Ramiro Berardo

Do Networks Solve Collective Action Problems? Credibility, Search, and Collaboration

Two competing theories suggest different ways in which networks resolve collective action problems: small, dense networks enhance credible commitments supportive of cooperative solutions, while large boundary-spanning networks enhance search and information exchange supportive of coordinated solutions. Our empirical study develops and tests the competing credibility and search hypotheses in 22 estuary policy arenas, where fragmentation of authority creates collective problems and opportunities for joint gains through collaboration. The results indicate that search rather than credibility appears to pose the greater obstacle to collaboration; well-connected centrally located organizations engage in more collaborative activities than those embedded in small, dense networks.

Generalized Trust in Multi-organizational Policy Arenas: Studying Its Emergence from a Network Perspective

This study tests hypotheses linking the structural characteristics of policy networks to the feelings of trust of their members. A social capital perspective suggests that actors in denser networks should trust others more, while an alternative “centrality” approach suggests that trust may be a byproduct of the occupation of key positions in the group. The author tests these expectations with data mapping policy networks in twenty-two estuaries in the United States and finds that centrality is a better predictor of trust. This opens room for questioning the real value of trust as a necessary ingredient in the solution of collective action dilemmas.

Conflict and Cooperation along International Rivers: Crafting a Model of Institutional Effectiveness

The management of international rivers is increasingly marked by a heightened attention to and growth in institutions at the river-basin level to promote cooperation and resolve conflicts between states in a basin. Yet, little theoretical and empirical research exists to understand when these institutions are most effective. Here we draw from diverse literatures, including work on social and ecological systems, international institutions, common-pool resources, and international waters, to capture and integrate the design elements associated with effective collaborative management along an international river. We apply and test the validity of our model in a plausibility probe through the analysis of the conflict between Argentina and Uruguay over the construction of pulp mills along the Uruguay River, and the role of the established and functioning river basin organization—the Administrative Commission of the Uruguay River (CARU)—in this conflict. We re-examine our model based on our case findings to highlight the challenge and role of public input and representation in institutional effectiveness along international rivers.

The Coevolution of Perceptions of Procedural Fairness and Link Formation in Self-Organizing Policy Networks

A key variable to foster cooperation in groups is the perception among members that the process of making decisions is fair to everyone involved, yet little is known about how these perceptions coevolve with the interactions that take place within the groups. In this article, I use a stochastic actor-oriented model to examine the coevolution of perceptions of procedural fairness and the establishment of relationships among organizations in self-organizing policy networks in five U.S. estuaries. These networks form and evolve as their members seek to address important environmental problems that affect multiple jurisdictions. Findings show that participation in networks does not affect perceptions of procedural fairness; instead, the latter affect the former, i.e., stakeholders create ties with other actors with similar perceptions of how fair decision-making processes are. These results have important implications for our understanding of how governance institutions should be designed to find collaborativ...

Networking Networkers: An Initial Exploration of the Patterns of Collaboration among the Members of a New Community in Political Science

number of indicators signal a growing interest in the study of political phenomena from a network perspective in the United States, such as the growing number of published articles with a network focus in the disciplines top-tier journals and the creation of a new Political Networks section of the APSA in 2008. Yet another notable indicator is the organization of a new annual conference financially supported by the National Science Foundationthe Political Networks conference. The meeting not only brings together scholars who study networks in political science, but also fosters collaboration across disciplines by encouraging participation of non-political scientists with the goal of achieving more comprehensive answers to questions that cannot be properly answered within the confines of individual disciplines. So far, the Political Networks conference has taken place three times: in June 2008 and June 2009 at Harvard University, and in May 2010 at Duke University.1 These annual meetings give scholars the opportunity to present research and gain methodological training through workshops geared toward graduate students and faculty. But perhaps more importantly, they provide a setting in which professional collaboration may unfold among the members of this new scholarly community. In this article, I examine how the conference is helping shape this new community by showing: (1) who attended the first two conferences, (2) how these individuals engaged in collaboration with other attendees, and (3) whether new collaborative links bridge the limits of particular disciplines and subfields in political science. This last issue is particularly important to explore, because political science has been characterized repeatedly as a discipline in which scholars tend to work in compartmentalized ways (Almond 1988) and frequently ignore the professional benefits that can be derived from collaborative exchanges across subfields (see, e.g., Garand and Giles 2003) or disciplines. The emergence at the networks conferences of collaborative links connecting subfields of political science or bridging the void between our discipline and others suggests the development of a rich scholarly network that should facilitate a more comprehensive study of politics; the end result should be an enhanced ability to understand how political processes work.2 The following section provides a short description of the process of data collection. A later section presents results in a twofold manner: first, I address the patterns of collaboration and their changes, and second, I use a homophily analysis to show the tendency of attending scholars to diversify their contacts in ways that allow for professional collaboration across disciplines and subfields in political science.

