Reflections: The Past and Future of Research on Institutions and Institutional Change

The study of institutions has a long history, but recent efforts stress the significance of symbolic elements in shaping social life. Although institutional processes and structures operate from the most micro interpersonal level to the most macro transocietal level, most research during the past few decades has concentrated on higher levels, such as the organization field. Institutional scholarship has been strongly influenced by structuration theory and, as a consequence, has given increasing attention to processes of institutional reinforcement and change. Directions of development showing promise include attention to intermediaries in fields, social movement processes, instituted modes of change, and transnational institution-building.