Ambiguous Signaling in Regulatory Conversations How Miscommunication and Hierarchy Hamper Voluntary Regulatee Cooperation

This case study investigates interactions between inspectors and regulatee representatives during regulatory conversations. We study how health care inspectors pursue voluntary cooperation from internal supervisors of health care providers to alter organizational management practices. We identify ambiguity as a central characteristic of the regulatory conversations. We observe several discrepancies as inspectors display hierarchical behavior incongruent with the horizontal relationship they aim for—and incongruent with the relationship style that internal supervisors expect. Analyzing these discrepancies in terms of relationship types and associated relational signals helps explain and prevent suboptimal communication and reduced acceptance of regulators’ demands by regulatees.

Safety and Reverence: How Roman Catholic Liturgy Can Respond to the COVID-19 Pandemic

The current COVID-19 pandemic is a major challenge for many religious denominations. The Roman Catholic Church strongly depends on physical communal worship and sacraments. Disagreements grow concerning the best balance between safety and piety. To address this issue, I review the major transmission risks for the SARS-CoV-2 virus and list certain measures to enhance the safety of the Roman Catholic Liturgy without compromising its intrinsic beauty and reverent spiritual attitude. This can be achieved through assimilation of several traditional elements into the modern liturgy. I emphasize that religious leadership and decision-making should be transparent and based on inclusiveness, pluralism, best scientific evidence and voluntary cooperation.

Public cooperation statements

Communication is a well-known tool to promote cooperation and pro-social behavior. In this study, we examine whether minimal communication in form of public consent with a pre-defined cooperation statement is sufficient to strengthen cooperation in groups. Within the controlled environment of a laboratory experiment, we identify ways by which non-enforceable cooperation statements are associated with higher levels of cooperation in a public good setting. At first, the statement triggers selection; socially oriented individuals are more likely to make the cooperation statement. In addition, we can show that a behavioral change takes place once the statement is made. This change can be attributed to commitment arising from the pledge and to increased coordination between the interaction partners. Depending on the institutional context, these drivers can vary in strength. Comparing compulsory and voluntary cooperation statements, we find that both are effective in motivating higher contributions to the public good.

La eficiencia dinámica en la economía de un campo de concentración nazi

The economic activity tends to self-organize under every imaginable situation thanks to the coordinating and creative force of entrepreneurship. Thus, during the Second World War, a market economy developed spontaneously in P.O.W. camps, driven by the entrepreneurship based on the cigarette currency and on free exchange, in which prisoners tried to improve their material welfare by means of voluntary cooperation. Through the testimony of an economist, who fought in the British army and who was captured by the German army, we get to know in detail the development process of this so odd economy. The present work aims at an Austrian interpretation of R.A . Radford's testimony about the development of these processes, putting special emphasis on the leading role of entrepreneurship and evaluating their dynamic efficiency degree at all times. Key words: Entrepreneurship, dynamic efficiency, P.O.W. camp, cigarette currency. Resumen: La actividad económica tiende a auto-organizarse en todas las situaciones imaginables gracias a la fuerza coordinadora y creativa de la función empresarial. Así, en los campos de prisioneros de guerra de la Segunda Guerra Mundial se formó de manera espontánea toda una economía de mercado impulsada por la empresarialidad basada en la moneda-cigarrillo y en el intercambio libre en la que los reclusos trataban de mejorar su bienestar material mediante la cooperación voluntaria. A través del testimonio de un economista que luchó en el ejército británico y que fue capturado por el ejército alemán podemos conocer con detalle cuál fue el proceso de desarrollo de esta economía tan peculiar. El presente trabajo pretende ser una interpretación austriaca del testimonio de R.A. Radford sobre el desarrollo de estos procesos haciendo hincapié en el papel protagonista de la empresarialidad y evaluando en todo momento el grado de eficiencia dinámica de los mismos. Palabras clave: Función empresarial, eficiencia dinámica, campo de prisioneros, moneda cigarrillo.

Around ethical dilemmas in the work of a family assistant

The purpose of the article is to describe selected ethical dilemmas in the work of a family assistant, based on the typology of ethical dilemmas of Frederic Reamer. In accordance with the typology adopted in the article, in the area of cooperation with families, ethical dilemmas regarding direct work with families, implementation of social assistance programs and relationship between representatives of the profession arise. The information presented in the text is based on publications, studies and reports on family assistantship. The first group of ethical dilemmas is revealed when constructing supportive and helping relationship between assistants and families. It refers to such areas as: voluntary cooperation, limits of cooperation, the right to self-determination or limits of responsibility. The second group of ethical dilemmas is related to the planning and implementation of various solutions in the field of social policy and also support and assistance programs offered to the family. The last group of ethical dilemmas results from a different understanding of family assistantship in the structures of the social assistance system. They are also revealed in the construction of relationships with social workers. The text also includes solutions how to cope with these dilemmas.

Az önszerveződő csoportok szerepe az ugandai pénzügyi rendszerben

Groups organized on the basis of voluntary cooperation play a significant role in the financial systems of sub-Saharan African countries. Following the success of the cooperative movement and the Grameen model, self-organized microfinance organizations have spread across the continent. In our study, we examine the role of self-organizing groups through the Ugandan example. According to a survey by the Central Bank of Uganda, there were about 1,000 active savings and credit unions and more than 70,000 financial self-help groups in the country in 2018. Although savings and credit cooperative organizations are sometimes influenced by the politics, they still play a significant role in poverty reduction.

Fortified Nudges? Protecting the Vulnerable in a Post-COVID Society

The eagerly awaited transition back into a functioning and vibrant society presents numerous challenges, not the least of which is how to protect the vulnerable. As society emerges from the “crisis” phase and the lockdown is lifted, it remains unclear to what extent it should be left to the vulnerable to protect themselves.The elderly, the infirm, and those with existing health conditions are particularly susceptible to tragic outcomes from the coronavirus. To be vulnerable to a severe impact of COVID-19 turns the disease into a pervasively lurking death threat. Yet, to suggest that the vulnerable spend their lives in retreat in order to significantly minimize the risk is problematic in multiple ways. As policy-makers craft the way forward, the question must be asked whether an appeal to the goodwill and voluntary cooperation of people, along with the slow evolution of social norms, is an adequate approach to protecting the vulnerable.