Suchergebnisse

"Since the development of the Institutional Dimensions of Global Environmental Change (IDGEC) Science Plan in 1998 has become an important subject of inquiry. The Science Plan put institutional interaction on the agenda of global change research when only a handful of scholars had raised the general issue. Their work drew attention to the risk of 'treaty congestion' [...] and to an increasing 'regime density' [...] in the international system. Today it is widely recognized that 'the effectiveness of specific institutions often depends not only on their own features but also on their interactions with other institutions' [...]. Many environmental issue areas are cocoverned by several international institutions with governance also involving institutions at lower levels of societal and administrative organization (regional, national, local) [...]." (excerpt)

The effects of information technology (IT) deployment on efficiency & reduction of corruption in municipal government is illustrated in this case of the Calcutta Municipal Corp in India, 1994/95. The five stages of implementation were setting a strategic agenda, launching the pilot, reconfirming the agenda, rolling out the project, & driving benefits & change. Automation & IT were introduced within a strategy to improve employee morale & gain confidence after institutional failure, to raise revenues, & to control expenditures. Employees & outsiders offered strong resistance to implementation of the new IT system. Besides its positive effects on general operations & management, the new IT system checked corruption in the areas of property tax assessment & collection, expenditures management, & solid waste management. M. Pflum

"As a tool of development, microfinance represents an extremely complex landscape. As distinct from commercial finance, microfinance is 'development finance' - finance for the creation of longer-term social and developmental value (i.e., social profit). Thus, its focus is to blend values, to re-cycle money to multiply social impact. The international policy debate, influencing the development of the sector, has been dominated by two schools - the development school and the finance school. The field has grown through innovations flowing into the sector from both traditions. The first wave, with the most original fundamental social innovation in the form of a new social design for solidarity lending through groups, did create new economic and emancipatory space for the poor women. With the entry of commercial capital, microfinance grew with a new momentum driven by a new logic, but with a 'change of heart' changing its focus from the clients to the institution and its sustainability, giving rise to a second wave of innovations in institutional development, market development, product development, and technology development. However, commercialization and its focus on institutional sustainability led to a mission drift. Driven by distorted market logic and a uni-dimensional narrow economism, it has run into a deep crisis today with a 'reputation risk', as hard questions are raised about the credibility, ability and intention of the MFIs to serve the poor. Microfinance is now disintegrating as a compelling tool for poverty alleviation. The present crisis creates an opportunity for a third wave of innovations for MFIs to grow to maturity as 'blended value' organizations, moving from efficiency to effectiveness, and to produce credible results in terms of social impact, to achieve ever higher social returns on investment. Future innovations should be driven by the need to create institutions which cost less, perform well, and produce impact." (author's abstract)

Analyzes the functioning of the French Socialist Party since 1970 & draws some broader theoretical implications from the case study. The author criticizes the dominant 'externalist' approaches to party performance & decline that describes parties as passive or as merely reactive to factors within their social-structural or institutional environments. Strategic choices & party performance can be explained by internal & external factors such as the specific organizational form adopted by the party, the relationship between intra-party resources, & inter-party politics (Kitschelt 1989, 1994). The French Socialist Party won two victories in 1981, the election of Francois Mitterand as president & the majority of seats in the National Assembly, in part due to a series of internal changes in the party in the 1970s. But subsequent internal problems led to electoral defeats by the mid-1980s. While factionalism had contributed to the party's growth & electoral success, it became institutionalized & inflexible & could not adapt to new challenges. The same organizational feature, therefore, helped or hindered depending on the circumstances. Internal dynamics of parties as well as models of parties affect their capacity to adapt to contemporary change. This hypothesis is empirically analyzed at the national level & at two provincial branches of the party. L. A. Hoffman

An article about the institutional problems of interaction between government and market actors in the economy of the Russian Federation. The author analyzes the problems associated with an increase in the effectiveness of economic policy of State through the unconditional observance of the basic principles of relations between the authorities and economic operators in an open market economy.

Presents a theory of social norms that illuminates the relationship between institutions & networks, maintaining that, although individual social relations are at the heart of that relationship, economic social network theories have not linked norms to social networks at the institutional level. Social exchange theory is built on to provide the theoretical basis for identifying the mechanisms that supply the missing link. It is argued that norms are by-products of ongoing social relationships, upheld by social approval/disapproval that acts as a self-reinforcing mechanism, while the rewards exchanged between individuals furnish the social mechanisms essential to economic life. Constraints, which include the state, laws/regulations, organizations, ideology, & informal norms, determine economic performance by shaping the structure of incentives. Six propositions explaining variations in organizational performance are discussed. The model is applied to a case study of cooperation & productivity at Cornell U's (NY) Large Experimental Organization, a consortium of research scientists, to illustrate the effectiveness of the conceptual framework. 3 Figures, 89 References. J. Lindroth

