In many countries with weak political institutions, new ventures face challenges such as political risks, corruption, and civil conflict, which can severely hinder their ability to survive and grow. We explore how establishing affiliations at founding with coercive institutional actors can help new ventures overcome challenges characteristic of weak and volatile political environments. Our find...

What could public health advocates do more effectively to encourage governments to act on underprioritized global health concerns? One important component largely missing from current strategies is the international human rights framework. Human rights principles and standards, including the right to the highest attainable standard of health, offer powerful moral arguments which can reinforce c...

This article investigates the ways in which government activity, or demand-side forces, influence interest mobilization and formal inclusion in the policy-making process in the European Union. Drawing on an original dataset of nearly 700 civil society groups active in the European Union, the paper provides empirical evidence of three routes by which the EU institutions influence interest group ...

For the time being, this experimental process, financed by the Government of the Netherlands, is limited to three developing countries – Honduras, Mali and Sri Lanka; if found successful, this process can be replicated in many other developing countries. In each country, a national diagnosis is to be developed through the concerted efforts of government ministries, representatives of employers ...

By using the classic works of Durkheim as a theoretical platform, this research explores the relationship between legal systems and social solidarity. We found that certain types of civil law system, most notably those of Scandinavia, are associated with higher levels of social capital and better welfare state provision. However, we found the relationship between legal system and societal outco...

We use a new dataset from Burundi to analyze the role of local institutions as determinants of income, and distinguish between three distinct dimensions of the institutional framework: (i) property rights security, (ii) local political leadership and (iii) social capital. Using measures of conflict intensity during the civil war as instruments for local institutional quality, we demonstrate tha...

— This paper analyzes institutional design, organizational capacity, and interplay in markets for ecosystem services. It examines the development of a market-based mechanism to commercialize forest carbon in Mexico through the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM). This is compared with a State-run carbon forestry program aiming to provide emission rights to voluntary, retail-based, carbon markets....

A well-educated work force is essential for economic growth. The development (reform) of the education system is needed, both to give workers more transferable, marketable skills and to develop informed citizens, capable of participating actively in civil society. The primary purpose of the education system is to impart knowladge and skills and, just as important, to transmit certain values. Ac...

The Lisbon principles for sustainable governance of the oceans enunciate some general guidelines for development and implementation of policies to protect ocean resources and ecosystems. By examining issues of diversity in institutional management of uncertainty and coordination of diverse actors, this paper begins to develop a social map of systematic differences in the ways institutions may i...

The notion of business development as a partial cure to the economic condition of blacks is not a new one, but black leaders have never unanimously agreed that business ownership is an effective instrument of economic success. The violence and civil disorders of the 1960s, however, spurred strong interest in programs to develop and promote both urban black business and black-owned and controlle...