Institutional Structures | Golden Age

Institutional structures refer to the humanly devised systems of rules, norms, and conventions that shape and constrain social behavior. These structures can be formal or informal and vary in their level of complexity and persistence. Institutions embody a great deal of knowledge of how to do things in society and have been described as the social science equivalent of theories in the natural sciences. The study of institutions is a principal object of study in social sciences such as sociology, anthropology, economics, and political science. The development of the modern nation-state has been shaped by the emergence of institutions such as the United Nations and the European Union.