Critical junctures as complex processes: examining mechanisms of policy change and path dependence in the Canadian pandemic response to homelessness

Policy change is not an instantaneous or linear process. In fact, change includes several mechanisms working in tandem and even against one another. This article examines the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on homelessness policy in Canada. In a sector that is already plagued with emergency responses - rather than long-term solutions - the pandemic has initiated a critical juncture where policy change is possible, but not guaranteed. Although the existing failures to alleviate homelessness in Canada make policy failings even more obvious, aspects of the pre-existing Canadian response to homelessness negate change. The pandemic, however, has led to temporary solutions and created a setting where long-term change is possible. Using over 150 primary sources, this article analyses mechanisms of change and path dependence in the pandemic response to homelessness. The presence of such mechanisms is tested in three major Canadian cities.

SDGs, COVID-19 and institutional pressures on organizations

PurposeThis article answers the following research question: How do institutional pressures influence the re(actions) of organizations in relation to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the context of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic?Design/methodology/approachThe present research was conducted through the search and review of online secondary sources based on a critical and exploratory analysis. The data were obtained from the Global Compact Brazilian Committee (Rede Brasil do Pacto Global, in Portuguese) and analyzed by means of qualitative content analysis with the support of the ATLAS.ti software.FindingsThe results have showed the role of organizations in dealing with the impacts provoked by the current COVID-19 scenario. However, the association of actions implemented by organizations is evident in some SDGs, but not in all and not with the same intensity. There is a higher incidence of SDG 3 (Good health and well-being), which is linked to 278 actions. Regarding institutional pressures, we noticed a higher incidence of normative pressures, which may indicate a sense of responsibility towards employees and other stakeholders related to the prevention of the impacts caused by the pandemic.Practical implicationsThe findings presented here can encourage companies to better direct their efforts to fight the virus without neglecting the 2030 Agenda.Social implicationsThe authors intend to encourage institutions that may exert coercive, normative, and mimetic pressures to recognize the impacts of their influence and better direct it to the interests of society during and after the pandemic.Originality/valueThis research investigates organizational actions in the context of COVID-19 from an institutional theory perspective.

"This Is Where We Have Scored”: Exploring the Interface between Project and Institutional Sustainability Facilitated by a Faith-Based Development Organisation in Sierra Leone

This paper explores the issue of project sustainability through an analysis of the experiences of a Faith-Based Development Organisation (FBDO) in Bo, Sierra Leone. The FBDO in question was approached by members of their local Catholic Women Association (CWA) to help them with the planning and management of a farm that had been donated to them by a chief. They agreed to this, and a series of workshops were held in June 2014, along with follow-up discussions with local experts and businesses as to what could be done to help support the women in their endeavour. Amongst other priorities, the women identified the need for the farm to produce food, income and help with their development. However, an outbreak of the Ebola virus that occurred between 2014 and 2016, following as it did on the back of an 11-year (1991–2002) civil war in Sierra Leone, led to a re-evaluation of the farm project in the eyes of the FBDO as they decided to shift to earlier priorities in education and health care. Given the constraints regarding resources and personnel, community projects, such as the CWA farm project, became of much lesser importance even though it resonated strongly with the goals of the FBDO and government, and had garnered much support amongst international donors. The paper sets out that story, beginning with the workshops and discussions held in 2014, and the ramifications of these responses to various ‘shocks', such as those presented by the civil war and disease outbreaks (Ebola and COVID-19);it also provides recommendations that might be of use regarding the interface between project and institutional sustainability within FBDOs and, indeed, the wider community of development organisations.

What is the trend after Covid-19? A Political-Economic Analysis of the Pension Systems in Hong Kong and MACAU

The aging trend of the population in Hong Kong and Macau is evident, so the pension system is especially significant. This research paper uses document analysis and a double-case study as the research method. It uses path dependence and critical moments in historical institutionalism theory as the theoretical tools for political economy analysis. The discussion argues that "the social culture shaped by local politics," "the combination of local economic development and economic structure," and "influence from social structure" are the three main factors that influence the pension systems in Hong Kong and Macau, and are the fundamental reasons for the differences between the pension systems in Hong Kong and Macau. We also conclude that the outbreak of COVID-19 is causing the evolution of the pension systems in both regions to be converging.

