Structural and Institutional Determinants of Influence Reputation: A Comparison of Collaborative and Adversarial Policy Networks in Decision Making and Implementation

The central assumption in the literature on collaborative networks and policy networks is that political outcomes are affected by a variety of state and nonstate actors. Some of these actors are more powerful than others and can therefore have a considerable effect on decision making. In this article, we seek to provide a structural and institutional explanation for these power differentials in policy networks and support the explanation with empirical evidence. We use a dyadic measure of influence reputation as a proxy for power, and posit that influence reputation over the political outcome is related to vertical integration into the political system by means of formal decision-making authority, and to horizontal integration by means of being well embedded into the policy network. Hence, we argue that actors are perceived as influential because of two complementary factors: (a) their institutional roles and (b) their structural positions in the policy network. Based on temporal and cross-sectional exponential random graph models, we compare five cases about climate, telecommunications, flood prevention, and toxic chemicals politics in Switzerland and Germany. The five networks cover national and local networks at different stages of the policy cycle. The results confirm that institutional and structural drivers seem to have a crucial impact on how an actor is perceived in decision making and implementation and, therefore, their ability to significantly shape outputs and service delivery.

Does context matter? Analysing structural and individual factors of member commitment in sport clubs

This article addresses factors that infl uence member commitment in sport clubs. Based on the theory of social action and the economic behaviour theory, it focuses not only on individual characteristics of club members but also on the corresponding structural conditions of sport clubs. Accordingly, a multilevel framework is developed for explaining member commitment in sport clubs. Different multilevel models were estimated in order to analyse the infl uences of both the individual and corresponding context Level in a sample of n = 1,699 members of 42 Swiss and German sport clubs. The multilevel analysis permitted an adequate handling of hierarchically structured data. Results of These multilevel analyses indicated that the commitment of members is not just an outcome of individual characteristics such as strong identifi cation with their club, positively perceived (collective) solidarity, satisfaction with their sport club, or voluntary engagement. It is also determined by club-specific structural conditions: commitment proves to be more probable in rural sport clubs and clubs that explicitly support sociability. Furthermore, cross-level effects in relation to member commitment were also found between the context variable sociability and the individual variable identification.

Microscopic theory of cooperative spin crossover: Interaction of molecular modes with phonons

In this article, we present a new microscopic theoretical approach to the description of spin crossover in molecular crystals. The spin crossover crystals under consideration are composed of molecular fragments formed by the spin-crossover metal ion and its nearest ligand surrounding and exhibiting well defined localized (molecular) vibrations. As distinguished from the previous models of this phenomenon, the developed approach takes into account the interaction of spin-crossover ions not only with the phonons but also a strong coupling of the electronic shells with molecular modes. This leads to an effective coupling of the local modes with phonons which is shown to be responsible for the cooperative spin transition accompanied by the structural reorganization. The transition is characterized by the two order parameters representing the mean values of the products of electronic diagonal matrices and the coordinates of the local modes for the high- and low-spin states of the spin crossover complex. Finally, we demonstrate that the approach provides a reasonable explanation of the observed spin transition in the [Fe(ptz)6](BF4)2 crystal. The theory well reproduces the observed abrupt low-spin → high-spin transition and the temperature dependence of the high-spin fraction in a wide temperature range as well as the pronounced hysteresis loop. At the same time within the limiting approximations adopted in the developed model, the evaluated high-spin fraction vs. T shows that the cooperative spin-lattice transition proves to be incomplete in the sense that the high-spin fraction does not reach its maximum value at high temperature.

Using the theory of planned behaviour to model antecedents of surgical checklist use: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND Compliance with surgical checklist use remains an obstacle in the context of checklist implementation programs. The theory of planned behaviour was applied to analyse attitudes, perceived behaviour control, and norms as psychological antecedents of individuals' intentions to use the checklist. METHODS A cross-sectional survey study with staff (N = 866) of 10 Swiss hospitals was conducted in German and French. Group mean differences between individuals with and without managerial function were computed. Structural equation modelling and confirmatory factor analysis was applied to investigate the structural relation between attitudes, perceived behaviour control, norms, and intentions. RESULTS Significant mean differences in favour of individuals with managerial function emerged for norms, perceived behavioural control, and intentions, but not for attitudes. Attitudes and perceived behavioural control had a significant direct effect on intentions whereas norms had not. CONCLUSIONS Individuals with managerial function exhibit stronger perceived behavioural control, stronger norms, and stronger intentions. This could be applied in facilitating checklist implementation. The structural model of the theory of planned behaviour remains stable across groups, indicating a valid model to describe antecedents of intentions in the context of surgical checklist implementation.

