This paper offers an understanding of how hybrid models of corporate social responsibility (CSR)-models combining society-centric mandatory (implicit) and business-centric voluntary (explicit) approaches to CSR-are communicatively... more
This paper offers an understanding of how hybrid models of corporate social responsibility (CSR)-models combining society-centric mandatory (implicit) and business-centric voluntary (explicit) approaches to CSR-are communicatively constructed through institutional struggles over the roles and responsibilities of business in society, in the context of a Nordic welfare state. We develop a model of hybridization as a dialectical process of communicative activity, framing and counter-framing, in which conflict and contestation over normative understandings about CSR drive the process. The model explains the emergence of hybrid models of CSR in terms of gradually evolving issue development and frame changes that are driven by discursive struggles over moral obligations of business in society, appropriate configuration of legitimacy relationships, and appropriate institutional arrangements for CSR governance. In contrast to prevailing accounts, which tend to theorize hybridization as resulting from isomorphic, mimetic, and normative pressures, our account explicitly attends to the politics of hybridization.
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In this article, we analyze the case of reconciling work and family as a particularly illuminative example of the effects of soft Europeanization. We focus on one particular policy instrument of the EU, namely projects co-funded by the... more
In this article, we analyze the case of reconciling work and family as a particularly illuminative example of the effects of soft Europeanization. We focus on one particular policy instrument of the EU, namely projects co-funded by the European Social Fund (ESF), which have sought to develop family-friendly arrangements in Finnish workplaces. Our analysis suggests that this soft law instrument can result in significant changes in member states, even in cases where the member state's own policy is well entrenched. Theoretically, our contribution is to connect soft Europeanization to the Foucauldian theory on power, the literature on Analytics of Government in specific. From this perspective we argue that the ESF development projects function as Foucauldian 'technologies of involvement'. We find that by stabilizing and normalizing project techniques and managerial rationalities untypical for previous gender equality and work/family policies in the country, the ESF projects in our case partly challenge some established principles of Nordic welfare policies, such as universalism and state responsibility for welfare measures. Moreover, as ESF projects have managed to involve mainly female-dominated organizations and women as participants, we pose the question whether this kind of soft-law instrument that trusts on the self-regulation capacities of actors can bring about change in gendered conventions.
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Based on a case study, this paper elaborates on the psychological regimes of truth that organize and regulate male parenting and partly constitute the conditions of possibility for male identity and subjectivity both as fathers and... more
Based on a case study, this paper elaborates on the psychological regimes of truth that organize and regulate male parenting and partly constitute the conditions of possibility for male identity and subjectivity both as fathers and employees. The aim is to contribute to a better understanding of the discursive-cultural constraints that western managers and employees—males in particular—may face when trying to pursue a better work/life balance. Based on an empirical analysis of expert literature on male parenting, the paper argues that prevalent psychological regimes of truth about fathers and fathering do not necessarily render enactable the sorts of identities that enable both men and women to achieve a better work/life balance.
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"This paper focuses on eco-communes as sites of resistance and political activism. Based on a post-structuralist narrative analysis of interview materials, this paper elaborates on the ways in which life in a commune is narrated and... more
"This paper focuses on eco-communes as sites of resistance and political activism. Based on a post-structuralist narrative analysis of interview materials, this paper elaborates on the ways in which life in a commune is narrated and represented as an identity project with a mission to bring about social change. The environmentalists studied make sense of their choice to live in an eco-commune as something that was triggered and facilitated by important crossroads and fateful moments that they had encountered in their past life. They also work on their identity as eco-communards by discursively problematizing their personal relation to themselves (self) and to others (spouse and family), as well as by constructing new forms of subjectivity, intimacy, and relatedness through communal life. Life in the eco-commune thus represents a form of resistance and political struggle that Michel Foucault has referred to as politics of self; it represents not only direct opposition against the social order of contemporary Western consumer society but also more subtle resistance against the normalized forms of subjectivity that it entails.
