Realist social theory : the morphogenetic approach
TL;DR: The Morphogenetic Cycle: the basis of the morphogenetic approach 7. Structural and cultural conditioning 8. The morphogenesis of agency 9. Social elaboration.
Abstract: Building on her seminal contribution to social theory in Culture and Agency, in this 1995 book Margaret Archer develops her morphogenetic approach, applying it to the problem of structure and agency. Since structure and agency constitute different levels of stratified social reality, each possesses distinctive emergent properties which are real and causally efficacious but irreducible to one another. The problem, therefore, is shown to be how to link the two rather than conflate them, as has been common theoretical practice. Realist Social Theory: The Morphogenetic Approach not only rejects methodological individualism and holism, but argues that the debate between them has been replaced by a new one, between elisionary theorising and emergentist theories based on a realist ontology of the social world. The morphogenetic approach is the sociological complement of transcendental realism, and together they provide a basis for non-conflationary theorizing which is also of direct utility to the practising social analyst.
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30 Sep 2009
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors examine and explain the circumstances under which civic-state interactions can lead to structural change, and what these interactions can teach us about the potential of civic society to realise rights in general.
Abstract: In the 1950s, civic actors in South Africa mobilised against racist laws that penetrated nearly every aspect of civic life. The social justice struggle that eventually displaced white minority rule culminated in democratic elections in 1994. Following this historic transition from authoritarian rule to democracy, other issues came to the fore, including how the South African government was to receive persons claiming refugee status on the basis of persecution and war. Civic actors again mobilised around these ‘new’ human rights and social justice issues; they became engaged either in working with government to develop a refugee policy, or in confronting the government to fulfil its national and international obligations towards refugees. This book discusses the dynamics of civic-state interactions aimed at the state’s obligations to promote, protect and fulfil human rights. Through the lens of refugee rights advocacy in South Africa in the first decade of its post-1994 period of democracy, this book examines and explains the circumstances under which civic-state interactions can lead to structural change, and what these interactions can teach us about the potential of civic society to realise rights in general. In any social justice struggle, the key to civic actors being able to hold states and their governments accountable for their human rights obligations lies in civic actors making strategic choices. Making strategic choices has various implications for civic actors. First, civic actors must appreciate the social, political and legal context in which they operate; this historical appreciation reveals certain structural boundaries to realising rights that are nearly always imposed by the state. Second, civic actors must critically assess these structural boundaries that condition their behaviour, but also have the potential for structural change or ‘elaboration’, through civic actors interacting with the state in formal and also informal interventions. Third, civic actors must appreciate the social distance that always exists between themselves and the government, measured by divergences in meanings, interests and political positions. Through a critical engagement in this ‘external’ relationship, it is possible for civic actors to capitalize on these divergences in advocating a state’s accountability for realising human rights. Whether the social distance ought to be narrowed or broadened at a particular moment depends on (1) the context in which this takes place, (2) the structural boundaries that exist, and (3) the desired outcome. Three examples of refugee rights advocacy, and the corresponding social distance that existed between civic actors and the government in South Africa are examined. The first concerns the process of bringing a formal refugee policy into place. The second example focuses on the implementation of a separate policy to resolve the situation of former Mozambican refugees in the country. The third example focuses on the manner in which the rights of refugees have been litigated through the South African courts. Drawing on these three examples, the book concludes that a critical engagement with the government by civic actors, reflected in the strategic choices that they make, allows civic actors to take advantage of a narrow, but significant space for achieving structural change.
35 citations
TL;DR: An innovative conceptual framework harnessing realist social theory and institutional theory was produced to address challenges identified within previous applications of realist inquiry in patient safety research.
