Suchergebnisse

Social learning is an integral component of regional public policy. This article first looks at the social & institutional elements of the learning process, elements that are necessary components of EU policymaking. It then investigates social learning from an EU perspective. Social capital & institutional networks are defined, & it is argued that these factors contribute to both the socialization function & the learning process itself. The article examines EU regional policy, giving particular attention to the purpose of social learning within the EU's multilevel authority structure. EU regional policy & social learning in the Greek regions are examined. Finally, examples of the effects of EU regional policy & social learning are drawn from the Greek experience. 3 Tables, 1 Figure. K. A. Larsen

Social studies of science and technology are dominated by action and macro approaches. This has led to a neglect of institutions and institutional arrangements at the meso level, which are important, in particular to the student of technology. The transfer of concepts and methods from social studies of science to technology studies has conserved this lack of concern with the meso level. This article suggests a more critical evaluation of this transfer, along with a review of the now popular assumption of a high degree of similarity between science and technology. Two case studies show how meso-level considerations are important to an understanding of the nature of technological innovation and illustrate the lack of similarity between scientific and technological development.

This article examines the relevance of leading social science network theories for the analysis of social relations in particular fields and as a guideline for democratic planning practice. The first section explains the risks of using the network metaphor in social science analysis: the confusion of normative and real features of networks may lead to an abstract representation of institutional structures and power relations and naïve expectancies regarding democratic planning opportunities. The second section reviews institutional network theories in social science. The survey focuses on: the 'raison d'Ítre' of the network, the typical behaviour of its agents, the types of communication, interaction with the environment and creation of its own institutions. Section 3 examines how these network theories deal or do not deal with power and suggests improving the theorizing of the role of power in networks by providing a more solid reading of power relations in institutional structures and personal relationships in networks. This solidity could be offered by a combination of Regulation Theory and Bourdieu's theory of practice. The final section provides some guidelines on how a better reading of institutional structures and power relations may improve the impact of democratic planning.

The article proposes the analysis of institutional interaction between local government and nongovernmentalorganizations. The overview of different theoretical positions including institutional networkanalysis and trust concepts allow us creates a theoretical background for further institutional interactionanalysis. Exceptional attention is given to the sociological concept of trust and its functions, the creation oftrust culture in different political systems, especially in democracy. The implementation of project fundingmechanism on local government level is analyzed using methods of empirical survey. The data revealsfollowing problems of institutional interaction between local government and civic sector: lack of civicstandpoint, hierarchical non-flexibility, non-objectivity, individualization, inability of non-governmental sectorto represent their collective interests, the problems of leadership. The proper understanding of institutionalinteraction mechanism on the public policy level is important for the non-government organizations' leaders aswell as for local government representatives.

This Article Discusses The Importance Of Social Learning For Eu public policy-making in general and regional policy in particular. The first section analyses the implications of the learning process for EU regional policy and examines its social and institutional prerequisites. Section two introduces the concepts of social capital and institutional networks as components crucial for the learning process and socialization function. The third section, based on the analysis of the role of social learning, delineates the multi-level system of governance in EU regional policy. The fourth section presents empirical evidence from Greek regions on the role of social learning in the implementation of EU regional policy (Structural Funds) programmes. Finally, the last section draws conclusions on the role of social learning in EU regional policy and lessons from the Greek experience.

Cover -- Half Title -- Title -- Copyright -- Dedication -- Contents -- List of Figures and Tables -- List of Acronyms -- Preface -- Acknowledgments -- 1 Generating Change -- What Happened to Big Blue? -- Organizational Structures and Environments -- Forces Driving Changes -- Plan of the Book -- 2 Theorizing About Organizations -- Theoretical Elements -- Five Basic Organization Theories -- Conclusions -- 3 Resizing and Reshaping -- How Many Business Organizations? -- Organizational Size -- Entries and Exits -- Which Organizations Create New Jobs? -- What Forms of Organizations? -- Why Did the Multidivisional Form Spread? -- Corporate Merger Waves -- Refocused Organizations -- Conclusions -- 4 Making Connections -- Varieties of Interorganizational Relations -- Varieties of Alliance Networks -- Trust Relations -- Alliance Formation and Outcomes -- Conclusions -- 5 Changing the Employment Contract -- The Traditional Employment Contract -- Eroding Firm Attachments -- The New Employment Contract -- High-Performance Workplace Practices -- Penetration Problems -- Automotive Lean Production -- High-Performance Impacts -- The Trouble with Teams -- Conclusions -- 6 Investing in Social Capital -- Networked Organizations -- Mentoring Protégés -- Networking Fundamentals -- A Small Firm Example -- Network Outcomes -- Social Capital -- Conclusions -- 7 Governing the Corporation -- Power and Authority -- A Political-Organization Model -- Legal Theories of Corporate Governance -- Nexus of Contracts and Stakeholder Theories -- Board Rules and Realities -- Executive Pay Politics -- Farewell to the Chief -- Institutional Investors Are Revolting -- Conclusions -- 8 Struggling in the Workplace -- Social Movements Inside Organizations -- Eroding Unionization -- Legalization of the Workplace -- Employee Ownership -- Conclusions -- 9 Influencing Public Policies

AbstractIn this article we seek to move beyond existing conceptualizations of innovation systems in two key respects. First, we identify the need for a shift away from research that focuses on discrete scales as the locus for understanding innovation towards that which places more emphasis on network relationships operating between and across different scales. Second, we illustrate the need for approaches that recognize the significance of innovative networks that extend beyond firms and, in particular, those associated with the movement of knowledgeable individuals. By synthesizing recent insights from three literatures on 'communities' of varying kinds — namely communities of practice, knowledge communities and transnational communities — we propose a conceptualization of transnational innovation networks based around three overlapping and mutually constitutive domains. In addition to the much‐studied 'corporate‐institutional' domain, we also identify 'social network' and 'hegemonic‐discursive' domains that may be important components of transnational innovation networks operating across different localities.

In this article, we provide a critique and re-specification of international business and institutional literature related to the interactions of multinational corporations (MNCs) and institutions. Drawing from research in economic sociology and political economy, we offer a novel perspective on MNCs' influence on transnational institution building. We argue that MNCs seek to influence institutional development by creating or participating in policy networks within transnational social and economic systems. We describe different types of policy networks, the relative position that MNCs occupy within them, and the power MNCs yield by virtue of their position and influence within those networks. We provide examples to illustrate how MNCs exploit these network relationships to influence emergent institutions and to advance convergence in institutional policies. The policy network perspective is an effective and useful mode of analysis to understand the range of interactions among MNCs and the institutional fields in which they operate.

After World War Two, Japan attained economic growth but suffered environmental disaster. In response to massive protest in the 1960s and 1970s, the Japanese government rapidly reduced the worst air and water pollution. Jeffrey Broadbent's case study of industrial growth and pollution in a rural Japanese prefecture explains this response while testing political, social movement and environmental theory. The state, conservative political party and big business pushed rampant growth until movements posed a political and disruptive challenge. Then, the elites passed some pollution control, but also demobilized local protest, quashed discontent, and prevented the formation of national environmental groups. Without the protest threat, business stymied other government pollution-control plans. The interaction of material, institutional and cultural factors, especially informal institutions, explained the dominance of actors and the pattern of outcomes. Through this syncretic lens in a non-Western setting, this study refines our theories of the state, protest movements, political process, and environmental problems