Examines the role of political parties in the development of the EU from two scholarly perspectives -- international relations & comparative politics -- focusing on the relationship between the international & domestic political systems. The emergence & evolution of various "Europarties" (EPs) are traced & institutional & electoral factors that favor or impede EP institutionalization & effectiveness are identified. EPs are classified as transnational, multiparty, & one-party groups & their distribution in the European Parliament, 1979-2001, is analyzed. Tables. K. Hyatt Stewart

Compares the political impact of extreme Right movements in Germany & Italy to argue that competition between ethnic & civic conceptions of citizenship/national identity influences the likelihood of successful extreme Right mobilization. The resurgence of extreme Right mobilization since the early 1980s is described in terms of attacks on immigrant groups, neo-Nazi demonstrations, & political elections. Although extreme Right political parties have been far less successful in Germany than Italy, the former's recent restrictive immigration policies are closer to extreme Right values than is true in the latter. The concept of political opportunity structure is combined with a framing perspective to introduce a theoretical model for analyzing how differential outcomes are attributable to varied ethnic & political configurations of nationhood. It is contended that Germany demonstrates that the extreme Right can be harmful to the relation between immigrant & indigenous communities without being politically successful. The importance of both discursive & institutional opportunities for successful mobilization is discussed, along with possible ways to prevent an increase in extreme Right strength in European politics. 1 Figure. J. Lindroth

An analysis of the role of women in the Republic of Korea (South Korea) suggests that patriarchal ideological & structural forces have hindered women's participation in the political system. Although women were actively involved in the dangerous struggle for democracy, they have been noticeably absent from public life during the period of "democratic consolidation." The political consciousness exhibited by women in relation to gender inequality & social injustice has not translated into formal political power. Institutional, legal, & political-cultural perspectives are used to examine how the democratic transition has affected women's political marginalization; as well as "strategic sites" for political opportunities created by industrialization; the nature/effectiveness of women's civil organizations; & the impact of international feminism on the political activism of South Korean women. It is concluded that the rapid political changes demanded by the globalization of the economy has permitted the androcentric power structure to remain basically unchanged. Women's positions have also been impacted by the militarism associated with South Korea's divided nature & the male-oriented, hierarchical culture dictated by Confucianism. J. Lindroth

Examines the usefulness of an equilibrium-based rational choice theory for analysis of the efficacy of informal & formal social institutions in combining beliefs & conduct in such a way as to constrain individual behavior. An equilibrium-based rational choice model of repeated cooperation in the two-player prisoner's dilemma game is constructed to ascertain the organizational effectiveness of various equilibria. Absent communication, equilibrium is achieved in a kind of tit-for-tat strategy of individual punishments. When the model is revised to allow communication, it is found that a true institution is achieved in which the whole group monitors & punishes deviant behavior, but this outcome is accomplished at significant costs. Such costs are partly ameliorated with the establishment of a central communication system directed by a single enforces. While the creation of a director reduces the costs of communication, it also raises the issue of who monitors the director. The notion of institutions as equilibria is defended as a useful approach for analyzing institutional stability & the effects of institutions in various areas of social life. 4 Tables. D. M. Smith

"In many European cities, policymakers are trying to change the local paths of economic development to head in new directions, e.g. by trying to become a location for Non-Municipal Public Units (NMPUs), like federal special agencies, state museums, military bases, universities or publicly funded research institutes. But as the competencies for such local NMPUs are allocated to higher levels of government, the municipal level has no direct formal institutional responsibilities for influencing their location. Once a NMPU has chosen a certain location, support from the municipality may, however, stabilize the NMPU. There are some categories of NMPUs that should have considerable interest in local conditions, as determined by the municipal level. This paper first theoretically categorizes NMPUs with regard to their importance for the urban economy, with regard to the importance of local conditions for the performance of NMPUs and with regard to their degree of fiscal autonomy. It is shown that universities are one example of NMPUs where the relevance of coordinating activities with the municipalities is fairly high. The benefits of universities for local economic development have often been discussed. From the point of view of universities, their capacity to attract human capital depends on factors which may be influenced by the municipalities. This means that there is a reciprocal relationship between municipalities and universities; coordination by cooperation between the partners could be useful for both - but in practice there is often a lack of cooperation. Information policy is one relevant field for coordination: the city should highlight publicly the advantages of local universities; the universities should highlight the advantages of their city. As information policy is a field for which empirical data is available, the empirical part of the paper presents results from an analysis based on the internet presentations of selected cities and universities. It is shown that in most cities the level of coordination in this field is so far quite low. One possible way to achieve a higher degree of coordination could be to introduce fiscal incentives for cities." (author's abstract)