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A Comparative Analysis of European Union Member States

Laatsit, Mart (Frederiksberg, 2019)

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Abstract:

This thesis studies policy learning in the field of innovation policy. In particular, I look at the sources of policy learning, with a focus on evaluations and informal networks. I provide a comparative perspective across European Union (EU) member states on how they use these sources for policy learning. As such, this thesis is guided by the research question “what are the differences across countries regarding the way in which they use various sources of policy learning”. The current literature on policy learning contains three important gaps. There is a lack of systematic attention to the sources of policy learning, coupled with a lack of conceptual understanding of these sources. In addition, there is a lack of empirical cross-country studies on how these sources are used in different national contexts. With this thesis and its three consisting articles, I address these challenges. In the first article I analyse evaluations a source of learning and provide an empirical overview of the extent to which EU countries have developed systemic approaches for policy evaluation. In the second and third article I study networks as a source of learning by mapping the informal networks of policy makers and analysing the proximity factors behind these networks. The thesis is based on the theory of policy learning. This theory emphasises the role of knowledge in the process of policy-making, offering an alternative to the power-based explanations of policy change. Policy learning can have different sources – some approaches stress the importance of sophisticated analytical tools, others focus on learning from peers through network connections. In this thesis, I look at one example from both strands. On the one hand, I study how evaluations are used a source of learning, by developing the concept of ‘system oriented innovation policy evaluation’. On the other hand, I analyse how countries learn from their peers through informal networks. The empirical focus of the thesis is on innovation policy in EU member states. Over the recent decades innovation policy has occupied a prominent position in the EU and several initiatives have been launched to enhance policy learning within and between member states. In order to gather data on the use of the two sources for learning, interviews were carried out with senior policy makers from the 28 member states. In addition, policy documents and international databases were used to complement the interview data on evaluations. This information was subsequently used to develop an overview of the evaluation practices in all 28 countries and to map the informal networks between policy makers.

URI:

http://hdl.handle.net/10398/9704

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Votes for Sale

Essays on Clientelism in New Democracies

Bøttkjær, Louise Thorn (Frederiksberg, 2019)

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Abstract:

During electoral campaigns in new democracies, parties and candidates often employ clientelist strategies such as vote buying to mobilize electoral support. The academic consensus is that when voters are offered gifts or money in exchange for their votes, it has detrimental consequences for democratic and economic development. Therefore, it is imperative to explore to what extent, why, and how does clientelism occur in new democracies? A framing paper and four articles address this question using new survey data from South Africa and cross-country data from Africa and Latin America. The framing paper develops a conceptual framework of vote buying as a four-step process, validates why South Africa is a relevant setting for the study of clientelism and outlines the extensive data collection conducted for this dissertation. Using an unobtrusive measurement technique called the list experiment, the first article explores the level of vote buying during the 2016 municipal election campaign in South Africa. Furthermore, the first article provides a methodological contribution to the literature by conducting an experimental test of an augmented version of the list experiment against the classic list experiment and showing that the augmented procedure produces biased results. The second article examines why candidates employ vote buying as a strategy to mobilize electoral support when the ballot is nominally secret, which enables voters to renege on their vote bargain commitments and vote as they please. The third article explores why voters vote for corrupt candidates, which enhances our understanding of how clientelism can mitigate voters’ willingness to punish corrupt politicians. The fourth article examines how the character of the electoral system affects the relationship between poverty and vote buying in Africa and Latin America. Overall, this dissertation increases our theoretical understanding and empirical knowledge of how widespread clientelism is in the developing world and why and under what conditions it flourishes. This dissertation contributes conceptually, methodologically, empirically, and substantially to the literature on clientelism and vote buying and has important implications for policy makers seeking to reduce the prevalence of clientelism in new democracies.

