Institutions, institutional change and policy outcomes

Abstract

Institutions structure interactions, provide stability and affect actors’ behaviours. How do they change? The chapter provides multiple answers to this question by reviewing several theories explaining institutional change. It starts with evolutionary models based on emergence and unintended consequences, it investigates institutions as equilibria and it analyses different perspectives on stability and change. The core of the analysis lies in a sort of theoretical flip with respect to the classic structural view. Starting with the importance of power and distributive conflict, the chapter proposes to treat institutional change as a kind of policy change. The Sect. 2.5 presents a policy perspective on institutional change, inquiring about particular actors, preferences and modes of interaction.