Keywords: resistance; communal living; family; gender; subjectivation; environmentalism"
Keywords: resistance; communal living; family; gender; subjectivation; environmentalism"
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Work-life balance, or the reconciliation of work and family, has been discussed recently as a “new social risk” in comparative research on the welfare state. According to this discussion, the social security systems of traditional welfare... more
Work-life balance, or the reconciliation of work and family, has been discussed recently as a “new social risk” in comparative research on the welfare state. According to this discussion, the social security systems of traditional welfare states were built after World War II in order to protect (male) breadwinners against the “old social risks” such as the loss of income due to old age, sickness, accident, or unemployment. Scholars have argued, however, that these postwar policies have been inadequate for dealing with the new types of risks that resulted from complex changes in employment practices and family life. This article reflects critically upon the conceptualization of work-life balance as a new social risk by focusing on one of the Nordic countries, which have come to be known for their policies that combine (female) parenthood and paid work. In particular, it analyzes the problematization and governance of work-family reconciliation in twentieth-century Finland. Overall, the article argues that social scientific knowledge played a key role in the ways in which work-life balance was rendered intelligible and manageable as a social policy issue.
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Drawing from the 'usages of Europe' approach, this paper examines the Europeanization of work/family reconciliation policies in Finland, a Nordic EU member since 1995. More specifically, the paper analyses the ways in which EU resources... more
Drawing from the 'usages of Europe' approach, this paper examines the Europeanization of work/family reconciliation policies in Finland, a Nordic EU member since 1995. More specifically, the paper analyses the ways in which EU resources have been used by national actors to shape reconciliation policies. The empirical materials consist of Finnish policy texts on the topic published in 1980-2009. It is argued that while in the revisions of already established reconciliation policies, i.e. childcare services and family leave benefits, usages of Europe have rarely been performed, in the emergence of new, labour market-oriented reconciliation policies, usages of Europe have played an important role. Even if the cognitive and normative inspirations for the shifting of reconciliation to the domain of labour market policy may have come from various directions, the financial and legal resources of the EU have provided Finnish actors a concrete means of introducing new policy instruments, such as work/family projects in organizations and incentives for the more equal use of parental leave, as well as new economic policy goals. Overall, the goals, domains, instruments, and timings of Finnish reconciliation policies have been in concordance with those of the EU.
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Drawing from the literature on analytics of government, the paper discusses marketing as a form of government, elaborating and illustrating the many ways in which consumer choice is shaped, modified and directed in the market through... more
Drawing from the literature on analytics of government, the paper discusses marketing as a form of government, elaborating and illustrating the many ways in which consumer choice is shaped, modified and directed in the market through practices and techniques of consumer marketing. The aim is to critically reflect upon and render problematic the individualistic ideas of the green consumer as a powerful market force and to provoke discussion on the conceptualization—and construction— of consumer subjectivity and social problems in marketing. Taking examples particularly from the fashion and clothing industry, the paper discusses the ways in which marketing activities come to shape consumer conduct by operating through the choice of individuals who freely pursue their needs and desires, and by working on the environment within which this freedom of choice is exercised. The paper contributes to the literature on green consumerism by systematically interrogating and elaborating on the modes and practices of marketing thought and expertise through which consumers and consumption are rendered intelligible and actionable in the market.
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In this paper, we set out to develop new ways to identify and document local cultural elements in sites that are undergoing transformation. By drawing on the insights of cultural studies, screenwriting, scenography and service design, we... more
In this paper, we set out to develop new ways to identify and document local cultural elements in sites that are undergoing transformation. By drawing on the insights of cultural studies, screenwriting, scenography and service design, we build a multidisciplinary design framework for mapping culture that pays attention to the ways in which intangible cultural resources of a place could be brought into interaction with its users. As our empirical case, we focus on the Abattoir, a set of derelict but attractive slaughterhouse buildings that are in the process of being converted into commercial and civic premises. All in all, the paper suggests that this kind of multidisciplinary design framework can be used to improve the audience reception and engagement of cultural mapping activities. From the perspective of service design, it is possible to analyse how the audience experiences the results of mapping, and whether this experience could be improved. Screenwriting and scenography, for their part, can be used to express the mapping results in an impressive narrative and site-specific form, supported by affective, visual and spatial elements.
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Isyydestä on tullut Suomessa 1990-ja 2000-lu-kujen aikana uudella tavalla yhteiskunnallinen kysymys. Isät ovat olleet laajasti esillä sekä mediajulkisuudessa että tieteellisissä tutkimuk-sissa (Aalto & Kolehmainen 2004; Huttunen 2001).... more
Isyydestä on tullut Suomessa 1990-ja 2000-lu-kujen aikana uudella tavalla yhteiskunnallinen kysymys. Isät ovat olleet laajasti esillä sekä mediajulkisuudessa että tieteellisissä tutkimuk-sissa (Aalto & Kolehmainen 2004; Huttunen 2001). Lisäksi julkisen vallan ja erilaisten perhe- ...
