scholarly journals A leverage points perspective on institutions for food security in a smallholder-dominated landscape in southwestern Ethiopia

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tolera Senbeto Jiren ◽  
Maraja Riechers ◽  
Arvid Bergsten ◽  
Joern Fischer
Keyword(s):  
Food Security ◽  
Food System ◽  
Informal Institutions ◽  
Supply Side ◽  
Formal Institutions ◽  
Leverage Points ◽  
Institutional Interplay ◽  
Southwestern Ethiopia ◽  
Formal And Informal Institutions ◽  
Different Levels

AbstractDespite concerted efforts, achieving the goal of universal food security remains challenging. Food security interventions occur at different levels of systemic depth. Some interventions target visible supply-side gaps, while others focus on deeper systemic problems in the food system. Here, we used a leverage points perspective to ask how multiple types of more superficial (shallow) and more fundamental (deep) interventions in the food system interact. Focusing on a case study in southwestern Ethiopia, we examined (1) recent changes in formal and informal institutions related to food security; (2) the effects of formal and informal institutions on the food system at different levels of systemic depth (i.e., on parameters, feedbacks, design, and intent); and (3) issues of institutional interplay between formal and informal institutions. We surveyed 150 rural households and analyzed key policy documents. Both formal and informal institutions were perceived to improve food security. However, at the intent level, formal institutions primarily aimed to enhance food supply, while informal institutions additionally sought to build trust among farmers. At the design level, formal interventions targeted information flow through a newly created agricultural extension system, while informal institutions facilitated labor sharing and communication. In terms of institutional interplay, new formal institutions had partly undermined pre-existing informal institutions. We conclude that both visible supply-side gaps and deeper drivers of food insecurity should be targeted through food security interventions. Interventions need to be cognizant of potentially unexpected ways of institutional interplay, especially between formal and informal institutions.

Analysis of the problems of the functioning of the food security institutional mechanism

2021 ◽  
pp. 107-114
Author(s):  
Gelena O. Pruntseva
Keyword(s):  
Food Security ◽  
Industrial Production ◽  
Informal Institutions ◽  
Security System ◽  
Industrial Complex ◽  
Security Mechanism ◽  
Formal Institutions ◽  
Efficient System ◽  
Formal And Informal Institutions ◽  
Institutional Mechanism

The efficient functioning of the food security institutional mechanism is an important factor in providing the population with vital foodstuffs. It is the efficient relationship between traditional food demand institutions and modern food market regulation institutions that catalyzes the development of an efficient food security mechanism. The efficient functioning of modern institutions of the food security system is possible with an efficient system of institutional integration. That is why the need to highlight the problems of forming and efficient functioning of the institutional mechanism is important for finding ways to improve the existing food security system. At present, Ukraine's food security system is at an active stage of institutional transformation, which contributes to building an efficient link between agricultural production, the country's population, and the green economy. According to the SWOT analysis of the food security institutional mechanism, it can be concluded that the set of existing formal and informal institutions needs significant reform and improvement, as they should stimulate production, the competitiveness of Ukrainian products in both domestic and foreign markets, and affordability of agricultural products for citizens. According to the PEST-analysis of the institutional mechanism of the food security system, it can be concluded that to ensure the efficient functioning of the food security system, the state should build an efficient strategy for agro-industrial complex development and a strategy to provide the population with quality food products, bring the existing regulatory framework in line with modern market requirements and international standards, increase the level of technical and technological equipment of agro-industrial production, etc. In order to improve the current situation, the following areas of regulation of the food security institutional mechanism are proposed: strengthening the role of formal institutions in the domain of agro-industrial production and food security, ensuring the transformation of formal institutions in accordance with international law, stimulating development and creating incentives for informal institutions in the food security domain, ensuring strong interconnection and efficient interaction between formal and informal institutions of the food security mechanism.

scholarly journals Formal institutions and the development of entrepreneurial activity – the contingent role of corruption in emerging economies

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Arezou Harraf ◽  
Hasan Ghura ◽  
Allam Hamdan ◽  
Xiaoqing Li
Keyword(s):  
Emerging Economies ◽  
Corporate Entrepreneurship ◽  
Informal Institutions ◽  
Entrepreneurial Activity ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Formal Institutions ◽  
Business World ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Formal And Informal Institutions ◽  
Control Of Corruption

