scholarly journals Revisiting the Role of Institutions in Transformative Contexts: Institutional Change and Conflicts

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (21) ◽  
pp. 9036 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dimitrios Zikos
Keyword(s):  
Natural Resources ◽  
Institutional Change ◽  
Political Science ◽  
Institutional Research ◽  
Special Issue ◽  
Institutional Reforms ◽  
Environmental Conflicts ◽  
Disciplinary Boundaries ◽  
Key Concepts

The study of conflicts over natural resources is neither governed by a coherent set of theories nor limited by strict disciplinary boundaries. Rather, it encompasses a multitude of conceptions grounded within a wide array of disciplines and epistemological assumptions concerning the links between institutional change and conflicts, often concluding in contradictory propositions. This article aims at providing conceptual guidance for the special issue, by reviewing institutional research with a particular focus on institutional change and associated conflicts and drawing some implications from transformative settings. More specifically, the paper explores certain propositions and concepts utilised by institutional economists to explain why conflicts persist despite institutional reforms explicitly or implicitly introduced to resolve them. The author revisits diverse cases from different regions to investigate key concepts related to institutional change and its implications on environmental conflicts associated to transformations, complementing this view from a political science perspective. The paper concludes by offering an overview of factors identified as instrumental in understanding the institutional change and conflict–cooperation continuum.

A Critique of “Democratic Administration” and Its Supporting Ideation

1977 ◽  
Vol 71 (4) ◽  
pp. 1488-1507 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert T. Golembiewski
Keyword(s):  
Public Choice ◽  
Political Science ◽  
Public Administration ◽  
Choice Theory ◽  
Public Choice Theory ◽  
Major Work ◽  
Democratic Administration ◽  
Key Concepts ◽  
Intellectual Crisis

This paper analyzes Vincent Ostrom's major work, The Intellectual Crisis in American Public Administration, which he offers as providing paradigmatic direction for public administration and political science. The analysis urges caution as to that theory's status, especially from five analytic perspectives. Basically, attention is directed at the methodology or mode of inquiry associated with Ostrom's grounding of his argument in public choice theory, with special attention to the role of values. The adequacy of major assumptions of Ostrom's argument as descriptions of reality also is evaluated. Moreover, the critical lack of content in several key concepts is established. In addition, the analysis shows how opposite and simultaneous courses of action are implied by the argument. Finally, attention is directed at how Ostrom's argument can lead to unexpected consequences, even some that are opposite those effects Ostrom intends.

scholarly journals Geoheritage and Geotourism Resources

Resources ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (7) ◽  
pp. 80
Author(s):  
Nicoletta Santangelo ◽  
Ettore Valente
Keyword(s):  
Remote Sensing ◽  
Environmental Education ◽  
Natural Resources ◽  
Protected Areas ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Sustainable Tourism ◽  
Geological History ◽  
Special Issue ◽  
Geological Sciences

This Special Issue wants to outline the role of Geoheritage and Geotourism as potential touristic resources of a region. The term “Geoheritage” refers to a peculiar type of natural resources represented by sites of special geological significance, rarity or beauty that are representative of a region and of its geological history, events and processes. These sites are also known as “geosites” and, as well as archaeological, architectonic and historical ones, they can be considered as part of the cultural estate of a country. “Geotourism” is an emerging type of sustainable tourism, which concentrates on geosites, furnishing to visitors knowledge, environmental education and amusement. In this meaning, Geotourism may be very useful for geological Sciences divulgation and may furnish additional opportunities for the development of rural areas, generally not included among the main touristic attractions. The collected papers focused on these main topics with different methods and approaches and can be grouped as follows: (i) papers dealing with geosites promotion and valorisation in protected areas; (ii) papers dealing with geosites promotion and valorisation in non-protected areas; (iii) papers dealing with geosites promotion by exhibition, remote sensing analysis and apps; (iv) papers investigating geotourism and geoheritage from the tourists’ perspective.

scholarly journals Introduction to the Special Issue on the Evolution of Institutions

2011 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 299-315 ◽  
Author(s):  
MARK BLYTH ◽  
GEOFFREY M. HODGSON ◽  
ORION LEWIS ◽  
SVEN STEINMO
Keyword(s):  
Institutional Change ◽  
Political Science ◽  
Evolutionary Theory ◽  
Political Institutions ◽  
Charles Darwin ◽  
Evolutionary Change ◽  
Special Issue ◽  
Individual Preferences

Abstract:How can evolutionary ideas be applied to the study of social and political institutions? Charles Darwin identified the mechanisms of variation, selection and retention. He emphasized that evolutionary change depends on the uniqueness of every individual and its interactions within a population and with its environment. While introducing the contributions to this special issue, we examine some of the ontological positions underlying evolutionary theory, showing why they are appropriate for studying issues in economics, political science and sociology. We consider how these ideas might help us understand both institutional change and the formation of individual preferences.

Introduction: Neglecting, Rediscovering and Thinking Again about Power in Finance

2014 ◽  
Vol 49 (3) ◽  
pp. 331-341 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Moran ◽  
Anthony Payne
Keyword(s):  
Financial Markets ◽  
Political Science ◽  
The Political ◽  
Special Issue ◽  
Political Role ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Subject

The articles in this special issue survey comparatively the shape of power and finance. The introduction sketches the history of the study of the political role of financial markets and examines the reasons for the comparative neglect of the subject by the discipline of political science.

