This study explores the contradiction between the ways the institutional field of sustainable development has for decades been defined conceptually by a temporal sense of equity, or the aim of meeting the needs of both present and future generations, and the glaring lack of definition for the concept. Through discursive analysis, this study finds sustainable development discourse to precariously conceptualize equity according to multiple, incompatible institutional logics, and to conceptualize time in highly ambiguous ways. Further, the ambiguity of time appears to have corrosive effects on the meaningfulness of equity as a concept, and to provide a mechanism by which institutional actors within the field of sustainable development can evade accountability. These dynamics suggest power and preferential outcomes will be retained by the people of the present, and inherently harm generations to come. In this way, this study questions whether sustainable development defined according to temporal equity is truly “the future we want,” or rather just the future we want to want, but are unwilling to bring about.

The medical profession is in a state of social transformation. Medical education must follow suit to continue to produce physicians who can meet the demands of the ever-changing field of medicine and of the public it serves. In this study, an institutional logic framework is used in examining how the implementation of transformative pedagogy in medical education may be impeded by competing institutional logics, thereby disrupting the change process. This study proposed three questions aimed at examining and understanding the perceptions of social actors as it relates to transformational change in medical education: 1) What is the impact of institutional logics on the implementation of transformative pedagogy in medical education? 2) What are the institutional logics in medical education that may impact change, and are there any conflicts between them? 3) Is there any evidence that these conflicts, if they exist, act as a barrier or disincentive to pedagogical reform when diversity, equity, and inclusion measures are introduced? A mixed method approach involving a two-step method of data collection and analysis was used in this study. Information from websites were used to create interview guidelines for interviews with faculty, administrators, and students at two US-based urban medical schools. By analyzing data from the websites of two US-based urban medical schools and comparing those findings to that of the perceived notions retrieved from interviews of the impact logics have on service learning, this research has shown that understanding institutional logics aid in the implementation of transformative pedagogy by better understanding the role of competing logics. This researcher provides three recommendations for medical schools to consider when using an institutional logics framework to enact transformational pedagogy. The first recommendation is change on the micro level (i.e., on the program level). The second recommendation relates to change on the macro level (i.e., relationship with governing bodies). And the third recommendation is related to the influence on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) practices on the change process. I end with providing reasons for how examining the perceptions of the role of transformative pedagogy as a change agent in medical education can advance the field of medical sociology. / Sociology

Hybrid organizations, such as the Royal Dramatic Theater (Dramaten) in Sweden, face the challenge of balancing conflicting institutional logics and their prescribed goals. Dramaten, as the national stage for theater, is expected to uphold high artistic standards set by its sole owner, the Swedish state. At the same time, it has efficiency goals to meet as a joint-stock company. This study aimed to understand if the quantifiability of goals, derived from different logics, impacts the prioritization of goals within hybrid organizations. Through a qualitative case study of Dramaten, the findings suggest that the most influential actor, rather than the quantifiability of goals, determines the prioritization of goals within the organization. In other words, who is giving directions seems to influence the balancing act more than the nature of the different goals. Additionally, the study found that efforts to make all goals equally measurable may not necessarily affect the prioritization of goals but can help reduce internal confusion.

A key aspect in legitimacy from an institutional perspective is the social evaluation of collective actors that create a generalized perception that an organizations action is desirable within some socially constructed system. Based on an empirical case based research, this paper interprets legitimacy highlighting the complex dynamics in a social enterprise in regards to the dualistic institutional logics. By adapting the evaluators perspective on legitimacy, we interpret the collective actors perception on the social enterprise examining the actors from various economic sectors. We further discuss the implication of the complex dynamic arguing for the impact from the institutional setting on the perception of social enterprises, suggesting that the social welfare system influences the perception and thus the positioning of the social enterprise. Lastly, we discuss the positioning of the social enterprise and its implication on the long-term sustainability in organization.