PurposeThe paper aims to analyse the interplay between formal and informal institutions' and their impact on entrepreneurship rates in emerging economies.Design/methodology/approachThis study expands previous research in examining the moderating effect of control of corruption on the relationship between formal institutions and the development of the entrepreneurial activity. The study utilizes longitudinal analyses of a dataset from 41 emerging economies over 11 years (2006–2016).FindingsFindings provided robust support for the study's hypotheses. The results suggested lower levels of corruption positively moderate the effects of a country's number of procedures and education and training on the rates of entrepreneurial activity, while negatively moderating the effects of firm-level technology absorption on the rates of entrepreneurial activity.Research limitations/implicationsThe study has considered only one particular aspect of high-growth entrepreneurship, which is newly registered firms with limited liability. Although newly registered firms are recognized as one of the critical drivers of entrepreneurial activity. Future research should seek to examine other aspects of growth-oriented entrepreneurship such as activities involving a high level of innovation, corporate entrepreneurship or technology developments.Practical implicationsThis study advanced the existing theories in the field of entrepreneurship and institutional economics as it merged the two theories as a driving framework in the design of the study in the context of emerging economies.Social implicationsThe study tested a theoretical model by expanding the number of emerging economies in the study and found comparable findings that explain factors that may influence the likelihood of individuals entering entrepreneurship.Originality/valueThis article adds to the current literature as it highlights the importance of the interplay of formal and informal institutions in determining their impact on entrepreneurship rates in emerging economies. This is of particular importance to policy-makers, and the business world as the empirical results of this study show the benefits of control of corruption in boosting entrepreneurial rates in these economies, which strive for economic diversification in their developmental endeavours.

scholarly journals Healthy Diets and Reduced Land Pressure: Towards a Double Gain for Future Food Systems in Nigeria

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 835 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zuzana Smeets-Kristkova ◽  
Thom Achterbosch ◽  
Marijke Kuiper
Keyword(s):  
Food Security ◽  
Global Economy ◽  
Food Systems ◽  
Food System ◽  
Production Systems ◽  
Leverage Points ◽  
Nutrition Security ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Healthy Diets ◽  
The Impact

Nigeria is one of the most dynamic economies in Africa. Strong GDP and population growth coupled with urbanization trends place tremendous pressures on natural resources and the food systems that are dependent on them. Understanding the impact of these “mega trends” is important to identify key leverage points for navigating towards improved nutrition and food security in Nigeria. This paper contributes to the Foresight Project of the Food Systems for Healthier Diets which aims to analyse how the food system in Nigeria is expected to transform in the next decades, and to identify the leverage points for making sure that the transformation contributes to balanced consumer diets. For the food systems foresight, a well-established global economy-wide model, MAGNET, is applied that enables to capture the interlinkages among different food industry players in one consistent framework. By linking MAGNET to the GENUS nutritional database, it is further possible to relate the developments occurring on a macro-level with detailed macro and micronutrient consumption. Model projections suggest that a process of intensification of agriculture in combination with land substitution appears critical for the evolution of food and nutrition security, and for shifts towards healthy diets for the population. Intensification results in greater diversity of the production systems, which in turn cascades into positive effects on the diversity in the food supply and better food security outcomes.

scholarly journals Explaining the Undeclared Economy in Bulgaria: an Institutional Asymmetry Perspective

2015 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 33-45 ◽  
Author(s):  
Colin C. Williams ◽  
Josip Franic ◽  
Rositsa Dzhekova
Keyword(s):  
Social Contract ◽  
Informal Institutions ◽  
Formal Institutions ◽  
East Europe ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
South East Europe ◽  
The Social ◽  
Formal And Informal Institutions ◽  
Values And Beliefs ◽  
Civic Morality

Abstract This paper proposes a way of explaining the undeclared economy that represents participation in undeclared work as a violation of the social contract between the state and its citizens, and as arising when the informal institutions comprising the norms, values and beliefs of citizens (civic morality) do not align with the codified laws and regulations of a society’s formal institutions (state morality). Drawing upon evidence from 1,018 face-to-face interviews conducted in Bulgaria during 2013, the finding is that the greater is the asymmetry between formal and informal institutions (i.e., citizens’ civic morality and state morality), the greater is the likelihood of participation in the undeclared economy, and vice versa. The outcome is that tackling the undeclared economy requires a focus upon reducing this lack of alignment of formal and informal institutions. How this can be achieved in Bulgaria in particular and South-East Europe and beyond more generally, is then discussed.

scholarly journals The Impact of Institutions on the Evolution of Tourism Accommodation Format: Evidence from Wulingyuan, China

