...equilibria versus historical institutionalism’s emphasis on how institutions emerge from and are embedded in concrete temporal processes serves as the foundation for the second half of the essay, which assesses our progress in understanding institutional formation and change. Drawing on insights from recent historical institutional work on “critical junctures” and on “policy feedbacks,” the article proposes a way of thinking about institutional evolution and path dependency that provides an alternative to equilibrium and other approaches that separate the analysis of institutional stability from that of institutional change. INTRODUCTION Institutional analysis has a distinguished pedigree in comparative politics, and the “new” institutionalist literature of the past two decades has both sustained this venerable tradition and deepened our understanding of the role of institutions in political life. At the same time, recent work has given rise to new debates. It is now conventional to distinguish three different varieties of institutionalism: rational choice institutionalism, historical institutionalism, and sociological institutionalism. Each of these three schools in fact represents a sprawling literature characterized by tremendous internal diversity, and it is often also difficult to draw hard and fast lines between them. The differences that have...
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...interests face a problem of being cheated. In other words, they face prisoners’ dilemma. Evidently, liberal institutionalists propose a set of rules in order to solve the prisoners’ dilemma. Firstly, they argue that certain rules may discourage cheating by making it very costly. Secondly, issue linkage may create a greater interdependence between states. Thirdly, the amount of information produced by institutions could provide a close monitoring. Finally, rules can reduce transaction, which means that states can spend less time in negotiating which in turn is profitable for states (Mearsheimer,...
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...QUESTION: THE METHODS USED BY INSTITUTIONALISM SOCIAL AND POLITICAL THEORY Institutionalism put much emphasis on formal legal and political arrangements of the society. Unlike normative political theory which is more theoretical, institutionalism is more empirical in nature. Adrian Leftwich in his book “What is Politics”, argues that normative political theory and institutionalism are the two pillars of traditional political science. But others, especially behavioralists have criticized Leftwich by arguing that the concept of political science is too broad, and that there is more to political science than just normative political theory and institutionalism. With regards to the subject matter of political science in the view of the institutionalists, political science came into existence as an independent field of study when it departed from other fields like philosophy, sociology and even political economy. These include the formal legal and political arrangements of society called the state. Three methods are peculiar to institutionalism, they are the descriptive-inductive method, the formal-legal method and the historical-comparative method. Firstly, the descriptive-inductive method is used by the institutionalists in political science. The word descriptive literally means to describe, but in the context of institutionalism, the word descriptive means using the technique of the historian to investigate specific events, institutions and so on. And inductive in...
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...Daniel Harris 5/04/12 Community Report Theories on Wage Discrimination and Occupational Segregation Substantial research has been conducted proving that occupational segregation and wage discrimination still exist in today's society. Despite recent gains by women and minorities in the field of employment, other factors aside (such as skills, qualifications and education) women and minorities still fall behind men when considering pay and occupational choices. The consequences of such actions are that women are often concentrated in clerical and service jobs which overall result in less pay and opportunities for advancement. Blau, Ferber and Winkler (2001) point out that even though an almost equivalent number of men and women work in professional positions, men are still more likely to be concentrated in lucrative professions including law, medicine and engineering, whereas women are segregated into lower paying positions including teaching and nursing (p. 211). Several different theories lend credence and explanation to occupational segregation and wage discrimination forces. Some are more supply sided in nature while others depend more on institutionalized practices. Human and capital theory for example suggest that women generally anticipate "shorter and less continuous work lives than men" and are generally paid lower at the outset, thus have lower wage penalties for taking time off from work (Blau, Ferber and Winkler, 2001:213). The studies that...
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... 1000 Words Do you think Ha-‐Joon Chang’s idea of ‘Institutionalist Political Economy’ (IPE) provides a better explanation for government intervention than the concept of market failure? In this essay, the author discusses, if Ha-‐Joon Chang’s idea of ‘Instituionalist Political Economy (IPE)’ provides a better explanation for government intervention than the concept of market failure. The essay – which is part of a course module assignment in Public Policy and Management Studies at the School of Oriental and African Studies – discusses both theories, and articulates their merits and constraints as per the author’s views. Various examples have been employed to support these views. Market failure is a concept within economic theory describing when the allocation of goods and services by a free market is not efficient...
