The Shared Challenges of Institutional Theories: Rational Choice, Historical Institutionalism, and Sociological Institutionalism

Farrell, Henry

doi:10.1007/978-3-319-75328-7_2

Cited by 38 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 51 publications

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“…In the words of institutionalism, scholars place special emphasis on the role institutions play in structuring behavior [5][6], and the most common definition for institutions is rules. Steinmo [7] believes the rules enabled different political strategies in different countries and ultimately shaped the different policy outcomes.…”

Section: Literature Review 21 Developmental State Strategy and Instimentioning

confidence: 99%

Evolving industrial land policy in the developmental state

Cheng

2021

SHS Web Conf.

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As a developmental state, Taiwan had a unique institutional system managing industrial land development, which brought rapid economic growth before 1990. But the system gradually initiated conflicts and slowed down industrial development speed, which moved into a period when industrial, environmental and social sectors distrusted and impeded each other. Taiwan’s government commenced with an institutional transformation and adjusted central government’s position to improve sustainability. A new spatial planning structure was built as a departmental negotiation platform in 2016; and the economic authority raised its policy document ‘Industrial Land Policy White Papers’ in correspondence to bridge the connections vertically and horizontally. This article analyzes the development of Taiwan’s industrial land use policy after the 1960s and argues that the policy has been affected as the change of society. The research therefore concludes three stages during the period from the perspective of historical institutionalism, and argues the current stage which resulted from the introduction of National Spatial Plan may lead to a more sustainable industrial use policy. The departmental policy document, Industrial Land Policy White Paper, constructs the new power structure which reveals the institutional legacy of departmental state strategy. Meanwhile, as a forerunner, Taiwan’s experience could provide an example for younger developmental states in easing the conflicts in democratization and industrial development.

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Section: Literature Review 21 Developmental State Strategy and Instimentioning

confidence: 99%

Evolving industrial land policy in the developmental state

Cheng

2021

SHS Web Conf.

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“…Sometimes scholars distinguish between formal and informal institutions, depending on whether the underlying beliefs and expectations are codified in judicial rules or not (Hacker, Thelen, & Pierson, ; Helmke & Levitsky, ; Pike et al, ). However, most scholars require institutions to be not the rules but the fact that these rules have really become accepted and performative in the minds and practices of people (Barley & Tolbert, ; Bathelt & Glückler, ; Farrell, ; Giddens, ; Hodgson, ). In other words, formal rules that do not structure real social behavior are not institutions (Farrell, ; Hodgson, ).…”

Section: The Analytical Framework Of the Institutional Contextmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, most scholars require institutions to be not the rules but the fact that these rules have really become accepted and performative in the minds and practices of people (Barley & Tolbert, ; Bathelt & Glückler, ; Farrell, ; Giddens, ; Hodgson, ). In other words, formal rules that do not structure real social behavior are not institutions (Farrell, ; Hodgson, ). This condition fits with Scott's () distinction between regulatory (formal), normative (social), and cultural‐cognitive pillars of institutions.…”

Section: The Analytical Framework Of the Institutional Contextmentioning

confidence: 99%

Institutional context and place‐based policy: The case of Coventry & Warwickshire

Glückler

2020

Growth and Change

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A key problem of downscaling or transferring policies across regions is embedding these policies into a place for them to unleash the full potential of regional economies. This paper elaborates on the analytical framework of “institutional context” to bridge the gap between rich theorizations and poor empirical capture of institutions in studies of regional development. The institutional context is constituted by three pillars—regulations, organizations, and institutions—as well as by the interrelations between these pillars. Applied to the British region of Coventry and Warwickshire, a qualitative analysis of expert interviews finds institutional patterns of short‐termism, moderate levels of social capital and an embryonic relational infrastructure to constrain the place‐based strategy for industrial diversification. This regional case illustrates the more general challenge for regional policy in the UK of devising place‐based strategies under conditions of continuous rescaling of regional governance and the implementation of a new National Industrial Strategy. In conclusion, the analysis suggests a shift from “nodal” to “linking” policies that support cross‐network connections and help grow a regional field for collective action to cross‐fertilize knowledge and foster innovation and entrepreneurship in emerging industries.

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“…A limitation of sociological institutionalism is that it treats any empirical evidence as the result of influence by higher order institutions such as state and culture. By doing so it becomes quite prescriptive thus not allowing for the possibility of other mechanisms through which institutions can affect the world around them (Farrell, 2018). These consequences if not defined and managed, they can become difficult to reverse.…”

Section: Historical Institutionalist Approach To Understanding State Capitalismmentioning

confidence: 99%

A historical institutionalist perspective on the persistence of state controls during financial sector reforms: the insightful case of Myanmar

Win

Kofinas

2020

JAEE

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PurposeMany transition economies are former socialist planned economies and have undergone market reforms of their financial sector to signal their transition towards democracy. However, governments in these countries have been reluctant to relinquish the pre-existing controls on economy and have adopted nuanced and sophisticated approaches to retain control. In such context, scholars may find it challenging to investigate the role played by the state in the success or failure of attempted market reforms. This work investigates the different forms of state-induced accounting controls that may preserve the status quo within the economy during transition, using Myanmar as an example.Design/methodology/approachThe authors adopted a longitudinal qualitative research method aiming to reveal the very processes and mechanisms used by the banks and their evolution over time. This method is in accordance with the historical institutionalist perspective that we have applied within this research.FindingsThe authors found that the Myanmar government embarked on the privatisation of their financial sector from 1990 to 2016 as a major public sector reform initiative. Under the guise of market reforms, it used both state-led and market-led controls to emulate and retain the socialist banking model where banks are used to fund the immediate government's budget deficits. This created a series of intended and unintended consequences, resulting in the ultimate failure of the government's market reforms.Research limitations/implicationsPreviously, research on public sector management accounting in emerging economies was not relying consistently on using theory. The relative limited theorisation led to gaps when attempting to understand and explain the opaque forms of state control mechanisms in transition economies. By applying historical institutionalist perspective, and a more theory-driven, reflective approach to the interpretation of the data collected, we have provided a deeper insight and understanding on how different forms of state controls can emerge, adapt and persist in transition economies such as Myanmar.Practical implicationsThe authors demonstrated that though the state may have implemented market reforms to signal regimes change, this does not necessarily mean that the government has relinquished their control on the economy. The state could take a more sophisticated, covert approach towards state controls leading to both intended and unintended consequences. Thus, even if the state's preferences change, the decisions cannot be easily reversed, as path-dependent state controls may have become pervasive affecting any further institutional and policy developments. Thus, the authors suggest that governments in both transition and developed economies should be cautious when enacting regulations on corporate control.Originality/valueIn this paper, the authors have applied a historical institutional perspective in our analysis instead of the more widely used sociological, institutionalist approach. This allowed authors to harness rich longitudinal data indicating that market reforms and their success or failure should be examined as an ongoing process rather than a completed action. This is especially important in transition economies where the state may be unwilling to renounce the existing controls on the industry and may resort to more opaque forms of state control, eventually obstructing the intended reforms.

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The Shared Challenges of Institutional Theories: Rational Choice, Historical Institutionalism, and Sociological Institutionalism

Cited by 38 publications

References 51 publications

Evolving industrial land policy in the developmental state

Evolving industrial land policy in the developmental state

Institutional context and place‐based policy: The case of Coventry & Warwickshire

A historical institutionalist perspective on the persistence of state controls during financial sector reforms: the insightful case of Myanmar

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