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (10) ◽  
pp. 2882
Author(s):  
Ting Jiang ◽  
Shaobing Zhuo ◽  
Chaozhi Zhang ◽  
Jun Gao
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Informal Institutions ◽  
Evolution Process ◽  
Formal Institutions ◽  
Tourist Destination ◽  
The Sustainable Development ◽  
Formal And Informal Institutions ◽  
Industry Needs ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Current Stage

This paper examines the impact of institutions on evolution of tourism accommodation format in Wulingyuan, a well-known tourist destination in China, from the perspective of institutional cluster embeddedness. Data were primarily collected through interviews and participant observations. The findings show a five-stage evolution process starting from introduction (1982–1988), through growth (1989–2000), adjustment (2001–2004), and upgrade (2005–2010) to the current stage of individualization (2011–present). During the process, the informal institutions work to suppress, conflict with the formal institutions, yet transform into formal institutions in the end. In such a process, institutional loopholes and frictions are the norm, and tourism accommodation format evolves from extensive development to sustainable development. It suggests that the sustainable development of the tourism accommodation industry needs the synergy of formal and informal institutions.

Knowledge spillover driven by institutions: evidence from the big science project in China

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lingling Zhang ◽  
Chang Gao ◽  
Yoshiteru Nakamori
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Spillovers ◽  
Informal Institutions ◽  
Knowledge Spillover ◽  
Individual Behavior ◽  
Engineering Practice ◽  
Big Science ◽  
Formal Institutions ◽  
Institutional Perspective ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Formal And Informal Institutions

Purpose This study aims to explore the knowledge spillover mechanism in big science projects (BSP) from an institutional perspective by elaborating on the dynamic relationship between institutional dualism and legitimacy. Design/methodology/approach The study conducts an exploratory research and adopts the grounded theory methodology in the context of BSP. Data draw mainly upon nine semi-structured interviews. Findings The knowledge spillovers in BSP are driven by institutions, which work through mechanisms of legitimacy perception. Formal and informal institutions influence organizational and individual behavior through legitimacy pressure and support. Formal institutions impose legitimacy pressure on organizations and individuals, forcing them to cooperate closely to solve problems; informal institutions enable them to adopt innovative strategies and positive attitudes through legitimacy support; all these promote knowledge spillovers in research and development (R&D) activities, engineering practice and regional interaction. Knowledge spillovers enable stakeholders to realize their R&D advancement, manufacturing promotion and management sophistication. Further, regional knowledge diffusion and culture transmission promote regional innovation and social capital accumulation. Research limitations/implications The study develops a theoretical model that shows how knowledge spillover mechanisms happen in BSP from an institutional perspective (the trigger, the channels/process and the impacts). More specifically, this explanation is provided by explaining how formal and informal institutions influence organizational and individual behavior through legitimacy perceptions. Practical implications First, policymakers should recognize and value the guiding, supporting and coordinating role of formal institutions and enrich capital forms to release the legitimacy pressure of stakeholders. Second, management of BSP needs to be capable of coordinating stakeholder relationships and interactions, while management should focus their attention on fostering good organizational routines and shared group value. Third, the local culture and customs should be taken into consideration since it can be an enabling or constraining of BSP. Finally, industries can take advantage of the opportunity to coordinate their R&D efforts to gain competitiveness. Originality/value First, the authors introduce the institutional perspective to analyze the construction process of BSP, which helps to better understand the interactions of stakeholders under the influence of institutions, the dynamic process and impacts of knowledge spillovers. Second, the authors are committed to contributing to the development of knowledge spillover theories by adopting an institutional perspective. The authors furthermore explore and propose the presence of a dynamic mechanism between institutional dualism and knowledge spillovers. In consequence, the authors introduce the concept of legitimacy perceptions, which is a bridge to understanding the interaction between them. Third, by explicitly discussing the actual meaning of our framework, the authors explore the unique potential of institutional arrangement in promoting the knowledge management of complex cross-border cooperation, while seeking to promote its management and administrative practices.

Varieties of Clientelism in Comparative Democracies: Power, State Formation and Citizenship in the Philippines, Bosnia and Herzegovina

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 233-248
Author(s):  
Cleo Anne A. Calimbahin
Keyword(s):  
Bosnia And Herzegovina ◽  
Informal Institutions ◽  
The Philippines ◽  
Review Article ◽  
Public Institutions ◽  
Democratic Institutions ◽  
Formal Institutions ◽  
Formal And Informal Institutions ◽  
Philippine Politics

