Improving Access to Improve Quality: Evaluation of an Organizational Innovation

Reviews the Group Health Cooperative's 2002 adoption of a patient-centered model giving enrollees choices of and direct access to doctors, with a patient Web site, productivity and quality incentives for doctors, and a cost-efficient primary care system

Corporate governance and industrial relations in Poland

The paper discusses Polish privatisation from the industrial relations point of view. It focuses on the role of trade unions and workers councils in the privatisation process. Two polar privatisation blueprints are identified: those aiming at competitive 'atomistic' firms and those, which accentuate corporate financial-industrial structures and networks. The internal structure of corporate control in Polish companies is evaluated from this perspective, taking into account the role of organised labour, of the managers and of the politicians in the privatisation process

Bridging East and West: Re-examining the notion of corporate governance in explaining institutional change

The paper discusses the theoretical framework for cross-national research on corporate governance. Although the field of corporate governance is largely explored, the existing analyses focus rather on advanced economies and detailed comparisons between them, and sometimes try to apply the same theoretical framework to other countries. However, the development of a sound governance structure in ’catching-up’ economies is typically affected by the political process of reforms. Quite often informal institutions, which still exist in the political proceedings, undermine formal settings of governance existing in these countries. The paper starts with the assumption that considerations of corporate governance in the .East - West. comparisons can not neglect a broad perspective of the political nature of governance arrangements both formal and informal. It also examines the adequacy of ’path-dependency’ approaches. It adds to the perspective of .Varieties of Capitalism. some dimensions which make this perspective more sensitive towards .East - West. analyses. --

Bridging East and West: re-examining the notion of corporate governance in explaining institutional change

"The paper discusses the theoretical framework for cross-national research on corporate governance. Although the field of corporate governance is largely explored, the existing analyses focus rather on advanced economies and detailed comparisons between them, and sometimes try to apply the same theoretical framework to other countries. However, the development of a sound governance structure in 'catching-up' economies is typically affected by the political process of reforms. Quite often informal institutions, which still exist in the political proceedings, undermine formal settings of governance existing in these countries. The paper starts with the assumption that considerations of corporate governance in the 'East - West' comparisons can not neglect a broad perspective of the political nature of governance arrangements both formal and informal. It also examines the adequacy of 'path-dependency' approaches. It adds to the perspective of 'Varieties of Capitalism' some dimensions which make this perspective more sensitive towards 'East - West' analyses." (author's abstract)Das Arbeitspapier diskutiert die Bedingungen und Möglichkeiten eines begrifflich-theoretischen Bezugsrahmens für die international vergleichende Forschung zum "corporate governance". Obgleich dieses Thema gut erforscht worden ist, beschränken sich die Studien jedoch weitgehend auf die entwickelten Länder. Die Entwicklung von nachhaltigen und stabilen Regierungsstrukturen in Entwicklungs- und Schwellenländern bzw. postkommunistischen Transformationsgesellschaften basiert jedoch weitgehend auf informellen Strukturen und Institutionen, die formale politische Institutionen häufig unterlaufen und offizielle Regierungsprogramme blockieren. Die vorliegende Studie zu "corporate governance" im Ost-West-Vergleich belegt die These, dass die Qualität und Stabilität politischer Regime gleichermaßen von formalen wie informellen Institutionen determiniert wird. Die jeweilige spezifische Kombination dieser Strukturen führt zu unterschiedlichen Entwicklungspfaden und erklärt auch die "Varieties of Capitalism" im Ost-West-Vergleich

Imperatyw działania

The key concept of the text is a relational learning experience which expose the role of mutual relations and actions of participants of a learning group. The diagnosis of the present Polish education system shows that formal education focuses mostly at training students in routine tasks and less so at confronting them with non-routine activities. The paper argues that the learning process consisting of relational experiences and actions can better prepare the students for future unpredicted tasks and roles, and in general, for uncertainty of the future. The latter we consider as a major challenge of education nowadays. Another shortcoming of the system is its negligence of the social dimension of the learning process. We call it social deficit. However, the human being develops, flourishes, and learns in relations with others. We argue, that the idea of mutual learning calls for group actions of learners as a major way to achieve educational goals and might be included in the core curriculum.Centralnym pojęciem zaproponowanej tu refleksji jest doświadczenie edukacyjne. Generalna diagnoza systemu edukacji, odzwierciedlona w pojęciu deficytu społecznego, mówi o jego nieprzystawaniu do kształtowania umiejętności radzenia sobie z niepewnością. Dotyka także sprawy powiązań myślenia i działania w uczeniu się. Droga przezwyciężenia przedstawionych słabości opiera się na zrozumieniu, na czym polega relacyjność uczenia się i znaczenia relacji z innymi w rozwoju człowieka. Doświadczenie edukacyjne przybiera postać doświadczenia relacyjnego, zaś tytułowy imperatyw działania staje się praktycznym sposobem generowania sytuacji, w których edukowanie dokonuje się we wzajemnych relacjach między uczestniczącymi w nim osobami. Mówienie powiązane ze słuchaniem nabiera tu dodatkowego znaczenia jako rodzaj działania szczególnie znaczący dla rozwoju człowieka. Zaproponowana siatka pojęciowa jest jednym z możliwych układów odniesienia dla oglądu podstawy programowej, ale też innych aspektów powszechnej edukacji, w tym sposobów wykorzystania przeznaczonego na nią czasu