Institutional Isomorphism in the

Slavic Core of the Commonwealth of

Independent States

A Comparative Analysis of Institutional Change During

Post-Communist Transition

General Background

• Complex geopolitical post-Soviet entity

- Central Europe: Western choice

- Eastern Europe: divergent FP

e.g. CIS:

- ‘civilised divorce’- co-ordinating role- sub-regional initiatives: GUUAM, EEC, Union Russia & Belarus, CEZ.

Research Questions

• geopolitical pluralism - divergent FP preferences - different political models - diversity in economic transitions

• how reflected in institutional change of the newly independent states?

• countries left ‘in the periphery’ of the European Union: Russia, Ukraine and Belarus

• Research question:

‘Which mechanisms within the political institutions of Russia, Ukraine and Belarus generate ‘isomorphism’ toward the European Union and the Commonwealth of Independent States, and what is the rationale behind the divergent foreign policy orientations in the Slavic Core of the CIS?’

Theory

• New institutionalism

• Def. formal organisation that determines behaviour, interests, and belief-systems and that structures relations between different groups in the national community and international order

• The void of explaining institutional change

• new institutionalism > sociological institutionalism> Institutional isomorphism

• Powell & DiMaggio, 1983: institutional change: institutions becoming increasingly similar (= isomorphism)

Processes of Isomorphism in Central & Eastern Europe

Similar processes in postcommunist transition

• Aim of research: - analyse how isomorphism surfaces through different stages in

the institutions of the three selected countries.

- exploring & elaborating the causal mechanisms of isomorphism

• two stages

1. institutional definition towards organisational field

2.isomorphism of these institutions

Stage 1: Institutional Definition towards organisational fields

• organisational field = constitutes recognised area of institutional life

• analysis of institutional definition towards org. fieldspresidential administration, MFA, parliament systematic assessment

• four organisational characteristics : 

(1) increased interaction among organisations in the field (2) emergence of sharply defined interorganisational structures of dominance

and coalition (3) increase in information load with which institutions and organisations in the

field must contend (4) development of a mutual awareness among participants in a set of

organisations that they are involved in a common enterprise

Table 1: Systematic assessment of process of structuration and institutional definition: examples

Institutional Definition & Foreign Policy Initiatives Selected countries

Russia Ukraine Belarus 1) increased

interaction among org. in the field

Relations with EU, leading role in CIS, CES, EEC

Declared intention of becoming EU member state, reluctant member of CIS, yet currently holding presidency of CIS

Participating in CIS integration and most subregional initiatives (EEC, CES, Alma-Aty Declaration)

2) emergence of

interorg. structures

Relations with EU: PCA Rel. with CIS: see section CIS

Relations with EU: PCA Rel. with CIS: see section CIS

Relations with EU: PCA / NR (sanctions) Belarus – Russia Union Rel. with CIS: see section CIS

3) increase in

information load

Medium Term Strategy of Russia towards EU, Foreign Policy Concept, National Security Concept, signatory of CIS founding Charter,…

Strategy for the Integration of Ukraine into the European Union, signatory of CIS founding Charter, Yalta Charter of GUUAM, Foreign Policy Priorities of Ukraine, …

On the Relations with the European Union: the development of a political dialogue’, signatory of CIS founding Charter, Foreign Policy priorities and Directives of Belarus,…

4) development

of mutual awareness of being involved in a common enterprise

NR offic. policy of mutually advantageous pragmatism, yet often statement of good intentions & strat. partnership with EU, implicit notion of leading role in CIS

Official multivector foreign policy, Intention of becoming member state of EU, founding member of GUUAM

Zealous member of CIS, integration efforts with Russia, sees common enterprise as the instalment of neo-Soviet order

NR: not relevant

Stage 2: Institutional Isomorphism

- evaluation of institutional change of selected institutions (presidential administration, parliament, MFA) since 1991.