Underlying institutional forms are normative orders which give meaning to rules, norms, practices and customs. It is only recently that scholars have seriously considered the role of normative orders in institutional dynamics. Two meta-theories of institutionalism offer competing visions of how these normative orders are invoked. The Institutional Logics Perspective calls normative orders “institutional logics” and suggest that they are invoked in a consistent stable fashion. The Pragmatist Institutionalism approach calls normative orders “anchoring concepts” and suggests that they are used in less predictable ways to produce meaning. This study introduces the concept of fidelity to capture the difference between these two approaches and test which approach may offer a more accurate account of how normative orders are invoked in practice. The study uses the case of the USCG response to melting Arctic ice to study this issue by focusing on the two most dominant normative orders of American government. The study relies on interviews conducted with USCG personnel dealing with the agency’s response to melting Artic Ice. The data is then analyzed through a narrative analysis framework. The study finds that normative orders are invoked, in this case, in a manner more closely aligned with Pragmatist Institutionalism. This finding has implications for how administrative judgement is understood especially with respect to public agencies. / Ph. D. / Rules, norms, practices and customs are all types of institutional forms which derive meaning from something called normative orders. Normative orders help individuals make determinations on things such as whether rules are “good”/“bad” or when those rules are appropriate to apply. While these normative orders are understood to be important, they are not yet well understood. Two recent approaches which attempt to better define normative orders offer competing visions. The Institutional Logics Perspective calls normative orders “institutional logics” and suggest that they are invoked in a consistent stable fashion. The Pragmatist Institutionalism approach calls normative orders “anchoring concepts” and suggests that they are used in less predictable ways to produce meaning. This study introduces the concept of fidelity to capture the difference between these two approaches and test which approach may offer a more accurate account of how normative orders are invoked in practice. The study uses the case of the USCG response to melting Arctic ice to study this issue by focusing on the two most dominant normative orders of American government. The study relies on interviews conducted with USCG personnel dealing with the agency’s response to melting Artic Ice. The data is then analyzed through a narrative analysis framework. The study finds that normative orders are invoked, in this case, in a manner more closely aligned with Pragmatist Institutionalism. This finding has implications for how administrative judgement is understood especially with respect to public agencies.

Yes / In this conceptual paper, we respond to the calls for broader theoretical approaches that can coherently demonstrate a high degree of conceptual sensitivity to multiple combinations of institutional factors influencing women's informal entrepreneurship (WIE) and related agency. We do so by integrating constructs of gender and gender inequality with those of institutional logics and institutional voids. We find that a refined understanding of institutional voids is required to pave the way for a meaningful theoretical integration and empirical application of the related conceptualizations. We offer such a revised definition by placing formal and informal logics (rather than institutions) at the heart of it. In our theorizing, we propose that gender interplaying with formal and informal institutional logics create varying degrees of obscure and unique institutional voids that shape WIE prevalence. The proposed harmonized theoretical lens provides researchers with flexible yet consistent guidance for conducting context-specific empirical work that can coherently advance understanding of underlying logics shaping WIE and related agency. / Research Development Fund Publication Prize Award winner, Jan 2023.

This dissertation explores how logic duality, that is the coexistence of two institutional logics in an industry, affects firm strategic behaviors, and how in return firm strategic behaviors contribute (or not) to maintain logics segregated. Theoretically, I investigate the liability firms face when entering industries governed by a different logic, the wayincumbent organizations respond to the conformity demands of logic foreigners, and the determinants of firm-level institutional capital. Empirically, I study investment funds, filmmaking organizations and production firms in the French film industry (1987-2008), and find strong support for the proposed theory. By revealing strategies available to firms in dual-logicsettings and highlighting sources of institutional capital, this study contributes to the strategic management literature. The result is also a contribution to our understanding of why industries resist the "inexorable push towards homogenization" predicted by new institutional theory. By shedding light on the positive and negative effects of logic duality for firms, this work has also implications for practice.

Cette thèse explore les antécédents et conséquences de l'illégitimité organisationnelle. Comment l'illégitimité organisationnelle émerge-t-elle? Pourquoi persiste-t-elle? En utilisant une approche fondée sur les logiques institutionnelles, j'étudie la matérialisation d'une catégorie stigmatisée, et comment la variance en termes de désapprobation au sein de cette catégorie peut signaler une certaine proximité vis-à-vis d'une logique de champ, et se révéler bénéfique.Les enjeux que représentent les transferts et manipulations de l'illégitimité favorisent l'apparition d'échanges sociaux dans lesquels les acteurs se rejettent la faute.Ces questions sont étudiées empiriquement dans le contexte de l'industrie de la banque d'investissement aux Etats-Unis dans la période d'après crise, à partir de 2007. Plus particulièrement, j'observe la perception de cette industrie dans la presse écrite. Ce travail de recherche révèle la nature stratégique des évaluations sociales négatives et délivre des enseignements pour la gestion de l'image de l'entreprise et les politiques publiques / This dissertation explores the antecedents and outcomes of organizational illegitimacy. How do organizational illegitimacy emerge? Why does it persist? Using an institutional logis perspective, I investigate the materialization of a stigmatized category, and how variance in disapproval within this category can signal proximity to a field-level logic and yield beneficial outcomes.The stakes of transferring and manipulating illegitimacy set the stage for blame games at the field of organizational level. These questions are examined in the empirical context of the US investment banking industry in the aftermath of the 2007 crisis. I focus in particular on its perception in print media. This work sheds light on the strategic nature of negative social evaluations, and provides implications for corporate image management and policy practice

