institutsionalism

Institucionalism is an approach in the social sciences that emphasizes the role of institutions in shaping political, economic, and social behavior and outcomes. Institutions include formal rules and laws, organizations, and informal norms and conventions. They are viewed as durable structures that constrain and enable actors, influence incentives, and shape expectations and legitimacy.

The scholarly tradition began with old institutionalism in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, associated with thinkers such as Thorstein Veblen and John R. Commons. In political science, old institutionalism stressed the primacy of institutional forms and arrangements in shaping policy processes and social life, often through descriptive analysis of political structures and organizations.

From the 1980s onward, new institutionalism emerged, developing several strands. Rational choice institutionalism analyzes how individuals and groups make strategic decisions within the constraints of formal rules and incentives. Sociological institutionalism emphasizes the power of culture, norms, legitimacy, and social identification in shaping behavior. Historical institutionalism focuses on path dependence, critical junctures, and the long-run development of institutions, showing how early choices affect later options.

Key concepts include formal versus informal rules, path dependence, institutional change, and de jure versus de facto institutions. Institutions can stabilize coordination and cooperation, but they can also entrench power or limit reform, depending on context and design.

Applications span comparative politics, organizational theory, public policy, and governance. Critics argue that some institutional analyses overlook power asymmetries, ignore external shocks, or overstate the coherence and fixity of institutions.