- divergence in FP geopolitical pluralism

a. reasons for institutional changeb.variations in institutional change

a. Origins and Patterns of Institutional Change

redesigning institutions isomorphism > causal mechanisms

Fig.2 Hypothetical applications of causal mechanisms of isomorphism Coercive Isomorphism

- Pressures, dependence, cultural

expectations

e.g. Belarus dependence on Russia and CIS organisational field in general

Mimetic Isomorphism

- uncertainty , imitation - modelling institutions after

organisations perceived as more successful

e.g. Ukraine’s multi-vector foreign policy and EU ambitions

Normative Isomorphism

- professionalisation of organisations

and networks

e.g. this evolution can be witnessed in Russia, Ukraine and Belarus

Incomplete Institutionalisation

- strategic support for certain policies - actual implementation of policies

left unspecified

e.g. Ukraine’s incomplete and conditional institutionalisation of CIS policies & directives

Unsuccessful Imitation

- attempts of replicating practices of

other organisations, resulting in unintended changes

e.g. CIS’s institutional mirroring of EU institutional structures

Recomposition of Organisational Fields

- institutional change when

boundaries of organisational field change due to a.o. geopolitical reshuffling

e.g. the post-communist transition after the implosion of the Soviet Union in general; in consequence of this, inst. change for the three selected countries in specific

b. Sources of Variation in Institutional Change

– history-dependent processes– persisting assumptions– complex interdependencies

path dependent patterns of development

neo-institutionalist approach to geopolitical pluralisminstitutional change

institutional isomorphism

Structure & Methodology

INTRODUCTIONPART I

Chapter 1

General Background: Geopolitical situation since 1991 in Slavic Core of CIS Status Quaestionis – Research Questions – Relevance of the Research

Chapter 2

Theoretical framework: neo-institutionalism, Institutional isomorphism Methodology & Introduction of the Cases

PART II - Institutional Definition

Chapter 3-4

• Assessing processes of institutional change in Russia, Ukraine, Belarus – Systematic analysis of the selected institutions: review policy documents issued by selected institutions. – verifying presence of org. characteristics in institutions of Russia, Ukr &

Bel.

Data collection ch 3-4: - literature review: primary sources: official policy documents (MFA, Pres

Admin), decrees (pres admin); parliamentary bills & committee proceedings concerning external affairs (EU&CIS) (parliament); secondary sources: relevant academic literature, articles from parlamentskaya gazeta, dumskoe obozrenie,..

- systematic analysis org characteristics; review of official documents complemented by semi-structured qualitative elite-interviews. Verifying respondents perception of the org. fields (EU & CIS) & how the insititution in which they work profiles itself vis-à-vis these org.fields. Target groups: e.g. In parliament: members of the committees; e.g. MFA diplomats to EU & CIS.

PART III - Institutional Isomorphism

Chapter 5

- explaining isomorphism : comparative analysis of institutional change based on data collected in part II

Chapter 6

Exploring reasons of institutional change Causal mechanisms

Chapter 7

Explaining variations in instit change

Path dependence: comparing historical processes Creation of institutions & ‘critical junctures’.

Data collection ch 5-7: - comparative analysis ch 5: data collected in part II serves as basis

for comp analysis. – causes of isomorphism ch 6: elite interviews on causal mechanisms,

starting from certain hypotheses connecting instit definition to isomorphism

- variations in isomorphism ch 7: comparative historical analysis with a focus on the initial stages of institutional development & ‘puncture points’.

- literature review: relevant academic literature, corpus of offic. documents part II

Conclusion

Conclusion

• Main focus : innovative analysis of processes of institutional change in Russia, Ukraine and Belarus.

• contribution to field of research & theory :

1) Constructing a theoretical framework to systematically map institutional change in Slavic core of CIS.

2) Elaborating ‘weak points’ of inst isomorphism

‘need for understanding sources of heterogeneity & the processes that cause instit change’ (Powell)