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Institutionality: “Institution” and “Institutions Matter”
University of Freiburg, Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany
- 1 University of Freiburg, Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany
Open Journal of Political Science·Volume 04 (2013)·Pages 23–30·Published 27 December 2013·DOI10.4236/ojps.2014.41004
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Abstract
Theories of institutions have become very popular in the social sciences. Thus, we often encounter the claim “Institutions Matter” in the new literature, which is called “institutionalism”. It is time to make a critique of this theme, asking what an institution is and what it “matters” for. “Institution” stands for two very different sorts of entities in social reality—rules and organisations—and the new institutionalism comes in two corresponding versions, economic or atomistic neo-institutionalism against sociological or holistic neoinstitutionalism. The notion of new logic of individual behaviour—a logic of appropriateness—is flawed, as it is not in agreement with basic notions in the philosophy of action.
Keywords“Institution” as TermInstitution as Rule or NormInstitutionalisation as Enforcement of a RuleAgencyInstitutions as OrganisationsOutcomes of InstitutionsEconomic Neo-InstitutionalismSociological Neo-InstitutionalismEU InstitutionsMotivation as Incentives and Beliefs about Rules
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