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When status substitutes for performance: signal suppression and heuristic dominance in private equity investment decisions
No full textSecuring funding is a critical challenge for entrepreneurs, often exacerbated by information asymmetry. Using a dataset of 411 private equity cases, we examine whether direct and indirect employment ties help overcome this asymmetry through the mediating roles of reputation, social obligation, and social signaling. Our analysis identifies social signaling, reflecting the symbolic credibility of affiliations with reputable organizations, as the dominant mechanism mediating the effects of employment ties on investment decisions. Contrary to prior research emphasizing reputation (Podolny, 1994; Stuart, Hoang, & Hybels, 1999) and social obligation (Gulati, 1995; Shane & Cable, 2002) as key mediators, we find these mechanisms do not independently mediate the effects of employment ties when social signaling is considered. By extending signaling theory (Spence, 1973) to entrepreneurial context, we underscore the importance of symbolic associations in shaping investment outcomes, offering actionable insights for entrepreneurs and investors navigating uncertain, high- stakes environments
Public administrators as politicians in office
Get PDFWe analyze whether mayors’ prior occupation in the local public administration matters for their performance. In theory, mayors’ professional background may shape their competence in bureaucratic tasks. We use the example of grant receipts for visible investment projects for which mayors must submit an extensive application to the state government. Our dataset includes 1,933 mayor elections (1993-2020) in the German state of Hesse to which we apply a sharp RD design for close mixed-background races. Mayors’ background on average has no effect on grant receipts. Yet, public administrator mayors do attract more grants than outsider mayors when they are ideologically aligned with the council, raising the motivation to apply for grants in the first place. We conclude that the competence of public administrator mayors only matters when they are motivated to use it, i.e. this is an example where incentives are necessary for the effects of political selection to materialize
The geography of economic mobility in 19th century Canada
No full textThis paper uses linked Census records from 1871 to 1901 to compute intergenerational mobility for Canadian regions and census districts. The results reveal sharp differences in mobility over space: Ontario featured high relative and absolute mobility, Quebec low relative and absolute mobility, and the Maritimes low absolute mobility. Local differences in human capital endowments and labour market inequality are correlated with district mobility patterns but do not account for regional differences, where migration and structural change toward industry and services appear important. Comparing spatial patterns of Canadian mobility in the 19th century to today shows substantial changes for Quebec districts
Do well managed firms make better forecasts?
Get PDFWe link new forecast and management data on over 20,000 firms to data on productivity in manufacturing and services. The panel survey was administered in the UK in July 2017 and November 2020, coinciding with two periods of considerable uncertainty from Brexit and Covid. We find that better-managed firms make more accurate forecasts for firm-level turnover and macro-level GDP. Uniquely, we show better-managed firms are also aware that they make more accurate forecasts and have greater confidence in their predictions. This highlights how superior forecasting ability enables well-managed firms to make improved operational and strategic choices
Governing mental health: a Foucauldian discourse analysis of power, media and ideology in British newspapers
No full textThis article examines how mental health is discursively constructed in British newspapers. Drawing on Michel Foucault’s concepts of power, discourse and biopolitics, the study employs Foucauldian discourse analysis to explore how mental illness is framed across newspapers with different political ideologies. By comparing left- and right-leaning newspapers, our research identifies how these political ideologies shape narratives of mental health, revealing how these representations contribute to normalization, pathologization or politicization of mental distress. The findings suggest that media discourse functions not merely as a reflection of public sentiment, but as a mechanism through which mental health is governed; structuring what is thinkable, sayable and actionable. In doing so, the study can deepen critical insights into how media contributes to the creation of mental health knowledge and highlights the subtle operations of power that underpin everyday representations of illness
Going beyond "our research also has policy implications..."
No full textThis editorial presents a high-level overview of the concerns and opportunities presented to authors undertaking IS policy research. A basic premise is that policy oriented IS research treats policy at the center of discussion rather than as a byproduct of other concerns. IS policy is viewed broadly in terms of courses of action adopted by public or private organizations to guide decisions and shape outcomes relative to development and use of IS. As an aid to scholars working in this area, we present a guiding scaffolding of dimensions that can inform a scholarly program of IS policy research
Reconstruction as violence in Assad's Syria
No full textA sustained critique of postwar reconstruction in Syria as a politically neutral process In 2011, emboldened by the Arab Spring, the Syrians rose up against their government. The Syrian regime used violence to suppress the protests, so that what began as pro-democracy protests eventually morphed into a civil war with heavy outside intervention. Today, the Assad regime has fallen, but large parts of the country lie in ruins, millions of Syrians are displaced, and the economy is in freefall. Reconstruction as Violence in Assad's Syria delves into the complex interplay of post-conflict reconstruction in Syria, challenging the traditionally held dichotomy between the end of violence and the commencement of rebuilding. The contributors to this volume-architects, urbanists, geographers, and historians-employ critical concepts such as urbicide, domicide, and "civilian crisis architecture" to argue against the conventional theoretical frameworks that support a neat separation of phases. They illustrate how reconstruction often extends the dynamics of conflict into the urban and social realms, suggesting that the built environment becomes a battleground for further violence. They emphasize the importance of acknowledging the historical, economic, societal, legal, and bureaucratic contexts that shape reconstruction efforts, arguing for initiatives that prioritize equity, inclusivity, and community participation. Reconstruction as Violence in Assad's Syria starkly underscores the authors' stance that to overlook any of these dimensions, or to disengage from the reconstruction process altogether, represents a political choice with potentially detrimental effects on Syria and beyond in the Arab world, where countries like Palestine, Yemen, Libya, Iraq, Lebanon, and Sudan are undergoing similar cycles of destruction and rebuilding. It calls for a reimagined approach to reconstruction, one that fosters peace, resilience, and social justice in post-conflict societies
RISE: accelerating the advancement of women in Capital Markets in Canada
Get PDFRISE is an action-based framework to accelerate the progress of women in Capital Markets in Canada. Based on interviews with women in income-generating positions in various Capital Markets organisations, it highlights the advances that have been made in the sector, and outlines the biases, norms and barriers that still hold women back. To generate real change in the industry, it includes selected actions that individuals, managers, and firms can take to progress women in Capital Markets. Based on empirical data and behavioural science research, RISE highlights four ways to promote inclusion: 1) changing notions of competence, 2) inspiring accountable leadership, 3) stop fixing and starting to include women, and 4) embracing a new vision of the ideal worker
Austerity and resistance: the public salary crisis in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq
Get PDFA decade-long financial crisis in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI) has hit public servants the hardest. In response to retaliatory budget cuts by Iraq’s federal government over Kurdish independent oil exports, the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) initiated a range of austerity measures seeking to maintain financial solvency. This policy included the non-payment and delay of salaries, a formal salary withholding scheme, dramatic reductions in public sector recruitment, and the suspension of promotions for existing workers. It resulted in extensive economic, social, and political consequences that have contributed to the breakdown of the KRI’s social contract and eroded the power of the two ruling parties. Despite its local importance, this issue has attracted little academic and international media attention, which this paper attempts to address