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...the most prominent RTA Á the European Union Á have traditionally been split over this question. New research on international organizations parallels that literature. Combining rational choice and historical institutionalism, this article makes a middle-ground case: the limited rationality of national representatives and the complexity of RTAs ensure both the advancement and frustration of national interests. The focus is on shifting national preferences, the unpredictable implications of decisions over time and the pursuit of short-term gains to the benefit of some constituents but not others. Evidence from NAFTA and Mercosur supports these claims while highlighting, in line with recent scholarship, the need to include politics in institutionalist accounts of integration. The conclusion reflects on the findings and explores whether alternative, more flexible designs for RTAs might satisfy more fully the interests of the member states. Keywords: regional trade agreements; rational choice institutionalism; historical institutionalism; NAFTA; Mercosur; international organizations. Francesco Duina and Jason Buxbaum, Department of Sociology, Bates College, 263 Pettengill Hall, Lewiston, ME 04240, USA. E-mail: fduina@bates.edu Copyright # 2008 Taylor & Francis ISSN 0308-5147 print/1469-5766 online DOI: 10.1080/03085140801933264 194 Economy and Society Introduction Regional trade agreements (RTAs) Á legal frameworks liberalizing the movement of...
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...dependency establishes a dynamic relationship between power,actors and institutions which compels any research to study institutions and their corresponding developments from critical theory perspective to understand mechanics behind such institutional metamorphosis and its impact on human environment and subsequent responses to such changes.Such theories also make bold attempts to explain institutional stagnancy; why actors may intentionally or unintentionally fail to respond to changes in the environment even when such responses would yield better results directly countering those economic...
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...Complex Interdependence In 1970s, a new perspective known as transnational relations arose to question realism key assumptions of state as main and the only actor of world politics. This theory gave a new analytical framework to understand the international relations which was contrary to the state centric paradigm of realism. With complex interdependence as its central concept, this theoretical analysis advanced “synthesis of liberal + realist perspectives by constructing a way of looking at world politics and also the idea of institutionalism to foster cooperation”. It is asked how under conditions of complex interdependence world politics would be different than under realist conditions means this analysis ask to see “ what realism overlooked”. The phenomenon of Interdependence is not new; states have always been interdependent on each other for their economic functions and especially for security purposes. We have seen the complicated interdependence among states in the alliance system to achieve their political ends before First World War. The earliest example of interdependence comes from Norman Angell’s “The great illusion (1910) when he said the economic interdependence will minimize the occurrence of war on the basis of cost-benefit analysis.” Countries are dependent on each other for trade and transaction, they interact globally e.g. flow of money, goods, people and messages across international boundaries but all transactions among countries are not characterized by...
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...As a Human Resources Manager, the level of supply and demand in the labour market affects the recruitment and retention of employees. Before I analyse the impacts of supply and demand in the labour market, I will first define what the labour market is in the context of HRM. According to Wilton 2013, labour markets are “the mechanism by which human labour is bought and sold and how the number and type of available jobs, the labour demand, is matched with the number and type of available workers, the labour supply.” In other words, employers are the buyers of labour with the employees being the seller. Labour markets can be segmented in many different ways, such as geographic location, occupation, or industry but for the purposes of this case study the labour market will be organised along the lines of occupation as I am trying to recruit staff for two different occupations. The supply and demand for these labour markets differ, as there is a greater supply of catering employees than registered midwives. According to the Department of Employment 2014, there is a shortage of midwives both in Sydney and regional NSW, particularly with experienced midwives as 40 percent of employers unable to find suitable applicants. As of 2014, there has been a 20.1 percent decrease in registered midwives since 2011 (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare 2015) due to the introduction of the new regency of practice standards that require midwives to actively be working in midwifery to maintain...
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...Chapter 1 theories and methods. 1.1 Scientific Method in social science Describe some of the major areas of study in the social sciences: The major areas of study in social sciences are Political Science, Biology and Psychology, Geography, Sociology, anthropology and history. What was the main debate among the scholars in the social science department? The main debate among the scholars is which of all of the above areas of study are the most important and relevant when it comes to individual formation and thinking in reguards to social sciences and what causes people to become the people that they are. Location? Biological and Psychological make-up? Influence from higher powers (Political Science)? Or ancestry and our history? What factors do you think are the most important in shaping a human being? I truly believe that there is not really one factor that outweighs another, it is a mix of all of them. Perhaps Psychological factors may have more to do with it depending on an individual, however the Psyche can also be changed and manipulated quite easily according to events and a whole list of other things. How do the textbook authors define the scientific method? The purpose of the scientific method is to obtain evidence that is verifiable and subject to replication and to make no judgment about even the most seemingly obvious “facts” until original suppositions are overwhelmingly supported by proof. The basic technique of the scientific method is a special kind...