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Gendering Theory in Marketing and Consumer Research showcases state-of-the-art scholarship on gender in the field of marketing and consumer research. The book presents seven original contributions by a group of internationally renowned... more
Gendering Theory in Marketing and Consumer Research showcases state-of-the-art scholarship on gender in the field of marketing and consumer research. The book presents seven original contributions by a group of internationally renowned academics, who take up the task of theorizing gender and gendering theory in new ways, accommodating recent intersectional, material-discursive, and practice-oriented theorisations. Connecting the study of marketing and consumer behaviour to different theoretical perspectives on gender, the contributors explore and critically examine the gendered nature and dimensions of contemporary marketplace activity. Through innovative conceptual development and insightful empirical analyses, the book offers important scholarly contributions to the literature on gender, marketing, and consumer research, and advances our understanding of gender as lived experience and socially regulated performance. It also frequently employs an intersectionalist perspective, theorizing gender as only a part of one’s subject position, which is constituted by mutually reinforcing categories. The book will be essential reading for students, scholars, and practitioners who are interested in the implications and contemporary manifestations of gender as a cultural category in the marketplace. Forthcoming in December 2016: Zeynep Arsel, Kirsi Eräranta & Johanna Moisander (2016) Theorizing gender in marketing and consumer research. London: Routledege.
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This thesis examines the reconciliation of work and family as a social issue that has become the object of welfarist government in Finland in the 20th century. More specifically, it focuses on the ways in which this issue has changed... more
This thesis examines the reconciliation of work and family as a social issue that has become the object of welfarist government in Finland in the 20th century. More specifically, it focuses on the ways in which this issue has changed after the welfarist government has been increasingly called into question since the late 1980s. Drawing on Foucauldian analytics of government, the thesis analyzes the ways in which work/family reconciliation has been problematized and made an object of government in Finland over time. The empirical materials consist of policy documents on the topic, published mainly between 1980 and 2009. The research strategy is based on the Foucauldian notions of genealogy and the historical ontology of present.
The thesis consists of five studies and a summary article. Each study analyzes the problematization of work/family reconciliation from a specific perspective. These include 1) social and organizational scientific knowledge; 2) citizenship and social care; 3) the Europeanization of Nordic social policies; 4) the instruments of EU gender equality policies; and 5) the rationalities and techniques of social risks.
The thesis contributes to three bodies of social scientific knowledge. First, the study advances knowledge in the field of the welfare state research by articulating a governmentality perspective on the analysis of welfare state change, and by empirically elaborating the economization and marketization of Nordic social policies. Second, the study extends the feminist literature on gender policies by shedding light on gender and sexuality as categories organizing the issue of work/family reconciliation, and by tracing the process through which this gender equality issue has found its way onto the mainstream policy agenda in Finland. Third, the study complements existing research on global and European governmentality by examining the ways in which transnational policies have been articulated, negotiated, and brought into effect in the local contexts of the member states.
Overall, the thesis argues that the reconciliation of work and family has been problematized as an economic, gendered and transnational social issue in the context of advanced liberal government. Through this problematization, social responsibilities have been redefined between the EU and its member states, the government and the labour market, as well as mothers and fathers, among others.
The thesis consists of five studies and a summary article. Each study analyzes the problematization of work/family reconciliation from a specific perspective. These include 1) social and organizational scientific knowledge; 2) citizenship and social care; 3) the Europeanization of Nordic social policies; 4) the instruments of EU gender equality policies; and 5) the rationalities and techniques of social risks.
The thesis contributes to three bodies of social scientific knowledge. First, the study advances knowledge in the field of the welfare state research by articulating a governmentality perspective on the analysis of welfare state change, and by empirically elaborating the economization and marketization of Nordic social policies. Second, the study extends the feminist literature on gender policies by shedding light on gender and sexuality as categories organizing the issue of work/family reconciliation, and by tracing the process through which this gender equality issue has found its way onto the mainstream policy agenda in Finland. Third, the study complements existing research on global and European governmentality by examining the ways in which transnational policies have been articulated, negotiated, and brought into effect in the local contexts of the member states.
Overall, the thesis argues that the reconciliation of work and family has been problematized as an economic, gendered and transnational social issue in the context of advanced liberal government. Through this problematization, social responsibilities have been redefined between the EU and its member states, the government and the labour market, as well as mothers and fathers, among others.