Additionally, establishing effective dissemination systems, securing funding, and promoting international collaboration were highlighted as critical strategies. The study underscores the necessity of addressing structural, cultural, and communicative barriers to improve the practical application of health research in Nigeria, aligning with global trends and literature advocating for a multifaceted approach to enhance health outcomes.

The Role of Knowledge Brokers in Facilitating Knowledge Transfer within and between Organizations

Purpose: The general objective of the study was to investigate the role of knowledge brokers in facilitating knowledge transfer within and between organizations. Methodology: The study adopted a desktop research methodology. Desk research refers to secondary data or that which can be collected without fieldwork. Desk research is basically involved in collecting data from existing resources hence it is often considered a low cost technique as compared to field research, as the main cost is involved in executive’s time, telephone charges and directories. Thus, the study relied on already published studies, reports and statistics. This secondary data was easily accessed through the online journals and library. Findings: The findings reveal that there exists a contextual and methodological gap relating to the role of knowledge brokers in facilitating knowledge transfer within and between organizations. Preliminary empirical review revealed that knowledge brokers played a crucial role in facilitating knowledge transfer within and between organizations by acting as intermediaries between knowledge creators and users. They effectively bridged gaps, built networks of trust, translated complex information into accessible formats, and provided tailored support to various stakeholders. Their efforts enhanced the accessibility, relevance, and application of knowledge, fostering a culture of continuous learning and innovation. Additionally, knowledge brokers contributed to the broader diffusion of innovations and best practices, promoting systemic improvements and a more interconnected knowledge ecosystem. Unique Contribution to Theory, Practice and Policy: The study recommended enhancing theoretical frameworks to explicitly include knowledge brokers, formally recognizing and supporting their roles within organizations through training and development, and creating policies that incentivize their integration into public and private sectors. It also suggested developing interdisciplinary networks for collaboration, implementing robust evaluation mechanisms to assess the impact of knowledge brokers, and ensuring long-term sustainability through ongoing funding and institutional support. These measures aimed to optimize the impact of knowledge brokers in driving innovation, improving performance, and facilitating effective knowledge transfer within and between organizations.

A RESET of dairy farmer animal health planning behaviour: symbiotic advisory relationships and knowledge brokering in HerdAdvance

ABSTRACT Purpose: To evaluate the success of behavioural interventions designed to improve preventative animal health planning by dairy farmers in Wales. Methods: Interviews of farmers, veterinarians; focus group with extension officers; post-hoc written reflections from project managers; survey of farmers and veterinarians; farmer dropout analysis. Findings: The combination of interventions inspired by the RESET model of behavioural change helped farmers to implement new animal health planning behaviours. Crucial to the success of the project was the brokering role of extension agents and curation of AKIS relationships by project managers. This led to the establishment of symbiotic relationships which helped to deliver successful behavioural interventions. Practical implications: Illustrates the need for strong project and AKIS management to deliver combined behavioural interventions to farmers. It also demonstrates the danger of narrow evaluation methods which fail to delve deeper into the symbiotic relationships needed to deliver interventions in practice. Theoretical implications: Adds empirical evidence to an integrated behavioural change model (RESET) and explicitly connects the concepts of knowledge brokering and social capital with successful delivery of behavioural change. Originality: (1) Contributes novel empirical evidence on how to effect farmer behaviour change based on a large-scale national project. (2) explicitly highlights knowledge brokering, social capital, and good project management as crucial to delivering behavioural change projects, (3) reflects on the value of mixed method evaluations of behavioural change projects.

Recognize Dream Broker Role

Recognize Dream Broker Role

Facilitating the circular economy: insights from novel supply network actors

PurposeThis research studies circularity brokers, the economic actors facilitating the transition of companies towards circular operations. The purpose of this paper is to extend the understanding of “circular brokerage”, deriving from the concept of brokerage existing in network theory and applied to the specific context of the circular supply network. Recent papers have been devoted to particular facets of circular brokerage, with studies dedicated to circular incubators or platforms. This study proposes how these new actors can have a significant role in facilitating circular economy in general.Design/methodology/approachThe methodology is qualitative using 17 semi-directed interviews with circularity brokers. The theoretical approach draws on the network view and builds on recent developments of the theory in the context of circular economy.FindingsCircularity brokers support organisations and their networks, helping them to overcome the problems that stand in their way of adopting circular economy at different levels (micro, meso and macro). To do this, circularity brokers deploy a wide range of activities involving technical, methodological and relational skills. The study extends previous research by elaborating on the relationship between the position these actors occupy within their network and the benefits they can bring in terms of circularity.Originality/valueThis research provides evidence on the role of circularity brokers and moves the state of knowledge from a specific sector or cases to other sectors and a broader role beyond network position specifics. Network theory, with the constructs of broker exchanges and the influence of embeddedness, is used to develop theoretical implications.

Politics of International Labor Migration and the Survival of (Illegal) Brokers in Indonesia

Indonesian labor migration is a multifaceted process heavily influenced by private actors, particularly brokers who operate both within the bounds of legality as recruitment agencies and outside it as illicit recruiters. These brokers are frequently accused of exploiting Indonesian migrant workers, leading to government efforts to limit their roles. However, despite legislative efforts, such as the 2017 law aimed at restricting the roles of labor-recruiting companies and illegal brokers, these intermediaries persist. Drawing on the concept of brokerage and the Theory of Strategic Action Field, this article explains why brokers remain despite legislative challenges. This study also argues that state regulations inadvertently create structural holes, thereby providing brokers with opportunities to maintain their involvement in labor migration. Through 56 in-depth interviews with various actors—including current and former migrant workers, recruiters, recruitment agencies, civil society organizations (CSOs), and government officials—the study illuminates how the Indonesian government’s framing of "procedural migration” contains inherent loopholes. Brokers then exploited these gaps to legitimize their presence and assert control over workers’ destinies. These brokers adeptly adapt to regulatory changes and influence migration.