The impact of structural conditions in communes on sports behaviour of adolescents and young adults in Switzerland

Young peoples’ sport activity differs considerably depending on the linguistic region in Switzerland (Lamprecht, Fischer, & Stamm, 2014). This appears to be based on cultural as well as on structural differences. The question then arises how differing structural conditions in communes (e.g. sport facilities, significance of the municipal promotion of sport) across different linguistic regions of Switzerland cause variation in sport behaviour. Based on the theory of social action (Coleman, 1990), it is assumed that individual behaviour is not only determined by individual but also by structural and socio - cultural factors in which a person is socially embedded . In 33 municipalities of the German and French speaking region of Switzerland, multilevel data was gathered analysing possible influences of structural factors on sports behaviour. Using an online survey, 15 to 30 year old inhabitants (N=3677) were questi oned about their sports participation, as well as their perception of sport - related structural characteristics in their commune. To collect information about communes’ sport facilities, sport providers as well as representatives of the municipal administra tion were interviewed and document analyses were conducted. Representatives of the municipal administration attach more importance to sport promotion in the German speaking than in French - speaking municipalities. Young people living in the French speaking commune are less satisfied with the sport facilities (F(1,3266)=31.31, p<.01) and they are less physically active than their German - speaking counterparts (Chi2(1,N=3537)=22.51, p<.05). These first findings show the impact of structural conditions in commun es on sport participation of adolescents and young people. However, further multilevel analyses will be conducted for a better understanding of correlations between structural conditions and different sports behaviour of young people. References Coleman, J. S. (1990). Foundations of social theory. Cambridge, MA: Belknap. Lamprecht, M., Fischer, A. & Stamm, H. (2014). Sport Schweiz 2014. Sportaktivität und Sportinteresse der Schweizer Bevölkerung. Magglingen: BASPO.

Evaluating the impact of vertical integration on health system peformance

Vertical integration is grounded in economic theory as a corporate strategy for reducing cost and enhancing efficiency. There were three purposes for this dissertation. The first was to describe and understand vertical integration theory. The review of the economic theory established vertical integration as a corporate cost reduction strategy in response to environmental, structural and performance dimensions of the market. The second purpose was to examine vertical integration in the context of the health care industry, which has greater complexity, higher instability, and more unstable demand than other industries, although many of the same dimensions of the market supported a vertical integration strategy. Evidence on the performance of health systems after integration revealed mixed results. Because the market continues to be turbulent, hybrid non-owned integration in the form of alliances have increased to over 40% of urban hospitals. The third purpose of the study was to examine the application of vertical integration in health care and evaluate the effects. The case studied was an alliance formed between a community hospital and a tertiary medical center to facilitate vertical integration of oncology services while maintaining effectiveness and preserving access. The economic benefits for 1934 patients were evaluated in the delivery system before and after integration with a more detailed economic analysis of breast, lung, colon/rectal, and non-malignant cases. A regression analysis confirmed the relationship between the independent variables of age, sex, location of services, race, stage of disease, and diagnosis, and the dependent variable, cost. The results of the basic regression model, as well as the regression with first-order interaction terms, were statistically significant. The study shows that vertical integration at an intermediate health care system level has economic benefits. If the pre-integration oncology group had been treated in the post-integration model, the expected cost savings from integration would be 31.5%. Quality indicators used were access to health care services and research treatment protocols, and access was preserved in the integrated model. Using survival as a direct quality outcome measure, the survival of lung cancer patients was statistically the same before and after integration. ^

The Entrepreneurial Theory of the Firm and the Theory of the Entrepreneurial Firm

The entrepreneurial theory of the firm argues that entrepreneurship, properly understood, is a crucial but neglected element in explaining the nature and boundaries of the firm. By contrast, the theory of the entrepreneurial firm presumably seeks not to understand the nature and boundaries of "the firm" in general but rather to understand a particular type of firm: one that is entrepreneurial. This paper is an attempt to reconcile the two. After briefly delving for the concept of entrepreneurship in the work of Schumpeter, Kirzner, and (especially) Knight, the paper makes the case for the entrepreneurial theory of the firm. In such a theory, the firm exists as the solution to a coordination problem in a world of change and uncertainty, including Knightian or structural uncertainty. Taking a historical or developmental perspective, the paper then examines the changing nature of the entrepreneurial coordination problem over the life-cycle. In this formulation, "the entrepreneurial firm" is a nascent firm or proto-firm facing a problem of coordinating systemic change in economic capabilities. Lacking (by definition) adequate guidance from existing systems of rules of conduct embedded in markets or organizations, the entrepreneurial firm typically relies on a form of organization Max Weber called charismatic authority. In the end, although there is no such thing as a non-entrepreneurial firm, firms that must solve coordination problems in a world of novelty and systemic change ("entrepreneurial firms") are perhaps the purest case of the entrepreneurial theory of the firm.

