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Institutional Performance (institutional + performance)
Selected AbstractsInstitutional Performance And Social Capital: An Application To The Local Government LevelJOURNAL OF URBAN AFFAIRS, Issue 5 2005Hilde Coffé This literature reveals that societies characterized by higher levels of social capital tend to achieve superior performance. Still, enquiries to date predominantly concentrate on country-level data or large sub-national units. The primary purpose of this article is to extend the empirical work to the local government level, while retaining the use of objective data to gauge institutional performance. This use of local data has the advantage of increasing the data set available and provides a more stringent test of the effect of social capital because social capital is likely to vary less at lower levels of government. The results,based on an empirical analysis of 305 Flemish municipalities in 2000,support the view that social capital leads to government (out)performance also at the local level of government. [source] Knowledge, Market Structure, and Economic Coordination: Dynamics of Industrial DistrictsGROWTH AND CHANGE, Issue 3 2002Ron A. Boschma The industrial rise of the Third Italy has been characterized by the growth of dynamic networks of flexible small and medium,sized enterprises (SMEs) that are spatially concentrated in specialized industrial districts. This network type of coordination has been associated with horizontal, trust,based relations rather than vertical relations of power and dependency between local organizations. This would lower transaction costs (essential for local systems with an extreme division of labor), facilitate the transmission and exchange of (tacit) knowledge (and thus, learning and innovation), encourage cooperation mechanisms (such as the establishment of research centers), and stimulate political,institutional performance (e.g. through regulation of potential social conflicts). From an evolutionary perspective, the focus is on the dynamics of industrial districts drawing from current experiences in Italy. In this respect, this paper concentrates on two main features of industrial districts that have largely contributed to their economic success in the past, that is, their network organization and the collective learning process. The evolution of industrial districts is described in terms of organizational adjustments to structural change. The way in which the size distribution of firms has changed is discussed (in particular the role of large companies), how the (power) relationships between local organizations have evolved, what are the current sources and mechanisms of learning, and to what extent institutional lock,in has set in. Finally, a number of trajectories districts may go through in the near future are presented. [source] The Lambert Code: Can We Define Best Practice?HIGHER EDUCATION QUARTERLY, Issue 4 2004Michael Shattock The article explores the proposals put forward in the Lambert Report for reforms in university governance. It compares the recommendation for a Code with the analogue Combined Code which regulates corporate governance in companies and draws a distinction between attempts, from the Cadbury Report in 1992 to the Higgs Review in 2003, to create board structures which will reduce the prospect of misgovernance, and the underlying aim of Lambert to improve university performance through governance change. It argues that analogies between university governing bodies and company boards are misleading and that university governing bodies, on their own, are almost by definition unable to fulfill the criteria of an ,effective board' laid down in the DTI Report on TransTec. It suggests that a Guide on Governance which encourages institutional self determination is a better basis for sustaining institutional autonomy, which is a key ingredient to encouraging high levels of performance, than a Government backed Code which risks reducing institutional diversity and cutting across existing legal instruments. It concludes that the proposed Code is a distraction from serious consideration of what factors encourage improved institutional performance. [source] The role of the hospitalist in quality improvement: Systems for improving the care of patients with acute coronary syndrome,JOURNAL OF HOSPITAL MEDICINE, Issue S4 2010Chad T. Whelan MD Abstract Quality improvement (QI) initiatives for systems of care are vital to deliver quality care for patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and hospitalists are instrumental to the QI process. Core hospitalist competencies include the development of protocols and outcomes measures that support quality of care measures established for ACS. The hospitalist may lead, coordinate, or participate in a multidisciplinary team that designs, implements, and assesses an institutional system of care to address rapid identification of patients with ACS, medication safety, safe discharge, and meeting core measures that are quality benchmarks for ACS. The use of metrics and tools such as process flow mapping and run charts can identify quality gaps and show progress toward goals. These tools may be used to assess whether critical timeframes are met, such as the time to fibrinolysis or percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), or whether patients receive guideline-recommended medications and counseling. At the institutional level, Project BOOST (Better Outcomes for Older Adults Through Safe Transitions) is an initiative designed to improve outcomes in elderly patients who are at higher risk for adverse events during the transition from inpatient to outpatient care. BOOST offers resources related to project management and data collection, and tools for patients and