An Investigation of Eldercare Practices in Thailand through Institutional Logics Lens
Keywords:
Institutional logics, Cultural reproduction, Aging in place, Universal design, Constructivist grounded theoryAbstract
The purpose of this research is to unfold the compelling logics that shape collective norms and behaviors, and to collect empirical evidence on how the changing context of the Thai family structure is affecting the geriatric and long-term care industry in Thailand. This study employs the constructivist grounded theory method under the theoretical view of the institutional logics perspective. A purposeful selection of participants is identified by their involvement and expertise in the area of study. Data collection from intensive interviews and non-verbal observations are retrieved and analyzed according to participants’ experiences, perceptions, and perspectives. Through a comprehensive analysis, ranging from the beginning of the aging society phenomenon to the current development along with its rationale. This research revealed that, first, unlike other institutional theories, the institutional logics perspective is differentiated chiefly through the causal linkage of multiple derivations. Second, the two contrasting logics that emerged from the study were “individualism” and “communitarianism.” Third, the community logic can function as the central core for Thai eldercare to facilitate informal care, social care, family care, as well as self-care. One most common practice is to rearrange living environments according to “universal design” principles in order to empower the independence of Thai elderly. Should the idea be implemented on a wider scale, such as urban and landscape designs, this aging in place approach could provide a promising alternative to reconnecting and restoring the communal relationship among urban communities.
References
Charmaz, K. (2006). Constructing grounded theory: A practical guide through qualitative analysis. Sage Publication.
Charmaz, K. (2014). Constructing grounded theory. Sage Publication.
DiMaggio, P. J. (1988). Interest and agency in institutional theory. In L. G. Zucker (Ed.), Institutional patterns and organizations (pp. 3–21). Cambridge, MA: Ballinger.
DiMaggio, P., & Powell, W. W. (1983). The iron cage revisited: Collective rationality and institutional isomorphism in organizational fields. American Sociological Review, 48(2), 147-160.
DiMaggio, P. J., & Powell, W. W. (Eds.). (1991). The new institutionalism in organizational analysis (Vol. 17). Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press.
Friedland, R., & Alford, R. R. (1991). Bringing society back in: Symbols, practices and institutional contradictions. In W. W. Powell & P. J. DiMaggio (Eds.), The new institutionalism in organizational analysis (pp. 232–263). Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Greenwood, R., Díaz, A. M., Li, S. X., & Lorente, J. C. (2010). The multiplicity of institutional logics and the heterogeneity of organizational responses. Organization Science, 21(2), 521-539.
Greenwood, R., & Hinings, C. R. (1993). Understanding strategic change: The contribution of archetypes. Academy of management Journal.
Greenwood, R., Raynard, M., Kodeih, F., Micelotta, E. R., & Lounsbury, M. (2011). Institutional complexity and organizational responses. Academy of Management annals, 5(1), 317-371.
Haveman, H. A., & Gualtieri, G. (2017). Institutional logics. Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Business and Management.
Knodel, J., Prachuabmoh, V., & Chayovan, N. (2013). The Changing Well-Being of Thai Elderly: An Update from the 2011 Survey of Older Persons in Thailand. Populations Studies Center Research Report 13–793. Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan.
Knodel, J., Teerawichitchainan, B. P., Prachuabmoh, V., & Pothisiri, W. (2015). The situation of Thailand’s older population: An update based on the 2014 Survey of Older Persons in Thailand. Research Collection School of Social Sciences. Paper 1948. Retrieved May 5, 2018, from https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/soss_research/1948
Lounsbury, M. (2008). Institutional rationality and practice variation: New directions in the institutional analysis of practice. Accounting, Organizations and Society, 33(4), 349-361.
Meyer, J. W., & Rowan, B. (1977). Institutionalized organizations: Formal structure as myth and ceremony. American journal of sociology, 83(2), 340-363.
Prasartkul, P. (2013). Population aging and health: a case study of Thailand. Keynote lecture presented at the RGJ-PhD Congress XIV, Chonburi, Thailand. IPSR Publication No.416, 2013.
Prasartkul, P. & Vapattanawong, P. (2005). Demographic situation of Thailand, 2005. In K. Achavanichkul & P. Prasartkul (Eds.), Population and society 2005. Institute for Population and Social Research, Mahidol University.
Reay, T., & Hinings, C. R. (2005). The recomposition of an organizational field: Health care in Alberta. Organization studies, 26(3), 351-384.
Scott, W. R. (1995). Institutions and organizations. Foundations for organizational science. London: A Sage Publication Series.
Scott, W. R. (2008). Institutions and organizations: Ideas and interests. 3rd ed. Sage Publication.
Scott, W. R. (2014). Institutions and organizations: Ideas, interests, and identities. 4th ed. Sage Publication.
Scott, W. R., & Christensen, S. (1995). The institutional construction of organizations: International and longitudinal studies. Sage Publication.
Saldana, J. (2013). The coding manual for qualitative researchers. 2nd ed. Sage Publication.
Shigeharu, T., (2008). Introduction:Imagined and Imagining Communities. In T. Shigeharu (Ed.), Imagined Communities in Thailand. Mekong Press.
Suddaby, R. (2010). Challenges for institutional theory. Journal of management inquiry, 19(1), 14-20. Sage Publication.
Suddaby, R. (2013). Institutional Theory. Encyclopedia of Management Theory. 379-383. Sage Publication.
Thanakwang, K., & Soonthorndhada, K. (2011). Mechanisms by which social support networks influence healthy aging among Thai community-dwelling elderly. Journal of Aging and Health, 23(8), 1352-1378. Retrieved May 5, 2018, from https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/0898264311418503
Thornton, P. H. (2004). Markets from culture: Institutional logics and organizational decisions in higher education publishing. Stanford University Press.
Thornton, P. H., Jones, C., & Kury, K. (2005). Institutional logics and institutional change in organizations: Transformation in accounting, architecture, and publishing. Transformation in cultural industries (pp. 125-170). Emerald Group Publishing Limited.
Thornton, P. H., & Ocasio, W. (1999). Institutional logics and the historical contingency of power in organizations: Executive succession in the higher education publishing industry, 1958–1990. American journal of Sociology, 105(3), 801-843.
Thornton, P. H., & Occasio, W. (2008). Institutional Logics. In Greenwood, R., Oliver, C., Suddaby, R., & Sahlin, K. (Eds.), The SAGE handbook of organizational institutionalism. (1st ed., pp. 99-129). London: SAGE Publication.
Thornton, P. H., Occasio, W., & Lounsbury, M., (2012). The institutional logics perspective: A new approach to culture, structure, and process. UK: Oxford university press.
United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2015). World Population Prospects: The 2015 Revision, Key Findings and Advance Tables. Working Paper No. ESA/P/WP.241.
Wongsawang, N., Lagampan, S., Lapvongwattana, P., & Bowers, B. J. (2013). Family caregiving for dependent older adults in Thai families. Journal of Nursing Scholarship, 45(4), 336-343.
Wongyannava, T., (2008). Policing the Imagined Family and Children in Thailand: From Family Name to Emotional Love. In T. Shigeharu (Ed.), Imagined Communities in Thailand. Mekong Press.
World Health Organization. (2007). Global Age-friendly Cities: A Guide. WHO. France.
World Health Organization: Regional Office for Europe. (2012, September). Strategy and action plan for healthy ageing in Europe, 2012–2020. Paper presented at the Sixty-second session, Malta.