Managing the crisis: International organisations' responses to the COVID-19 pandemic as legitimation work

This paper analyzes legitimation practices of international organisations in the face of the global COVID-19 pandemic. We analyse a sample of 252 major international governmental organisations (IGOs) and 250 international non-governmental organisations (INGOs), using information collected from their websites in September–December 2020. We seek to understand why the vast majority of both IGOs and INGOs responded to the crisis and what were the different types of reactions. We study variations in legitimation practices among different types of organisations–governmental vs non-governmental, general-purpose vs task-specific, large vs small, etc. Drawing on rational choice and neo-institutionalist scholarship, we test several hypotheses to account for the patterns of IO's legitimation work triggered by COVID-19 crisis. Our findings give some support to both theoretical perspectives. Organisation's resources are the best predictor for its conduct in response to the crisis. At the same time, organisations largely behave in a conformist way, actively engaging in legitimation work, and investing in their public visibility in relation to COVID-19 pandemic. © 2023 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.

Threatened in the making: institutional consolidation and precariousness in the independent performing arts in Europe

The independent performing arts are establishing themselves as an independent organizational field operating across Europe. The focus is not on artistic form or aesthetics, but on structural and organizational features that define the field institutionally in many countries of Northern, Eastern, Southern and Western Europe alike. The presented consideration of these features is specified in an analysis of the socio-economic situation in the field, especially in light of the new challenges of the Coronavirus pandemic. Subsequently, the actions taken by different advocacy groups to improve the precarious situation across countries and their effectiveness in governance are described to illustrate international coalition patterns, the development of mutual awareness and isomorphic alignment in the structuring of the field beyond nation-state borders. The research is based on 1031 survey responses from artists and cultural professionals as well as expert interviews with the management staff of the interest groups of independent performing arts from 12 European countries (This paper is an elaboration of the following work published in French: Eder, Thomas Fabian. 2022. "Rapport Intermédiaire : Les Arts Du Spectacle Indépendants Entre Consolidation Institutionnelle et Précarité–Une Perspective Comparative Européenne.” D'Allemagne d'Aujourd'hui (No 241)). © 2023 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.

Accountability, governance, and institutional change in intergovernmental relations: A theoretical framework

This article develops an explanatory framework of institutional change in intergovernmental relations. Using new institutionalism, we focus on a main explanatory factor—the players' perceptions of their own accountability and that of others. Integrating the concepts of multiple accountability and felt accountability, we develop the concept of an accountability gap, meaning differences between the perceptions of players in the central government about their responsibility to provide local services and the perceptions of players at the local level about their responsibilities. Our claim is that perceptual gaps concerning accountability in a two-tiered or multi-tiered system may influence their interests, strategies, and behavior and hence determine the timing and pace of specific institutional changes. We illustrate the theoretical framework by examining how Spain managed the COVID-19 pandemic. Related Articles: Aguado, N. Alexander. 2018. "Mayor-Council Form of Government and Policy Responses in Times of Economic Travail.” Politics & Policy 46(5): 714–30. https://doi.org/10.1111/polp.12273. French, Edward P., and Doug Goodman. 2011. "Local Government Human Resource Management Past, Present, and Future: Revisiting Hays and Kearney's Anticipated Changes a Decade Later.” Politics & Policy 39(5): 761–85. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1747-1346.2011.00312.x. Kwon, Sung-Wook, and Sylvia Gonzalez-Gorman. 2019. "Influence of Local Political Institutions on Policy Punctuation in Three Policy Areas.” Politics & Policy 47(2): 300–25. https://doi.org/10.1111/polp.12295. © 2023 The Authors. Politics & Policy published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of Policy Studies Organization.

The European Semester: An Ordoliberal Construct?

