Rao: Institutional change in Toque Ville: Nouvelle cuisine as an identity movement in French gastronomy

17 important questions on Rao: Institutional change in Toque Ville: Nouvelle cuisine as an identity movement in French gastronomy

The article of Rao depicts (toont) identity movements that strive to expand individual autonomy as motors of institutional change. What does the article propose?

Rao proposes that the sociopolitical legitimacy of activists, extent theorization of new roles, prior defections by peers to the new logic, and gains to prior defectors act as identity-discrepant cues that induce actors to abandon traditional logics and role identities for new logics and role identities. 

What is they study of Rao about?

A study of how the nouvelle cuisine movements in France led elite chefs to abandon classical cuisine during the period 1970-97. The data of the (longitudinal) interviewees provided support for the arguments above.

The study of Rao shows how identity movements create institutional gaps, how?

By highlighting defect at the level of identities rather than at the level of logics. Since actors categorize themselves as group members and identify with the group, conversion hinges on identity-discrepant cues that jeopardize the existing role identity and validate a new role identity.   (omschakelen hangt af van identiteit-afwijkende signalen die de huidige rol van identiteit in gevaar brengen en een nieuwe rol van identiteit valideren)
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What happens when the number of activists who occupy key positions in field-wide organizations increase? + formulate Rao's first hypothesis.

Then the logic and role identity implied by nouvelle cuisine will be more acceptable, therefore:
H1: The greater the sociopolitical legitimacy of activists, the greater is the extent to which actors abandon classical cuisine for a nouvelle cuisine.

What happened when favorable media coverage of nouvelle cuisine arose? Formulate Rao's second hypothesis.

That nouvelle favorable cuisine undermined the logic of classical cuisine, created a discrepancy between member's desire for a positive social identity and their current affiliation (aansluiting), and included them to jump ship:
H2: The greater the theorization of new roles, the greater is the extent to which actors abandon classical cuisine for nouvelle cuisine.

What happens when the number of defectors (overlopers) grows? (Rao) which hypothesis belongs to this thought?

The more defectors, weighted by the extent of their reputation and participation in the new role identity, the more acceptable the nouvelle cuisine becomes, and the more likely they are to abandon the traditional role identity. Thus:
H3: The greater the number of defectors weighted by their reputation and extent of defection, the greater is the extent to which actors abandon classical cuisine for nouvelle cuisine.

What happens when the gains that accrue to defectors embracing the new role identity become greater? Which hypothesis belongs to this? (Rao)

The greater the gains, the stronger are the identity-discrepant cues faced by group members, and the more intense are pressures for them to abandon the traditional role identity. Thus:
H4: The greater the reputational gains the accrue to defectors, the greater is the extent to which actors abandon classical cuisine for nouvelle cuisine.

Rao formulates a 5th hypothesis regarding the identity-discrepant cues. Which one?

5a: Theorization is likely to be a stronger identity-discrepant cue than defections by peers.
5b: Theorization is likely to be a stronger identity-discrepant cue than gains to defectors.

The findings reported by Rao advance the literature of cultural-frame instutionalism, social movement theory, and social identity theory. Which hypotheses are supported.

H1 t/m 4 are supported. H5a partly (2/3) supported and 5b fully supported.

What does the self-categorization theory mean? (Rao)

That the actors define groups in terms of the appropriate behaviors expected of a category or role, identify with the group that they perceive themselves as belonging to, and compare the in-group to an out-group. Members respond to threats to their social identity by using the three basic strategies of:
1. Social mobility: exit their group and join another
2. Social creativity: change the criteria of comparison which makes the in-group more favorable
3. Social change: compete directly with the out-group to alter the relative status of both groups through collective action.

How did the institutional gaps arise? (Rao)

They arise when movements activists develop rationales for why the existing logic cannot dictate action effectively and then offer a repertoire of practices that embody a different institutional logic.

What does Rao mean with spinoff movements?

Those movements are related to institutional change. They represent the diffusion of the master logic animating an initiator movement and entail the customization of the initiator movement's master logic.

Rao proposes that identity movements in the profession critique the existing logic and role identity as constraint on autonomy, and they offer a new logic and role identity emphasizing expanded autonomy. Which 4 types of identity-discrepant cues as the source of change are discussed?

1. The sociopolitical legitimacy of activist
2. Theorization of new roles to be adopted
3. Defections of peers from the traditional logic to the insurgent (opstandige) logic
4. Gains that accrue (toekomen) to prior defectors (overlopers)
> Rao studies how those 4 cues disseminated by the nouvelle cuisine movement induced elite chefs to abandon the classical cuisine.

What does social movement theory and cultural-frame institutionalism suggests?

That social movements are important motors of institution building, deinstitutionalization and reinstitutionalization.

What is meant with institutional change? (3) (Rao)

1. Institution formation or the birth of a new logic or governance structure
2. Deinstitutionalization or the dissolution (ontbinding) of an existing logic or governance structure
3. Reinstitutionalization where an existing logic/governance is replace by a new logic or governance structure.

Explain how identity movements arise? (Rao).

They arise in opposition to the dominant cultural codes, consist of a we-feeling sustained through interactions among movement participants, and are expressed through cultural materials such as names, narratives, symbols. Identity movements seek autonomy rather than justice, aspire to cultural change, and promote new institutional logics.

What is an institutional logic? (2) (Rao)

The link with behavior of individuals actors:
1. Social identity, self image derived by actors when the categorize themselves as members of a collectivity or occupants of a role
2. A system of incentives that rewards actors for conformity to a given logic and penalizes actors for violations of behavior.
> Institutional logics are the organizing principle that furnish guidelines to actors as to how to behave.

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