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Comparative institutional response to economic policy managed competition and governmentality

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  • Light, Donald W.

Abstract

This article provides a comparative conceptual framework for understanding why so many governments found economic policies based on managed competition attractive and yet dangerous to implement. The framework conceptualizes governments as a kind of organizational complex and thus governments as an international population of organizations, each embedded in a state that tries to harness and direct behaviour through what Foucault called "governmentality". This nascent concept is made more robust here and joined with Fligstein's historical research on the response of leading organizations when fundamental change threatens a population of organizations, by embracing a new conception of control that allows them to re-establish their control and pre-eminence. Fligstein studied corporations, but his model can be fruitfully extended to governments. Economic sociology has not to date been able to do much comparative research on institutional responses to economic policy; but this set of case studies and conceptual framework provide such an opportunity.

Suggested Citation

  • Light, Donald W., 2001. "Comparative institutional response to economic policy managed competition and governmentality," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 52(8), pages 1151-1166, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:socmed:v:52:y:2001:i:8:p:1151-1166
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    Cited by:

    1. Skinner, Mark W. & Rosenberg, Mark W., 2006. "Managing competition in the countryside: Non-profit and for-profit perceptions of long-term care in rural Ontario," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 63(11), pages 2864-2876, December.
    2. Jan Kerssens & Peter Groenewegen, 2005. "Consumer preferences in social health insurance," The European Journal of Health Economics, Springer;Deutsche Gesellschaft für Gesundheitsökonomie (DGGÖ), vol. 6(1), pages 8-15, March.
    3. Gross, Revital & Harrison, Michael I., 2006. "Responses of Israeli HMOs to environmental change following the National Health Insurance Law: Opening the black box," Health Policy, Elsevier, vol. 76(2), pages 213-232, April.
    4. Westra, Daan & Angeli, Federica & Carree, Martin & Ruwaard, Dirk, 2017. "Understanding competition between healthcare providers: Introducing an intermediary inter-organizational perspective," Health Policy, Elsevier, vol. 121(2), pages 149-157.
    5. Theobald, Hildegard, 2004. "Entwicklung des Qualifikationsbedarfs im Gesundheitssektor: Professionalisierungsprozesse in der Physiotherapie und Dentalhygiene im europäischen Vergleich," Discussion Papers, Research Unit: Labor Market Policy and Employment SP I 2004-104, WZB Berlin Social Science Center.

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