The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic appears to have inflicted a decisive blow to ordoliberalism's influence on the economic governance of the Eurozone. This contribution shows that the decline of the ordoliberal ideas precedes the pandemic and can be traced in the management of the financial crisis of 2007–2009. Drawing on the theoretical approach of sociological institutionalism and using insights from 18 interviews with participants in the Economic and Financial Committee and the ECOFIN, this article analyses the evolution of policy-makers' economic policy beliefs and their impact on the fiscal reform of 2010–2013. It is argued that the establishment of the European Semester was the institutional reflection of an intellectual shift from rules-based to institutions-based discipline. I find that the latter conflicts with core ordoliberal principles of the Freiburg economic school, opening the way for alternative institutional arrangements, such as the Recovery and Resilience Facility. © 2022 University Association for Contemporary European Studies and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Assessing the impact of policies in sustaining rural small, medium and micro enterprises during COVID-19 pandemic in South Africa

Background: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has persistently threatened the survival of rural livelihoods everywhere in South Africa. This may have adverse effects on the implementation of policies and strategies that support rural small medium and micro enterprises (SMMEs). Rural-based local institutions and their policies play major roles in sustaining rural SMMEs and livelihoods during disasters and yet there is little research to provide future directions. Aim: This article aims to contribute to an understanding of the impact of the implementation of present and past SMME policies in sustaining rural livelihoods during disasters in South African rural municipalities. Setting: This research focussed on institutions and their policies in the Jozini Local Municipality and Matatiele Local Municipality. These rural-based local municipalities in South Africa were chosen as relevant case studies for this study because of their experiences with frequent fire and drought crises or disasters. Methods: The study employed a qualitative research methodology. In line with the interpretative paradigm, a social network analysis, together with one-on-one interviews, were chosen as research instruments for the collection of data from two rural municipalities. NVivo 12 was used for data analysis. Results: The findings of the study revealed that, while policy and legal frameworks are in place to support SMMEs, in reality, very little support (during disasters) trickles through to rural-based SMMEs. Conclusion: The conclusions drawn from this study revealed that, in the absence of provincial and nationally based institutions to ensure the implementation of their policies, rural SMMEs established alternative processes to sustain their SMMEs during disasters.

A neo-institutional analysis of social protection: Insights from Indonesia

Inaccurate distribution is one of the major problems of social protection programs in developing countries. Program implementation experiences difficulties at the local level, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. This research aims to explain the institution of social protection programs in Indonesia and identify the deficiencies and ways to improve it in other developing countries. It analogically describes the institution as a phenomenon of 'square peg for round hole' to represent the mismatch between the state program design with local social constraints and the cultural-cognitive of the implementers. The result showed that complementing decentralization to the existing institution can overcome the problems. This study helped fill the void in understanding the crisis, which led to changing the implementation, thereby paving a way to revise the macro policy and improve the institution.

Advisory machinery for large‐scale crises and a risky future

This short article provides a practitioner's perspective in response to Iacobucci and Trebilcock's (2022) article "Existential threats: Climate change, pandemics and institutions." It offers some thoughts on: the many kinds of advisory bodies on whose advice governments can draw;the options for and constraints on institutional change;and what the federal and provincial governments could do to better equip themselves for dealing with the next "existential crisis." The goal is to point to the full range of sources of scientific and policy advice for governments, to encourage better appreciation of when different sources of advice might be best served by different institutional underpinnings, and to emphasize the important role of the public service and "soft" machinery in fielding advice from diverse sources in an increasingly risky future. (English) [ FROM AUTHOR]

Ideas and Policy Response to the COVID-19 Crisis: Evidence from Jakarta, Indonesia

Coronaviruses have emerged as a potential disruptive force in policymaking. Using a comparative case study method, we examine two social policy responses in Jakarta, Indonesia: the Social Safety Nets (SSN) programme and the health policy. Such examples demonstrate an aggressive change in policy direction from means-tested systems and government-centred approaches to a total relaxation of conditions with the involvement of non-state actors in the provision of services. Our study analyses the ideational dimensions of the policy process that produces abrupt and radical change. From our analysis, the policy change may be explained by the emergence of a new policy paradigm created through the emulation-contextual process - an alternative model of policy learning. The theoretical implication of our research is that policy response in this study cannot be viewed in a completely path-dependent process. Instead, we propose a 'path-creation accelerator,' which represents an infrequent instance of policy change.

Biodefense and emergency use authorization: different originations, purposes, and evolutionary paths of institutions in the United States and South Korea.

