Institutionalism and Public Policy

Abstract

Institutions shape public policy, and in turn public policies shape institutions. This chapter discusses the role that institutions, viewed from a number of theoretical perspectives, play in shaping policies. Institutions can structure the flow of information and ideas from the environment and also have their own perspectives on what constitutes good policy. Institutions also help to provide stability in public policies and credible commitment on the part of government. The policies that an institution administers also define its pattern of functioning and its relationships with other organizations and actors in its environment.