Sociological Institutionalism: Features, Uses, Strengths and Weaknesses

Policy, Governance and Democracy: International Perspective 1
POLICY, GOVERNANCE AND DEMOCRACY: INTERNATIONAL PERSPECTIVE
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Policy, Governance and Democracy: International Perspective 2
Policy, Governance, and Democracy: International Perspectives
Sociological Institutionalism
The social institutionalism is a type of institutionalism which deals with the meanings for
certain individuals are created by various institutions. Such a meaning is of significance to the
political science due to its application in the building of blocks for the normative
institutionalism. It came as a result of the organization theory field. It arose in the late 1970s
from the organizational theory and this was against the means end rationality in the particular
organization. Further, it consisted of constitutive features existing between the individual and
institutions actions. The sociological institutionalism is also considered to be part of the new
institutionalism which contains an understanding of the various institutions in matters related to
social processes. Unlike the old institutionalism which was of the idea that there are numerous
attitudes which different actors can select from. The sociological institutionalism, however, came
up with the idea of the logic of appropriateness which was under the influence of sociology of
organizations.
History of Sociological Institutionalism
The sociological institutionalism originated from various elements such as the cultural
studies, anthropology, sociology, and organizational theory. The main focus of the above
mentioned institutionalism on the institutional cultures. According to the founders of the
sociological institutionalism, the rules, structures, and norms of the various institutions are
determined by the surrounding culture of the particular organization and this is unlike the old
institutionalism which emphasizes that such issues are mainly dictated by the levels of efficiency
within the organization (Sorensen, 2015 p.25). Also, the sociological institutionalism tends to

Policy, Governance and Democracy: International Perspective 3
look into the questions relating to the cultural and social legitimacy of the particular organization
including the key participants of that organization.
Features of Sociological Institutionalism
There are a variety of features of sociological institutionalism and this makes it different
from the new institutionalism. According to the sociological institutionalism, the institutions are
as considered as a system which typically includes, the moral templates, cognitive scripts and
symbol systems and this is unlike the political scientists who consider institutions as norms,
rules, and procedures (Healey, 2018 p.55). Therefore there is a wide division between culture
and institutions. Culture under this type of institutionalism is redefined in the institutions. It is,
therefore, a reflection of the cognitive turn in sociology and culture is therefore associated with
attitudes and values which are effective.
The other feature of the sociological institutionalism is on the relationship existing
between the individual and institution actions. In the above mentioned feature, the impact of
institutions on behavior is taken into consideration such that it is argued that the institutions tend
to influence behavior. Such an influence is based on the provision of certain models and
cognitive scripts which helps in the interpretation of the behavior of various individuals in the
world. Also, based on the feature it is argued that the influence of institutions on behavior only
on what a person should do but instead it also gives specification on what an individual can
imagine to do (Trampusch, 2014 p.335). Further, the relationship between the individual and
institution action are considered to be highly interactive and thus it is part of the relationship.
The individuals are considered as social actors and this is on the basis of acting as social
convention specifies.

Policy, Governance and Democracy: International Perspective 4
Another key feature of sociological institutionalism is based on the change and
origination of institutional practices. On the basis of the above mentioned feature, the
sociological institutionalism argues that the reason for the adoption of a new institutional
practice by most of the institutions is to improve on the social legitimacy of the particular
organizations. The different institutional practices which are often adopted by organizations
because such practices are valued and this is usually in the cultural environment. However, in
certain circumstances, the adopted institutional practices could be dysfunctional and this is
especially in relation to the attainment of the formal goals of the particular organization.
How the Sociological Institutionalism is Used
Healey (2018 p.55), argues that the sociological institutionalism typically provides an
overview of the world and this also includes the knowledge on the relationship between the
objects (epistemology) and the subjects. It has therefore been applied in the social construction
of reality. It is on that basis that the individual’s conscience happens and this is usually in a
subjective manner via an interaction of various institutional processes considered as complex.
Additionally, it has been used in the determination of the legitimacy of any particular
organization and this is on the basis of the practices and structures of the particular organization
which is referred to as the social legitimacy. The sociological institutionalism also provides
certain key contributions in relation to the study of the expression of social values by different
organizations.
Generally, the various rationales are typically sustained by both the institutional and
technical environments. The institutional environment, for example, aids in providing legitimacy
to a particular organization and this is because it is considered a rational action in the form of a
procedure (Laursen, 2016 p.30). The technical environment, on the other hand, allows various