Institutional Transformation and Planning: From Institutionalization Theory to Institutional Design

Abstract

For planners, institutional transformation is important in two ways. From the positive aspect they need to know their institutional environment: institutionalization theory can help. Three 'schools' of institutionalization theory are presented: 'Historical', 'Rational Choice' and 'Sociological Institutionalism'. The normative aspect of institutional transformation is institutional design: planning often demands this. Institutional design is defined and described: what is it, where is it done, and who does it. The article identifies the institutional-agent interactions that are the media and tools of institutional design, and reviews some of the knowledge base for institutional design practice under the headings of governance, coordination, and agency.

Making it last? Analysing the role of NGO interventions in the development of institutions for durable collective action in Indian community forestry

“…NGOs holding this view of institutional change would direct their efforts at enhancing the capabilities (agency) of communities to craft their own institutions. e n v i r o n m e n t a l s c i e n c e & p o l i c y x x x ( 2 0 1 4 ) x x x -x x x Secondly, we draw on the notion that institutions can be either exogenous or endogenous to the change agent (Alexander, 2005). When they are exogenous ''the object of the undertakingthe institutional structures and/or practices that are to be changed -is outside the institutional change agents' own institutional context'' (Alexander, 2005: p. 211).…”

“…1 NGO activities are partly determined by how they view their role in institutional change processes. Therefore we secondly draw on institutional change literature, and specifically the distinction made between institutional crafting and institutional design (Cleaver, 2002;Alexander, 2005) in order to enrich our discussion on the approaches NGOs take to working with communities.…”

Building a Meta-Framework to ‘Address’ Spatial Quality

“…Building a meta-framework 393 the social dynamics behind fields of functional tension (Healey 1999;Alexander 2005). These social dynamics can best be addressed in a relational framework with space being understood as a social, cultural, economic and ecological construction.…”

Action Research’s Potential to Foster Institutional Change for Urban Water Management

“…Alexander [46] usefully distinguishes objective and subjective institutional design. In objective institutional design we presume that we have theories that tell us how to affect intentional institutional change and deliberately create and change institutions, with the aim of affecting practices.…”

“…We associate this with an understanding of institutional change as propagated by rational choice orientations. In contrast, in subjective-dialogic institutional design, we do not have conclusive understanding about how institutional change unfolds and need to understand the transformation that is unleashed by intended institutional change; we require descriptive-explanatory knowledge based on reflexive experience, empirical observation and analysis in order to come to adequate proposals that guide development of institutions into the intended direction [46]. Outcomes are presumed to be unintended and unpredictable, to a large extent.…”