The concept of “social institution” is somewhat unclear both in ordinary language and in sociological and philosophical literature. However, modern science is somewhat more consistent in using this term. Typically, modern scholars use this term to refer to complex forms that reproduce themselves, such as governments, families, human languages, universities, hospitals, business corporations, and legal systems.
Definition
A social institution is a historically established organization, a community of people associated with their joint activities (social practice). It was created by people to meet social needs.
According to one of the typical definitions, social institutions are a stable form of organization, a set of positions, roles, norms and values embedded in certain types of structures and organizing relatively stable models of human activity in relation to fundamental problems in the production of life, such as the conservation of resources, the reproduction of people and maintaining viable structures in a given environment. In addition, they are one of the most enduring features of social life.
In essence, a social institution is a combination of social organizations and norms. They are called upon to regulate various spheres of public relations.
Correlation with other forms
Social institutions must be distinguished from less complex social forms, such as rules, social norms, roles, and rituals. They must also be distinguished from more complex and more complete social entities, such as societies or cultures, of which any given institution is usually a constituent element. For example, a society is more complete than an institution, because society (at least in the traditional sense) is more or less self-sufficient in terms of human resources, while an institution is not.
Elements such as social institutions and social organizations are often correlated. An example of such a coincidence is a school. Moreover, many institutions are systems of organizations. For example, capitalism is a special kind of economic institution. In our time, capitalism largely consists of certain organizational forms, including multinational corporations, organized into a system. Also applies to similar types of social organizations and the institution of the family. This is due to the fact that it combines the features of different social systems.
In addition, some institutions are meta-institutions; these are institutions (organizations) that organize others like them (including systems). For example, these are governments. Their institutional goal or function is to a large extent the organization of other institutions (both individually and collectively). Thus, governments regulate and coordinate economic systems, educational institutions, the police and military organizations, etc. mainly through (enforceable) legislation.
Nevertheless, some social institutions are not social organizations or their system. For example, the Russian language, which could exist independently of any institutions directly involved in it. Again, you can consider an economic system in which organizations are not involved. An example of this is the barter system with the participation of only individuals. An institution, which is not an organization or their system, is associated with a relatively specific type of interactive activity between agents, such as communication or economic exchange, which includes:
- differentiated actions, for example, communication involves speech and hearing / understanding; economic exchange involves buying and selling;
- execution repeatedly and by several agents;
- functioning in accordance with a structured unitary system of agreements, for example, linguistic, monetary, as well as social norms.
Agents and structure
For convenience, social institutions can be thought of as having three dimensions: structure, function, and culture. However, it should be remembered that there are conceptual differences between functions and goals. In some cases, function is a quasicausal concept, in others it is teleological, although it does not necessarily imply the existence of any mental states.
Although the structure, functions and culture of the institute provide a framework within which individuals act, they do not fully determine their actions. This happens for a number of reasons. On the one hand, rules, norms and goals cannot cover all unforeseen circumstances that may arise; on the other hand, all these aspects themselves must be interpreted and applied. Moreover, changing circumstances and unforeseen problems make it desirable to give people discretionary authority to rethink and adjust old rules, norms and goals, and sometimes to develop new ones.
People who occupy institutional roles have varying degrees of discretion in relation to their actions. These discretionary powers come in many forms and operate at different levels.
Thus, certain categories of individual institutional entities have discretionary powers and a reasonable degree of autonomy in the performance of their institutional responsibilities. However, not only the individual actions of institutional actors are not completely determined by structure, functions and culture. Many collaborative activities carried out within the framework of social institutions (and social organizations) are not determined by structure, function or culture.
It should also be noted that legitimate individual or collective discretionary activities carried out within an institution are usually facilitated by a rational internal structure, including role structures, policies and decision-making procedures. By rational is meant internally consistent, and also justified in the light of the goals of the institution.
In addition to internal aspects, there are external relations, including its relations with other similar systems.
All these factors are due to the fact that social institutions (social organizations) are communities of people who interact with each other.
According to Giddens, the structure of a social institution consists of both the human factor and the environment in which the human action takes place. Apparently, this means that, firstly, it is nothing more than a repetition in time of the corresponding actions of many institutional entities. Thus, the structure consists of:
- from the habitual actions of each institutional agent;
- a set of such agents;
- the relationship and interdependence between the actions of one agent and the actions of other agents.
