One More Time : What Are Institutions and How Do They Change?

Islam, Roumeen

World Bank, Washington, DC

关键词: INSTITUTIONS;    GOVERNANCE;    AID EFFECTIVENESS;    PUBLIC POLICY;    INSTITUTIONAL CHANGE;   

DOI  :  10.1596/1813-9450-8422
RP-ID  :  WPS8422

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: World Bank Open Knowledge Repository

【 摘 要 】

This paper defines institutions,presents their basic characteristics, and discusses forcesfor institutional change. It draws on a wealth of researchand study by scholars in different fields and follows fromthe flagship 2002 World Development Report on this topic,including relevant new research since then that illuminateskey issues. The definition of institutions includes rulesand organizations (specifically rules guiding peoples’actions). The paper emphasizes the diversity of institutionsthat can effectively perform similar functions, thearguments for and against standardization of institutionsacross specific transactions or groups, and the implicationsof these choices. It highlights the relationship betweeninformal and formal institutions. It discusses forces forinstitutional change influencing all economies, ranging fromexternal shocks (whether they be economic or weather-relatedshocks or driven by wars) to internal dynamics, such asthose following population growth or compositional changes,and those following technological innovations. Many of theseforces have a two-way relationship with institutions: theyare affected by them and, in turn, influence whether andwhen they change. A special section is devoted toinstitutional transplants and their effectiveness. The paperconcludes with a discussion of whether and under whatconditions institutional change can be externally directedand the lessons for aid donors.