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...simple; lust for power and a drive for conflict are rooted within human nature and, since humans are the operators of state actors, state behaviour mimics this nature in its approach to international relations. Neo-realists, by contrast, follow Waltz in his belief that the anarchic structure of the international system causes states to seek security and power, and therefore provides the ultimate obstacle to cooperation. While liberals disagree altogether, offering the counterargument that men are rational, and therefore states choose to engage in conflict in order to pursue state preferences, based on a cost-benefit analysis. The primary obstacle to cooperation for liberals, then, is the clash of interests between states. Realist political theory is largely based on the assumption that all states are self-interested and are driven by a desire for power and security. Their main goals are survival and maximizing relative power, therefore they are naturally...
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...takes into account the roles of the main actors in this relationship looking at how each unit is interlinked to create a successful working environment. The key characters are the organisation itself (capital), labour (employees and trade unions) and of course the state (government). This essay aims to address the various approaches taken by workers in the field of employment relations, focus on their strengths and limitations and to identify key aspects which influence both internal and external regulation and control. According to Industrial Sociology and Industrial Relations (Fox, 1966), the two major frames of reference in employment relations are unitarism and pluralism. These perspectives consider the historical, economic, social and political impact that they have on workers in a particular industry. The unitarist approach...
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...Institute Parsons’ Pact Arguably, the founding moment of the field of economic sociology took place more than a half-century ago at Harvard, where Talcott Parsons was developing his grand designs for sociology. Parsons’ ambitions were imperial, but there was one field that Parsons maneuvered around instead of claiming outright. That field was hegemonic in his time and is considerably hegemonic still – the discipline of economics. Parsons, therefore, made overt signals to his colleagues in the Economics Department at Harvard alerting them to his ambitious plans and assuring them that he had no designs on their terrain (see Camic 1987). Basically, Parsons made a pact: in my gloss – you, economists, study value; we, the sociologists, will study values. You will have claim on the economy; we will stake our claim on the social relations in which economies are embedded. What have been the effects of Parsons’ Pact? First, by limiting its range, this jurisdictional division of the social sciences placed constraints on sociology. But those constraints were enabling constraints: by delimiting a legitimate object of study – society, though not the economy – it ensured that the discipline would flourish in the great postwar expansion of the social sciences. Parsons’ Pact also had another effect, for it specifically established the conditions for economic sociology. Recall the terms: economists study value, economic...
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...AN INSTITUTIONALIST STUDY ON THE PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM IN A GOVERNMENT- LINKED ORGANISATION NORHAYATI BINTI MOHD ALWI UNIVERSITI SAINS MALAYSIA 2009 AN INSTITUTIONALIST STUDY ON THE PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM IN A GOVERNMENT-LINKED ORGANISATION by NORHAYATI BINTI MOHD ALWI Thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy September 2009 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I am especially indebted to my supervisor, Dr. Siti Nabiha Abdul Khalid for her constant guidance, limitless support and patience throughout the period of my study. There is no way that I would be able to repay the kindness and caring that she has shown to me. I am thankful to Assoc. Professor Dr. Yuserrie, for giving valuable inputs to my study and also to others in the School of Management, who have helped me in some way or another. I would like to acknowledge the comments made by Professor Lee Parker and other participants of the Global Accounting and Organisational Change Conference, held in Melbourne, Australia in July 2008. A special thank you is also dedicated to Professor John Burns for the insightful comments on the research. I am also indebted to my employer International Islamic University Malaysia and the Ministry of Higher Education for providing the financial support. Thanks so much also to the respondents for their willingness to share some of their thoughts and experiences, which have made my data collection easier than I would ever...
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...Unit-I Economic Geography Economics: Economics is the social science which studies optimum utilization of scarce resources. It basically studies economic activities, markets, allocation, money, capital, competition, resources, development, growth, welfare, well-being, poverty, deliberate, purposeful, rational, optimal, efficient, and many more. We can also define the economics as "Economics is the study of purposeful human activities in pursuit of satisfying individual or collective wants" "Economics is the study of principles governing the allocation of scarce means among competing ends" Geography: When we think of Geography, we often use the following words or concepts: location, site, place, access, spatial, regional, distance, separation, proximity, speed, mobility, transportation, resources, communication, agglomeration etc. Economic Geography: What are the major factors that explain the recent growth of the Chinese economy and the relative decline of the United States economy? What explains persistent poverty in pockets of global cities such as New York, London and Tokyo, and what prompted the emergence of vast urban slums in Calcutta? What are the impacts of globalization on people’s jobs and livelihoods in different parts of the world? Explaining the causes and consequences of uneven development within and between regions is a central concern for economic geographers. The discipline’s goal has long been to offer multi-faceted explanations for economic processes...
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