An institution is any structure or mechanism of social order and cooperation governing the behavior of a set of individuals within a given community — may it be human or a specific animal one. Institutions are identified with a social purpose, transcending individuals and intentions by mediating the rules that govern cooperative living behavior.
The term "institution" is commonly applied to customs and behavior patterns important to a society, as well as to particular formal organizations of government and public services. As structures and mechanisms of social order among certain species, institutions are one of the principal objects of study in the social sciences, such as political science, anthropology, economics, and sociology (the latter being described by Durkheim as the "science of institutions, their genesis and their functioning"). Institutions are also a central concern for law, the formal mechanism for political rule-making and enforcement.
Read more about Institution: Examples of Institutions, Aspects of Institutions, Perspectives of The Social Sciences, Institutionalization
Other articles related to "institution, institutions":
... of the children and brought to a mental institution ... sometimes but Jommeke keeps on putting her back in the institution ... As from album 249 the queen of the underworld is released from the institution an she stays in her castle now ...
... sense to apply to the creation or organization of governmental institutions or particular bodies responsible for overseeing or implementing policy, for example in welfare or development ...
... the percentage of students who transfer to the institution, and only applies to four year or higher institutions ... than 20 percent of students transfer into the institution ... than 19 percent of students transfer into the institution ...
... candidacy status for accreditation as a Category II institution by the Transnational Association of Christian Colleges and Schools (TRACS) this status is effective ... Candidacy (pre-accreditation) indicates that the institution is in basic compliance with the standards and criteria, has been evaluated by an on-site peer team, and in the ... schools meet the criteria for listing as institutions affiliated with The United Methodist Church ...
... Just barely after three years of existence, the institution saw itself providing help and leadership during the disaster that occurred in the northern part of the state of Puebla due to heavy rainfalls ... The institution helped to provide relief to local and neighboring communities that suffered great loss of life and property ... Much of the research carried on by the institution focuses on the ecology of the region ...
Famous quotes containing the word institution:
“The institution of the family is decisive in determining not only if a person has the capacity to love another individual but in the larger social sense whether he is capable of loving his fellow men collectively. The whole of society rests on this foundation for stability, understanding and social peace.”
—Daniel Patrick Moynihan (20th century)
“Your organization is not a praying institution. It’s a fighting institution. It’s an educational institution right along industrial lines. Pray for the dead and fight like hell for the living!”
—Mother Jones (1830–1930)
“Every institution not only carries within it the seeds of its own dissolution, but prepares the way for its most hated rival.”
—W.R. (William Ralph)