physicians. Collection and analysis of objective data are essential for documenting quality gaps or achievement of quality benchmarks. Through QI initiatives, the hospitalist has an opportunity to contribute to an institution's success beyond direct patient care, particularly as required for public disclosure of institutional performance and financial incentives promoted by regulatory agencies. Journal of Hospital Medicine 2010;5:S1,S7. © 2010 Society of Hospital Medicine. [source] Institutional Performance And Social Capital: An Application To The Local Government LevelJOURNAL OF URBAN AFFAIRS, Issue 5 2005Hilde Coffé This literature reveals that societies characterized by higher levels of social capital tend to achieve superior performance. Still, enquiries to date predominantly concentrate on country-level data or large sub-national units. The primary purpose of this article is to extend the empirical work to the local government level, while retaining the use of objective data to gauge institutional performance. This use of local data has the advantage of increasing the data set available and provides a more stringent test of the effect of social capital because social capital is likely to vary less at lower levels of government. The results,based on an empirical analysis of 305 Flemish municipalities in 2000,support the view that social capital leads to government (out)performance also at the local level of government. [source] Institutional Trust and Subjective Well-Being across the EUKYKLOS INTERNATIONAL REVIEW OF SOCIAL SCIENCES, Issue 1 2006John Hudson SUMMARY This paper analyzes the impact of institutions upon happiness through their intermediary impact upon individual trust. The empirical work is based on Eurobarometer data covering the 15 countries of the EU prior to its expansion in 2004. With respect to trust, we present evidence that, although it is endogenous with respect to the performance of the institution, changes in the individual's personal circumstances can also have an impact, indicating that trust is not simply learned at an early age. Hence unemployed people tend to have lower levels of trust not only in the main economic institutions , government and the Central Bank , but in other state institutions too such as the police and the law. Trust also differs in a systematic manner with respect to education and household income, increases (decreases) in either increase (decrease) trust in most institutions. If we assume that more educated people make better judgments, this suggests that on average people tend to have too little trust in institutions. However, it is also possible that both of these variables impact on the interaction between institutions such as the police and other government agencies and the citizen, with prosperous, well educated people being at an advantage and possibly able to command more respect. Age too impacts on institutional trust. For the UN, the unions, big business, voluntary organizations and the EU, trust first declines and then increases with the estimated turning points ranging between 44 and 56 years. For most other organizations trust significantly increases with age. Turning to subjective well-being, we find the standard set of socio-economic variables to be significant. But the focus here is on the impact of institutional trust. We find that trust (mistrust) in the European Central Bank, the EU, national government, the law and the UN all impact positively (negatively) on well-being. Hence overall our results support the conclusion that happiness does not solely lie within the realm of the individual, but that institutional performance also has a direct impact upon subjective well-being. [source] Protestants and Catholics: Similar Work Ethic, Different Social Ethic,THE ECONOMIC JOURNAL, Issue 547 2010Benito Arruñada This article develops two hypotheses about economically-relevant values of Christian believers, according to which Protestants should work more and more effectively, as in the ,work ethic' argument of Max Weber, or display a stronger ,social ethic' that would lead them to monitor each other's conduct, support political and legal institutions and hold more homogeneous values. Tests using current survey data confirm substantial partial correlations and possible different ,effects' in mutual social control, institutional performance and homogeneity of values but no difference in work ethics. Protestantism therefore seems conducive to capitalist economic development, not by the direct psychological route of the Weberian work ethic but rather by promoting an alternative social ethic that facilitates impersonal trade. [source] Exploring the Sources of Institutional Trust in China: Culture, Mobilization, or Performance?ASIAN POLITICS AND POLICY, Issue 3 2010Qing Yang While democratic countries have been concerned about a "trust crisis" since the 1960s, China surprisingly displays a very high level of public trust in institutions. Why do people trust institutions and to what extent does institutional trust in China differ from that in democracies? Using the 2004 China Values and Ethics Survey, this article explores three different dimensions of institutional trust in China: trust in administrative institutions, trust in legal institutions, and trust in societal institutions. The analysis shows that institutional trust is more than a product of traditional values in China. Rather, it is more of an individual rational choice based heavily on the evaluations of the institutional performance, and it is also a result of government-controlled politicization. Trust in administrative institutions, in particular, mainly comes from satisfactory institutional performance. Institutional trust has a great impact on the development of democracy and legal participation in China. [source] | |||||||||||||