Adaptive Governance and Integrated Water Resources Management in Argentina

Since the early 2000s, international organizations and national and provincial authorities in Argentina have promoted a number of institutional initiatives to implement Integrated Water Resources Management in the country. The two main initiatives are the adoption of the Guiding Principles of Water Policy, and the ongoing design of the National Federal Plan of Water Resources. These are complemented by the creation of the Federal Water Council, a new nation-wide venue that gives the provincial and national governments the chance to engage in discussions related to the improvement of water management in the country. We analyze the process leading to the creation of this set of new institutions through the theoretical lens of Adaptive Governance, and assess how well national and provincial authorities have faced the challenges of representation (who participates in decision-making processes) and process design (how decisions are reached) that are so critical in the early stages of addressing interjurisdictional water problems. Drawing on in-depth interviews with decision-makers, we also identify other challenges to AG in Argentina, including the problem of discontinuation of policy efforts that could lead to a better implementation of IWRM principles, and the pervasive presence of personalismo in making decisions that affect water management. Keywords: Adaptive Governance, Integrated Water Resources Management, Developing Countries.

The participation of core stakeholders in the design of, and challenges to, the US Clean Power Plan

ABSTRACT We examine the participation of stakeholders in the rule-making process leading to the design of the US Clean Power Plan (CPP), which was the cornerstone regulation developed during the Obama administration to lower GHG emissions from power plants in the US. Using publicly available information, we identify the core stakeholders that participated in the different stages of the rulemaking process, from the early draft of the rule to its publication in final form, and examine variables that could help explain their decisions to litigate, either against or in favour of the final version of the rule. We show that the ‘pro-CPP’ stakeholders were (a) more likely to participate during the early stages of the rule-making process, attending meetings with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) staff to discuss rule content, and (b) less likely to get involved during the litigation process. ‘Anti-CPP’ stakeholders, on the other hand, did the opposite, being in general less active during the rulemaking stages, and more active during the litigation stage. However, we also find that the ‘anti-CPP’ stakeholders were more tightly organized as a coalition when compared to the ‘pro-CPP’ stakeholders throughout the process (even in the early stages when they participated less). Our results shed new light on the way advocacy coalitions operate in the climate policy subsystem in the US, and help inform debates about the likelihood of conflict and cooperation across a variety of environmental policy topics. Key policy insights The design of the Clean Power Plan was a long and contentious process in which ‘Pro’ and ‘Anti-CPP’ coalitions operated to support and undermine the rule, respectively. ‘Pro-CPP’ stakeholders were more active in meetings organized to discuss the CPP with EPA staff, and in submitting written comments. ‘Anti-CPP’ stakeholders were more active during litigation, in response to perceived EPA overreach in designing the rule and negative financial impacts on states’ economies. Joint participation by ‘Anti-CPP’ stakeholders in meetings conveyed by the EPA to discuss the potential content of the rule helps explain their joint litigation efforts, which hints at their considerable capacity to self-organize as a coalition throughout the process.

Confianza, influencia política e intercambio de recursos en arenas decisorias regionales

Research in political science has identified trust as an important variable for the emergence of cooperative social-political processes, but there are no emp...

A Comparative View of Advocacy Coalitions: Exploring Shale Development Politics in the United States, Argentina, and China

Abstract Political mobilization of policy actors into advocacy coalitions is a defining feature of policy subsystems. Nonetheless, knowledge about the particularities of advocacy coalitions across different political systems remains limited. This paper offers insights for comparative analysis of advocacy coalitions by exploring the issue of shale development in the United States, Argentina, and China using media content analysis. Methodologically, it advances the study of coalitions by introducing a standardized approach for measuring coalition attributes across countries. Empirically, it explores how coalitions vary in their composition across countries with different political opportunity structures.

Speaking with an Accent: Some Practical Advice for Foreign First-Time Teachers

xhe majority of Ph.D. programs in political science in the United States provide some kind of teaching training for graduate students, which ranges from assisting other instructors to designing and teaching new courses. In most cases, departments make an effort to guide these students in their new role as instructors; however, first-time teachers whose first language is not English do not usually receive any special guidance on how to successfully address the challenge of communicating effectively with their studentsan all-too-real problem for many foreign instructors. This article provides some basic tips for improving the communication process that develops in the classroom, and is particularly tailored for individuals whose first language is not English and who are about to take the first steps of their teaching careers.