Institutionalism

The Institutional Approach: Introduction

Dominant tradition of political

analysis in USA and UK
Until the 1950s...

Not preoccupied with

methodology and theories;
just mere describing
WHAT IS AN INSTITUTION?

eQUATED WITH POLITICAL

ORGANIZATIONS
KEY CONCEPTS
OLD INSTITUTIONALISM
ONE OF THE central pillars of
the discipline
 RESTRICTED UNDERSTANDING OF
ITS SUBJECT MATTER

GOVERNMENT INSTITUTIONS
(State-centered)
 Focus was on formal rules and
organizations; NOT informal
conventions

Silent on matters
of theory
Prescriptive Evaluative Empirical
Understanding Old
Institutionalism
 Descriptive -
Inductive

● Hyperfactualism
 Formal-legal

● Formal = Governmental
organizations

● Legal = public law

 Historical -
comparative
● Finer’s approach: Institutions
with institution across
countries

● power-relationships
NEW INSTITUTIONALISM
 wHAT IS AN INSTITUTION?

RULES:

Stable,
“Rules of the recurring
game” patterns of
behavior
How is it new?

Focused on developing
a sociological view of
institutions

More explicit and

sophisticated
theoretical framework
DIFFERENT STRAINS OF NEW
INSTITUTIONALISM
NORMATIVE INSTITUTIONALISM

How norms and values

embodied in political
institutions shape the behavior
of individuals
 “Logic of
appropriateness”
guides the
behaviour of
actors within an
institution”
 RATIONAL CHOICE
INSTITUTIONALISM

Argues that political institutions are

systems of rules within which
individuals attempt to maximize their
utilities
Political actors’ rational
choices are constrained
because of the rules and
norms of the institution
HISTORICAL INSTITUTIONALISM

History matters
 Choices made about the
institutional design of government
systems influence the future
decision-making of individuals
Paths designed early on the
existence of an institution
tend to be followed
throughout the institution’s
development
EMPIRICAL INSTITUTIONALISM

Classifies different
institutional types
and analyze their
practical impact
upon government
performance
 INTERNATIONAL
INSTITUTIONALISM

Behaviour of states are steered by the

structural constraints (formal and
informal) of international political life
 SOCIOLOGICAL
INSTITUTIONALISM

Institutions create
meaning for individuals;
provides important
building blocks for
normative institutionalism
within political science
NETWORK INSTITUTIONALISM

Regularized, BUT informal,

patterns of interaction
between individuals and
groups shape political
behaviour
 CONSTRUCTIVIST
INSTITUTIONALISM

Sees institutions as
shaping behaviour
through frames of
meaning
FEMINIST INSTITUTIONALISM

How gender norms

operate within
institutions
OLD VS. NEW
INSTITUTIONALISM
RULES:
From a focus on
organization to a
focus on rules

From a formal to
an informal
conception of
institutions
From a static to a
dynamic
conception of
institutions

From submerged
values to a
value-critical
stance
From a holistic to a
disaggregated
conception of
institutions

From
independence to
embeddedness
Key thinkers: Old
Institutionalism
 ● Doyen of the
Institutional
approach

● compared institution
with institution
across countries

Herman Finer
 ● Studied the problems
of ‘divided
government’

● parliamentary
government as an
alternative

Woodrow wilson
 ● “values underlying
one system becomes
clearer when
contrasted with
another”

Woodrow wilson
 ● Defended the
public corporations
as an ‘outstanding
contribution to
public
administration’

William Robson
 ● Focused upon how
the legislature
‘embeds itself in a
variety of
environmental
settings’

Nelson Polsby
Key thinkers: New
institutionalism
James G. March Johan P. Olsen
March & Olsen

● Political institutions played

a more autonomous role in
shaping political outcomes

● ‘The organization of
political life makes a
difference’
 ● Emphasized the
importance of theory
in understanding
institutions

Rod Rhodes
 weakness

&
Strengths
Old
Institutionalism
Strengths

Takes history
into account
Strengths

Takes the Public

Law into account
Strengths

Allows for comparison

between the institutions
of different countries
Weaknesses

Has a general
distaste for theory
Weaknesses

Analysis of law and

institutions can’t explain
policy or power
Weaknesses

Hyperfactualism
New
Institutionalism
Strengths

Has a developed
concept between
institutions and
behavior
Strengths

Has a highly
generalizable
set of concepts
Strengths

Use of Theories
(multi-theoretic
character)
Weaknesses

Does not specify

how institutions
may affect behavior
Weaknesses

Criticized as
too general
Strength

reintegrates the
empirical study
of politics with
the analysis of
political values
Weaknesses

Has a difficulty in
explaining change
Application to 7
cases
Mining In the
Philippines
 Normative
Institutionalism

Rational Choice
Institutionalism
Political
dynasties
Rational CHoice
Institutionalism

Historical
Institutionalism

Network
Institutionalism
Poverty
 Historical
Institutionalism

Rational CHoice
Institutionalism
Spratlys
 International
Institutionalism

Rational CHoice
Institutionalism
ASEAN
Rational CHoice
Institutionalism

International
Institutionalism

Network
Institutionalism
Venezuela
 Historical
Institutionalism

International
Institutionalism

Constructivist
Institutionalism
isis
 Normative
Institutionalism

Rational CHoice
Institutionalism

Historical
Institutionalism
Sociological
Institutionalism
Constructivist
Institutionalism