What are institutions?

From: Journal of Economic Issues | Date: March 1, 2006| Author: | Copyright information

The use of the term institution has become widespread in the social sciences in recent years, reflecting the growth in institutional economics and the use of the institution concept in several other disciplines, including philosophy, sociology, politics, and geography. The term has a long history of usage in the social sciences, dating back at least to Giambattista Vico in his Scienza Nuova of 1725. However, even today, there is no unanimity in the definition of this concept.

Furthermore, endless disputes over the definitions of key terms such as institution and organization ...

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