The micro-foundations of macro-institutions: an empirical investigation of the co-evolution of populist rhetoric and organizations

Descripción del proyecto

La retórica populista y su repercusión en las empresas multinacionales

El surgimiento del populismo en varios Estados miembros de la Unión Europea (UE) supone una amenaza para los principios de la UE. Los investigadores han subestimado el papel de la retórica y las organizaciones a la hora de promover el cambio institucional, sobre todo a nivel macroinstitucional. El proyecto MICROPOPULISM, financiado por las acciones Marie Skłodowska-Curie, ofrecerá nuevos conocimientos sobre los orígenes básicos del populismo, tratando de dilucidar las estrategias retóricas empleadas por los populistas y su influencia coevolutiva en las organizaciones e instituciones. Para ello, se empleará una síntesis de la teoría de la coevolución y el análisis del discurso, prestando especial atención al contexto del populismo y las empresas multinacionales. Dada la notable repercusión de estas poderosas organizaciones en la dinámica institucional, el equipo de MICROPOPULISM examinará el lenguaje y las técnicas persuasivas empleadas por los líderes populistas. El objetivo es esclarecer su influencia en las estrategias y estructuras institucionales de las empresas multinacionales.

Objetivo

MICROPOPULISM aims at providing an in-depth analysis of the micro-foundations of populism in order to gain a granular understanding of populist rhetoric that can undermine European values, as well as the drivers of this rhetoric and its economic consequences. Management scholars have made progress in understanding the co-evolution of organizations and institutions. Their contributions only peripherally touch upon macro-institutions and ignore the rhetoric element of institutional change. I want to fill this gap and provide a better understanding of how organizations construct macro-institutions, and to conflate co-evolution theory and discourse analysis. This research project takes plays in the context of populism and multinational enterprises (MNEs): MNEs are powerful organizations that shape globalization forces and economic developments. Populism defines political institutions and contains a central rhetoric element as populists frame the political debate. I will delve into discourse analysis and the rhetoric of populists to accommodate the varieties of their ideas. The analysis of speeches, press releases, or social media posts of populists should enlarge the comprehension of the micro-foundations of macro-institutions, and allow for an integration of discourse into co-evolution theory. I will also draw on hierarchical-linear modelling to explore the co-evolutionary causalities between organizations and macro-institutions. MICROPOPULISM will last 24 months and will be conducted at Luiss Guido Carli (Italy) under the supervision of Prof. Antonio Majocchi, an expert in institutions, MNEs, and economic performance. Luiss focuses on political science and management studies and is an ideal institution for accommodating the interdisciplinary nature of this research project. Results of this project are relevant for different societal groups and will thus be disseminated and communicated to the academic community, policy makers, industry, and general public.