Post-transcriptional Regulation of Mammalian Gene Expression in Non-coding Region of Target RNA

Tumor Suppressor Candidate 2 (TUSC2) is a novel tumor suppressor gene located in the human chromosome 3p21.3 region. TUSC2 mRNA transcripts could be detected on Northern blots in both normal lung and some lung cancer cell lines, but no endogenous TUSC2 protein could be detected in a majority of lung cancer cell lines. Mechanisms regulating TUSC2 protein expression and its inactivation in primary lung cancer cells are largely unknown. We investigated the role of the 5’- and 3’-untranslated regions (UTRs) of the TUSC2 gene in the regulation of TUSC2 protein expression. We found that two small upstream open-reading frames (uORFs) in the 5’UTR of TUSC2 could markedly inhibit the translational initiation of TUSC2 protein by interfering with the “scanning” of the ribosome initiation complexes. Site-specific stem-loop array reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (SLA-RT-PCR) verified several micoRNAs (miRNAs) targeted at 3’UTR and directed TUSC2 cleavage and degradation. In addition, we used the established let-7-targeted high mobility group A2 (Hmga2) mRNA as a model system to study the mechanism of regulation of target mRNA by miRNAs in mammalian cells under physiological conditions. There have been no evidence of direct link between mRNA downregulation and mRNA cleavages mediated by miRNAs. Here we showed that the endonucleolytic cleavages on mRNAs were initiated by mammalian miRNA in seed pairing style. Let-7 directed cleavage activities among the eight predicted potential target sites have varied efficiency, which are influenced by the positional and the structural contexts in the UTR. The 5’ cleaved RNA fragments were mostly oligouridylated at their 3’-termini and accumulated for delayed 5’–3’ degradation. RNA fragment oligouridylation played important roles in marking RNA fragments for delayed bulk degradation and in converting RNA degradation mode from 3’–5’ to 5’–3’ with cooperative efforts from both endonucleolytic and non-catalytic miRNA-induced silencing complex (miRISC). Our findings point to a mammalian miRNA-mediated mechanism for the regulation of mRNA that miRNA can decrease target mRNA through target mRNA cleavage and uridine addition

Tres versiones contemporáneas de la comunidad : Hacia una teoría política post-fundacionalista

Ante el embate del particularismo, la emergencia de los nacionalismos reaccionarios en el mundo contemporáneo, y la difusión del comunitarismo en la filosofía política, es necesario que la teoría política asuma un rol crítico ante estos procesos teóricos y políticos. Esa es la tarea que desde el postfundacionalismo se plantean la obra de Jean-Luc Nancy, Roberto Espósito y Ernesto Laclau. En este trabajo intentamos escrutar la visión que estos autores postulan sobre la comunidad. Se verá que, mas allá de sus distintas estrategias argumentativas y de perspectiva, se desarrolla en estos tres autores una idea de la comunidad fundamentalmente anti-esencialista, una comunidad improductiva (Nancy), estructurada en torno a una nada (Espósito) y cuya única manera de reconstitución es a través de la articulación política (Laclau)

Inflación, transferencias y distribución del ingreso en la Argentina post-convertibilidad : ¿Cómo se gestan y a quiénes benefician?

El trabajo analiza cómo se distribuyen las cargas y beneficios del modelo de acumulación post-convertibilidad, 2002-2007, entre las fracciones de clase. En este sentido exploramos la constitución de un sistema de transferencias de ingresos en el que convergen en un proceso dinámico la inflación, las políticas económicas y las estrategias de acumulación de los agentes económicos. Desde una perspectiva que amplía el modo de abordaje del debate sobre la distribución del ingreso, postulamos la conformación de un sistema de transferencias en base al análisis de dos núcleos vinculados: uno ligado a transferencias operadas a partir de la articulación de políticas económicas y transformaciones estructurales, y otro que es en sí mismo un mecanismo de transferencia de importante relevancia y alcance explicativo: la inflación. La evolución diferencial de los precios afecta la capacidad de apropiación, por los agentes económicos, del ingreso socialmente producido, expresando así cambios en las relaciones de fuerzas