BACKGROUND: Emergency-use-authorization (EUA) is the representative biodefense policy that allows the use of unlicensed medical countermeasures or off-label use of approved medical countermeasures in response to public health emergencies. This article aims to determine why the EUA policies of the United States and South Korea produced drastically different outcomes during the COVID-19 pandemic, and how these outcomes were determined by the originations and evolutionary paths of the two policies. METHOD: Historical institutionalism (HI) explains institutional changes-that is, how the institution is born and how it evolves-based on the concept of path dependency. However, the HI analytical narratives remain at the meso level of analysis in the context of structure and agency. This article discusses domestic and policy-level factors related to the origination of the biodefense institutions in the United States and South Korea using policy-learning concepts with the Event-related Policy Change Model. RESULTS: The 2001 anthrax letter attack (Amerithrax) and the 2015 Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) outbreak prompted the establishment of biodefense institutions in the United States and South Korea, respectively. Due to the different departure points and the mechanism of path dependency, the two countries' EUAs evolved in different ways-the United States EUA reinforced the Post-Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP) function, while the South Korea EUA strengthened the Non-Pharmaceutical Intervention (NPI) function. CONCLUSIONS: The evolution and outcomes of the two EUAs are different because both policies were born out of different needs. The United States EUA is primarily oriented toward protecting homeland security against CBRN (chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear) threats, whereas the South Korea EUA is specifically designed for disease prevention against infectious disease outbreak.

Een (on)gelukkig huwelijk?

During the corona pandemic right-wing sympathizers, conspiracy theorists and various kinds of spiritually minded people (such as New Ager's, yoga teachers, reiki coaches, and holistic healers) came together to oppose the governmental mitigation measures. This unusual sight surprised many commentators: how do these radically different groups, leaning from the progressive to the conservative, come so easily together in one social movement? Answers are found in the concept of "conspirituality": a new social movement fusing "hard male" conspiracy theories with "soft female" spirituality. While there are indeed remarkable similarities in the ideologies of these different groups, most notably their anti-institutionalism, this does not mean that their confluence is uncontested from within both groups. In this essay, I show both their similarities and conflicts to argue that it is hard to speak about a real social movement, but instead we should focus on their shared affinities which, under the right circumstances, can unite these opposed groups. But this is far from a stable coalition.

Államok a globális válságok árnyékában -nemzetközi együttmüködés vagy önsegélyezés?

Az államhatárokon átívelo és a 20. század végétol felgyorsuló globalizációs folyamatoknak köszönhetoen immáron globálisan tapasztalható válságok újfajta kihívásokat jelentenek az államok számára. A megfelelo válaszreakciók és válságkezelési stratégiák kérdése végso soron a nemzetközi kapcsolatok legklasszikusabb dilemmájához vezet, vagyis, hogy mi biztosítja hatékonyabban az egyes nemzetek (jólétének és jóllétének) fennmaradását: a nemzetközi együttmuködés vagy a nemzeti kapacitások biztosítása és növelése, vagyis az önsegélyezés. E kérdés kapcsán az elemzés fókuszában a Covid-19-járvánnyal kapcsolatos nemzetközi szintu, európai uniós és a tagállamok szintjén meghatározható válaszreakciók állnak.Alternate :As a result of globalization processes that have been accelerating since the end of the 20th century, modern crises tend to have cross-border and global nature, which means new challenges for states. The question of appropriate responses and crisis management strategies ultimately leads to the most classic dilemma of international relations, namely what is more effective in ensuring the survival of individual nations (prosperity and well-being): international cooperation or enhancing national capacities i.e., self-help. Accordingly, the focus of this analysis is on the responses to the Covid-19 epidemic, which can be defined at global, EU and Member State level.

Policy paradigms and path dependence: the endogenous roots of institutional displacement and drift in India

This paper demonstrates the impact of path-dependent policy paradigms on institutional progression. This could involve institutional journeys from democracy to authoritarianism, from federalism to centralization, and vice versa. First, we posit that policy ideas are more important than material interests for the evolution of historical paths. Second, the sequence of path construction is equally important. This paper points to the significance of policy ideas for the construction of two sequences—a layering–tipping–displacement path—and a path of institutional drift. Our case work describes how the layered evolution of ideas led to a tipping point that transformed a public sector-driven regime into a private sector oriented one in 1991, thereby unleashing India’s rapid economic growth. The causal mechanism suggests that layering leading to a tipping point that displaces the old paradigm can reveal why overtly abrupt change may result from gradual endogenous processes. This is a largely unexplored causal mechanism in comparative politics. The paper also demonstrates that an ideational drift away from the federalising frame evolved since 2014. It has resulted in famishing the Indian sub-national states for development expenditure, especially at the time of COVID-19. Scholars have suggested the causal logic behind conversion, drift, layering and displacement largely based on material factors. This paper connects ideas embedded in policy paradigms with two of these paths. © 2021, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Institute for Global Public Policy, Fudan University.

