Die Erde; Zeitschrift der Gesellschaft für Erdkunde zu Berlin
Recent research on the informal economy no longer distinguishes 'the formal' and 'the... more Recent research on the informal economy no longer distinguishes 'the formal' and 'the informal' as distinct antipodes, but looks at a continuum of interwoven and intertwined socio-economic processes with different degrees of (in)formality. Using empirical evidence from research on the food system of the megacity of Dhaka (Bangladesh) it is argued in this article that in order to understand informality we need to focus on institutions and social practices, rather than on actors, economic entities or an entire sector and their structural characteristics. We take informality as an aspect of agency that is negotiated in contested urban arenas. In order to capture informality, we thus look at institutions at different degrees of (in)formality and at actors' use of them as the rationale for their actions. . With 3 Figures and 1 Table Informalität als soziale Praxis – zur Aushandlung von Ernährungssicherung in Dhaka Summary: Informality as Agency – Negotiating Food Secu...
Double Exposure: New Chal-lenges for Food Governance Food systems are increas-ingly "double ... more Double Exposure: New Chal-lenges for Food Governance Food systems are increas-ingly "double exposed" (LEICHENKO & O'BRIEN 2008) to a variable and unpredictable physical environment, particularly in the context of climate change, and to the vagaries of market instability and volatility that inevitably come with globalisation (ADGER 2003: 3). These double exposures threaten all aspects of food security, including the availability, accessibility and utilisa-tion of food. Surprises and unexpected changes that may affect all elements of the food system such as crop epidem-ics, collapse of trade agreements, or sudden price hikes, put additional stress on food security and also reduce the adaptive capacity of food systems actors in the long run. The current debate on climate change-induced security risks (WBGU 2008) suggests that climate change, along with the globalisation of the food system, will exacerbate existing conflicts around food, land and water, and may create viol...
Twelve years after the discussions on development and institutions at the meeting of the Geograph... more Twelve years after the discussions on development and institutions at the meeting of the Geographischer Arbeits -kreis Entwicklungstheorien ( GAE 2000) in Zürich, this paper seeks to put institutions back on the research agenda in develop -ment geography. The authors explore recent trends in institutional theory and propose a dialectic understanding of “doing institutions” that positions social actors and their everyday practices at the center of institutional analysis. Institutions are the socially (re-)produced rules that enable, constrain and give meaning to the social practices of actors. Actors make insti-tutions; at the same time institutions make actors do certain things. Based on this foundation, three central aspects of the institutional debate are elaborated: Institutional plurality, the legitimacy of institutions, and the role of the state. Two case studies from recent research in South Asia illustrate aspects of the conceptual considerations. The article ends with an out-look on the implications of “doing institutions” for future research in development geography.
Die Erde; Zeitschrift der Gesellschaft für Erdkunde zu Berlin
Recent research on the informal economy no longer distinguishes 'the formal' and 'the... more Recent research on the informal economy no longer distinguishes 'the formal' and 'the informal' as distinct antipodes, but looks at a continuum of interwoven and intertwined socio-economic processes with different degrees of (in)formality. Using empirical evidence from research on the food system of the megacity of Dhaka (Bangladesh) it is argued in this article that in order to understand informality we need to focus on institutions and social practices, rather than on actors, economic entities or an entire sector and their structural characteristics. We take informality as an aspect of agency that is negotiated in contested urban arenas. In order to capture informality, we thus look at institutions at different degrees of (in)formality and at actors' use of them as the rationale for their actions. . With 3 Figures and 1 Table Informalität als soziale Praxis – zur Aushandlung von Ernährungssicherung in Dhaka Summary: Informality as Agency – Negotiating Food Secu...
Double Exposure: New Chal-lenges for Food Governance Food systems are increas-ingly "double ... more Double Exposure: New Chal-lenges for Food Governance Food systems are increas-ingly "double exposed" (LEICHENKO & O'BRIEN 2008) to a variable and unpredictable physical environment, particularly in the context of climate change, and to the vagaries of market instability and volatility that inevitably come with globalisation (ADGER 2003: 3). These double exposures threaten all aspects of food security, including the availability, accessibility and utilisa-tion of food. Surprises and unexpected changes that may affect all elements of the food system such as crop epidem-ics, collapse of trade agreements, or sudden price hikes, put additional stress on food security and also reduce the adaptive capacity of food systems actors in the long run. The current debate on climate change-induced security risks (WBGU 2008) suggests that climate change, along with the globalisation of the food system, will exacerbate existing conflicts around food, land and water, and may create viol...
Twelve years after the discussions on development and institutions at the meeting of the Geograph... more Twelve years after the discussions on development and institutions at the meeting of the Geographischer Arbeits -kreis Entwicklungstheorien ( GAE 2000) in Zürich, this paper seeks to put institutions back on the research agenda in develop -ment geography. The authors explore recent trends in institutional theory and propose a dialectic understanding of “doing institutions” that positions social actors and their everyday practices at the center of institutional analysis. Institutions are the socially (re-)produced rules that enable, constrain and give meaning to the social practices of actors. Actors make insti-tutions; at the same time institutions make actors do certain things. Based on this foundation, three central aspects of the institutional debate are elaborated: Institutional plurality, the legitimacy of institutions, and the role of the state. Two case studies from recent research in South Asia illustrate aspects of the conceptual considerations. The article ends with an out-look on the implications of “doing institutions” for future research in development geography.
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institutions” that positions social actors and their everyday practices at the center of institutional analysis. Institutions are the socially (re-)produced rules that enable, constrain and give meaning to the social practices of actors. Actors make insti-tutions; at the same time institutions make actors do certain things. Based on this foundation, three central aspects of the
institutional debate are elaborated: Institutional plurality, the legitimacy of institutions, and the role of the state. Two case studies from recent research in South Asia illustrate aspects of the conceptual considerations. The article ends with an out-look on the implications of “doing institutions” for future research in development geography.
institutions” that positions social actors and their everyday practices at the center of institutional analysis. Institutions are the socially (re-)produced rules that enable, constrain and give meaning to the social practices of actors. Actors make insti-tutions; at the same time institutions make actors do certain things. Based on this foundation, three central aspects of the
institutional debate are elaborated: Institutional plurality, the legitimacy of institutions, and the role of the state. Two case studies from recent research in South Asia illustrate aspects of the conceptual considerations. The article ends with an out-look on the implications of “doing institutions” for future research in development geography.