Fitting by Adjusting: A Field Study of Tanzanian and Ugandan Development Consultants Promoting Institutional Change

2018 ◽  
Vol 138 (2) ◽  
pp. 117-141
Author(s):  
Pia Becker
Keyword(s):  
Institutional Change ◽  
Training Programs ◽  
Local Development ◽  
Successful Implementation ◽  
Specific Context ◽  
Institutional Reforms ◽  
Jel Codes ◽  
New Concepts ◽  
The Empirical Analysis

Abstract This paper investigates the role of local development consultants, which are described as cultural interpreters, in promoting institutional reforms in Tanzania and Uganda. The empirical analysis seeks to answer the question how cultural interpreters translate new formal institutions into a specific context. The results show that they adapt their training programs to the specific context in order to ensure successful implementation. Furthermore, they have to consider how the participants of the training perceive the newly introduced institutions. The way in which they communicate with the participants is a central factor to ensure the application of new concepts. JEL Codes: O22, O17, B59

Reconfiguring nature: Resource security and the limits of expert knowledge

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 512-523
Author(s):  
Christian Kehrt ◽  
John Martin
Keyword(s):  
Natural Resources ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Expert Knowledge ◽  
Global South ◽  
Special Issue ◽  
Global North ◽  
Competition For Resources ◽  
Resource Security ◽  
The Way

The central aim of this special issue is to explore the role of expert knowledge in shaping the way countries have sought to ensure a continuing supply of natural resources in order to feed and fuel processes of industrialisation. These case studies illustrate the way in which the competition for resources not only profoundly affects those countries in the Global North which are the beneficiaries of the resources but also the populations of the countries (often in the Global South) from which the resources are extracted.

The Second Start of Transformation in Ukraine?

2014 ◽  
pp. 30-52 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. Grigoryev ◽  
E. Buryak ◽  
A. Golyashev
Keyword(s):  
Economic Growth ◽  
Armed Conflict ◽  
Political Crisis ◽  
Investment Climate ◽  
Institutional Reforms ◽  
Personal Consumption ◽  
Governance Quality ◽  
Political Turmoil

The Ukrainian socio-economic crisis has been developing for years and resulted in the open socio-political turmoil and armed conflict. The Ukrainian population didn’t meet objectives of the post-Soviet transformation, and people were disillusioned for years, losing trust in the state and the Future. The role of workers’ remittances in the Ukrainian economy is underestimated, since the personal consumption and stability depend strongly on them. Social inequality, oligarchic control of key national assets contributed to instability as well as regional disparity, aggravated by identity differences. Economic growth is slow due to a long-term underinvestment, and prospects of improvement are dependent on some difficult institutional reforms, macro stability, open external markets and the elites’ consensus. Recovering after socio-economic and political crisis will need not merely time, but also governance quality improvement, institutions reform, the investment climate revival - that can be attributed as the second transformation in Ukraine.

Gender and belief factors on attitude towards Social and Environmental Accounting (SEA)

2009 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 51
Author(s):  
Salina Abdullah ◽  
Ern Chen Loo
Keyword(s):  
Natural Resources ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Environmental Issues ◽  
Environmental Accounting ◽  
Future Generations ◽  
Business And Society ◽  
Four Dimensions ◽  
Sustain Ability ◽  
The Relationship

Research on social and environmental accounting (SEA) has mainly concentrated on disclosure of SEA by corporate bodies, where investigations on ones attitude towards SEA are rarely discussed. SEA is a medium that develops relationships between business and society, community and nature. In addition, SEA involves a concept of sustain ability; where natural resources need to be sustained for the needs of future generations (Alhabshi et al., 2003). SEA also tries to recognise the role of accounting in sustainable development and the use of environmental resources. There are arguments that the young generations today are not fully aware of preserving these natural resources as well as handling social and environmental issues wisely. This perhaps link closely to their belief and cultural background. Hence, this paper examines the influence of gender and belief factors on the undergraduate students’ attitude towards SEA. Four dimensions of belief (fixed ability, quick learning, simple knowledge and certain knowledge) proposed by Schommer (2005) were adapted to analyse how belief factors have influence on their attitude towards SEA. An independent sample t-test was used to examine the relationship between gender and students’ attitude towards SEA. Spearmen’s correlation was employed to show the relationship between belief and attitude towards SEA. The results revealed that gender differences did not show influences on their attitude towards SEA. It was found that there is a significant relationship between belief and students’ attitude towards SEA. Students who believe on the importance of SEA tend to report positive attitude towards SEA. Perhaps findings of this study may provide some information on the SEA education and further be incorporated in the syllabus.

Contributions of Contemporary Political Science to an Understanding of the Common Good

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
S.J. Matthew Carnes
Keyword(s):  
Political Science ◽  
Common Good ◽  
Scientific Theory ◽  
Theory Building ◽  
Catholic Theology ◽  
Politics And Government ◽  
The Common Good ◽  
The Common ◽  
Nature And Society

The transformation of political science in recent decades opens the door for a new but so far poorly cultivated examination of the common good. Four significant “turns” characterize the modern study of politics and government. Each is rooted in the discipline’s increased emphasis on empirical rigor, with its attendant scientific theory-building, measurement, and hypothesis testing. Together, these new orientations allow political science to enrich our understanding of causality, our basic definitions of the common good, and our view of human nature and society. In particular, the chapter suggests that traditional descriptions of the common good in Catholic theology have been overly irenic and not sufficiently appreciative of the role of contention in daily life, on both a national and international scale.

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