Ce travail de recherche vise à utiliser la sociologie néo-institutionnelle et ses concepts clés tels que les logiques institutionnelles et le travail institutionnel pour analyser comment les acteurs agissent sur les institutions au niveau d'une filière agricole. Nous avons choisi de vérifier l'applicabilité de notre cadre théorique dans un contexte empirique subissant un changement institutionnel, la filière légumes mauricienne. Pour valider le cadre théorique choisi, nous avons tout d'abord mené un terrain exploratoire. A travers une analyse thématique des enquêtes, nous avons identifié les logiques institutionnelles qui orientent les actions de nos principaux acteurs dans la filière légumes mauricienne, et les types et formes de travail institutionnel entreprit par les acteurs en place et nouveaux de la filière légumes. Cette thèse permet de conclure que l'étude du travail institutionnel dans une dynamique de filière agricole a toute son importance car l'approche sociologique permet aux chercheurs de mieux appréhender le comportement des acteurs de la filière.Mots clés : sociologie néo-institutionnelle, logique institutionnelle, travail institutionnelle, filière agricole, analyse de contenu thématique, analyse qualitative comparée. / This research work aimed at using sociological neo institutionalism and its key concepts, institutional logics, and institutional work to understand the work undertaken by actors in an agricultural value chain. We have chosen the Mauritian vegetable value chain, in the context of an institutional change, as a field of study to apply the theoretical concepts. An exploratory study was carried out to validate the theoretical framework selected. Thematic content analysis allowed us to identify the institutional logics of the vegetable value chain as well as the different types and forms of institutional work undertaken by the incumbent and new actors. This research work allows us to conclude that the use of the concept of institutional work to understand the dynamics of an agricultural value chain is important as the sociological lens enables researchers to better understand actors' behavior in a value chain.Key words: sociological neo institutionalism, institutional logics, and institutional, agricultural value chain, thematic analysis, qualitative comparative analysis

This thesis is a case study of the Swedish Rehabilitation Reform of 1992. Vocational rehabilitation is described as an organizational activity which takes place in the interaction between social policy regulations and organizational execution. The analytical point of departure is made up of two complementary theoretical perspectives (Chapter 3): New institutional theory and the concept of 'negotiated order'. New institutional theory can aid inter-organizational analysis as it assumes that organizations are not only influenced, but also permeated by institutional and technical frameworks. The 'negotiated order' perspective can provide an understanding of actors' motives when they work together. This perspective also acknowledges that actors are able to exercise 'episodic power', and that this differs from 'formal power'. The first empirical study (Chapter 4) analyses the political motives behind the Rehabilitation Reform of 1992. It shows that at the time of the Rehabilitation Reform economical and political interests were pushing for a tighter regulations in Swedish social policy. The following three empirical studies focus on the 'organizational field' in which rehabilitation is practised. This field consists of the social insurance office, employment agencies, primary health care centres and occupational health service centres. Chapter 5 deals with the regulations and environmental factors influencing the various organizations and their representatives. It points to five external forces that influence the performance of the four type of actors. The social insurance office is influenced by a judicial social insurance logic, the employment agencies by a holistic labour market policy logic, and the physicians in primary health care centres and in occupational health centres by a 'holistic' medical frame of reference, which contrasts with that often found in other medical sub-specialities. Finally, employers are influenced first, by a logic of profit which has a technical and institutional dimension and second, by an institutional welfare state logic. Chapter six shows that the largest 'domain conflict' in the initial phase of the rehabilitation trajectory has to do with defining 'capacity to work'. Domain conflicts are seen as resulting from different institutional logics, implying different views on illness and capacity to work. Numerous and frequent personal interaction make it possible for physicians and rehabilitation officials to avoid conflict. The operative phase is associated with two major domain conflicts. The first is related to negotiations between the social insurance office and the employers about transferring employees to other duties. Both sides avoid exercising power that may damage clients and future trust. Episodic power resources are used to exercise the strategy of 'the golden middle path'. The other domain conflict is related to the judgement of work capacity. The labour market officials' view of work capacity differs from that of the officials at the social insurance office. Chapter seven compares cooperative rehabilitation projects with regular rehabilitation activity. The results show that actors in cooperative projects break the sequential work order used in regular rehabilitation activity and thereby projects quickly collect comprehensive information about individuals. Cooperative projects can also achieve flexible solutions tailored to an individual clients needs. Further, cooperative projects allow time for unconventional initiatives, which regular activity do not. The process of 'returning to work' poses a challenge both kinds of work organizations. Individuals who are disabled in some way are required to meet the same labour market demands as healthy and well educated are expected to meet. Finally, regular rehabilitation work tends uses standardize clients while cooperative projects tend to treat them as individuals. / digitalisering@umu