Institution

Stable structures of rules, norms, and expectations that constrain and enable human behavior — the building blocks of social systems.

Institutions range from formal (constitutions, laws, contracts) to informal (customs, conventions, social norms). They persist beyond individual participants and shape behavior through incentives, expectations, and enforcement mechanisms.

Systems Connection

An institution is a structural pattern that persists through time, maintained by feedback loops of expectation and enforcement. Institutions define boundaries (what’s permitted/forbidden), enable functions (coordination, exchange, governance), and create emergent properties (trust, legitimacy) that no individual participant possesses.

See Also

• Political Economy — parent domain
• Governance — institutional function
• Structure — what institutions are