Suchergebnisse

A report of a study by participant observation of the decision-making process in the Free-Democratic Party in the Berne Canton in Switzerland from Jan 1969 to Sep 1970. In May 1970 the parliament of the Berne Canton was elected. It is investigated whether the time distance to election day has any influence on the decision-making process in the Free-Democratic Party. The starting hyp's are: (1) The more the decision-makers anticipate the reactions of the voters, the more they anticipate that the result of the election will change their balance of rewards & punishments in a positive or negative way. (2) The more the decision-makers anticipate that the result of the election will change their balance of rewards & punishments in a positive or negative way, (a) the more they perceive their pol'al role as important, (b) the more they perceive their pol'al role as depending on the result of elections, (c) the more they anticipate that the next election could change their pol'al role, & (d) the more they perceive their pol'al party as an important group of reference. Further hyp's deal with the question of whether the time distance to election day has a conservative or a progressive influence on the decision-making process. Because the coding of the data is still in progress, the paper presents only the preliminary hyp's without any data. However, the hyp's are discussed re their relevance for democratic theory. AA.

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to gain insight into the contingent use of rational, intuitive and political decision-making in R&D. Design/methodology/approach: This research is based on a study in an R&D department of a multinational high-tech firm in the Netherlands. The study consists of a case study design, focusing on four embedded cases, longitudinally studying each case. Findings: The literature distinguishes three dimensions of innovation decision-making processes: rational, intuitive and political. By studying these interwoven dimensions over time, this study finds that the dominant use of each of these dimensions differs across the innovation process. There is an emphasis on intuitive decision-making in an early phase, followed by more emphasis on political decision-making, and moving to more emphasis on rational decision-making in a later phase of the R&D process. Furthermore, the predominant choice in a specific innovation phase for one of the three decision-making dimensions is influenced by the decision-making dimension that is dominantly employed in the preceding phase. Research limitations/implications: This study contributes to the innovation decision-making literature by developing and applying a model that distinguishes rational, intuitive and political decision-making dimensions, the interactions among these dimensions in innovation decision-making in R&D, and the contingency of these dimensions upon the innovation phase. It calls for further research into the contingent nature of innovation decision-making processes. Practical implications: For practitioners this study has two relevant insights. First it highlights the importance and usefulness of intuitive and political decision-making in addition to the prevailing emphasis on rational decision-making. Second, practitioners may be more alert to consciously changing their dominant decision-making approach across the phases of the innovation process. Third, companies may adjust their human resource policies to this study's findings. Originality/value: The literature on rational, intuitive and political decision-making is quite extensive. However, research has hardly studied how these decision-making dimensions develop in conjunction, and over time. This paper reports on a first study to do so and finds that the dominant use of these dimensions is contingent upon the phase of the R&D process and on the decision-making dimensions used in earlier phases. The study suggests that using a contingency approach can help to further integrate the debate in research and practice.

"The Search for Real-World Media Effects on Political Decision Making" published on by Oxford University Press.

"Qualitative Comparative Analysis: Discovering Core Combinations of Conditions in Political Decision Making" published on by Oxford University Press.

This article considers four dictatorships that have each been associated with European fascism: Portuguese Salazarism, Spanish Francoism, Italian Fascism and German National Socialism. It seeks to ascertain the 'locus' of political decision-making authority, the composition and the recruitment channels of the dictatorships' ministerial elites during the fascist era. The interaction between the single party, the government, the state apparatus and civil society appears fundamental if we are to achieve an understanding of the different ways in which the various dictatorships of the fascist era functioned. The party and its ancillary organisations were not simply parallel institutions: they attempted to gain control of the bureaucracy and select the governing elite – forcing some dictatorships towards an unstable equilibrium in the process, even while they were the central agents for the creation and maintenance of the leader's charismatic authority. The article focuses on an analysis of the gradations of these tensions that may be illustrated by the eventual emergence of a weaker or stronger 'dualism of power'. This 'dualism of power' appears to be the determining factor in explanations for the typological and classificatory variations used to qualify those dictatorships that have been historically associated with fascism, and which have been variously defined as 'authoritarian' and 'totalitarian', or as 'authoritarian' and 'fascist'.

The unfolding of recombinant DNA, from research technique to political issue, is described. As a research technique, recombinant DNA (abbreviated rDNA) has opened up new vistas in biological and other fields of research. But its potential yet unproven hazard has created uneasy feelings toward the technique. The controversial nature of the issue finally launched rDNA into the political sphere, involving scientists, the public at large, and Congress in efforts to control the development of the field. The first group to regulate rDNA was the scientists. The scientific community called for a voluntary moratorium on experiments perceived as potentially dangerous at the time. It was an unprecedented act. The National Institutes of Health subsequently issued guidelines for a safe execution of rDNA experiments to minimize potential dangers to public health and well-being. Efforts of the scientific community to control rDNA was seen, however, as a politics of expertise. Challenges to this "technocratic" approach soon emerged. Vocal members of the public suspected expert decision makers as being biased toward scientific interests, reducing rDNA to a technical issue. They rejected the experts tunnel vision and demanded a say in decisions. Public participation in the decision-making process precipitated community debates at locations where rDNA research was ongoing. A democratic approach to decision-making proved to be a viable policy-making mode. The ensuing local and state laws, however, seemed inadequate to cover global consequences of rDNA. In an effort to unify regulations of the field, Congress attempted to legislate on the subject. Resistance from the scientific community, which regard legislative control as rigid and unnecessary, was one of the causes of diminishing congressional interest in the matter. None of the introduced bills was enacted. For complex policy areas with uncertain yet far-reaching scientific and societal consequences -- like rDNA -- this dissertation recommends a policy-making process where scientists, interested lay persons, politicians, public administrators, and other relevant parties participate in structured communications prior to an emerging controversy. To facilitate the process, establishment of National Science Fora is recommended. ; Ph. D.