Abstract Clientelism in comparative democracies have evolved through time within informal and formal institutions. Using the book by Brkovic, that follows the tradition of challenging the unidimensional view of clientelism in Bosnia and Herzegovina, this essay provides the Philippine case as contrast and comparison. The article examines how both countries’ experience can open new avenues for us to understand the durability of clientelism and its relationship with formal and informal institutions. Brokovic’s agency and personhood within clientelistic relationships accounts for the endurance of this practice in democratic societies that experienced transition. Clientelism persists in part due to the reliability of personal relations over the ability of public institutions to deliver. This review article will probe clientelism, as it manifests in the politics of the Philippines and its democratic institutions. Among the multiple types of clientelistic relationship in the Philippines, some emphasize the role of machine politics, corruption, and coercion. Brković’s book provides a new lens of analysis by looking at clientelism through personhood and agency as power. The contribution of the book on the discourse of clientelism can deepen the understanding of Philippine politics because it encourages an analysis that looks at the exercise of democracy through personhood, agency, and informal institutions. It invites us to view clientelism not just through corruption and violence. By combining the analysis that utilizes formal and informal institutions, personhood and structuralist, this essay explains why some countries that have transitioned into democracies remain ambiguous states and explain the persistence of clientelism.

scholarly journals The Impact of Interplay between Formal and Informal Institutions on Innovation Performance: Evidence from CEECs

2021 ◽  
Vol 32 (1) ◽  
pp. 15-26
Author(s):  
Malgorzata Godlewska
Keyword(s):  
Legal System ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Innovation Policy ◽  
Informal Institutions ◽  
Innovation Performance ◽  
Formal Institutions ◽  
Formal And Informal Institutions ◽  
National Economies ◽  
The Impact

Formal and informal institutions matter in the context of the innovation performance of Central and Eastern European countries (CEECs). The purpose of the research was to investigate whether the interplay between formal and informal institutions has a positive, negative or neutral impact on the innovation performance of CEECs, and if formal or informal institutions alone also have a positive, negative or neutral influence on the innovation performance of CEECs. The research is based on informal institutions of CEECs such as trust, traditions, customs, creativity or cooperation, and formal institutions of CEECs such as law, formal rules, or science, technology and innovation policy (STIP). The research methodology focuses on secondary statistical data from 18,808 surveys from the European Social Survey Round 9 (2018) edition 2.0 for informal institutions and from 1090 innovation policies of European Commission and OECD STIP Compass and 414,073 notices of awarded tenders of the European Union Tenders Electronic Daily for formal institutions. Innovation performance was measured by the Summary Innovation Index (SII) of the European Innovation Scoreboard 2019. The findings show that informal institutions such as trust in others, trust in the legal system, the importance of following traditions and customs or cooperation among citizens of CEECs, as well as interplay between informal institutions such as trust in the legal system and formal institutions such as obedience to rules among citizens of CEECs have a negative impact on the innovation performance of the national economies of CEECs. Meanwhile, the variety of policy theme areas and creativity among citizens of CEECs have a positive impact on the innovation performance of the national economies of CEECs.

Institutions and Innovation: Evidence from Countries at Different Stages of Development

2017 ◽  
Vol 56 (4) ◽  
pp. 297-317
Author(s):  
Zafir Ullah Khan ◽  
Anwar Hussain ◽  
Nasir Iqbal
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Informal Institutions ◽  
Country Risk ◽  
Innovation Performance ◽  
Formal Institutions ◽  
Stages Of Development ◽  
World Value Survey ◽  
Formal And Informal Institutions ◽  
The Impact

This paper empirically analyses the impact of institutions, both formal and informal, on innovation performance of sampled countries at different stages of development. Data of 72 sampled countries on Research and Development Expenditures, numbers of article published, human capital, trade openness, internet users are collected from United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), International Country Risk Guide (ICRG) and World Bank database. Formal and informal institutions indexes are constructed using data from Country Risk Guide and The World Value Survey (WVS). Fixed effect and System GMM technique are used to estimate the dynamic relationship between innovation performance and institutional indexes. The study finds positive significant effect of institutions on innovation in case of aggregate sample of developed and developing countries. However, the effects of formal institutions are more significant in case of sample of developed countries, while in developing countries informal institutions are found more effective than formal institutions in affecting innovation performance. The results also show that both formal and informal institutions are supplementary to each other in case of developing countries. Therefore, it is suggested that focus should be given to informal institutions. Moreover, collective initiatives be encourage in developing countries to have diverse ideas from different sectors of the countries. In addition, developing countries should initiate collaborative research projects with technologically advanced countries research and education institutions so as to learn from each other’s ideas and experiences. Keywords: Formal Institutions, Informal Institutions, Innovation

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document