URI:

http://hdl.handle.net/10398/9709

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Ledelses-GPS til en ny tid

Håndtering af ledelsesparadokser og dilemmaer i praksis

Nielsen, Rikke Kristine; Mogensen, Mette; Bévort, Frans; Hjalager, Anne-Mette (København, 2019)

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Abstract:

Denne bog er det endelige resultat af projektet ”Ledelses-GPS til en ny tid: fra komfortzone til konkurrencekraft”. Projektet er udført af Copenhagen Business School i tæt samarbejde med Aalborg Universitet og Syddansk Universitet. I løbet af de sidste to år har 55 erhvervsledere, forskere fra tre forskellige universiteter samt repræsentanter for interessere- organisationer bidraget med ny viden og ekspertise om ledelse og kompetenceudvikling i danske virksomheder samt håndtering af aktuelle ledelsesdilemmaer- og paradokser. Projektet er støttet af Industriens Fond med 2,1 mio. kr. Som led i Fondens temaindkaldelse om nye ledelsesprincipper i januar 2017 efterspurgtes projektideer til, hvordan erhvervsledere kan navigere med de nye muligheder, men også udfordringer, som den globaliserede verden bringer. Fonden har i den forbindelse støttet syv projekter, som alle har bidraget med kompetencer og ny viden til, hvordan kvaliteten af ledelse i dansk erhvervsliv kan styrkes. Dette projekts udgangspunkt er, at en af de største ledelsesudfordringer i moderne virksomheder er at håndtere uundgåelige, komplekse dilemmaer og paradokser i virksomheden. Dilemmaer og paradokser, der indebærer at løsningen af ét problem forværrer eller komplicerer håndteringen af andre. Ledelse handler derfor ikke om at træffe en beslutning én gang for alle, men om at navigere mellem modsatrettede hensyn, som man ikke kan prioritere sig ud af. Man må gå balancegang mellem dem som menneske, leder, medarbejder og virksomhed. Ligesom der ikke er én af retningerne, der er særlig vigtig på et kompas, handler denne bog om at finde vej i ledelse ud fra en erkendelse af, at verden er flerdimensionel. Man skal finde sin ledelses-GPS i en mangefacetteret og dynamisk verden. Bogen handler om denne ledelseopgave. Projektets motor har været et seks måneder langt aktionslæringsforløb, hvor forskere og deltagende virksomheder har arbejdet sammen om at blive klogere på, hvordan dilemmaer tager sig ud i praksis, hvilke balancegange de kræver, og hvordan de kan håndteres. Bogen opsamler og videreudvikler de erfaringer og værktøjer, der i fællesskab er opnået og udviklet i projektet. Vi håber, at andre ledere kan drage nytte af disse indsigter. Bogens erfaringer er baseret på et omfattende datagrundlag og den engagerede, åbenhjertige medvirken af de deltagende virksomheder. Vi vil gerne takke alle deltagende erhvervsledere for godt samarbejde. Vi håber, at erhvervsledere vil finde inspiration i bogen til at bevæge sig ud af komfortzonen, identificere deres egen ledelses-GPS og finde konkurrencekraft fra et ståsted, der ikke er enten-eller, men derimod både-og.

URI:

http://hdl.handle.net/10398/9713

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Complexities of Social Capital in Boards of Directors

Sulinska, Iwona (Frederiksberg, 2018)

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Abstract:

The aim of the dissertation is to disentangle complexities of social capital in boards of directors through proposing new theoretical perspectives and methodological approaches. Although extant previous research has discussed various aspects of social capital and its association with numerous organizational outcomes, still the literature demonstrates evident shortcomings resulting from overlooking and oversimplifying its complexities. Therefore, to fill gaps in the literature, the dissertation addresses the following research question: in the context of boards of directors, how can social capital be better understood through exploration of its complexities? The dissertation comprises three empirical studies that individually address the identified gaps in the literature and combined address the aforementioned research question. In this way, the dissertation demonstrates that social capital in boards of directors is more complex than it has been assumed in previous studies and its understanding requires a novel approach to conceptualization and empirical research. The first chapter explains the topic and motivation for the dissertation. The following chapter (Chapter 2) synthetizes the previous approaches to investigating board social capital and proposes a new theoretical and methodological approach. It particularly asserts that research on board social capital may be advanced through utilizing configurational perspective and method, what is then shown on an example of the relationship between board social capital and firm performance. Chapter 3 explores social capital of board chair, which has been overlooked in previous studies. It suggests that individual social capital of board chair is as important for organizational performance as social capital of CEO and directors. Therefore, performance effect derives from combined social capital of board chair, CEO, and directors. Further, the dissertation discusses dynamics of board social capital (Chapter 4) in the context of firm expansion. It emphasizes that evolution process of board social capital is driven by multidimensional changes occurring within internal and external networks of social relationships created by board members. Evolution paths are consequently proposed for diversity and strength of external network ties, and for internal network cohesion. In light of the overarching research question, the final chapter summarizes the findings.

URI:

http://hdl.handle.net/10398/9606

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