The institutional isomorphism of the Regional Bureaus for Cross-border Cooperation in Romania

Abstract

By their status and their organisational structure, the Regional Bureaus for Cross-border Cooperation in Romania are non-governmental bodies of private law, their stated mission being that of advertising the regional development and the cross-border cooperation. The study highlights the institutional isomorphism and the implications of this phenomenon in the advertising and support of the cross-border cooperation. The documentary analysis proves that the Regional Bureaus of Cross-border Cooperation in Romania are sensitive to the mimetic and normative pressures, but less to those of coercion. The set-up model, the financing and current activity practices, bring them closer to the status and activity of a governmental agency and makes them distinctly separated from what a non-governmental structure should be. The capacity of these structures to accomplish their fundamental mission through "soft transfer mechanisms" (styles, ways of taking action, values, etc.) is reduced. The conditioning of the financial support is imposed as a solution for the effective organization of the activities.