Abstract: Background Hospital patient safety is a major social problem. In the UK, policy responses focus on the introduction of improvement programmes that seek to implement evidence-based clinical practices using the Model for Improvement, Plan-Do-Study-Act cycle. Empirical evidence that the outcomes of such programmes vary across hospitals demonstrates that the context of their implementation matters. However, the relationships between features of context and the implementation of safety programmes are both undertheorised and poorly understood in empirical terms. Objectives This study is designed to address gaps in conceptual, methodological and empirical knowledge about the influence of context on the local implementation of patient safety programmes. Design We used concepts from critical realism and institutional analysis to conduct a qualitative comparative-intensive case study involving 21 hospitals across all seven Welsh health boards. We focused on the local implementation of three focal interventions from the 1000 Lives+ patient safety programme: Improving Leadership for Quality Improvement, Reducing Surgical Complications and Reducing Health-care Associated Infection. Our main sources of data were 160 semistructured interviews, observation and 1700 health policy and organisational documents. These data were analysed using the realist approaches of abstraction, abduction and retroduction. Setting Welsh Government and NHS Wales. Participants Interviews were conducted with 160 participants including government policy leads, health managers and professionals, partner agencies with strategic oversight of patient safety, advocacy groups and academics with expertise in patient safety. Main outcome measures Identification of the contextual factors pertinent to the local implementation of the 1000 Lives+ patient safety programme in Welsh NHS hospitals. Results An innovative conceptual framework harnessing realist social theory and institutional theory was produced to address challenges identified within previous applications of realist inquiry in patient safety research. This involved the development and use of an explanatory intervention–context–mechanism–agency–outcome (I-CMAO) configuration to illustrate the processes behind implementation of a change programme. Our findings, illustrated by multiple nested I-CMAO configurations, show how local implementation of patient safety interventions are impacted and modified by particular aspects of context: specifically, isomorphism, by which an intervention becomes adapted to the environment in which it is implemented; institutional logics, the beliefs and values underpinning the intervention and its source, and their perceived legitimacy among different groups of health-care professionals; and the relational structure and power dynamics of the functional group, that is, those tasked with implementing the initiative. This dynamic interplay shapes and guides actions leading to the normalisation or the rejection of the patient safety programme. Conclusions Heightened awareness of the influence of context on the local implementation of patient safety programmes is required to inform the design of such interventions and to ensure their effective implementation and operationalisation in the day-to-day practice of health-care teams. Future work is required to elaborate our conceptual model and findings in similar settings where different interventions are introduced, and in different settings where similar innovations are implemented. Funding The National Institute for Health Research Health Services and Delivery Research programme.
35 citations
TL;DR: In 2018, the OECD added a set of global competence measures to its PISA program, and reported on the outcomes in November 2020 as discussed by the authors, and explored the provenance of the idea of global compete...
Abstract: In 2018 the OECD added a set of global competence measures to its PISA programme, and reported on the outcomes in November 2020. In this paper I explore the provenance of the idea of global compete...
35 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, a methodology for studying the relationship between scientific theory (technical-rational or textbook) and theory generated in practice (knowledge-inaction or practical) is described.
Abstract: This article describes a methodology for studying the relationship between scientific theory (technical-rational or textbook) and theory generated in practice (knowledge-inaction or practical). It identifies the written and oral practice narrative as empirical sites for studying the use of technicalrational theory in practice. The strengths and limitations of studying the written narrative alone are discussed and a method for juxtaposing the oral and written narrative of the same practice event is described. By respecting both forms of knowledge as productive powers, identifying their empirical referents, and investigating in vivo practice events, it is argued that practice research will remain open to discovering its dual or holistic potential.
35 citations
01 Sep 2016
TL;DR: In this article, a case study with a government agency provides new empirically and theoretically grounded insights into EA evolution, in particular in relation to the introduction of Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA), and describes relevant generative mechanisms affecting EA evolution.
Abstract: Organisations use Enterprise Architecture (EA) to reduce organisational complexity, improve communication, align business and information technology (IT), and drive organisational change. Due to the dynamic nature of environmental and organisational factors, EA descriptions need to change over time to keep providing value for its stakeholders. Emerging business and IT trends, such as Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA), may impact EA frameworks, methodologies, governance and tools. However, the phenomenon of EA evolution is still poorly understood. Using Archer's morphogenetic theory as a foundation, this research conceptualises three analytical phases of EA evolution in organisations, namely conditioning, interaction and elaboration. Based on a case study with a government agency, this paper provides new empirically and theoretically grounded insights into EA evolution, in particular in relation to the introduction of SOA, and describes relevant generative mechanisms affecting EA evolution. By doing so, it builds a foundation to further examine the impact of other IT trends such as mobile or cloud-based solutions on EA evolution. At a practical level, the research delivers a model that can be used to guide professionals to manage EA and continually evolve it.
35 citations