Moreover, any organization in the system of social institutions occupies a certain place.
Distinctive features
A characteristic feature of social institutions is their reproductive ability. They reproduce themselves, or at least dispose of it. This is largely due to the fact that their members strictly identify themselves with the institutional goals and social norms that are decisive for these institutions, and therefore accept relatively long-term obligations to them and introduce others as their members.
In addition, some of them, such as schools and churches, as well as decision-makers, such as governments, are directly involved in the process of reproduction of various social institutions besides themselves. They facilitate their reproduction by propagating the “ideology” of these institutions, as well as, in the case of the government, by implementing specific policy measures to ensure their reproduction.
Classification
There are several categories of social institutions:
- Community: a group of people living in the same locality and reporting to one governing body, or a group or class having common interests.
- Community Based Organizations: Nonprofit charitable organizations designed to help others meet basic needs, solve personal or family problems, or improve their community.
- Educational institutions: non-governmental organizations involved in teaching people skills and knowledge.
- Ethnic or cultural groups: a public organization made up of many extended family groups united by a common origin.
- Extended family: a public organization consisting of several groups of nuclear families, connected by a common origin.
- Families and households: a fundamental social group consisting mainly of men, women and their descendants; home care, including family members and others who live under the same roof.
- Governments and Law Institutions: An office, function, body, or organization that establishes and manages public policy and affairs. The government consists of a legislative branch that writes law and policy, an executive branch that implements law and policy, and a judicial branch that enforces law and policy. This includes local, state, and national governments.
- Medical facilities: social organizations that specialize in monitoring public health, providing medical care and treating diseases and injuries.
- Intellectual and cultural organizations: public organizations engaged in the search for new knowledge or the development and preservation of art.
- Market institutions: public organizations involved in barter and trade, which includes all corporations and enterprises.
- Political and non-governmental structures: public organizations involved in influencing management processes; political parties. This includes non-governmental organizations and groups of people with common goals, interests or ideals formally linked by a common set of rules or by-laws that affect public policy.
- Religious structures: groups of people who share and honor a common codified belief in supernatural power.
Definition of Social Organization
This concept means the interdependence of parts, which is an essential characteristic of all sustainable collective formations, groups, communities and societies.
Social organization means social relations between groups. In fact, a social organization is an interaction between its members based on roles and status. Individuals and groups, interconnected together, create a social organization, which is the result of the social interaction of people. It is a network of social relationships in which individuals and groups participate. All these systems are to a certain extent based on social organizations and institutions of society.
Such a form is actually an artificial association of an institutional nature, which occupies a certain place in society and performs certain functions.
Interaction as a basis
Relations in a social organization are of a certain nature. She, in fact, is a product of social interaction. It is this process between individuals, groups, institutions, classes, family members that creates such an organization. The relationship between members or parts is an interaction.
Relations with the social system
Social organization is not isolated. It is interconnected with the social system, which is an integral structure due to the interdependence of its elements. The system determines the various functions of its elements. These elements are interconnected, support each other. These various functions performed by various parts make up the whole system, and this relationship between its parts is called organization.
Common concepts
Social institutions and social organizations act as an element of the social structure of society. In addition, they are a form of social interaction. The union of people acts as its subject (content), due to the need to meet a particular need (or goal), which are specific and relevant. Moreover, they can have both a personal and a social character.
However, it should be taken into account that there are a number of differences between such key concepts as a social institution, organizations and groups. They differ in structure, essence and functions.
Unlike some types of a form such as a social institution, a social organization is seen as a higher form of social connection. This is due to its conscious, and not spontaneous formation, the presence of purpose and material resources.
In fact, social organizations and social institutions are communities of people, or actors.
Some common features of these two phenomena can be distinguished:
1. Both of these structures maintain the established order, using for this rigid fixing of roles and requirements for participants.
2. Social organizations and institutions act as a mechanism to ensure order, fixed norms and rules.
In general, this conditions the functioning of various systems of society. However, it should be taken into account that there are a number of differences between such key concepts as a social institution, organizations and groups. They differ in structure, essence and functions.
