Making Sense of Institutions

Slideshow Transcript

1. Slide 1: Making sense of Institutions
2. Slide 2: How do we make sense out of them?
3. Slide 3: We need to understand how institutions play a role as part of political systems
4. Slide 4: Also how they are affected as part of political systems.
5. Slide 5: They call this approach INSTITUTIONALISM
6. Slide 6: But first.
7. Slide 7: Institutions What are institutions?
8. Slide 8: Are they institutions?
9. Slide 9: Are they institutions?
10. Slide 10: They are institutions.
11. Slide 11: They are institutions.
12. Slide 12: Institutions are Formal and informal structures that can influence social behavior
13. Slide 13: They can: Constrain / Empower Prevent / Enable
14. Slide 14: For Institutionalism Institutions are: Independent Variables – I(d)V Values Ideals Norms
15. Slide 15: Intervening Variables – I(t)V Less visible rules, routines and practices, but important ones.
16. Slide 16: Dependent Variables – DV Characteristics Outcomes
17. Slide 17: Institutionalism sounds easy, right. NOT!
18. Slide 18: Like everything else, it’s a matter of perspective. There are more ways than one at looking at things.
19. Slide 19: RATIONAL CHOICE INSTITUTIONALISM
20. Slide 20: Theoretical Perspective HUMAN ACTION – the cornerstone of any social scientific explanation
21. Slide 21: Human beings are UTILITY MAXIMIZERS
22. Slide 22: Actors are INDEPENDENT OF CONTEXT
23. Slide 23: What are Agents and Institutions?
24. Slide 24: INSTITUTIONS They are mazes and hurdles on the way to a prize.
25. Slide 25: They provide a formal set of rules that structure relationships
26. Slide 26: AGENTS They are actors who negotiate with the rules.
27. Slide 27: They adapt to the rules and use them strategically.
28. Slide 28: How do Institutions change?
29. Slide 29: COST - BENEFIT Do we need to change the system?
30. Slide 30: Can we do it?
31. Slide 31: Can it be done?
32. Slide 32: SOCIOLOGICAL INSTITUTIONALISM
33. Slide 33: Sociological Perspective CULTURE – the driving force of human behavior.
34. Slide 34: Looking at how institutions emerge from social interactions. duties obligations norms
35. Slide 35: CULTURE = INSTITUTIONS
36. Slide 36: What are Agents and Institutions? INSTITUTIONS They are: internal subconscious pre-rational
37. Slide 37: They don’t constrain options THEY MAKE THEM.
38. Slide 38: Agents and Structure can’t be separated.
39. Slide 39: Remember Marx? The world is where you are.
40. Slide 40: How are changes explained? Is change appropriate? Is it legitimate?
41. Slide 41: Inconsistency with change = BREAKDOWN
42. Slide 42: HISTORICAL INSTITUTIONALISM
43. Slide 43: Theoretical Perspective PATH DEPENDENCE
44. Slide 44: Institutions reflect past models.
45. Slide 45: Role of Agents and Institutions: INSTITUTIONS shape the strategies and goals actors pursue.
46. Slide 46: They shape inputs and outputs.
47. Slide 47: When do changes occur? Times of crisis or critical junctures.
48. Slide 48: Institutions create new institutions.
49. Slide 49: Notice something peculiar?
50. Slide 50: Historical analysis and sociological analysis are in many ways related.
51. Slide 51: Institutions are very important. They dictate human choices and options.
52. Slide 52: Institutions are ARENAS THEY DEFINE THE RULES.
53. Slide 53: Common experience lowers the costs towards agreement.
54. Slide 54: When the context changes, preferences also change.
55. Slide 55: Meanwhile, Rational choice analysis differs much from the two.
56. Slide 56: Institutions are still arenas. but, actors are a little more independent from context.
57. Slide 57: Three views, different looks. Which one is right?
58. Slide 58: OR, what’s wrong with each?
59. Slide 59: criticisms
60. Slide 60: Rational Choice Same event, different interpretations NO EMPIRICAL EVIDENCE.
61. Slide 61: Sociological / Historical Rich details Causal variables Generalizations
62. Slide 62: Whew! That’s already a lot of information
63. Slide 63: Why are we doing this again?
64. Slide 64: We do comparative analysis (or any study of social science) BECAUSE…
65. Slide 65: We need to: Gain knowledge through empirical research Search for patterns
66. Slide 66: To deal with uncertainty and make descriptive, explanatory, causal inferences.
67. Slide 67: To establish workable models.
68. Slide 68: That’s about it. THANK YOU!