Tres versiones contemporáneas de la comunidad : Hacia una teoría política post-fundacionalista

Ante el embate del particularismo, la emergencia de los nacionalismos reaccionarios en el mundo contemporáneo, y la difusión del comunitarismo en la filosofía política, es necesario que la teoría política asuma un rol crítico ante estos procesos teóricos y políticos. Esa es la tarea que desde el postfundacionalismo se plantean la obra de Jean-Luc Nancy, Roberto Espósito y Ernesto Laclau. En este trabajo intentamos escrutar la visión que estos autores postulan sobre la comunidad. Se verá que, mas allá de sus distintas estrategias argumentativas y de perspectiva, se desarrolla en estos tres autores una idea de la comunidad fundamentalmente anti-esencialista, una comunidad improductiva (Nancy), estructurada en torno a una nada (Espósito) y cuya única manera de reconstitución es a través de la articulación política (Laclau)

Inflación, transferencias y distribución del ingreso en la Argentina post-convertibilidad : ¿Cómo se gestan y a quiénes benefician?

El trabajo analiza cómo se distribuyen las cargas y beneficios del modelo de acumulación post-convertibilidad, 2002-2007, entre las fracciones de clase. En este sentido exploramos la constitución de un sistema de transferencias de ingresos en el que convergen en un proceso dinámico la inflación, las políticas económicas y las estrategias de acumulación de los agentes económicos. Desde una perspectiva que amplía el modo de abordaje del debate sobre la distribución del ingreso, postulamos la conformación de un sistema de transferencias en base al análisis de dos núcleos vinculados: uno ligado a transferencias operadas a partir de la articulación de políticas económicas y transformaciones estructurales, y otro que es en sí mismo un mecanismo de transferencia de importante relevancia y alcance explicativo: la inflación. La evolución diferencial de los precios afecta la capacidad de apropiación, por los agentes económicos, del ingreso socialmente producido, expresando así cambios en las relaciones de fuerzas

Tres versiones contemporáneas de la comunidad : Hacia una teoría política post-fundacionalista

Ante el embate del particularismo, la emergencia de los nacionalismos reaccionarios en el mundo contemporáneo, y la difusión del comunitarismo en la filosofía política, es necesario que la teoría política asuma un rol crítico ante estos procesos teóricos y políticos. Esa es la tarea que desde el postfundacionalismo se plantean la obra de Jean-Luc Nancy, Roberto Espósito y Ernesto Laclau. En este trabajo intentamos escrutar la visión que estos autores postulan sobre la comunidad. Se verá que, mas allá de sus distintas estrategias argumentativas y de perspectiva, se desarrolla en estos tres autores una idea de la comunidad fundamentalmente anti-esencialista, una comunidad improductiva (Nancy), estructurada en torno a una nada (Espósito) y cuya única manera de reconstitución es a través de la articulación política (Laclau)

Inflación, transferencias y distribución del ingreso en la Argentina post-convertibilidad : ¿Cómo se gestan y a quiénes benefician?

El trabajo analiza cómo se distribuyen las cargas y beneficios del modelo de acumulación post-convertibilidad, 2002-2007, entre las fracciones de clase. En este sentido exploramos la constitución de un sistema de transferencias de ingresos en el que convergen en un proceso dinámico la inflación, las políticas económicas y las estrategias de acumulación de los agentes económicos. Desde una perspectiva que amplía el modo de abordaje del debate sobre la distribución del ingreso, postulamos la conformación de un sistema de transferencias en base al análisis de dos núcleos vinculados: uno ligado a transferencias operadas a partir de la articulación de políticas económicas y transformaciones estructurales, y otro que es en sí mismo un mecanismo de transferencia de importante relevancia y alcance explicativo: la inflación. La evolución diferencial de los precios afecta la capacidad de apropiación, por los agentes económicos, del ingreso socialmente producido, expresando así cambios en las relaciones de fuerzas

The Long-Run Phillips Curve: A Structural VAR Investigation

Both cointegration methods, and non-cointegrated structural VARs identified based on either long-run restrictions, or a combination of long-run and sign restrictions, are used in order to explore the long-run trade-off between inflation and the unemployment rate in the post-WWII U.S., U.K., Euro area, Canada, and Australia. Overall, neither approach produces clear evidence of a non-vertical trade-off. The extent of uncertainty surrounding the estimates is however substantial, thus implying that a researcher holding alternative priors about what a reasonable slope of the long-run trade-off might be will likely not see her views falsified