Search results for "Autonomy"
showing 10 items of 574 documents
More Choice for Better Choosers: Political Freedom, Autonomy, and Happiness
2016
A substantial literature finds that freedom in the sense of an expanded opportunity set is positively related to happiness. A contrasting literature, however, finds that an excess of choice can have socially undesirable outcomes. We test the effect of two types of freedom—autonomy and political—on happiness using five waves of World Values Survey data (1981–2008). We find evidence supporting the claim that equipping people with the tools to direct the course of their lives (i.e. increasing autonomy freedom) incentivizes the desire to investigate alternatives (e.g. political parties) before making a decision. The effect of freedoms on happiness is diminished in contexts where individuals hav…
Integrating nascent organisations. On the settlement of the European External Action Service
2016
This study shows how the EU’s new Common Foreign and Security policy (CFSP) administration – the European External Action Service (EEAS) – experienced early organisational settlement. We find that the EEAS acts relatively independently from member-state governments, suggesting administrative autonomy. It is also relatively integrated into the Commission structure, suggesting inter-institutional integration of sub-units in the two institutions. Important lessons can be learned. For organisation theory: Firstly, nascent organisations are likely to experience some degree of ‘settlement’ after birth by establishing ties towards organisations from which they originate. Secondly, settlement is in…
On Trojan Horses and revolving doors: Assessing the autonomy of national officials in the European Commission
2014
National officials working in international bureaucracies regularly invoke the fear that member states strategically use such officials for influencing decision making and agenda-setting to their advantage. This article theoretically analyses conditions under which the autonomy of national civil servants in international bureaucracies might become compromised. The ensuing predictions are then tested using a unique survey among seconded national experts (SNEs) in the European Commission (N ≈ 400). Finally, evaluating the characteristics linked to reduced autonomy among SNEs in the Commission, the article illustrates that these officials are, in practice, likely to be relatively independent from …
Identity processes and quality of emotional autonomy: The contribution of two developmental tasks on middle-adolescents’ subjective well-being
2009
This study examined the concurrent and predictive relationships between identity-related processes of commitment and exploration, emotional autonomy quality-related constructs of separation and detachment, and subjective well-being, measured through life satisfaction. Four hundred and sixty-one middle-adolescents (227 boys, 234 girls) completed measures of identity, emotional autonomy quality, and satisfaction within different domains. Results showed concurrent and predictive positive relations between commitment, separation and satisfaction with self, and negative relations between exploration, detachment, and satisfaction with self. Results also showed that the relation between satisfacti…
‘I’m still the master of the machine.’ Internet users’ awareness of algorithmic decision-making and their perception of its effect on their autonomy
2020
Algorithms are an integral part of our everyday lives and shape the selection and presentation of information and communication on the internet. At the same time, media users are faced with a lack of control and transparency when interacting with these systems because algorithms largely remain black boxes to end users. Relying on the notion that algorithms are socio-technical systems that comprise both technical and human components, this paper examines internet users’ awareness of algorithms in different areas of internet use and inquires into users’ perceptions of the impact of algorithms on their autonomy when interacting online. Empirically, we rely on qualitative interviews with 30 Ger…
Basque nationalism within the constitutional framework of the Second Spanish Republic (1931-1936)
2019
El presente artículo aborda el recorrido del nacionalismo vasco durante la II República Española y su adecuación al nuevo marco constitucional. En él se explora la centralidad que el PNV tuvo desde el inicio y los recelos que despertó su proyecto hegemónico en Euskadi desde las élites republicanas españolas, que lo consideraban abiertamente contrario a los valores, principios y objetivos de la Constitución de 1931.
Local State-Society Relations in Latvia
2020
The Latvian case of local state-society relations includes an analysis of local action groups, public councils, and advisory councils. Concerning these networks, the intensity and dynamics of interaction between the local state and society in Latvia and the locally induced variation between cities and rural areas are explored. The autonomy, the coherence, and the relevance of the analyzed networks are medium and high, and they are labeled accordingly as consociational or collaborative.
The Psychological Science Accelerator’s COVID-19 rapid-response dataset
2023
Funder: Amazon Web Services (AWS) Imagine Grant
University trustees as channels between academe and industry: Toward an understanding of the executive science network
2013
Abstract Policy makers in the United States (US) and the European Union (EU) see “autonomous” research universities as increasingly central to “world class” status, technology development and economic innovation. Trustees or regents (US) and external board members (EU) are seen as a marker of university autonomy. Examining university trustees may shed some light on the role of trustees/external board members play in research strategy, innovation and economic development. Given that a number of trustees of US research universities sit on the boards of directors of large corporations with research interests, we hypothesized that trustees may be an important channel connecting universities to …
Designing Transport Supporting Services Together with Users with Intellectual Disabilities
2020
Transportation is an important yet challenging aspect in terms of mobility for persons with intellectual disabilities (ID). Despite positive implications of designing services with users, persons with ID are rarely given the opportunity to be involved in such design processes. In this action design research (ADR) study we involve persons with ID in the design through observations, photovoice interviews and in a staged, yet naturalistic user enactments on a bus. Our research contributes with design insights on transport supporting services and insights on user involvement of persons with ID in ADR. The three ADR cycles showed that people with ID is a heterogenous group of users and as such e…