EU Public Procurement Policy During Covid-19: A Turning Point for Legitimate EU Governance?

Public procurement is a policy area located between two contradictory tendencies. On the one hand, the European Commission strives for greater competition to widen procurement markets. On the other hand, the boosting of competition encounters resistance among the member states. This article investigates how these colliding tendencies played out during the initial stages of the Covid-19 crisis and, more specifically, how changes in the field of procurement affected legitimate governance in the EU. Based on institutionalist and EU governance theories, the study contributes to the literature with three principal findings. First, it demonstrates that the pandemic enabled exogenously driven changes in the field of public procurement with new policies and guidelines, while the EU’s overall aims in this field were upheld. Second, the study demonstrates that the Commission was the main driver of change and that it enhanced the harmonisation of procurement rules and supranational integration despite the crisis. Third, while these changes strengthened the role of supranational actors, the study demonstrates that the changes introduced allow member states increased flexibility when it comes to the implementation. In practice, however, this flexibility has the potential to undermine the EU’s initial aims, thereby jeopardising the EU’s legitimacy.

Civilizational Cycles and Economic Development in the Context of Technological Transitions and Global Pandemics

The study of theories of civilizational cycles under modern economic conditions is becoming increasingly important. Humanity can discern that long-term forecasts to a certain extent comply with theories of cyclical development. The issue of proving that the iteration of civilizational cycles in historical retrospect may correspond to their recurrence of the Fibonacci series remains open. The objective of the study is to do research into the wave theory in terms of economic development;to determine whether it is possible to apply the "principle of the golden ratio" based on the Fibonacci series;to explain how civilizational cycles are formed in the context of technological transitions;to identify patterns and characteristics of these fluctuations;to describe trends of further economic fluctuations. The object of study are economic relations in the context of civilization development, and their impact on of education, culture and personal freedom. Using the methodology of the Fibonacci numbers, namely, the rule of the golden ratio revealed the patterns of large economic fluctuations, explained the reasons for accelerating the pace of cyclicality and made a forecast of their further development. The results of the study allowed to claim that the current decade is decisive in terms of forming a new civilizational cycle of economic development. It is proved that the trend of the new cycle of civilization will be determined by the symbiosis of a human and artificial intelligence. © 2022, Economic Laboratory for Transition Research. All rights reserved.

A delicate balance: how physicians manage change towards collaborative care within their institutions

Purpose In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, in 2020-2022, the immutable and fragmented character of our healthcare system changed. Healthcare professionals and their institutional leads proved remarkably agile and managed to change toward collaborative care. The purpose of this paper is to examine experiences with collaborative practice in healthcare during the COVID-19 pandemic in two regions in the Netherlands, to explore and understand the relationship between policy and practice and the potential development of new collaborative care routines. Design/methodology/approach Using a methodology informed by theories that have a focus on professional working practice (so called "activity theory") or the institutional decision-makers (discursive institutionalism), respectively, the perspective of physicians on the relationship between policy and practice was explored. Transcripts of meetings with physicians from different institutions and medical specialities about their collaborative COVID-19 care were qualitatively analysed. Findings The findings show how change during COVID-19 was primarily initiated from the bottom-up. Cultural-cognitive and normative forces in professional, collaborative working practice triggered the creation of new relationships and sharing of resources and capacity. The importance of top-down regulatory forces from institutional leads was less evident. Yet, both (bottom-up) professional legitimacy and (top-down) institutional support are mentioned as necessary by healthcare professionals to develop and sustain new collaborative routines. Practical implications The COVID-19 crisis provided opportunity to build better healthcare infrastructure by learning from the responses to this pandemic. Now is the time to find ways to integrate new ways of working initiated from the bottom-up with those longstanding ones initiated from top-down. Originality This paper presents a combination of theories for understanding collaboration in healthcare, which can inform future research into collaborative care initiatives.